Monday, May 6, 1985
Page 10
Daily Nebraskan
NU regents f
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Women regents use capabilities
to improve university education
By Suzanne Teten
Staff Reporter
Times have changed since the first
woman became a regent in early 1974.
Back then, the NU Board of Regents
concerned itself with residence hall
issues; today, its members concentrate
on academic excellence and budget
restrictions.
Camille Elliott, 91, of Scottsbluff
completed her husband Jack's term in
1974-75. And, she says, she loved the
experience.
Even though she was the first and
only woman on the job then, Mrs.
Elliott said she was treated as an equal
by the other regents. Before her hus
band's death, he had been a regent for
about 20 years. The men on the board
had been the couple's close friends,
she said, so they accepted her as a
member.
"I didn't agree with them and they
didn't agree with me occasionally, but
we got along fine," Mrs. Elliott said.
Mrs. Elliott said the men were "pretty
smart." They respected people who
offered differing opinions, she said.
Mrs. Elliott said she was concerned
that the students living in residence
halls were being given too much free
dom. She wanted stricter curfews. And
she also was opposed to men and
women living in the same building.
"But then I was old-fashioned, you
see," she said.
Mrs. Elliott graduated from NU in
1916 with a degree in English, drama
and German. She taught English and
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history, but never German. War broke
out in Europe and the language wasn't
permitted in schools anymore.
Attitudes and issues have changed
quite a bit since Mrs. Elliott served on
the board. Since her term ended in
1975, only two women have been elected
to the board. Margaret Robinson of Nor
folk and Nancy Hoch of Nebraska City
were elected !n 1982.
Robinson, president of the Norfolk
Iron and Metal Co., said she has been
fortunate to be accepted as a regent.
Nebraska always has been "forward
looking" in its attitudes toward women,
Robinson said, and being a woman
hasn't put any extra pressure on her.
Nebraskans accept people for their
abilities and talents rather than their
sex, she said.
Being president of her company has
helped her as a regent, because she is
familiar with financial and bonding
statements. Robinson's 15-year stint on
the Norfolk School Board also has
proved worthwhile.
As chairwoman of the planning com
mittee, Robinson selects the board's
agenda. She said she works about 10
hours each week on university business.
Robinson, 61, said she wouldn't
change anything about the board's
operation. She said she thinks the
present board members work well
together.
"We don't always agree, but we
respect each other," she said.
Robinson said she favors keeping an
elected board. Citizens must have a
voice in their government, she said,
especially since NU spends about 22
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percent of the state's tax dollars.
And now those dollars are melting
away, putting the university in desper
ate financial straits.
Hoch, 48, said she is very concerned
about the budget problems confronting
the university. Necessary state appro
priations haven't increased with the
cost of living, she said.
"There have to be more funds or less
university," said Hoch, a former candi
date for U.S. Senate.
Hoch said the regents will have to
make difficult program cuts. Such cuts
can't always be made "across the
board." The board can't "dilute" every
thing, Hoch said.
"I don't believe we (the university)
can be everything to everybody," she
said.
However, she said, eliminating
entire departments from the university
wouldn't be wise. Bringing them back
would be more difficult than destroy
ing them, she said.
But, if revenues continue to decline,
Hoch said, the regents will have to
make serious program cuts.
The regents' recent decision to form
a cooperative veterinary school with
another state may seem unwise now,
but the effort to form such a school
actually began several years ago. She
said the recent decision to support a
school merely gives the state the option
for a school with another state.
Robinson offered another suggestion
for reducing university spending.
She said the university must post
pone its building plans for a few years
until the state can afford the expense.
Despite the budget problems, Hoch
said, the university need not have a
negative outlook. She said it is impor
tant to plan for the future, not just to
react to the present conditions.
Hoch said the regents have the
responsibility to work for the highest
quality of education the state can pro
vide with available funds.
Robinson said academic excellence
can be achieved only by improving
faculty salaries because the "faculty
makes the university."
Program
By Gene Gentrup
Senior Reporter
NU Regent Don Fricke said he ex
pects to be part of an NU Board of
Regents that in the next few years will
likely be cutting or eliminating entire
programs in the university system.
Fricke, a Lincoln dentist and a new
addition to the board, this week talked
about his first few months as a regent.
He defeated incumbent Ed Schwartz
kopf in November's selectioa
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Elliott
Hoch also said that maintaining
faculty quality is important. The uni
versity must work hard to attract and
keep good faculty members by paying
them well, she said. The regents have
tried to raise salaries to the mean level
of NU's peer group, but that requires
funding adjustments. The university
must keep working until salaries reach
that level, she said.
"I don't think we can abandon that
ship," Hoch said.
Hoch said she would like to see more
emphasis on undergraduate education.
She said UNL Chancellor Martin Mas
sengale's commission to study the cur
riculum is a step forward. The admini
stration is concentrating on excellence,
cuts concern Fricke
Fricke said he has "plenty to do" as
a regent, including monthly meetings,
appearing at banquets and university
functions and putting in 40 hours a
week at his dentistry job.
"My wife gets along and my kids
understand," he said. "I'm spending a
little more time away from the family,
but I turn down a lot of engagements to
stay home as well," he said.
Fricke said one thing he is not
optimistic about is an increased budget
during the next five years.
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Hoch said, and that is where her hopes
for the university lie.
Both women said they appreciate
student input on university problems.
Robinson said she hopes more stu
dents continue to express their con
cerns to the regents as they have dur
ing this year's "Meet the Regents"
sessions. She said student opinions put
a different light on university problems.
Hoch said she is always pleased
when students care enough to make
their feelings known. She said she was
impressed by last week's student march
to the Capitol to protest a rumored
30-percent tuition increase.
"I hope the Legislature read that as
a call for more funds," Hoch said.
"It just isn't business as usual any
more we're talking about definite
changes," Fricke said, referring to some
of the "weaker" programs at NU.
He declined to say what those weaker
programs were, but said there will be a
strong effort by the regents to maintain
NU's "quality programs." The chancel
lor will make recommendations for
program cuts later this year or next
year, he said.
Continued on Page 11
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