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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 1995)
A 5 4% The three finalists for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln chancellorship told ■ ■2 | Daily Nebraskan senior reporter Paula Lavigne how they have met challenges facing their universities... and how they will approach key issues at UNL Thomas George provost and academic vice president, Washington State University Diversity: Wants to use minority faculty as role models for student retention and recruitment and integrates diversity into curriculum, student and alumni groups. Technology: Has worked with NU on a “Virtual University” program, in partnership with Microsoft. Wants to enhance teaching with technology and hopes to expose every student to “Virtual WSU” by 1999 Athletics: Can generate school spirit and, when balanced with cultural events, gives students a well-rounded education while generating money for the university. Budget cuts: Has a reconfiguration plan in place to absorb budget cuts and minimizes job loss by examining quality, centrality, need and cost of proposed cuts and programs. Admission standards: Wants to provide access for qualified applicants and measures quality by a set of academic standards, but allows a 15 percent window for applicants who don’t meet the standards but have outside potential. University involvement: Meets with administrators, faculty, staff and students at formal, scheduled meetings and, as an avid "health nut,” has informal conversations with faculty on the university track and weight room and exercises with varsity athletes. John Kozak provost, Iowa State University Diversity: Seeks input from departments to see where diverse faculty is needed and requires a curriculum that educates students about other cultures and countries. Technology: Can be used in research, teaching, learning and outreach and can make students less afraid to communicate with the faculty. Athletics: Views as a fundamental tradition in higher education and a way to bond the university if played within the rules. Budget cuts: Has a strategic plan in place at least five years ahead of possible cuts to absorb the cuts and keep the university on the leading edge of competition. Admission standards: Thinks access is important because public universities should be able to accept the most disadvantaged students and make them as talented and educated as an Ivy League graduate. University involvement: Has regular meetings with administrators, faculty and staff and interacts with students. Tries to keep Ames, Iowa, competitive by drawing in cultural events. James Moeser provost and vice president for academic affairs, University of South Carolina Diversity: Works to recruit minority faculty in a state where 40 percent of graduates are minorities. Conducted a study of salary equity that resulted in adjusting salaries and giving back pay to 60 faculty women. Technology: Wants to expose university to the Internet and use distance education technology to take instruction out of the classroom to where people live. Athletics: Views athletics as an important part of the culture that can generate interest in a university, which can lead to academic interest, as well. Budget cuts: Absorbs cuts with effective strategic planning and tries to reallocate funds away from administration and support services to academics. Admissions standards: Supports raising admission standards to keep with the mission of a flagship campus and balance with other universities in the system. University involvement: Meets with faculty, administrators in weekly meetings and allows for student body president to be involved with several university boards. Candidates Continued from Page 1 ground less than optimal and produce a student that is competitive with any graduate of any institution in this coun try,” he said. Universities also rely on tuition, he said, and by limiting the number of students who come in, they can shoot themselves in the foot. That income is important when bud gets are cut. George confronted a 10 percent budget cut at WSU. He prevented the firing of tenured faculty members by examining programs and using a “bumping” process in which a faculty member could accept a different job instead of being fired. “We had to get rid of 211 posi tions,” he said, “but the actual number of lost jobs was five.” Moeser confronted a “bleak fiscal climate” when he came to South Caro lina in 1992. But Moeser said he was able to generate positive motivation to keep the campus going. Despite budget cuts, all three can didates said investing in technology could push a university into the next century. At WSU, George works with Microsoft on a program called “Vir tual W SU.” Kozak is looking for ways technology can be applied in all as pects of the university. “It took something to get the over head projectors out of bowling alleys and into classrooms,” he said. Technology also can make distance education less expensive, he said. Moeser also said he’s ready to wire in and give his students a ride on the information superhighway. “We’ve invested $7 million to $8 million in the last couple of years,” he said. “Wejust finished laying 15 miles of fiber optic cables on the Columbia campus.” They also examined the three-part mission of the land-grant university - - learning/teaching, research and out reach — and how it can be balanced. They emphasized the role athletics has in relation to the moral, social and fiscal climate of the university. George said he had noticed how athletes adhere to academic standards because they are stuck to an added set of responsibilities. Kozak caught the football fever at Notre Dame. He said it was a funda mental part of the fabric of a univer sity. “Where is it that it is sewn into the fabric?” he said. “It’s important we do it as well as we can and do it within the rules.” Moeser said there was always a danger that athletics could become too important, but “maybe it is the single, most important avenue of people’s interest and support for the university.” In the end, only one of the candi dates will make the move to Lincoln. NU President Dennis Smith will decide by Jan. 1 ifUNL’s next leader comes from the Pacific Northwest, the southeastern coast or just across the river. Another Big Sale Sweatshirts $19.88, $29.88 & $38.98 Adult crews & hoods, original values to $53.95. T-shirts Fashion colored adult tees, original values to $19.95. Caps $9.39 National championship styles, original values to $22.00. Gift items 10-50% off National championship glassware, pennants, key rings & more. Stationery 50% off Select group of discontinued designs. Come on down! UNIVERSITY BOOKSTORE Nebraska Union East Union University Of Nebraska - Lincoln Phone: 472-7300 Student board members become CrimeStoppers’ new generation By Jeff Zeleny Senior Reporter CrimeStoppers now has its crime fighting eyes and ears in every Lincoln high school. Eight students became voting members of the Lincoln-Lancaster County CrimeStoppers board Tuesday afternoon. The new generation of crime stoppers will give authorities a better understanding of the city’s increasing crime rates. “By having 17- and 18-year-old students on the board, we can get a different perspective of crime in the community,” Lincoln police Lt. Lee Wagner told the group of students gathered at Lincoln Northeast High School. “Perhaps you see it in a little different vein than adults do.” The CrimeStoppers board is made up of community members who are dedicated to stop ping crime in Lincoln. The anonymous call-in hotline has been active in the Lincoln area since 1980. More than 800 CrimeStoppers programs are active in North America. But there have never been students on the board. “Most of the time, it’s not students commit ting the crimes,” Wagner said. “It’s students being the victims of crimes.” Lincoln Public Schools Superintendent Phil Schoo said there was not a high number of crimes reported in schools. “The first priority of schools are to make them a safe place,” Schoo said. “This isn’t a Lincoln Public Schools issue but a community issue.” Warren Jennings, chairman of the CrimeStoppers board, said the students would give the older generation new ideas and plans to motivate the community into fighting crime. Informants to CrimeStoppers remain anony mous and are eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000 if the information results in a convic tion. “What we really try to do is make the city of Lincoln—including schools—a safer place to live and a safer place to work,” Wagner said. Partnership Continued from Page 1 But the private sector is always more aware, he said. And when the issues are jobs and quality of life, “people who are involved in it for a liveli hood are a heck of a lot more attuned,” he said. By working together, McCue said, overlap and wasted resources can be avoided. In the past, corporations wanting to locate in Lincoln sometimes would look for guidance from the Chamber of Commerce, the city and the state economics department, he said. “That’s not as bad a deal in Lincoln as in other cities,” McCue said, “because we have a close working relationship with the city. “But we’re still not in the same office, we don’t have the same accountability or opinions, and it’s just not efficient.” The partnership isn’t just concerned with bringing new business to the region. Part of its work will be outreach, McCue said, which in cludes seeking out smaller businesses to deter mine how the partnership can help. Business recruitment and expansion is one of 10 areas in the partnership’s strategic plan. The plan was developed by a consulting firm and a team of Lincoln business leaders. The consulting firm and business leaders identified three areas for future growth in Lin coln aside of existing enterprises: pharmaceuti cal/biotechnology, information technology and electronic technology. After talking with representatives from those three areas, the 10-part plan came to light. It includes linkingbusiness with universities,busi ness networking and land use. “It’s a lifetime of work,” McCue said. The partnership is just beginning that work now, he said. It is also raising $500,000 in funds. Each year the city will contribute $200,000, and the privatesector will contribute $300,000 to the partnership, he said. Changes and accomplishments may not be seen right away, McCue said, because eco nomic development doesn’t happen immedi ately. But someday, he said, the changes will result in students graduating from Nebraska colleges and finding a job in the state that is worthv of their skills.