CBT Featured Monthly on KGFW's "Talk of the Town"

Colleagues from the College of Business and Technology will be talking with Steve Altmaier on KGFW's "Talk of the Town" program throughout the coming academic year. Listen to the interviews at 9:30 a.m.:  

- written in collaboration with Marsha Yeagley, Senior Lecturer in Marketing and Management Information Systems

HLC Response to General Studies Status Report Now Available

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association (NCA) returned a response to UNK in May, following the submission of the General Studies Status Report in April. The report was accepted, and no further reports are required. The General Studies Status report, as well as the response from the HLC have been posted on the Assessment website.

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.

- Charlie Bicak, Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs

Students Now Able to Create Guest Accounts in MyBlue

Students are now able to provide Parent/Guest Access to their MyBlue accounts. This access will allow up to five individuals to view specific data. Students create the accounts and designate the types of data they want to make available. Options include view access to financial aid, grades, or payment of accounts. Students should click on the "Create and Manage Guest Accounts" link under the Training and Support column on the My Blue login page.

- Kim Schipporeit, Registrar

Library - In Brief Online  

Blackboard Tab Offers Easy Connection to Library Resources 

Written by Michael Sutherland, Web Services Librarian
sutherlandmj@unk.edu 

The Calvin T. Ryan Library has been working with ITS to develop a top-level tab to allow easy access for students and faculty to library resources.  The tab is now live!  The UNK Library tab exists as a portal to basic library resources and services, such as:

• Ask a Librarian — access to our online reference services (email and chat)
• Citation Style Guides — APA, MLA, and ASA citation styles
• Research Guides — find research resources for specific subjects

Login to your existing Blackboard course and look for the UNK Library tab at the top of the page!  If you have questions, please contact a reference librarian at (308) 865-8598 or (866) 454-4865 (toll-free).  Keep in mind you can continue to access all features now in Blackboard (and much more!) by visiting the Calvin T. Ryan Library homepage at http://library.unk.edu/.

Grant Aims to Increase Study Abroad Opportunities at UNK

Ben Cooney says the opportunity to study abroad was an experience he cannot describe using dollar signs or expenses.

The experience gave him lifelong, intangible benefits, he said. It allowed him to leave his comfort zone. It allowed him to be exposed for the first time ever to different cultures and people.

“I saw, heard, smelled, and tasted what I had never before,” said the 2011 University of Nebraska at Kearney graduate from Clay Center. “I was able to meet people from across the globe, spanning from Great Britain to South Africa, from Spain to Russia. Because of studying abroad, I have widened my cultural awareness and have become a more rounded person overall.”

Life-altering experiences such as his are the reason the University of Nebraska set a goal to increase student study abroad opportunities and international partnerships, including giving every undergraduate the opportunity for a meaningful international experience, through classes, internships, research or service learning.

To assist with this goal, the University of Nebraska Foundation awarded UNK a $166,000 grant to support its study abroad programs. The grant funds curriculum development and faculty stipends for its World Leaders Camp and provides student travel scholarships and faculty travel stipends for study abroad trips.

The University of Nebraska Foundation’s board of directors awarded a total of seven grants across the university totaling more than $1.1 million, including the grant to UNK. The grants are awarded each year and are made possible through unrestricted donations. This year, University of Nebraska President James B. Milliken asked chancellors to submit grant proposals on the theme of global engagement. Increasing private support for global engagement activities is also a priority of the university’s fundraising initiative, the Campaign for Nebraska: Unlimited Possibilities.

“It’s especially important now to have an internationally connected university and students who are knowledgeable about the world, so we’re especially proud of these grant awards,” said Brian Hamilton of Grand Island, a University of Nebraska Foundation board director who chairs the grants committee. “We also recognize and thank the donors who make these grants possible.”

Ann Marie Park, coordinator of UNK’s Office of Study Abroad, said the grant is important because the act of studying abroad changes every participant.

“Almost everyone who studies abroad is thinking outside their own sphere of reality,” Park said. “I believe this trait is an attractive personality characteristic, because it signifies a willingness to embrace change and thrive in new environments. Regardless of where students choose to study or how long they choose to stay, their future will be enhanced. They will increase the offerings which they bring to the table when applying for a job or graduate school.”

For Cooney, the recent grad, studying abroad was a pivotal time for him and led him to an English teaching position in China.

“Studying abroad was an opportunity that may only come around once,” he said, “and I took advantage of it, as should anyone with the chance to.”

- University of Nebraska Foundation

The University of Nebraska Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization that has connected the dreams and passions of donors to the mission of the university for the past 75 years. In 2010, donors designated more than $136 million in gifts to scholarships, academic programs, medical research and other priorities at the university. The foundation’s current $1.2 billion fundraising initiative, the Campaign for Nebraska: Unlimited Possibilities, concludes in 2014. For more information, visit nufoundation.org. 

Recognition   

2011-2012 Department Chairs

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

Council on Undergraduate Research Membership Available to Faculty, Staff, and Students

UNK is continuing its membership as an enhanced institutional member of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR).

The insitutional membership includes unlimited faculty, staff, and student membership, which provides the following benefits:

• Login Information: Each CUR Member is assigned a unique login username and password. This login information can be used to: access the Members Only website; update your membership profile; receive discounts on meeting registrations and publications; and many other member functions. If you previously had login information, it will remain the same. To have a reminder sent to you, or to generate new login information, please visit: http://cur.networkats.com/members_online/members/password.asp  
• CUR Members Only Website: This website contains information on topics such as funding resources and undergraduate research celebration days at institutions across the country. There is also a special section on Advocacy, which is prepared by Washington Partners, LLC, a firm that CUR has secured to provide research, guidance, support and counsel as CUR seeks to increase its national profile, activities and efficacy.
• CUR Quarterly Subscription: You will receive an electronic subscription to the CUR Quarterly, our highly regarded journal that focuses on topics related to undergraduate research. Each Quarterly issue includes a focus topic; recent topics have included Assessing Outcomes and Undergraduate Research in the Arts and Humanities. Should you wish to receive a paper copy of the CUR Quarterly, subscriptions are available at a reduced rate of $30.00. Please visit http://cur.networkats.com/members_online/members/quaterly_subscriptions.asp  
• Newsletter Subscriptions: You will automatically start receiving the monthly CUR E-News, our electronic newsletter addressing current undergraduate research issues. The newsletter, generated from our National Office, includes topics such as government and policy news from Washington as well as updates on upcoming programs and meetings. Additionally, you may subscribe to other newsletters such as: This Week in Washington or Deadlines and Upcoming Events. To sign up, please visit the Members Only website and review your membership profile.

Instructions for new members:

• Please visit: https://cur.networkats.com/members_online/members/newmember.asp  
• After you enter your name and title, please be sure to select Name of your institution from the drop down. It should alert you to the fact that your membership is covered, and then will prompt you to continue to add your contact information.
• Please note that this membership will include an electronic subscription to the CUR Quarterly, but you may purchase a hard copy subscription by visiting: http://cur.networkats.com/members_online/members/quaterly_subscriptions.asp  
• Once your membership is processed, you will receive a confirmation email and will be able to register for members only online access by visiting http://cur.networkats.com/members_online/members/password.asp to have a copy of your login information sent.

If you have any questions please contact: Lindsay Currie, Director, Communications and Membership Council on Undergraduate Research at 202-783-4810 x 206 or lcurrie@cur.org  

- written in collaboration with Kenya Taylor, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs and
Dean for Graduate Studies and Research

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 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.   

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.