Norris Luncheon to Honor 2009-2010 Norris Scholarship Recipients

James B. Milliken, President of the University of Nebraska, will be the 2009 George W. Norris Distinguished Lecturer at the annual George Norris Scholarship Luncheon, hosted by UNK’s Political Science Department on October 28 at 11:30 a.m. at the Museum of Nebraska Art.

The Norris Scholarship Luncheon will honor the UNK Political Science students who received Norris scholarships for 2009-2010 and raise funds for the scholarship for the coming year. The Norris Scholarship is named for George W. Norris, a long-time representative of Nebraska in the US Congress.

The public is invited to attend. Tickets are $10.50 per person.  Contact the Department of Political Science at 308-865-8506 for tickets and reservations. Reservations will be taken through Friday, October 23.   

- written in collaboration with Joan M. Blauwkamp, Chair of the Department of Political Science

Annual Foreign Film and Culture Festival Presented by Modern Languages Department

UNK’s Foreign Film and Culture Festival will take place October 26-28. The Modern Languages Department has prepared a schedule of films and food representing several different countries. The films are shown with English subtitles. All are welcome to attend free of charge and participate in this celebration of international creativity.

The schedule for this year includes:

For more information, contact the department at 308-865-8536.  

- written in collaboration with Cherie J. DeFreece, Department of Modern Languages 

SIFE Sponsors Another Successful "New Venture Adventure"

On Thursday, October 8, the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team sponsored a day-long event for area high school students. The “New Venture Adventure” gave approximately 126 high school students the opportunity to be an entrepreneur for the day. The students participated in a variety of activities throughout the day that were designed for them to experience all aspects of launching an entrepreneurial venture, including creating a mission statement and business card, meeting with realtors and bankers from the Kearney Community, creating an elevator pitch and radio jingle which they presented to a panel of judges that consisted of UNK faculty and community business members, working through an ethical business dilemma, and considering whether or not to market their business globally.  Students reported that the event was "way more interesting day than at school" and "hard but fun." One of the teachers stated that "it was an excellent activity for their students." This was the fourth year SIFE has offered the "New Venture Adventure," and it continues to be a successful project.  

- written in collaboration with Susan M. Jensen, Department of Management and Kelsee Sharpe, SIFE Team President 

Library - In Brief Online 

Institutional Repository Presentations on October 28th

By Greg Anderson, Reference Librarian
andersong@unk.edu

Are you curious about how research and creative activities are being made available on the Web? Would you like information on providing worldwide access to the best work by UNK students? Have you heard about institutional repositories and wondered what they are?

Informational meetings designed to answer these sorts of questions will be held in the library, on Wednesday, October 28th. Making the presentations will be Mr. Tim Timminga from Digital Commons, of Berkeley Electronic Press, the most widely-used, hosted institutional repository (IR) in the world. UNL’s Digital Commons, now the second largest IR in the world, uses this software platform.

Join us in learning how an IR can be used to build a digital collection of research and creative work by faculty and students, along with other institutional documents and resources, which can be made available for long-term preservation and world-wide electronic accessibility. Anything that can be digitized, from peer-reviewed journal articles, to graduate theses, to undergraduate posters, to music recitals, can be placed in an IR.

Mr. Timminga’s presentations will be at 10 a.m., 12 Noon, and 3 p.m. in the library’s lower level computer lab. Please contact Greg Anderson – andersong@unk.edu or 8593 – for more information.

Chemistry Faculty Research Displayed at Library

By Greg Anderson, Reference Librarian
andersong@unk.edu

In conjunction with the dedication of the Bruner Hall addition, research by UNK chemistry faculty is on display in the library. The display is comprised of nine posters, representing the myriad of novel research conducted in the Chemistry Department. Mounted on two large bulletin boards, the display is located on the main floor, by the staircase, across from the reference desk.
 
Chemistry department research posters, on display in the library

This display will remain up through October. Please stop by to learn about the research endeavors of these UNK faculty members. The library hopes the chemistry  display will be the first in a regular series recognizing faculty research throughout the university. 

In Brief Published

By Jennifer Harvey, Curriculum Librarian
harveyjs@unk.edu

The Fall Semester’s edition of In Brief, the library’s semi-annual print publication reporting on news and events at the library, was recently published. Check it out in our publication archive at:  http://www.unk.edu/uploadedFiles/academics/library/inbrief/FALL%202009%2010-15-09.pdf. Want to be on our mailing list? Let us know by emailing Jennifer Harvey or telephoning 308-865-8276.

Recognition  

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, a new initiative of the Academic Affairs Committee, is an electronic approval system that will take the place of the paper forms for course proposals. The new online system will allow department chairs to initiate proposals, which will then automatically route to the next levels in the approval process. The entire approval process can be monitored online. **NOTE** The paper process for making changes to programs will continue; the form and instructions for submitting program proposals are available on the Academic Affairs Committee page.
   
  The schedule of Academic Affairs deadlines for the 2009-2010 academic year has been posted 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 in the coming year should be aware of these deadlines and instructions. For more information, contact Kim Elliott at elliottkn@unk.edu or 8935.
  
  
• Faculty Handbook
  In a continuing effort to provide faculty with the most current policy information, the Faculty Handbook has been revised and reorganized. 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).
  
  **NEW** Please note that the Faculty Handbook is updated in an online version only; refer to the online handbook when looking for the most up-to-date versions of policies, including the new Guidelines for Evaluation, Promotion, and Tenure, which have recently been revised. 
    
  
• Faculty Senate
  To keep faculty informed and in the spirit of shared goverenance, the 2009-2010 Faculty Senate Roster is posted on the Faculty Senate home page. The page also contains links to meeting agendas, meeting minutes of both the Faculty Senate and the Faculty Senate committees, and the Faculty Senate Constitution and Bylaws.
  
  
• General Studies 
  Instructions have been posted on the General Studies website regarding the submission of courses  for the new General Studies Program. The course submission page includes a document outlining the process for submitting courses to the General Studies Council, deadlines for Fall 2010, and information about the portal courses.
  
  
• Graduate Council
  A webpage has been created for the Graduate Council. It contains information regarding changes to graduate courses or programs, as well as a list of the 2009 Graduate Program Committees and a link to important Graduate Faculty announcements.  
  
  
• 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.