daily nsbresksn
thursday, fcbruary 17, 1977
Agricoltofe'rQpyta'Bion
if.
factor inctorprionfly
By Maxine Kubicek
Governor J. James Exon said Wednesday NlPs Vorld
wide reputation as an agricultural university" in part
prompted him to give the building of a $1 million tractor '
testing facility high budgetary priority. -
In his annual State of the State Address and budget
presentation Feb. 10, Exon recommended the construc
tion of only three new structures instead of the eight
structures proposed in the university budget. Exon said
he recommended building the tractor testing building
because ofits'Tiigh priority need." ,.'..'
"Nebraska has not only a national but worldwide
reputation of being an agricultural university that all
industries look to for tractor testing," he said. "We still
are dependent for the most part on our number one
industry -agriculture."
Exon said NU approval of a tractor is "akin to the
Good Housekeeping' seal of approval in consumer pro
ducts." No tractor that is widely used in Nebraska or in
other states is very successful unless it receives the
approval of NU, he said.
Search beginning
for champion tree
fhe search is on for the state's biggest tree.
Neal Jennings, assistant state forester said a study to
check the biggest tree in 15 species native to Nebraska
will begin around July 1 and will update a 1963 study.
Jennings is also a UNL assistant forestry professor and
community forestry extension specialist.
He said the study will be conducted and funded by
on-going programs of the University of Nebraska Forestry
and Horticulture Departments and the Nebraska State
Arboretum Council.
The search will be completed in three stages, he said.
First, foresters will recheck 1963's largest trees to see if
they are still alive and how large they are now.
After that, foresters and citizens will be able to nomin
ate other trees that were not in the 1963 study and then
the actual measuring of the trees will begin.
There is a controversy as to where the biggest tree in
Nebraska is, Jennings said. A cottonwood at Arlington is
said to be largest, while others claim that a cottonwood
at Guide Rock is larger.
"Records show there is the possibility that tha tree at
been disqualified this year as the biggest tree."
Martin Massengale, vice chancellor of the UNL
Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, also cited
NU's international reputation for high standards as a
factor in requesting funds for the new building.
'The problem with the old tractor testing facility is
that it was built many years ago when farm machinery
was much smaller " he said. "We just can't get the new,
.larger machines inside the facility to test them."
William Splinter, chairman of the Agricultural En
gineering Dept., said large tractors weighing 30,000
to 40,000 pounds must be dismantled to get them inside
the existing tractor building. Part of the roof of the
building is removed to accommodate the tractor once it
is reassembled inside, he said.
Splinter said the total budget request of $3.5 million
provides for two phases of renovation: $1 million to be
spent for construction of the new tractor testing building,
and $2.5 million for renovation of the Agricultural
Engineering Bldg. The $3.5 million requested by the NU
C f iJ
Board of Regents has been approved by Exon, Splinter
said.
Massengale said the Agricultural Engineering Bldg.,
built in the early 1900s, is structurally sound but badly
needs updating. .
If the necessary funds are appropriated by the Legis
lature, he said, construction of the jscw tractor testing
facility would begin north of the Agriculture Engineer
ing Bldg. within the year. Renovation of the Agricultural
Engineering Bldg. would begin next year, he added.
Simmons wants
delays eliminated
Robert Simmons, NU Board of Regents chairman, will
ask the regents Saturday for a policy to speed the
selection of top NU administrators.
In a letter to William Swanson, university lobbyist and
corporation secretary to the regents, Simmons said he
wanted to eliminate the delays which bogged the search
for a new president.
Swanson has declined to comment on the letter saying
the regents would discuss the matter Saturday at their
meeting.
He did say he thought the presidential search commit
tee worked rapidly and effectively.
"Unfortunately, the people on the list we selected did
not come for one reason or another," Swanson said.
"The committee goes through all the names carefully. 1
don't see how they could speed it up, the search commit
tee met their deadline."
Former NU President D. B. Varner announced his
resignation last June. Varner became chairman and chief
executive officer of the NU Foundation Jan. 1. Former
UNO Chancellor Ronald Roskens was appointed interim
president to serve until a permanent successor could be
named. .
Simmons attributed much of the delay to regulations
which require that administrative openings be published
in academic periodicals before closing the search.
The list of presidential candidates was not submitted
to the regents until September because of the publication
timetable, Simmons said.
The notice also had to be published again when the
committee resumed the search, further delaying the
selection, he said.
Simmons proposed that the policy to readvertise in
further candidate searches be eliminated and the' job
notice carry a 30-day application deadline.
J LaXlzi
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