Office: DSCH 338 | Phone: (308) 865-8743 | Email: obermiert@unk.edu
Tim Obermier has been helping ensure people are skilled and ready for the workplace in all his past and current roles. He has been with UNK for over 30 years and has previous professional experience as the Director of Industrial Technology Education and Director of the student organization Skills USA with the Nebraska Department of Education. During his tenure at the Nebraska Department of Education, he engaged in legislative and regulatory processes, which formed his interest in broadband telecommunications law and policy. He has presented at conferences locally and nationally about broadband urban-rural disparities, usage, internet speeds, and rural internet public policy. He has testified at several legislative and regulatory hearings regarding broadband issues at the request of senators and public officials. His research in broadband and information technology, for the past 3 decades, has been funded by numerous grants, including a $100,000 grant from Healthy Blue Nebraska for a Rural Measures project to look at broadband disparities in rural Nebraska. He serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors for Aurora Boardworks, an electronics manufacturer. He serves UNK students as Faculty Advisor and Trustee for the student honorary, Epsilon Pi Tau.
Ph.D., Vocational Administration, Colorado State University
M.S., Vocational Education, Kearney State College
B.S., Industrial Education, Kearney State College
Rural-urban digital divide
Broadband capacity and cost
Information networking law and public policy
I’ve been fortunate to have several positive role models and mentors over the years. They heavily influenced the direction of my career and helped me to realize that teaching is a very rewarding profession. I believe it is essential to have mentors throughout your entire life, not just as you are developing your career interests. I am privileged to witness students who have developed successful careers. I’ve even had past students’ children return to campus….so does that make me a grand-teacher?
The most important thing professors do is to engage students in the educational process. I try to develop real-life scenarios for students to examine and analyze how they would react when they are faced with decisions that impact individuals. I work closely with industry partners to put students into the environment in which they will be pursuing their careers. This interaction helps them to figure out what they want to focus on in their careers once they graduate and provides a valuable connection for companies to engage with the educational process.
