Committee Searching for New Honors Program Director 

A search committee has been formed to identify a new director for the UNK Honors Program beginning in January 2011. The new director will assume program leadership from Dr. Gary Davis, who is retiring after a 20-year tenure at UNK as part of the Music faculty, with seven years directing the Honors Program.

The following colleagues are serving on the search committee for the Honors Program Director:  

This internal search is open to any UNK employee with the following qualifications:

Consider applying for and/or encouraging qualified individuals to apply for the Honors Program Director. The committee will begin reviewing applications September 17.

Many thanks to Gary Davis for his service to UNK and his dedication to the growth of the Honors Program. Best wishes to him in his retirement!

- written in collaboration with Deborah Bridges,
Faculty Assistant to the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs

Academic and Career Services Celebrates Grand Opening in Two Locations 

Early in the spring semester of 2010, the offices of Academic Advising and Career Services joined to form Academic and Career Services. To celebrate this new direction for the team and to inform the campus community of the services provided, Academic and Career Services will hold a Grand Opening on September 8 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in MSAB Room 140.

Additionally, in order to better serve the students in the College of Business and Technology, Academic and Career Services has established a satellite office in West Center beginning August 31. This office will be open Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. A separate Grand Opening will be held in the new West Center Satellite Office Room 108N on September 9 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Everyone is welcome to attend these Grand Opening celebrations, enjoy refreshments, and learn about the ways the staff of Academic and Career Services assist students to plan their academic and career paths and then execute their plans with success. 

- written in collaboration with Mary Daake, Director of Academic and Career Services 

2010 Teacher of the Year Conference Features Michael Fryda 

The Student Education Association of Nebraska (SEAN) is sponsoring its annual Nebraska Teacher of the Year Conference at UNK on September 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. This year’s featured speaker is the 2010 Nebraska Teacher of the Year, Michael Fryda, a Biology and Natural Sciences Instructor from Westside High School in Omaha, Nebraska.

The conference provides a professional development opportunity for UNK Education Majors, members of Future Teacher Organizations, local teachers, and UNK Faculty. The conference features a workshop on passion, motivation, and teaching strategies from the Nebraska Teacher of the Year.

The conference is free to Education students, local educators, and UNK faculty. To RSVP, contact Valerie Sis sisva@lopers.unk.edu, Kyle Rotert at rotertkw@lopers.unk.edu, or Dr. Elaine Batenhorst at batenhorste@unk.edu.

 - written in collaboration with Valerie Sis (SEAN President) and
Elaine Batenhorst (Associate Professor of Teacher Education and SEAN Faculty Sponsor) 

Library - In Brief Online  

New e-books available in Credo Reference 

Written by Jon Ritterbush, Electronic Resources Librarian
ritterbushjr@unk.edu 

Credo Reference is an e-book collection providing 24-7 access to over 400 encyclopedias, dictionaries, and reference titles in a broad array of subject areas.  Recently, 58 e-book titles within Credo Reference were added or updated, including these titles: 

• The 9/11 Encyclopedia 
• All Things Chaucer : an Encyclopedia of Chaucer’s World 
• Encyclopedia of Energy 
• Encyclopedia of the Human Genome 
• Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Regional Cultures — a series of 8 titles 
• Greenwood Encyclopedia of Latino Literature 
• Historical Encyclopedia of American Labor — perfect for background about Labor Day! 
• Marquis Who’s Who in the World 
• Women in the Middle Ages 

To browse a list of individual Credo e-book titles, search the library catalog by “Credo Reference”. 

Even without identifying specific e-book titles, the full text of every Credo Reference e-book title can be keyword searched using Credo’s search portal; see this example of search results on “sandhill cranes” from Credo. The Credo Reference search portal is listed under the “Cs” of the library’s “Articles & E-Resources” webpage. 

To keep tabs on new e-books and other materials as they’re added to the library catalog, consider subscribing to one of the library’s RSS feeds at http://rosi.unk.edu/feeds.   

New Training Required for Undergraduate Student Researchers

UNK, in compliance with federal policy, has adopted a policy for training undergraduate students in the "responsible conduct of research"  (RCR).  Any student funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation must be trained in RCR, and the National Institutes of Health are moving toward a similar policy.  As we do with training in the protection of human subjects, UNK extends this requirement to all students participating in organized research.

The minimum requirement is that students complete the appropriate module in the CITI on-line training program.  There are modules for math and physical sciences, social sciences, and humanities.  The mentor should select the most appropriate module and direct their student to complete it.  The Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Activity will maintain a file of student completion records.  Students should plan to spend 2-3 hours to complete the program, but they can do this in multiple sessions.

Direct mentoring from the student's research supervisor is also very important.  Any faculty member who is working with a student on an independent scholarly project should acculturate the student to the expectations of their academic field.  Some departments also include research ethics in their curriculum.

Any student participating in campus-level student research programs (SSRP, URF, grants from the URC) will be required to complete the CITI training.  Departments and faculty are welcome to require students doing departmental level research to also complete the CITI training, and the Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Activity will maintain their completion records.

The training program can be found here:  https://www.citiprogram.org/Default.asp.

-John Falconer, Director of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity 

 Items to Note for Faculty and Faculty Committees

• Academic Affairs Committee 
  The link to the CAP ("Course Approval Process") information is located on the Academic Affairs Committee page. CAP is the electronic approval system that allows department chairs to initiate course proposals (create, alter, inactivate, or discontinue). Worksheets for both the creation of new courses and the alteration of existing courses are available on the CAP website for faculty members to use as they gather the information department chairs will need to submit requests. Department chairs initiate program proposals (create, alter, or discontinue) using a paper form, which is available on the Academic Affairs Committee page, along with instructions.
  
  The schedule of Academic Affairs deadlines for the 2010-2011 academic year is available on the Academic Affairs Committee page. The page also contains a committee roster and a link to the approved Academic Affairs minutes. Department or program chairs needing to make curricular changes should be aware of these deadlines and instructions.
  
   
• Faculty Handbook 
  The online Faculty Handbook contains the most current policy information. The purpose of the handbook is to gather the documents and policies that inform and guide critical decisions, including the Collective Bargaining Agreement (2009-2011) and the Guidelines for Evaluation, Promotion, and Tenure. 
  
   
• Faculty Senate
  To keep faculty informed and in the spirit of shared goverenance, the 2010-2011 Faculty Senate Roster is posted on the Faculty Senate home page. The page also contains links to meeting agendas and packets, meeting minutes of both the Faculty Senate and the Faculty Senate committees, and the Faculty Senate Constitution and Bylaws.
  
   
• General Studies 
  The General Studies website contains a description of the new General Studies Program effective for students entering UNK in the Fall of 2010, as well as a list of the courses approved during the 2009-2010 academic year. 
  
   
• Graduate Council 
  The Graduate Council webpage contains information regarding changes to graduate courses or programs, as well as a list of the 2010 Graduate Program Committees.  
  
   
• WI/CD Committee 
  The WI/CD Committee has posted a schedule of deadlines for the fall semester on the WI/CD Committee page. The page also contains instructions for applying for WI or CD designation, as well as a committee roster, agendas, and minutes. These resources are provided for those wishing to offer courses as WI or CD. 

2010-2011 Department Chairs

- Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs

Recognition 

Deadlines Approach for Various Opportunities 

 Calendar of Events within the Academic and Student Affairs Division

Edited by Kim Elliott, Coordinator of Academic Publications 

A Publication of the
Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs
University of Nebraska at Kearney
905 West 25th Street
Kearney, NE 68849
Phone: (308)865-8209 

For questions or submissions,
contact the Coordinator of Academic Publications at 8935 or academicpublications@unk.edu.