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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 22, 1994)
Teachers vie for regents’ seats By Angie Brunkow Senior Reporter Two Nebraska educators are among candidates hoping to help govern higher education to better serve the entire state. Marlene Blakeman of Norfolk recently announced she would com pete for the NU Board of Regents District 3 seat. Two other candi dates are vying for this seat, which will be vacated by Margaret Robinson. Steve Brennan of Omaha will compete against incumbent Rose mary Skrupa for the District 8 seat. Both candidates said they had education experience inside and outside the University of Nebraska system. Brennan, who has a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees from the University of Nebraska Lincoln, has taught in Omaha, Ralston and Valley high schools during the past 12 years. Blakeman did post-graduate work at both UNL and the Univer sity of Nebraska at Omaha and has 27 years of teaching experience as an elementary school teacher. “I have a history of commitment to the field of education, and my aim is to assist in ensuring that the Nebraska university system contin ues to offer the best possible educa tion for our youth and adults,” she said in a press release. Brennan said he would energize the NU system to best serve the state. In the past, closed doors, hidden agendas and mismanaged presiden tial searches have embarrassed the state, he said. “That has been the norm for the regents,” he said. Politics on the board has cost the state money and national stature, he said. Because of problems inprevious NU presidential searches, the sys tem didn’t attract the top candi dates in the recent presidential search, Brennan said. With four seats in contention in this election, however, the leader ship for higher education could change dramatically, he said. “It’s time for the new blood,” Brennan said. He said regents should elimi nate politics on the board and be tween Lincoln and Omaha cam puses and instead work for the good of the state. “There’s so much more the Uni versity ofNebraska can be doing for the state and the student,” he said. One thing the regents should do is to establish an engineering col lege at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, he said. “If that’s what it takes to bring business into Nebraska and into Omaha,” he said, “so be it.” Mercedes-Benz and BMW both considered locating plants in Oma ha, but decided against it partly because of the lack of educational support in the city, he said. “The education, the technology, the engineering classes, staff, pro grams and curriculum all have to be in place as an incentive,” he said. Omaha would be only one of the beneficiaries from such a change, he said. “If Omaha needs an engineering college to bring in more business, that is going to help the entire state.” Emergency phones serve purpose False activation is big problem, vandalism is not By Melanie Brandert Staff Reporter _ Despite a few snags, UNL Code blue emergency phones have been serv ing their purpose. In cases of robberies, stolen vehi cles, assaults, suspicious people and even a needed jump start, UNL police have been able to respond to and aid students who use the emergency phones. UNL Police Sgt. Bill Manning said the phones had helped to give students a sense of security. “It’s the perception ofUNL being a safe campus,” Manning said. “If stu dents feel safe, that helps.” Manning said parents of new stu dents often asked about the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s safety mea sures. The blue phones enable parents to see that measures are be ing taken to ensure students’ safety. “If there is anything we can do to ensure the safety of our students and faculty, we will do everything we pos sibly can,” he said. UNL has been very fortunate in that there have been few tamperings with the code-blue phones since their September 1992 installation. Man ning said. Though one unit was spray-paint ed last semester, few of the new phones have fallen victim to vandalism be cause they are vandal-resistant, he said. The new phones’ self-contained designs make it difficult to remove their parts, uni ike the emergency units previously used on campus. The old phones were sometimes unusable in an emergency because the cords were often cut. Manning said. He said the biggest problem with the emergency phones had been the number of false alarms, at least 95 percent. The high percentage has remained constant since the phones were in stalled, even though the number of calls has decreased from 200 during the first two months of operation to 19 calls last month. Manning said it was difficult to prevent false alarms. Anyone could activate the speaker and walk away before police could arrive. However, he said, authorities are educating students and other poten tial users by explaining the impor tance of using the code-blue phones correctly, he said. “People are getting used to them, and as they see the benefits of the public foremergencies, you won’t have as many activations,” he said. Bruce Bemt, manager of operator services, said students were taking the phones more seriously. “At first it was a novelty item to try out, but now students realize it’s there for a reason,” he said. 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They must also fill out a brief medical history. 2S8S TOP 10 REASONS TO TAN #10 To say you’ve been to Alternative TAN #9 Dave said so! #8 To look better than your mate/ best-friend #7 Latest tanning products available #6 Get the look of an exotic getaway close to home #5 Low rates/ Monthly specials Extended Hours NEW beds/ MORE beds NEW LAMPS AlumalivtTA N 48th &R 466-1201 Massengale Continued from Page 1 Massengale’s intelligence, work ethic and commitment to the universi ty have been widely noted by his col leagues. “The man worked like a dog, and it rubbed off on everyone around him,” says Sen. Scott Moore of Seward, chair man of the Legislature’s Appropria tions Committee. NU Board of Regents Chairman Charles Wilson says an 80-plus-hour workweek was commonplace for the president. Wilson calls Massengale’s dedication unquestionable. “I think his drive and work ethic are legendary,” Wilson says. He de scribes Massengale as “a very gra cious gentleman (who) remains gra cious under fire.” Accomplishments Massengale says his administra tion has accomplished many of its goals. “We had about four primary objec tives when we came in. And I think we’ve made good progress on those,” hr» cave “One was to enhance excellence in undergraduate and graduate educa tion. The other was to enhance the research component, and the third was to improve our international pro grams area. Fourth was to improve in gender equity, and I think we’ve made some progress in all of those.” He points out specifics: • Tightening admissions stan dards. “One of the important things I think we’ve achieved, (Massengale often talks about his presidency using the pronoun “we,” clarifying at one point, “You don’t do any of these things yourself; you’ve got a lot of people working with you.”) which I was instrumental in promoting and moving, was the new admissions stan dards, which will take place in 1997. I think that will have a significant impact over a period of time on the university.” • Improving gender equity. “An other thing weYve done is hire three new chancellors, and two of those are women. They are the first women chancellors in the University of Ne braska, and that is a significant ac complishment in my judgment.” • Strengthening research. “We’ve worked at securing federal funding for the Beadle Center, which you sec going up on the Lincoln campus, and also the Epply Institute for the Re search of Cancer and Allied Diseases at the medical center.” • Adopting a fourth campus. “We oversaw, if you will, the integration of Kearney into the university. ...And I think that went rather smoothly if I do say so, due to the good work of a lot of people.” • Installing a family leave policy. • Rewarding excellent teaching. “We have instituted the universitywidc teaching award for faculty, and two of those are awarded each year. We also instituted the depart mental wide award for teaching.” • Improving the university’s out reach and state service. “I think it’s important if you’re going to serve the state to know something about the state, and to get out there,” he says. “My car isn’t yet three years old, and it has 75,000 miles on it. I don’t let too much grass grow under my feet.” Massengale also can point to sev eral accomplishments in the 10 years he served as UNL chancellor: improv ing faculty salaries, playing a major role in the addition of the Lied Center for Performing Arts and the Campus Recreation Center to the UNL cam pus, and developing freshman orien tation and foundations programs to curb the high dropout rate among young students. Challenges Like any president, Massengale has faced some difficult times. During his term, the creation of a new postsecondary education coordinating commission created some stress for the university system. At times, NU officials said the commission began to govern instead of coordinate. “Sometimes that’s been a little bit of a challenge,” Massengale says, “but 1 think we’ve worked through it, and it’s coming along quite well in my judgment at this point in time.” Terms under which the president came into office—entering the final stages of a nationwide search for an NU president after the regents’ dis missal of former president Ronald Roskens—also brought some tension to his job. “I think Martin came into the job with a lot of baggage,” Moore said. “As former chancellor of UNL, other campuses were always afraid he would favor the Lincoln campus. And he came in without the full support of the board, which is always a difficult sit uation.” End of an Era In January 1993, Massengale cited personal and professional reasons for not seeking an extension to his con tract. Though he is leaving the presiden cy, Massengale does not expect to leave the university or the state—the atmosphere of which, he says, has challenged him to excel and to contin ue trying to improve conditions around him. “I love this university, and I love the state of Nebraska, and I think we have some outstanding people in the state,” Massengale says. “Hopefully, I’ve been able to make some contribu tions, and I still feel that I can make contributions.” Last March, Massengale was guar anteed a UNL agronomy professor ship by the regents if he chose to stay in Nebraska. “I will be trying to hone some of my skills between now and the first of July in terms of faculty development,” Massengale said, “and I anticipate going back to the Institute of Ag and Natural Resources at the present time.” Teaching at a senior seminar level is one of the options he is considering, he says, but details of his new job are still being worked out. Massengale says he has a few re grets about leaving the presidency. “I guess you always wish you could get more done than you do. I think one of the things facing the institution, is (securing) more resources for the in stitution. dui considering me economy ana where we are, I think we’ve done rather well.” He adds: “I would feel more comfortable if we were better funded.” Massengale says securing funding for the university will be incoming president Smith’s biggest challenge. Although Massengale says he won’t miss the long hours of work that took away from time with his family, he leaves knowing his efforts at im proving education have been worth while. “I think, above all, we are trying to give our young people a high-quality education so that when they leave this institution — any of the campuses —7 they are able to compete with young people that graduated from other in stitutions. “And hopefully we can keep them in the state, where they add to our resource base and our human poten tial, because that is our greatest re source. And if we don’t do a good job of dual ity education, that does not vote well for the long term of the state.” Police Report l Beginning midnight Saturday 10:37 a.m. — In jury/sickness, diabetic reaction, one transported to Lincoln Gen eral Hospital 10:59 a.m. — Vandaksm/cnmmal mis chief, New Hampshire remote lot, $500 damage 3:47 p.m.—Accident, fairgrounds, $500 damage. 5:32 p.m. — Injury/sickness, Sapp Rec reation Center, hwtd injury. 10:03 p.m. — In jury/sickness, Lincoln General Hospital, person transported to Lincoln General Hospital. 11:06 p.m. — Accident, no injuries, 35th Street and East Campus Loop. 11:57 p.m. — Window broken, Smith Residence Hail, $30 damage Beginning midnight Sundey 6:35 a.m. — Accident, Ferguson Had, $50 damage. 3:37 pjn. — Hit-and-run accident, Area 1/2 lot near Calher-Pound-Neihardt ten nis courts, $400 damage. 9:06 p.m. — Shoes stolen, Harper Res idence Had, $120 loss