Second year plan of Toward Excellence' told
By Greg Wees
In an effort to catapult the
Nebraska University system into
the ranks of elite universities
across the nation, NU has
announced the second year
strategy of its five-year "Toward
Excellence" plan.
The 135-page report will be
reviewed by the NU Board of
Regents at its next meeting
Saturday at Regents Hall,
formerly the NU Systems Build
ing, 38th and Holdrege Sts.
The revision of the five-year
plan, adopted in 1973, makes 13
recommendations which, it says,
will affect not only students, but
also all Nebraskans.
Foremost is the encourage
ment to increase the quality of
NU faculty by "judicious use" of
funds for compensation, faculty'
travel, sabbatical leaves, ex
change and visiting professor
ships. New funds must be budgeted
"in order to permit the Universi
ty to compete with any institu
tion in the country in attracting
additional teachers and scholars
of national and international
stature," the report states.
Improving evaluation methods
Another plan goal is improv
ing methods used to evaluate the
effectiveness of teachers in the
classroom and to eliminate those
teachers who do not meet
minimum requirements. One
per cent of NU's instructinoal
budget would be used "for
improvement and experimenta
tion in instruction."
Quality teaching must be
regarded with salary increases,
promotions, a system of aca
demic leaves of absence and
peer recognition, the report
urges. Too often such calls for
improvement of undergraduate
education are just "pious ac
clamations,' ' the report notes.
Students would continue to
participate in the decision
making process of the University
from departmental committees
to the NU Board of Regents.
They "should 'continue to work
with faculty and administrators
in developing a better under
standing of the teaching-learning
process," according to the
report.
In an effort to make NU one of
the nation's leading institutions,
the research and graduate pro
grams must be bolstered, the
report recommends.
doilu
Wednesday, december 1 1, 1974
lincoln, nebraska vol. 98 no. 51
Faculty Senate dislikes five year plan
Dy Randy Wright
After more than an hour of
discussion Tuesday, the Faculty
Senate passed a motion expres
sing dissatisfaction with the
revised UNL five year plan
"Toward Excellence."
The motion, brought forward
by English professor Paul Olson,
recommended that the admini
stration request the legislature
give the University time to have
maximum faculty participation
in suggesting revisions for the
plan, especially through the
academic planning committee.
The motion further directed to
the administrative personnel of
all three University campuses a
request for a standard format for
the plan on all campuses that
enrollment figures for the three
campuses be' standardized, that
a clear distinction be made as to
the "missions" of the University
department, and that priorities
be assigned to all recommenda
tions in the plan.
Olson"s motion followed a
statement by English professor
Lawrence Poston that the re
vised plan was not drafted on the
basis of mutual cooperation
between' campuses, that If was
not likely to be effective for long
because of potential small col
lege mergers and that its style
was "redundant."
The plan was "not concrete
enough to build on but specific
enough for us to be hanged on,"
Poston said.
Sociology professor James
Kimberly told the Senate the
document ignored efforts at
input into the faculty's choice of
the 10 areas designated for
excellence.
Edgar Pearlstein, professor of
physics, said that in expressing
dissatisfaction, the Senate would
be "intellectually forthright"
and called the revised plan
"unrealistic." ,
Olson added, "We ought rY6t
be cyYircarabout thr aenwmstra-
tion responding to our
requests."
Senate president Richard Gil
bert will present the Senate
viewpoints at today's hearing
conducted by Stephen Sample,
the vice chancellor of academic
affairs, in the Nebraska Union.
The revised plan is to be
presented to the Board of
Regents Dec. 14.
"This means that particular
emphasis must be placed on
regaining national stature in
See related story
pg. 8
those areas that have not fared
well in recent nation-wide evalu
ations of graduate programs and
research," the report said.
First graduate coHege
NU was the first University
west of the Mississippi to
formally establish a graduate
college, the report says. But the
quality of the gruaduate pro
gram has been allowed to slip in
recent years, according to the
report.
Making University services
available to the entire state by
extending programs is another
goal of the five-year plan.
Outreach programs such as SUN
(State Universities of Nebraska)
and agricultural extention must
be expanded, the report urges.
During the next five years, NU
"will strive to make the intellec
tual, artistic, cultural and practi
cal resources of the University
more accessible to Nebraskans
in all walks of life."
The plan also calls for the
implementation of the Regents'
Affirmative Action Program,
which seeks to attract more
minorities and women to Uni
versity jobs.
This involves a proposal to
employ special Affirmative Ac
tion officers in the Chancellor's
office to eliminate "any practice
which results in invidious dis
tinctions or discrimination In the
treatment of any person associ
ated with the University." The
Upjqam eraj, already, , , has,, beep
asked for money to finance these
jobs. ' --' - ..-.,.. s-Five-state
consortium' '
The report recommends' the
establishment o a consortium
linking NU with the Universities
of Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa
State and Missouri. This "may
bean important first step in the
development of extensive coop
erative relationships among
these five institutions," the
report states.
Continued on pg. 6
Moststudentsseek employment self-satisfaction
There are more Cratchets than Scrooges on
the UNL campus, at least when students
consider the importance of money to their
choices in making career plans after
graduation, according to the Daily Nebraskan
Superpoll.
Almost eight out of ten of the nearly 400
students responding to the poll said that
achieving self satisfaction from their future
work was the most important factor in
making their career plans.
Making a lot of money was the most
important consideration to 10 per cent of the
students interviewed, while eight per cent
said that living and working in a city or town
they 'Iked was most important.
The poll found self satisfaction from work
was more important to women than to male
students. Almost nine out of ten women said
self satisfaction was their most important
consideration, while 73 per cent of the male
students cited the same reason.
Making money was twice as important to
men responding than it was to women
students (12 percent to six percent).
Students in the colleges of Pharmacy, Law,
Arts and Sciences and those in Graduate
School were most likely to respond that self
satisfaction was their most important con
sideration when choosing future employ
ment. Dentistry and Business Administration
Colleges students were the most likely
students to cite the importance of money in
their career plans.
Superpoll also states that nearly half (48
per cent) of UNL's students plan to go
directly into work after graduation.
But a large number of students (22 per
cent) are still undecided about their
postgi aduation plans. Most of the undecided
group included younger students, mostly
trv ,e under 19 years old. The poll found that
the older students are, the more likely they
are to have definite postgraduation plans.
Twelve per cent of the students responding
said they planned to enter a professional
school after graduation, while 11 per cent
said they planned to attend graduate school.
Six per cent said they planned to travel.
The number of students planning to go
directly into work rose as the student's age
increased. Thirty-two per cent of the students
18 years old or younger said they planned to
go directly into work, while 70 per cent of
students over 30 years of age said they
planned to work immediately after gradua
tion, according to the poll.
Superpoll '74 was conducted by SRI
Community Response, Inc., a Lincoln polling
firm. The students interviewed formed a
proportional representation of students
based on age, sex, colleges, class levels and
living units.
Key: A Making a lot of money; B -Self
satisfaction from work; C Job benefits
(travel, car, expense account, etc.); D
Working with a prominent firm or organiza
tion; E Living and working in a city or town
you like; F Enger a professional school
(Law, Medical, etc.); G Enter graduate
school; H Work; I Travel; J Don't know.
From this list below, which one is the most
important to you In your career plans?
ABODE
SEX '
Male: 12 73 2, 3 10 i
Female: 6 83 1 5
AGE f
18Younger: 14 76 1 1 7
19: 18 75 - 2 6
20: 8 82 5 2 3
21: 4 85 2 - 10 '
22: 3 89 - 3 6
23-30: 9 74 1 2 14
n.rOrt. rtr r if I
CLASS '
Freshman: 14 73 3 1 8
Sophomore: 13 78 1 9
Junior: 5 88 1 1 5 !
Senior: 10 78 2 2 8
Graduate
Professional: 4 79 2 2. 13
COLLEGE '
Agriculture 11 82 7 i
Architecture: 8 83 8 i
Arts & Sciences: 6 88 1 1 5
Business Ed.: 15 70 4 4 6
Engineering: 12 61 3 6 18 ;'
Dentistry: 20 40 40
Law: 8 92 j,
Pharmacy: 100 . - .
HomeEcon.: 12 60 4 4
Teachers: 12 75 3 10 j
Undeclared: 10 76 14
Graduate: 100
TOTAL: 10 79 2 2 8 I
(387)
i t $
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