Friday, February 17, 1S34
Daily Ncbrcskan
Higher ag salaries sougM
By Jchn Kccpnsn
Quality education, the attracting
and keeping of quality faculty and
attracting qualtity graduate and under
graduate students emerged as the high
est priorities in the Agriculture 2001
committee recommendations to the
NU Board of Regents.
Regent John Payne of Kearney, chair
man of the regents agriculture sub
committee, said the recommendations
were consistent with the top priority
of the board raising all faculty salar
ies to the national norm.
Payne said the board plans to in
crease faculty salaries over a three
year period, upgrading at a rate 6f
about 11 percent a year. NU Founda
tion donations will increase faculty
salaries at the Institute of Agriculture
and Natural Resources and implement
other Agriculture 2001 recommenda
tions, he said.
Payne said salaries and budget in
creases have slipped in recent years
because Nebraska is lagging economi
cally compared to other states.
Payne's comments were reiterated
by the chairman of the Agriculture
2001 committee, Jim Roberts, owner of
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Roberts' Cattle Co., Lexington.
Roberts stressed the need for more
business education in the agricultural
field and cited more emphasis on the
use of computers, financial manage
ment and agri-business.
"We have to better prepare gradu
ates to meet the challenges that will
face them," he said.
Though he said he thinks many
changes need to be made in IANR pro
grams to meet the future, Roberts
rated UNL high for using available
funds in existing programs.
They've had to pull in their belts," he
said, "but they've done a good job
overall"
Matt Wallace, ASUN president and
member of the regents subcommittee
on agriculture, said he thinks the call
for higher faculty salaries by an out
side party, such as Agriculture 2001,
will give weight to calls for more
money.
Wallace said the committee has cred
ibility because it is not a special inter
est group,'but rather a consensus from
a variety of interests. He commended
the committee for its far-sightedness
and realistic approach.
Dally
Nehmskan'i
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Ii;;IE-ln' need iirRmds,
looks to .NU foundation
By John Koepxnan
When the Agriculture 2001 commit
tee gave its report to the NU Doard of
Regents on January 13, it listed six
major areas that the Institu te of Agri
culture and Natural Resources need3
to improve.
Roy Arnold, vice chancellor of IANR,
said the program changes will take
place in short-, medium-, and long
range plans, depending on the nature
of each one.
The report should create a strong
base that IANR can work from in the
future, Arnold said. He said that Ag
2001's long-range views impressed him
.and other administrators.
The report listed improvements need
ed in faculty retention, marketing sys
tems, water management, agrimanage
ment, biotechnological improvements
and capital improvements.
Arnold listed how changes could
occur
Individual faculty members could
use the report as a guide to change
their own research programs. Or they
could change course of extension pro
grams development.
Departments within IANR could
base course changes on the report.
When faculty positions open,
searches for new professors would be
based on the report.
IANR will look to the private sec
tor for support by working with the NU
Fpundation to seek financial help. It
will seek help for the improvements as
The Agriculture 2001 committee
was established, last year by the NU
Board of Regents to study trends affect
ing Nebraska agriculture and to make
recommendations to strengthen the
state's economic performance.
Led by Jim Roberts of Lexington, the
committee consists of 1 50 people from
across the state. Committee members
were divided into six task forces to
analyze and collect information and
make recommendations.
The six priority areas are:
The retention and attraction ol
quality faculty by upgrading salaries
and providing a challenging academic
atmosphere. Attracting more quality
students, both graduate and under
graduate, also was considered im
portant. The devotion of the Institute of
Agriculture and Natural Resources to
agricultural marketing and use. Con
tinued support for the Nebraska Food
Center and the development of a Cen
ter for Transportation Studies.
Major research emphasis on
water management, water quality, con
servation tillage and range and forest
Wesely takes
Ey Ctacie Thorns
Lincoln Sen. Don Wesely recently
announced that he has accepted an
executive associate position with Selec
tion Research Inc. of Lincoln. SRI con
ducts public opinion surveys for busi
nesses throughout the nation to enable
those businesses to become aware of
the needs of the public.
Wesely said he is excited about work
ing for SRI because "it is a company of
the future." Wesely said that although
the Gallup and Harris polls are more
known, they don't do as much as SRI in
volume.
Another plus for SRI is that because
it deals mainly vith businesses outside
Nebraska there won't be any conflict of
interest for Wesely. Wesely plans to
continue his work in the Legislature.
Max Larsen, executive vice presi
dent for SRI, said the company looks
for people who have a deep commit
. ment to principles and have the cour-
a whole or for separate improvements
wnicn may Denciic a particular inter
est. Since meet cf the changes would
need more funds than IANR can give
money is the biggest question facing
the improvements. Arnold said he
didn't expect UNL's budget to increase
dramatically, but that he believes the
NU Foundation will provide support.
J. Robert Sandberg, vice president of
the NU Foundation in charge of gift
planning, will work with IANR to find
private donations.
Sandberg said the foundation has
an unofficial, in-house goal of $25 mil
lion to rai:c in support of IANR improve
ments. Sandberg said the foundation is try
ing to make the report results known
both in and out of I Nebraska. The staff
will send out literature and reports to
clarify the nature cf Agriculture 2001
and to solicit gifts, he said
"We kind of take it (agriculture) for
granted," he said. "Over the years, the
government has put a lot of money
into it, but a public institution needs
supplemental support from the pri
vate sector."
Older people who have worked in
agriculture or rg-related industry are
some of the foundation's targets, Sand
berg said.
Since Nebraska is so agriculture orient
ed, Sandberg said, most people or
institutions can donate something
that will benefit their particular inter
ests. management. Also recommended was
development of alternative energy
sources such as wind, solar, geother
mal and biomass energy.
The establishment ,of an Agri
management Center to work directly
with farm, ranch and business firms to
help improve management tech
niques. The development of biotechnolog
ical research techniques and curricu
lum. Also, the expanded support of
IANR's animal diagnostic services and
establishment of the proposed Reg
ional College of Veterinary Medicine.
Capital improvements such as the
completion of the animal science build
ing and creation of a Food Center,
Agrimanagcment Center, classroom im
provement, improvements at IANR dis
trict stations and a Natural Resources
Facility.
Other recommendations included in
corporating the College of Home Eco
nomics with IANR and reducing dupli
cation of research efforts among IANR
and state and federal agencies, other
NU units and industry.
job as pollster
ass
to stand by those principles. Larsen
said Wesely has demonstrated that he
is very good in those areas.
Wesely began his new job Feb. 6 and
said he will start working with hospital
public opinion polls.
Wesely was elected to the Legisla
ture in 1978. He earned a bachelor's
degree in university studies from UNL
and worked on a master's degree in
history before leaving school to devote
himself to the Legislature.
Although he worked several jobs
while serving as a senator, Wesely said
he never settled into anything with a
career in mind because he had always
intended to go to law school Wesely
said he realized he won't be going to
law school after all, and SBI has given
him the opportunity to form a career
in another area.
Wesely said the additional income
will help because, the $400 a month
senator's salary is hard on a young
family. Wesely and his wife Geri tf?
exporting thcr first child in April. ...
