eNews: A Newsletter from Academic Affairs and Student Life
Preparing Students for Careers and Citizenship
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eCampus Seeks Accreditation to Expand Online Offerings
When the team from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association (NCA) visits in April, they will be reviewing the request from eCampus for accreditation to expand UNK’s online offerings.
UNK has a long history of meeting the needs of students throughout Nebraska who desire to continue their education but live in rural areas, far removed from a college campus. The current online program was developed in the spring of 2000, with four online courses. By the fall of 2007, the number of course offerings grew to 80 with 1500 students enrolled, and the student demographic had shifted from primarily residents of Nebraska to students from all areas of the nation.
In order to meet the obvious growing demand for online options, eCampus desires to expand its online program offerings. In April 2004, UNK was approved by the HLC to offer online graduate degrees in the areas of Teacher Education, Business, Biology, and Educational Administration, and undergraduate degrees in Criminal Justice and Business. If approved, the expanded program offerings may include an undergraduate degree in Organizational Communication and graduate degrees in Art, History, and Music.
In April, NCA will review the proposal from eCampus, determine whether the concerns from the 2004 visit have been adequately addressed, and meet with members of the UNK campus community to consider granting accreditation for all of the online programs.
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UNK Participates in Voluntary System of Accountabilty
High school students who are searching for the right college or university have a new resource to help in their decision process, the College Portrait. UNK has joined other four-year public institutions in reporting information through the College Portrait as part of the Voluntary System of Accountabilty (VSA).
The College Portrait is designed to improve public understanding of how public colleges and universities operate. It provides consistent, comparable and transparent information on the characteristics of institutions and students, cost of attendance, student engagement with the learning process and core educational outcomes. The information is intended for students, families, policy-makers, campus faculty and staff, the general public and other higher education stakeholders. The VSA project is a collaborative effort among the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC), and the public higher education community.
The University of Nebraska at Kearney presents this information to help current and future students and their families better understand the university. Check out the UNK College Portrait by clicking on the College Portrait icon on the UNK home page.
NeSIS Project Continues
Vendor responses to the Request for Proposal (RFP) for a new SIS system were due March 18. Collegiate Project Services (CPS), the consultant for the project, has also been working with individuals from each campus to complete a readiness assessment. Critical issues have been identified for consideration. Vendor demonstrations are scheduled for mid-April, pending the results of the RFP responses. Personnel from all University of Nebraska and State College campuses will be involved. Various working groups continue to meet regularly as a part of the planning effort for this important project. For more information, please visit the Collegiate Project Services website. A link is also available on the Academic Affairs and Student Life home page.
24/7 Help Desk Now Available
Information Technology Services recently launched a new campus service by providing 24/7 assistance through the Help Desk. Now, when students or faculty members have a technology need arise, they will always be able to reach someone by calling the Help Desk. UNK’s ITS department has contracted with Connected Learning Network (CLN) in Kentucky, and this company will provide support during the hours that the campus office is closed. For more information, see Jane Petersen's latest Tech Tip at http://www.unk.edu/offices/its/helpdesk/training/index.php?id=35320.
Recognition
Outstanding Student Achievements
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| Gamma Omicron Chapter of Epsilon Tau (Industrial Technology) |
awarded the EPT Warner Chapter Award for Region 4, along with a check for $500, recognized at the Executive Board meeting at ITEA in Salt Lake City as one of the leading chapters in fund raising in Region 4 |
Nao Takada
Jennifer Nielsen
(Interior Design)
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selected as finalists in the GE Design Charette National Competition, and the top five students will be announced at the NBIS in Chicago April 10
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Publications and Honors
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| Larry Kuskie (Industrial Technology) |
with Michelle Cate: recognized by the International Epsilon Tau organization for generating money for the chapter via their alumni golf tournament |
| Gene Wubbels (Chemistry) |
co-authored with students Toby Brown, Travis Babcock, and Kandra Johnson: "The Element Effect and Nucleophilicity in Nucleophilic Aromatic Photosubstitution (Sn2Ar*). Local Atom Effects as Mechanistic Probes of Very Fast Reactions" published in Journal of Organic Chemistry 73(5): 1925-1934 |
Grant Recipients
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| Michelle Hamaker (University Public Safety) |
$28,000 FY2007 Homeland Security Grant from UNMC/NEMA |
| Allison Hedge Coke, Reynolds Chair (English) |
$3,530 from the Nebraska Arts Council for the Honoring the Sandhill Crane Migration Tribute Retreat |
| Ismael Torres (Counseling and Health Care) |
$5,572.90 Mini-grant from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Tobacco Free Nebraska (TFN) |
Calendar of Events within the Academic Affairs and Student Life Division
Date
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Event |
| March 24-May 8 |
Walker Art Gallery Exhibition: Senior Exhibitions, Graduating Art Educations, Studio Fine Arts, and Visual Communications & Design - 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Fine Arts Building |
| March 25 |
The 15th Annual Early Awareness Day - 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m - 100 4th grade students from 4 area schools will tour our campus to learn about UNK and college life
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| March 25 |
Educator's Employment Fair - 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Nebraskan Student Union on the 2nd Floor- 51 School Districts from 9 states are currently registered and will be seeking Teacher Candidates to fill their positions - visit http://www.unk.edu/offices/careerserv/edfair/index.php?id=2703 for more information |
| March 25 |
Explorations Lecture Series presents: Dr. Catherine Al-Meten speaking about the use of narrative in healing trauma for sufferers of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - 4:00 p.m. in Copeland Hall, Room 140 |
| March 27 |
Center for Teaching Excellence DVD Seminar Brown Bag Lunch: Using Collaborative Teams In and Out of Class by Dr. Peter M. Saunders, Director of Oregon State University’s Teaching and Learning - 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. at th Nebraskan Student Union in Room 310 |
| March 29-30 |
UNK Opera Workshop Performances - Saturday, March 29 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 30 at 3:00 p.m. at the Fine Arts Recital Hall |
| April 1 |
10th Annual Student Research Day - 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Nebraskan Student Union - applications for oral, poster, or performance presentations due today, March 7 - visit http://www.unk.edu/acad/gradstudies/research/index.php?id=1112 for more information |
| April 4 |
UNK English Department's annual Student Conference in Language and Literature - Thomas Hall |
| April 6 |
Interior Design Senior Show - 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Merryman Performing Arts Center - admission is free and open to the public |
| April 9 |
Baldwin Speaker, Ben Casnocha, Author of My Start-Up Life - 7:30 p.m. in the Ponderosa Room at the Nebraskan Student Union - contact Deborah Murray at 308-865-8199 or murraydf@unk.edu |
| April 10 |
The Sandburg Project Encore poetry workshops: Poetry for the People and Literary Landscapes and one lyric writing workshop: Word Melodies - Workshop registration fee of $25 covers the cost of two continental breakfasts and two lunches - Registration deadline March 14, 2008 - contact Kathryn Benzel at benzelk@unk.edu for more information |
| April 11 |
The Sandburg Project Encore: Carl Sandburg’s Poetry and Songs - 7:30pm at the Merryman Performing Arts Center - General Admission Tickets $15.00 - Contact MPAC at 308-698-8052
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A Publication of the
Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Student Life
University of Nebraska at Kearney
905 West 25th Street
Kearney, NE 68849
Phone: (308)865-8209