General Studies Presents Web-Based Workshops Teaching Critical Thinking

The new General Studies program focuses on strengthening students' key intellectual skills, particularly critical thinking. In order to foster a "culture of critical thinking" at UNK and help students grow in their capacity for critical thought, General Studies is hosting a series of three web-based workshops by Dr. Enoch Hale, a nationally-known expert in teaching critical thinking skills. The second and third sessions of "Critical Thinking: Designing Instructional Strategies to Promote Critical Thought" will be presented on April 6 and April 13 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Copeland Hall, Room 130. All interested faculty, staff and others are invited! For more information about each session, see the attached flyer or contact Daren Snider, Director of General Studies (sniderd@unk.edu, 865-8001).

- Daren Snider, Director of General Studies

Health Education Campaign Aims to Reduce Binge Drinking at UNK

In August 2008, Buffalo County Community Partners was awarded a grant from the Positive Pressure Coalition, part of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services’ “Nebraska Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant” (SPF SIG). One priority item of this grant was to reduce binge drinking among 18- to 25-year-olds, with a specific focus on education efforts at UNK. In part, this priority focus is to address national survey statistics, which report that about 90% of the alcohol consumed by youth under the age of 21 in the United States is in the form of binge drinks and that the proportion of current drinkers that binge is highest in the 18- to 20-year-old group (51%).

With the funding from the grant, UNK’s Health Education developed the “It Ain’t Pretty Campaign” - view campaign details online at itaintpretty.org. The campaign was launched in the Fall of 2010, and Health Education students and staff continue to seek effective ways to communicate their message that binge drinking has serious implications. The campaign seeks to educate students about the facts of binge drinking and to enable them to make wise decisions. Students receive information about the risks involved with binge drinking, as well as resources both on and off campus that will assist them as they make choices about their drinking behavior. The campaign includes a 30-second web video, blood-alcohol level cards, posters, door decorations for UNK on-campus residents, and blog posts, as well as the use of social networking sites such as Facebook, Youtube, and Flickr.

In addition, Nebraska Public Television recently premiered a television special called “Binge.” The program explores binge drinking at UNL, but it also features UNK’s annual “Oksoberfest,” the alcohol-free activity sponsored in part by SPF-SIG.

See also the Buffalo County Community Partner Newsletter of March 21, where this project was recently featured.

- written in collaboration with Ismael Torres, Health Education Coordinator 

Library - In Brief Online  

Search and view free Energy Department videos 

Written by Rochelle Krueger, Lecturer/Government Documents Librarian
kruegerr@unk.edu 

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced the launch of ScienceCinema, a multimedia search tool using speech recognition technology.  This tool allows users to locate video files produced by the DOE National Laboratories and related research facilities.  According to the press release, "when users search for specific scientific words and phrases of interest to them, precise snippets of the video where the specific search term was spoken will appear along with a timeline.  Users can then select a snippet or a segment along the timeline to begin playing the video at the exact point in the video where the words were spoken.  The timeline is synced with transcripts of the targeted portion of the video."

These DOE videos cover a range of issues in the news recently.  View a 2010 Congressional briefing about future plans to utilize nuclear energy in the United States, or a 2010 video on the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, and its impact on wildlife.

ScienceCinema can be searched on the spoken word, or by using the advanced search feature, called "bibliographic search."  The video database will initially include 1,000 hours of content, and will continue to expand as new videos are released. The ScienceCinema database is publicly accessible (no login required), and is listed on the library’s “Articles & E-Resources” webpage under the “S”s, as well as the subjects of “Chemistry," "Physics,” and “Images and Sound Files."

Please stop by the library’s reference desk if you need assistance finding online resources, or take advantage of the library’s 24/7 Ask Us reference service! 

Recognition   

2010-2011 Department Chairs

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

Items to Note for Faculty and Faculty Committees

• **NOTE FOR FALL 2011 ADVISING **
  Portal (188GS) and Capstone (388GS) course descriptions have been prepared for use in advising students for Fall 2011 registration. The descriptions are posted on the General Studies website at http://www.unk.edu/academicaffairs/generalstudies.aspx?id=53803. 
   
• 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 web site 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 governance, 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 web site 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 effective for the 2010-2011 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 spring 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. 

Deadlines Approach for Various Opportunities 

UNK Departments and Programs Host Several Conference Events This Spring

 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.