Kruger Volleyball Scholarship announced

Marcia Kruger Establishes Volleyball Scholarship
Gift creates largest endowed scholarship in UNO women’s athletics

OMAHA, Neb. – Marcia Kruger of Omaha recently made a gift to the University of Nebraska Foundation to create the Marcia Kruger Volleyball Scholarship. This gift creates the largest endowed scholarship in women’s athletics at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Marcia Kruger, a longtime supporter of UNO athletics, saw this scholarship as an opportunity to encourage women to experience volleyball while also promoting support for women’s athletics.

The rest of the release? Click here.

Coach Rose Shires on the scholarship --
“The Marcia Kruger Volleyball Scholarship allows us to recruit not only great athletes, but also shows our recruits and team the support from the community.”

Food court coming along in the student center

There's a new floor down on the second floor of the student center and if you peek behind the plastic sheeting an new and improved food court is coming along. Check out the Gateway story --

Big changes coming soon to a food court near you

A big special section all about college students
And here's the link to the NY Time's Higher Education special section that just came out. The Times calls it Education Life.

Sunday morning video . . .

. . . of an artist who uses spider webs. Not as creepy as it sounds. It's another cool feature from coolhunting.com and the guy really has figured out a way to grab up a very delicate web without destroying it.

I'll post a link tomorrow to the new NY Times college section that came out today, too. It's always an interesting look at trends in higher education.

Now check out this video story on the web about webs . . .

New campus connection listing -- UNO Greek Life

I mentioned this website, UNO Greek Life, in a post last week. It's really impressive, and I'll get it included on the right side of this page as a link in the "Campus Connection" section.

Tyler Zach, a 2004 UNO alum, put the site together. If he's not thinking about a career in web design, well, he should be. Thanks.

Study abroad -- it's good for you

International Studies at UNO offers an absolute wealth of opportunities for students looking to experience more of the planet. The office sent the following over yesterday and I'm happy to include it all below (it's long but good.)

I believe in the importance of international travel. I was lucky enough to spend four months in what was Czechoslovakia back in 1992 as the student director on a UNO honors semester. Without a doubt, the experience was life-changing, eye-opening, amazing.

At any rate, here's the information run-down.

International Opportunities - Summer 2007 News
This summer, UNO Mavs have been on the move. From Taiwan to Scotland and places in between, UNO students are making their mark in the world. The Honors Odyssey just returned from a 3 week odyssey across Europe, and summer language programs in Canada, Mexico, Germany, and Morocco are now getting underway.

Arabic will be offered during the 07-08 academic year in the Foreign Language Department. The fall course is filling up quickly, so register soon. Students who want to continue Arabic can consider participating in the Arabic Language in Morocco 2008 study abroad and earn 2 years of language credit from this fall through July 2008. This new opportunity is made possible through a grant from the Fulbright Program.

Exciting Openings at Sister Universities in Spring 2008

Vienna, Austria – Vienna School of Business and Economics
English language coursework is available in Business and Management, Economics, MIS, and Regional European Studies programs.

Mikkeli, Finland – The Helsinki School of Business and Economics
English language coursework is available in Marketing and Management, Accounting and Finance, Business Technology, Language and Communication, International Business, and Area Studies.

Helsinki, Finland – The University of Helsinki
English language coursework is available in the Colleges of Theology, Law, Medicine, Arts, Science, Biosciences, Pharmacy, Behavioral Sciences, Social Sciences, Agriculture and Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine.

Bochum, Germany – Ruhr University Bochum (Senior or Graduate Level Coursework)
English language courses available through the MA programs in Human Rights, Humanitarian Assistance, Development Management, and European Culture & Economy.

Kristiansaand, Norway – Agder University College
English language coursework is available in the Colleges of Economics, Humanities, Fine Arts, Engineering and Science, Mathematics and Sciences, Education, and Health and Sport.

Madrid, Spain – The University of Madrid
Spanish Fluency Required / Comprehensive University Courses

Utrecht, Netherlands – University of Utrecht
English language coursework is available in most programs.

Nebraska Semester Abroad
The 2008 Nebraska Semester Abroad will take UNO, UNK, and UNL students from Nebraska to the Czech Republic. Under the guidance of a UN faculty member, students will become immersed in Central European culture, history, language, art, and literature. Travel to neighboring countries is part of the coursework. $6,500 covers airfare, room, most meals, excursions, books, and more. Application and $500 payment is due by 31 October 2007.

2007 Fall Study Abroad Fair – 27 September
Stop by and learn about unique study abroad programs available to both undergraduate and graduate students. The fair will be held from 10 – 2 in the plaza outside of MBSC. The rain location is the MBSC Fireplace Lounge.

To learn about these or other programs, please contact UNO Study Abroad at studyabroad@mail.unomaha.edu.

Stop by ASH 241 to visit the Study Abroad Library, open daily from 8 -4:30.

More certificates and majors for fall

In addition to the information assurance degree that I posted the other day, there are a few other items that also will be new for fall 2007. And they are --

• Graduate Certificate in Information Operations
• Graduate Certificate in Public Management
• B.A. in Foreign Languages

And now for something completely different . . .

There's a band out of Brooklyn called Grizzly Bear. They're worth a listen. Here's the single "On a Neck, on a Spit."

Volleyball Earns Academic Award

Some stories are just easy to post. From gomavs.unomaha.edu --

UNO Volleyball Earns AVCA Team Academic Award
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo -- For the 11th time in school history, the University of Nebraska at Omaha volleyball team has earned the Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award for their outstanding achievements in the classroom.

Nebraska-Omaha was one of 30 NCAA Division II teams to earn the prestigious award.

The 2006 Mavericks finished the 2006-07 academic year with an outstanding 3.539 team GPA.

The Mavericks finished the 2006 season with a 21-7 overall record, advancing to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the third straight season.

Seniors Stacie Wemhoff and Christina Reicks and junior Katie Agnew were all named the academic all-North Central Conference team. Nicole McLeod joined Wemhoff, Reicks, and Agnew on the North Central Conference Commissioners' Academic Honor Roll.

Mavericks Honored For Academic Success The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced today that Patty Patton Shearer's Maverick basketball team earned a spot on the WBCA's 2006-07 Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll. The Mavericks cumulative grade point average of 3.317 ranked 24th among all NCAA Division II squads, according to a WBCA press release. Senior Karen Thies and sophomore Ellen Majewski each earned academic all-North Central Conference honors this season as the Mavericks finished with a 16-12 overall record. In addition, seniors Ashley Freerksen and Lacey Geitzenauer joined Majewski and Thies on the 2006-07 NCC Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll.

See it here first -- a new IS & T major

Haven't sent this out to the media, posted it as a news release on the UNO website or done anything with it. Since it's a new major, I think it's only fair that the student blog should have it first.

Information assurance is exciting, compelling, fascinating. And the expertise that is present in the College of IS&T is stunning. So, just off the virtual press --

Information assurance degree now offered at UNO
Omaha - The Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education (CCPE) approved a new University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) undergraduate degree in information assurance at the group’s July 17 meeting in Sioux City.
The UNO College of Information Science and Technology (IS&T) will offer the bachelor of science in information assurance as an interdisciplinary major that will prepare students for positions in industry and research in Information Assurance as well as provide them with the foundation necessary for success in graduate programs. Information assurance, an emerging and rapidly expanding area of study, addresses problems in the fundamental understanding of the design, development, implementation and support of secure information systems. The need for secure information systems has become a paramount concern as the computer-enabled, Internet-connected, digital-based global society of the 21st century emerges, said Hesham Ali, dean of IS&T.
“It’s often said that businesses and organizations that do not concern themselves with computer security and information assurance will not be in business for long. We know that to be true,” Ali said. “The resources and faculty we have in place will make this a popular major almost immediately.”
Undergraduate concentrations in information assurance were first offered at UNO in the fall semester of 2003. Between fall 2003 and fall 2006, 24 students have completed an information assurance concentration in either the undergraduate computer science or the information systems degree program. Additionally, courses that will serve as the foundation for the new degree have seen strong and increasing enrollments in the past few years.
The new degree is also consistent with and benefits from the current resources of UNO’s well-established Nebraska University Consortium on Information Assurance (NUCIA). NUCIA is recognized as a National Security Agency (NSA) Center of Academic Excellence and also offers NSF’s (National Science Foundation) Cybercorp scholarships for UNO students pursuing an Information Assurance degree or concentration.
“Many of our students working in this area have been sought out to work at area businesses and government agencies while still taking classes,” Ali said. “Having them out in the community has been tremendously positive for our college and the university.”
Ali said the degree is consistent with the University of Nebraska’s Strategic Framework, the UNO strategic plan, and the mission of IS&T and the Peter Kiewit Institute.
“This new degree not only gives our students a new and compelling education option, but it will provide much needed experts for our area and regional businesses, agencies and governments,” he said.
For more information, call (402) 554-3502.

Sunday post on a podcast for educators

For anyone interested in technology, and especially for education majors, search out the podcast "Learning in Hand" by UNO grad Tony Vincent. His podcast is focused on how to use iPods in the classroom. I've done a couple of stories on the work he's done in his classrooms over the past few years and the man is brilliant.

His webpage is learninginhand.com.

Two Mavericks Honored with Presidential Graduate Fellowships

Part of a press release from NU Central Administration follows. Check out the two UNO recipients -- William McCarty and Joel Thomas!

Milliken Announces Presidential Graduate Fellowships

University of Nebraska (NU) President James B. Milliken has announced the eight 2007-08 Presidential Graduate Fellowships recipients. The prestigious fellowships honor NU graduate students - four students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), two at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and two at UNO - on the basis of high scholastic performance, personal accomplishment and innovative research projects. This year, fellowships are presented in fields that include poetry and physics, pharmaceuticals and criminal justice, physical therapy and marketing.

"The Presidential Graduate Fellowships recognize dedication and excellence among graduate students who are conducting extraordinary research and scholarly activity on our campuses," Milliken said. "We are fortunate to have a level of private support that allows us to give students the opportunity to concentrate their efforts and complete their graduate work."

Fellows at UNL each receive an annual stipend of $24,000, and those at UNMC receive $21,000. At UNO, Ph.D. candidates receive $15,000, and M.A. candidates receive $12,000. Funding for the fellowships is provided through the University of Nebraska Foundation.

This year's Presidential Graduate Fellows are:

From UNO:
- William McCarty, Omaha, a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Criminal Justice
McCarty, a former co-president of the Graduate Student Organization in Criminology and Criminal Justice at UNO, is a graduate research assistant at UNO for the Nebraska Serious and Violent Offender Re-entry Initiative. He wrote his dissertation examining the social structural characteristics and individual traits related to criminal behavior. McCarty is a graduate of Creighton University and earned his master's degree at UNO.

- Joel Thomas, Omaha, a master's degree candidate in English
A graduate of UNO, Thomas currently serves as a graduate teaching assistant in the UNO Department of English, as well as a consultant for the Metropolitan Community College Writing Center. In his role as president of the English Graduates Organization, he coordinates academic and social support for his colleagues. The creative nonfiction field interests him most, and he is working on several projects for publication.

Take a Peek at the Greeks

From UNO's Panhellenic Sororities --

"UNO Panhellenic Recruitment Team to Host “Take a Peek at the Greeks” on Aug. 5

Area women who are currently or plan to be enrolled as college freshmen, sophomores or juniors at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) this fall and who are interested in learning more about Greek Life will have an opportunity to do so at “Take a Peek at the Greeks” on Sunday, August 5, from 1 to 3 p.m.

The event will take place in the UNO Milo Bail Student Center Dodge Rooms, 6001 Dodge St., Omaha, Neb.

Women interested in learning more about this year’s Fall Sorority Recruitment Week (August 21-25) will also have the opportunity to meet the 2007 Recruitment Team, learn about the four Panhellenic Sororities on UNO’s campus and enjoy free food, music and a recruitment week fashion show.

“We’re very excited to host ‘Take a Peek’ again this year,” said Emilee Harvey, head of the Recruitment Team at UNO. “We believe that for many women, joining a sorority is not only an incredible way to make new friends, but it also gives them an opportunity to become involved in various philanthropic efforts and to develop and grow on a personal level.”

The Panhellenic Council is the governing body of all National Sororities. For more information about Fall Recruitment visit the UNO Greek Life Website at http://www.unomaha.edu/greeklife.

For more information regarding “Take a Peek at the Greeks” and Sorority Recruitment at UNO contact Kate Zielinski at (402) 554-2711."

Just a quick note at the end of this post -- do check out the Greek Life Website. It's slick!

Sunday down time for SIS, E-BRUNO and WebFOCUS

For anyone out there who needs to know for the weekend.



ITS Announces SIS/E-BRUNO Downtime
The University of Nebraska mainframe, which houses the UNO SIS system, will be upgraded this month. The upgrade will take place on Sunday, July 22, from 6am to 6pm. During this time, SIS, E-BRUNO, and WebFOCUS will be unavailable. Notices will be posted on the homepages of all services that are affected to inform users of the interruption of service. Please contact ITS at 4-HELP (4357) if you have any questions.

A bunch of MavRadio Fundraiser photos

And they're below --

MavRadio pictures and an update

The fundraising concerts in Benson went well for the MavRadio students and supporters. Matt Beat writes in -- "! Yeah we are pretty excited about the programming in
the fall. By the way, we raised over $1,000 at the Benson music festival. It
was definitely a success. Many people came up and talked to me also and
showed much support for the radio station."

And here are just a few photos from Benson

Music that's new, music that's different . . .

. . . learned about the Mexican Institute of Sound this past weekend while listening to KCRW's Sounds Eclectic and then I read about the group(?) in the Sunday NY Times. The music is just trippy . . . and fun. MIS has a myspace page. Check it out at www.myspace.com/mexicaninstituteofsound

From sound to film


Filmstreams downtown is just going to be a blast. The first film they will unspool in the Alexander Payne Presents series is "Seven Samurai." I love "Seven Samurai." It runs on July 27 and 28. The rest of the series is stunning, too, and the complete listing is at the organization's website. Click here for the calendar and details. Student tickets are about $6. I got to meet Alexander Payne when he spoke on campus more than a year ago. Not only is he an amazing director, but he's a student of film and checking out what he likes is like peeking into his mind.


And below is a trailer for "Seven Samurai" that comes from Criterion Films via YouTube. Enjoy.

Story on a Mav in Japan

Kyle Ksaperbauer played at UNO in a big way. Just a blast to watch on the football field. He had a great day on Sunday in Japan. Read on. The following is from the Daily Yomiuri--

U.S. wins OT kicking duel to prevent Japan from 3-peating in World Cup

Maverickland might be a little slow . . .

. . . for the next couple of days. I'm taking a few days off to get my home life back in order. My wife and I will be bringing home our new daughter, Molly, on Tuesday. We're pretty excited!

Thanks for your patience.

Tim, the UNO PR guy

Another post, another video

Found this on YouTube. Not sure who did this or why, but it's a tour of campus set to music.

Saturday post -- small is beautiful

Coolhunting.com is, well, cool. Here's a piece on an artist who puts big effort into the small of scale. Meet Lori Nix. She lives in Brooklyn (a place I've got a soft spot for because of a semester I spent at Long Island University . . . but that's a long story. ) At any rate, check it out below and enjoy.

The Gateway . . . ever wondered about the name?

UNO Gateway Editor Scott Stewart posted this piece from 1947 on the history of the student newspaper's name at 1:41 a.m. today on his Facebook page. I'm just copying it over because I thought it was interesting. And, even though I'm a Gateway alum, I never knew this stuff. Enjoy.

Newspaper Nomenclature

1:41am Today

How the Gateway got its name
Feb. 18, 1947

Where’s the fence?

Sometimes this journal’s newswriters too, wondered why a paper which obviously did not contain a gate, or even a fence, is called the Gateway.

They pondered. They lay awake nights, counting little headlines which leaped over a gate. In the morning they awoke bleary-eyed and resigned, ate their Wheaties apathetically, and wandered off into the haze.

Then came a clue.

Mrs. Olga Strimple, secretary of the Alumni Association, had known all along it appeared. Seems it began way back in 1911 when Omaha University’s 40 students were tripping over one another in the halls. Facilities were being strained for the June graduating class: a girl, Claudia Galloway. On her diploma was the University’s first seal.

Pictured in the center of this seal was a gateway. A medieval structure, it was made of brick towers, and stood below an open eye. “A gateway of knowledge through visions,” was the implication, according to Mrs. Strimple.

But many weary months were to pass before the name, “Gateway” appeared on a newspaper within the stately columns of the University, an old house at 24th and Pratt streets.

At first only journals of the bulletin board type called the Boomerang were written. News flashes indicated true collegiate spirit: “Every follow must be out at the big stag tonight if he has humor, special features, and a few news items.”

Finally, in 1917, the little Gateway approached big time. It was a weekly. At least it grew to five columns, six pages.

A bigger, better paper now serves a bigger, better school.

From the Gateway archives:
http://archive.olivesoftware.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=GTW/1947/02/18/1/Img/Ar0010201.png

Photos from Seven Days . . .

. . . and I can't wait for whatever the Fall Break project will be.

It's a visual world on the internet . . .

. . . and on a Friday, here are some photos of campus that deserve to be seen. Tim Fitzgerald's work showcases the university. Here are some campus photos and some from Seven Days of Service. Enjoy.

Doubling up from the Gateway

Here are a couple more articles from the Gateway that are certainly worth taking a look at. The first, Editor Scott Stewart writes about the online Gateway and the history of the paper on campus. The article is linked to the headline --

New campus archive gives perspective to Gateway newspaper

by Scott Stewart

And over in the Arts and Leisure section, Charley Reed put together a great calendar of events that runs the gamut for the rest of the month. The link --

Arts and Leisure Events Calendar

July 2007

by Charley Reed

Police training at the Strauss

Check out the story on video on KETV's website on yesterday's Omaha Police Dept. exercise. Officers trained in how to deal with "active shooter" situations in the Strauss Performing Arts Center. The story --
Police Train At UNO

New Gateway out today . . .

. . . and the content in it is thick -- coverage of the MIAA, MavRadio, calendar of events in the arts section. Today became sort of a lost day for me in the office (don't ask) but my plan is to highlight some of the student voices the rest of the week. So . . . let's start with a voice from behind the lens.

UNO Gateway photographer Michelle Bishop has an opinion on Rosenblatt. And she should have one. She's spent a lot of time there shooting, well, everything for ESPN.com. Here's the headline and link --

Rosenblatt: Improve it, don't demolish it

by Michelle Bishop

More on MavRadio

I know the students involved with MavRadio have an Omaha World-Herald story in the works about the upcoming fundraiser that will be in Benson. Give them credit for planning ahead, here's a second event that's pegged for all the way out there in August --

Name:	The Beginning of The All New MavRadio
Host:	MavRadio
Type:	Party - Benefit

Time and Place

Date:	Thursday, August 23, 2007
Time:	10:00am - 4:00pm
Location:	On the air in the Student Center
City/Town:	Omaha, NE

Contact Info

Phone:	402.554.4927
Email:	unomavradio@yahoo.com

And I like the logo they came up with, too. Durango needed some shades.

My birthday gift to readers . . .

Thanks to Facebook (and I hope this blog) I've received a lot of really nice birthday wishes. What I can give back on this hot, hot day is something from coolhunting.com

Ice sculpting sounds like a good hobby to pick up. Enjoy.

In Nebraska, the pre-season for football starts . . .

. . .when football information comes down the pike. Here's the latest from the good folks in UNO Athletics --

"Mavericks Rank High in Preseason Polls
Miller, Hochstein on Early All-American Squads

Senior offensive lineman Ben Hochstein and junior quarterback Zach Miller have been named All-Americans and the Mavericks are among the leaders of NCAA Division II, ranked at Nos. 5 and 6 in two prominent college football preseason publications. Click here for more.











Zach Miller

New photos from July 4 at UNO . . .

. . . and the view from the top of the UNO belltower is stunning.

Here's link to a new slideshow -- July 4 Carillon Concert.

Good day to be out in the garden . . .

The photos below are done by UNO student Jeff Lipschultz. Nothing says summertime in Nebraska like a big green tomato.







And here's a good listing of July 4 events of all kinds . . .

Fourth of July roundup of events

The link is from Omaha.com. 9 a.m. on Wednesday is the UNO Carillon Concert at the belltower. It's a tradition on campus, free and a great way to kick off the day. I'll be there tomorrow, too.

Should have posted this earlier . . .UNO Student Featured in The Reader

Dr. Lipschultz from the School of Communication reminded me about this -- it's an amazing story. The following is from the Tuesday update Dr. L sends out (it's a good e-mail to get!)

UNO Forensics Star Is Cover Story
Buey Ruet Featured in The Reader

Buey Ruet is back in his native Sudan this summer to deliver water – his passionate interest and the topic of a national finalist oratory.

The Reader cover story describes his UNO forensics team success, including fifth place in the Interstate Oratory contest — “the oldest, most prestigious oratory contest in the country,” according to Ruet’s coach and UNO Director of Forensics Abbie Syrek.

Ruet co-founded Aqua-Africa, a nonprofit organization seeking to bring safe water in his native continent.

“He never even referenced the competitive side of it,” Syrek said of the contest.

What pleased him most was someone approaching him afterward and asking how they can get involved, The Reader explained.

“Buey really uses forensics as a means to communicate his thoughts on larger social issues,” she said.

The Reader added: “Water is an issue, Ruet pointed out when we met this past May, that Americans have a hard time grasping at first. For us, thirst is an annoyance easily sated, but in parts of Africa, thirst is a constant and life-threatening reality. To put the difference into numbers: On a given day the average American uses more than 100 gallons of water. In Africa there are entire households that must get by with five gallons or less, to say nothing of the impurities that often pollute those gallons.”

Click here to go to The Reader for the full story.

Holiday weeks are quiet . . .

. . . and it feels like UNO is taking a deep breath today.

Some good news -- the UNO PRSSA chapter will be honored for a organ and tissue donor event they sponsored last spring. They took home a national 3rd place from PRSSA. When I get more details, I'll include them.