UNIVERSITY OF NEBl I
Tuesday, July 2, 1968 Summer Nebraskan No. 4
Uiji ver sit y Adds Tar
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Campu;
Three simple ceremonies, after
months of laborious paper-work and
legalities, marked the merger of
the University of Omaha with the
University of Nebraska, creating
the twentieth largest university in
the United States.
On Sunday, under blue Nebraska
skies, the heavily-wooded Omaha
campus displayed an atmosphere
of academic congeniality. An in
fomal garden party preceded the
Omaha school to officials of the
state university.
"We are not saying good-bye to
anything today," said Robert M.
Spire, president of the OU Board
of Regents. "We are saying hello."
The Omaha branch of the Univer
sity of Nebraska is greeting a new
era of challenge in its sixty-year
history, officials of the school re
peatedly say.
"The University of Nebraska at
Omaha is not an "instant" univer
sity," the program for the cere
monies read. "It has a heritage
. . . which has been abuilding for
sixty years ..."
Monday the two boards of regents
for the schools met before a state
wide television office and formally
signed the merger documents.
Earlier in the day, a ceremony on
the North Portico of the Admini
stration building unveiled the let
tering on the building: "University
of Nebraska at Omaha" UNO.
The Omaha complex includes
six colleges, the largest is the
Arts and Sciences. Enrollment
during the 1967-68 year nearly
reached the 9,000 mark. The com
bined enrollments of all campuses
of the NU complex should top the
27,000 figure this fall, and predic
tors believe the school should
reach a 30,000 total by 1970.
This would put it in the same
class as some of the "giant" in
stitutions, such a the universities
of Minnesota, New York. etc.
And, according to Chancellor
Clifford M. Hardin, it is quite
likely that other state-suported
schools could come under the NU
"umbrella" in the future.
UNO will offer many new pro
grams for Nebraska college stu
dents. Many courses which would
have been duplicated at the Lin
coln school have or will have been
weeded out.
A PhD. candidate will be able
to fulfill residency requirements
at either or both camuses. Some
. programs may be offered at just
one campus, depending on the fa
cilities, if
School officials expect an itf
crease in the flow of students back
and forth in search of the right
program or courses, since it will
be relatively simple to transfer
and all credits are transferable
at either campus.
UNO is dedicated tothe solution
of today's problems, school officials
report.
The two Omaha universities,
UNO and Creighton, joined together
to form a "Joint Task Force" in
an all-out attack on Omaha's urban
problems, with research resulting
in action.
One of the first programs, to be
inaugurated this fall, is the
development of more adequate
programs in minority group
history, culture and sociology at
the two schools.
Dr. Paul L. Beck will teach a
year-long UNO course in "Ethnic
Groups in American History,"
divided into pre and post Civil War
periods. He is spending the summer
on research, mostly at the
University of Chicago, a leader in
the field of Negro history.
At the Milo Bail Student Center
a number of displays concerning
"Great Negroes in American
History" were featured during the
open house on Sunday.
The Omaha school also features
a college of engineering, a college
of continuing studies, an expanding
graduate college, and a large col
lege of education.
Dr. Kirk Naylor, president of
UNO, is also hopeful that the
merger will bring the school to a
closer relationship with ' the
Nebraska College of Medicine, also
located in Omaha.
Some facilities are already being
shared, and the two hope to
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Nelson A. Rockefeller, governor of New York and candi
date for the Republican nomination for president, made
an NU campus visit Friday after a. meeting with the state
GOP delegation to the national convention in Miami. Story
and pictures on page three. (Picture by Mike Hayman)
cooperate on sucr projects as
operation of a major health center
in Omaha's ghetto area.
The merger itself started after
numerous meetings between of
ficials of the two schools. The 1967
Legislature then created UNO and
then, with the voter approval of
the Omaha citizenry, the state ac
quired the debt-free institution.
Officials hope that the school will
double in size within the next ten
years, putting the enrollment at
20,000. Ninety per cent of its stu
dent body will be drawn from the
Omaha area, it is believed, for the
next several years.
One advantage of the school, due
to the state takeover, is lower tui
tion rates for UNO students. Tuition
will be 15 dollars per credit hour
this fall for Nebraskans, 28 dollars
for non-residents. The two mill levy
shared by Omahans to support the
school has been abolished, since
the tax load is now distributed
throughout the state.
Hardin said that it is "accidental
but symbolic" that the merger
would be complet' wittiin the
centennial year of j University
of Nebraska.
"Centennials are a time for a
re-examination and a rededication
to the principles of existence," Har
din said, explaining that the
university's 100th birthday will be
Feb. 15, 1969. "We now dedicate
ourselves to the best possible
educational service to the people
of this great state."
Dr. B. N. Greenburg, president
of the University of Nebraska
Board of Regents said that the
merger represented a "monument
for education in Nebraska, since
education is a resource without
which we cannot live."
Pluimer
Challenges
Teachers
Harold P, Pluimer, Air Force re- -gional
director for aerospace edu
cation, Friday issued a challenge
to teachers to prepare students for
staggering changes which are to
come.
Pluimer, who is an author,
speaker, and former senior lectur
er for NASA, spoke in Love Library
auditorium on "The Frontiers of
Our Time."
His speech was centered on the
advances made in aerospace travel
and the significance to future cen-
erations. "We will soon experience
an orbital weekend without the aid
of a martini," he said.
Pluimer compared the aerospace
situation today to that of Colum
bus in the fifteenth century. "He
had the ships but he didn't know
where he was going," he said. "We
know where we're going and the
ships are being readied."
The challenges of space travel
will take courage 'but men will go,"
he said. "These are the frontiers
of our times. If we cease to do
these things, our civilization will
decay."
Besides advances in space travel
Pluimer cited other changes which
are to come. He said transplants
of human organs will increase to
the point that "Who's Who will be
come Who's Whom."
He showed how many advances
come directly from need. He stated
that if the Lincoln telephone switch
board was still run only by oper
ators it would require the services
of every female in Lincoln between
the ages of 7 and 70 to run it. "But
then there would be no one to use
the telephone," he said with a
smile.
Pluimer also emphasized the role
of the computer in today's rapid
technical advances. "One small
computer," he said, "can do the
work of 50 men." However, he em
phasized to the teachers that "No
machine can replace one extraord
inary person You are extraordin
ary or you wouldn't be here."
He added that teachers todav
have a great responsibility for
"those who know the least, fear
the m o s t. Don't let these kids
down," he said. "Cause not one of
these little ones to stumble."
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Robert M. Spire, president of the Omaha board of R e g e n t s, presents the documents of
merger to Dr. B. N. Greenburg, president of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents,
in a ceremony Sunday which symbolized the merger of the two schools. The ceremonies
were culminated Monday with the formal acceptance of the. Omaha school in a televized
meeting of both boards of regents.
Veteran NU Actor Asks:
Why Only 5 Reservations?
Andy Backer, often referred to
as "NU's actor-in-residence." is
worried about the University's ex
perimental summer repertory
season.
It's not the company which is
causing the frustration.
"The simple fact is," said
Backer, "that a total of five people
have reserved seats for tonight's
opening show."
And, to add insult to injury, only
one of those seats was bought
the other four were complimentary.
"I don't think people trust the
theatre," Cacker said. "People
want to be entertained, so they go
to a movie, knowing that they will
be entertained.
"My one goal is to have my own
theatre so I could produce what
I consider to be exciting, enter
taining theatre. I am now
experimenting as a writer, an ac
tor, and a director, to find what
is exciting theatre."
Backer considers this summer's
line-up of plays to be just that.
The summer season is billed as
a "Repertory of Protest," with
three contemporary plays dealing
with social and political comment.
Ecah is considered to be high
quality literature.
"Each should appeal to a modern
university audience," he said.
Backer's name is familiar to
many recent Howell Theatre pro
ductions: He has been featured in at least
30 NU theatre productions since
first coming to the University in
1956.
He has won five NU acting
awards, won p 1 a y w r i t i n g
fellowship, three playwriting
"Dallases" (equivalent to
Broadway's Tony Awards) and
numerous other awards.
And he was the winner of the
1067 Nebraska Centennial
Playwriting Contest which awarded
a $2500 cash prize.
He may be better known as
"George," the history professor
married to Martha in "Who's
Afriad of Virginia Wollf?" or as
"King Lear." one of Shakespeare's
most demanding characters, or as
a host of other characters. He has
Inside Yon Will Find:
of
OUVIER'S HAMLET: The highly-acclaimed film adaptation
Shakespeare's Danish prince will be shown at Sheldon t :night
Page 2
CONVENTION TIME: An NU English Professor gives his reason
ing why he' sticking it out with McCarthy Page 2
SENIORITIS: Each year thousands are strickened by a highly
contageous disease. An NU student studies it symptoms and ef
fects ... Page 4
acted in 52 plays since his high
school beginning.
Backer came to the University
in 1956 from Scottsbluff. He left
the school aster a two years for
various reasons and completed a
four-year tour of duty with the
air Force. After a number of
unusual jobs, he returned to NU
and received his bachelor's degree
in 1965. He will receive his master's
degree upon completion of of his
thesis this summer.
His last year at NU had a touch
of irony to it.
"When 1 was a freshman,"
Bakcer recalled, "the theatre at
NU was doing 'King Lear.' I said
to myself (A young budding actor
fresh out of high school) that he
was the man I'd best like to do.
It is strange that I would do Lear
during my last year here."
This Week
On Campus
TUESDAY, JULY 2
Administrators Luncheon, speak
er Dr. Luvern Cunningham of Ohio
State University, 11:45 a.m., Ne
braska Union, 14th and R.
Summer Theatre in Repertory,
"Eh!", 8 p.m., Howell Theatre, 12th
and R.
Conference on Student Health,
Nebraska Center for Continuing
Education. 33rd and Holdrege.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 3
Summer Theatre in Repertory,
"Eh!", 8 p.m.. Howell Theatre, 12th
and R.
THURSDAY, JULY 4
Classes not in session.
FRIDAY, JULY 5
Classes not in session.
Summer Theatre in Repertory,
"Hostage". 8 p.m., Howell Theatre.
12th and R.
SATURDAY, JULY 6
Summer Theatre in Repertory,
"Hostage". A T..m., Howell Theatre,
12th and R.
SUNDAY, JULY 7
Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery:
Displays from permanent collec
tion. Gallery hours: Sunday 2 to 5
p.m., Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.,
Wednesday through Saturday, 10
a.m. to 5 pm., 12th and R.
Mueller Planetarium: Sky Show,
"Stars Leading West". Hours:
Monday through Friday, 2:45 p.m.;
Saturday. Sunday and holidays,
2:30 and 3:45 p.m.; Wednesday, 8
p.m., University of Nebraska State
Museum, 14th and U.
University of Nebraska State
Museum: Featuring audio-tours ol
exhibits: Hall of Elephants. Hall of
Nebraska Wildlife. Hall of Man and
Health Science Galleries. Hours:
Sunday, 1:30 to 5 p.m..
He considers "George" the most
fun character he has done on the
stage, but "Lear" was the most
demanding.
"King Lear is almost impossible
to play," he said. "So I don't know
really how well I did it. Still, it
was the most demanding."
But Backer thinks this summer's
work is as demanding as it can
get.
"I worked in summer stock at
Grand Ledges, Mich., last summer
and was getting paid for it," he
said. "But, you know, I think I
am working harder for the
University repertory than I did in
Michigan."
Backer has the lead role in
"Serjeant Musgrave's Dance" and
has a supporting rule in "The
Hostage." The NU company
numbers 23. not including many
stage technicians, directors, and
various other aids. "These people
are working hard," he said. "I
would be a crime if this program
did not get off the ground."
"This is really a pioneering ef
fort," he explained. "Future au
diences in the area are going to
get cheated if this project fails.
It needs the students' support, as
well as the faculty's."
Backer is anxious to get out of
the university theatre circle and
into professional theatre, although
he has acted professionally and has
had one of his plays produced on
a local stage.
"It takes courage to out and find
the theatre and it takes confidence.
One cannot have a love for money,
at least at the beginning."
Backer says it is difficult to live
as an actor and try to make it
in legitimate theatre. "The money
is not good for beginners," he said.
"You just have to have guts.
Backer found it easier to try ac
tin g after winning first prize in
the Nebraska Centennial contest for
"Didn't He Ramble?" He made
approximately $3600 on the play,
which is still his property.
"Someday I want to have the
play published, but first I'd like
to see it produced nationally," he
said. The play was a aprt of the
Lincoln Community Theatre pro
gram last season and he directed
it himself.
"Soon I am going to have too
make up my mind I am going to
take that giant step to New York
City," Backer said. He may teach
for a while, but he realizes that,
at age 29, he must take the big
step soon.
In the meantime, the summer
repertory company is demanding
his time, and so is his thesis.
"Any work done in a short time
period is very demanding," he said.
"And this work is very hard.
"I just hope someone shows up
to see our plays."