News: A Newsletter from Academic and Student Affairs Preparing Students for Careers and Citizenship
Volume 5, Number 1	August 19, 2011
2011-2012 Academic Year Greetings from Division of Academic and Student Affairs   Welcome to the beginning of the Fall 2011 semester! In the division of Academic and Student Affairs, we seek to “promote an educational experience that fully prepares UNK students for careers and citizenship, and we strongly support the faculty and staff who provide it.” We eagerly enter another academic year as we endeavor to fulfill this mission. One of the strengths of UNK is the teamwork between faculty and staff work in making UNK an exceptional institution for our students. A recent opportunity has been the renewal of the General Studies program. The new program was implemented in 2010-2011, culminating in the submission of a progress report to the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association (NCA) in April of 2011. We are pleased to announce that the report was accepted by NCA, and no further reports are required. UNK’s next comprehensive evaluation is scheduled for 2013-2014, and planning for this evaluation has already begun. In her new role as Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, Dr. Kenya Taylor will lead the preparation process. Faculty/staff committees will be organized soon in anticipation of the report submission and site visit during the 2013-2014 academic year. This is one of many occasions for faculty and staff to work together to satisfy external requirements while maintaining our commitments to meet the needs of students and strengthen the integrity of our academic programs. We share in the excitement of students returning to campus this weekend and classes beginning on Monday. We wish you all the best for the 2011-2012 academic year as we all prepare students for careers and citizenship! - Charlie Bicak, Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs	In This Issue: Academic Year Greetings  2011 Awards  Blue and Gold Welcome  Registrar's Office Personnel  Fall Study Abroad  Summer Study Abroad  Undergraduate Research Journal  Recognition  2011-2012 Department Chairs  Faculty Items to Note  Deadlines  Calendar  Contact Information

2011 Pratt-Heins and SAFE Awards Presented at Fall Convocation

The 2011 Pratt-Heins and SAFE Awards were presented this morning at the Faculty/Staff Opening Convocation.

Recipients of the Pratt-Heins Awards are: 

• Kim Carlson, Ph.D., Department of Biology - Scholarship 
• Martha Kruse, Ph.D., Department of English – Service 
• Krista Forrest, Ph.D., Department of Psychology - Teaching

The Pratt-Heins Awards, sponsored by the Pratt-Heins Foundation, are presented annually to recognize UNK faculty who have demonstrated outstanding work in the areas of Teaching, Scholarship/Research, and Service. Students, alumni, faculty colleagues, department chairs/program directors, or college deans may nominate individuals for consideration.

Recipients of the SAFE Awards are:

• Michelle Hamaker, Police/Parking Services 
• Dee Goedert, Library 
• Michelle Smidt, Athletics

The SAFE (Staff Awards for Excellence) Awards are presented annually to honor UNK staff members for outstanding service to students, UNK, and education in general. Individuals are considered upon nomination and a maximum of three peer references.

- written in collaboration with Bev Mathiesen, Office of the Chancellor, and
Tami Plugge, Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs

 Blue and Gold Welcome Week 2011 Schedule

“Wild About UNK” is the theme of Blue & Gold Welcome Week, beginning Friday, August 19 with student move in and the traditional Blue & Gold Community Showcase from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and annual Chancellor’s picnic from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The UNK Pride of the Plains marching band will march through the showcase and picnic and then assemble on Foster Field to perform their 2011 pre-game show and season-opening half-time show.

A variety of activities have been planned throughout the weekend for students to begin to adjust to life on a college campus. These activities will emphasize three things: Belonging - A student belongs to the UNK Community and will be able to be involved with organizations and develop valuable relationships. Responsibility - A student recognizes they are the one most responsible for their education. Identity - Students will identity themselves as a Loper and in their involvement show they are the best of what UNK has to offer.

This year's schedule of events is available online at http://www.unk.edu/Student_Affairs/events/blue_gold/Blue_and_Gold_Welcome_Week_Schedule/. 

We encourage Faculty and Staff to attend events and welcome new students!  

- written in collaboration with Tim Danube, Associate Director of the Student Union

Staffing Changes in the Registrar's Office 

Please welcome and congratulate the following members of the Registrar's Office staff:

Shelly Kile  - Administrative Specialist.  Shelly replaces Diana Jones and comes to UNK from Platte Valley Bank where she was most recently a Compliance Manager

Kimberly Seitler - Assistant Director of Student Records and Registration.  Kimberly comes to UNK from Vatterott College in Omaha where she has been serving as the Registrar for the past 3 years.  Kimberly has a BS from UNL in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology awarded May 2006.  Prior to Vatterott, she worked as a team lead at NELNET.  She begins her job duties at UNK on August 15.

Diana Jones - Associate Director of Student Records and Registration.  Diana has been a valued employee in the Records office for over 15 years.  She assumed the Associate Director role in July.   In addition to her assigned responsibilities, she is also serving as Dual Enrollment coordinator for the campus. 

- Kim Schipporeit, Registrar   

Study Abroad Programs Enable UNK Students to Explore Other Countries 

9 UNK students will study abroad at the following institutions this semester:

UNK’s partnership with Hebei Normal University continues this year as these 7 UNK students begin their semester in Shijiazhuang, China with faculty director, Richard Meznarich, retired UNK Industrial Technology professor:   

 - written in collaboration with Ann Marie Park, Study Abroad Office 

Study Abroad Trips Took Students and Faculty Around the World This Summer

UNK students and faculty continue to seek out study abroad experiences. UNK faculty from several different departments led study trips – one over spring break and the rest through the summer term - designed to expose students to another culture and to stretch them to consider issues connected with their disciplines in an international context.

International Studies led by Carol Lilly -
March 19 through March 27 to Bosnia 

Study abroad opportunities exist throughout the academic year, as well. Carol Lilly led a study group in Bosnia over spring break in 2011. She traveled with six students to Sarajevo, Bosnia-Hercegovina, in connection to the course she taught in the spring on Gender and War in Modern Europe. The group had the opportunity to attend the Bosnian Parliament where they met several members of Parliament. During their time in the country, the group met and talked with representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations who provided information about different aspects of the war and its impact on women, children, and the citizens of Bosnia-Hercegovina. By far the most emotionally wrenching day was spent in Srebrenica, the site of the massacre of over 8,000 Muslim men and boys by the Bosnian Serb army on July 11, 1995. The students were able to hear stories of people’s experiences and were then challenged to consider how they to think about and respond to the information presented. For more information, see the April 2011 issue of the International Education News.

- Carol Lilly, Director of International Studies and Professor of History 

Modern Languages led by Daren Snider -
May 13 through May 22 to England, France, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland 

Thirteen students traveled to Europe with Dr. Snider. The objective of the trip was to study comparative cultures: English-speaking, French-speaking, and German-speaking. The group traveled primarily within London, Paris, Lucerne, and Munich. There were daily lectures on the respective national histories, cultures, and languages. Learning experiences included visits to the Louvre in Paris, the British Museum, and Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany. In addition to travel in the cities, students also visited rural areas (such as the Bordeau region of France and German-speaking Liechtenstein) to experience non-urban culture.

- Daren Snider, Associate Professor of Modern Languages 

Modern Languages led by Rosalie Goldberg -
May 26 through June 16 to Tours and Paris, France  

Rosalie Goldberg led a group of four students on the French Study Abroad Program. The objective was to study the French language and experience the French culture. Students studied at l'Institut des Etudes Françaises at Tours, France for two weeks, taking 20 hours of French a week and staying with families. Following the week in Tours, the group spent one week in Paris.

On weekends the group was able to visit castles in the area near Tours: Chenonceau, Amboise, Azay-le-Rideau. In Paris they went to the museums of Le Louvre, d'Orsay, Rodin. They saw the monuments of Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, Tombeau de Napoléon, and traveled to Giverny and Versailles. Each individual was also able to pursue a special experience – from visiting the museum on cinema, attending a service in the Cathedral of St Gatien, seeing the artistic advertising used on the Champs-Elysées, viewing a French cemetery, or sitting at the café beside the Loire River to listen to some music. 

- Rosalie Goldberg, Lecturer in Modern Languages 

Family Studies and Interior Design led by Tami Moore –
May 30 through June 9, to France  

Three UNK students traveled to France in June. The trip included a few days in Paris, a trip to the Normandy Beaches (the weekend before D-Day celebrations), and the French Riviera. Special interest included architecture and design of historical landmarks and buildings.

The trip was organized and created by Jan Kimmons and facilitated by Tami Moore. 

- Tami Moore, Chair and Professor of Family Studies and Interior Design 

Theatre led by Mark Wethington -
June 13 through June 20 to Prague, Czech Republic 

Mark Wethington led a small group to Prague, Czech Republic, to attend the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space (http://www.pq.cz/en/). The PQ is a once-every-four-year International Theatre Design Conference (covering a wide range of matters related to theatre design, including scenery, costumes, lighting, sound etc.). The objective of the trip and reason for attending the PQ was to expose the students to World Theatre, make international networking corrections, and explore the Art, Theatre and culture of Prague. The group saw the major sights in Prague: Prague Castle, Strohov Monetary, National Theatre, The Loretta, Veletržní palác, as well as attended workshops, performances and exhibits sponsored by the PQ. Also attending was Mark’s wife, Elizabeth, who has a Master’s Degree in Theatre and currently works in the Biology Department at UNK.

- Mark Wethington, Assistant Professor of Theatre 

June 27 through July 22, South Korea 

In addition, 13 UNK students are studying at Hanyang University in South Korea from June 27 through July 22: 

Larry Carstenson is also teaching a course at Hanyang University this summer, though he is not formally leading the UNK students.

- Ann Marie Park, Coordinator for UNK Study Abroad & Exchange Programs 

Costa Rica 

Four students obtained Business Internship credit abroad this summer in Costa Rica:

- Janice Woods, Director of Business Internships & Experiential Learning 

 - written in collaboration with Ann Marie Park, Carol Lilly, Daren Snider, Rosalie Goldberg,
Tami Moore, Mark Wethington, Janice Woods 

2011 Undergraduate Research Journal Recognizes Excellence in Student and Faculty/Mentor Work

The 2011 UNK Undergraduate Research Journal has been published, showcasing the work of 9 students from across campus. 

Congratulations to the following undergraduate researchers and their faculty mentors: 

Copies have been distributed to departments, mentors, and students, but additional copies are available upon request. 

- written in collaboration with John Falconer, Director of Sponsored Programs and
 Susan Campbell, Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity 

Recognition   

2011-2012 Department Chairs

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

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 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 2011-2012 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 (2011-2013). 
   
• Faculty Senate
  To keep faculty informed and in the spirit of shared governance, the Faculty Senate website contains links to the senate roster, 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. The site contains a list of the approved General Studies courses effective for the 2011-2012 academic year, a list of all of the approved Portal and Capstone topics, as well as lists of the Portals and Capstones offerings for the current semester. 
   
• Graduate Council 
  The Graduate Council webpage contains information regarding changes to graduate courses or programs, as well as a list of the 2011 Graduate Program Committees.  
   
• WI/CD Committee 
  The WI/CD Committee has posted a the deadline for the first meeting of 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.   

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.