UNL awards Olson for 40 years of service
OLSON from page 1
since.
“A lot of my career has been at the univer
sity, but it hasn’t been inside the university,”
Olson said.
Although many of Olson’s semesters have
been packed with classes — this spring he has
taught two and part of another — Olson, 64,
has always had time for outside projects.
One such project is the Annenberg Rural
^Challenge in Nebraska, a project to revive rural
schools. Olson still works with it today.
The project gives young people maximum
responsibility for their intellectual development
and allows for the cultural and economic well
being of their towns, he said.
As a result, young people invest in their small
communities and are less likely to leave later in
life.
“There’s a quality of life that exists in rural
towns that is rapidly disappearing in urban
America,” Olson said.
Preserving community is important, Olson
said, in small towns and at the university. It’s
one of the biggest challenges the university
faces, he said.
First, graduate students should feel more a
part of the teaching community. They should be
paid what they’re worth, he said. Often gradu
ate students make high-quality, knowledgeable
teachers.
Another step is creating residential living
learning environments at UNL, he said. Such
an environment would be a residence hall floor
where a faculty adviser lives and works along
side students.
But even with a sense of community, he said,
students will not be successful later in life with
out a sense of understanding and appreciation
for other cultures.
“It’s really important in terms of plain job
skills,” Olson said. “If you can’t tolerate having
a black or Chinese person ... a lesbian or gay
student sitting around you, you’re sort of
crippled in the present job market.”
Today’s students care passionately about the
people around them, he' said. Many have a
highly developed social conscience, he said, but
little spare time.
Students should use their course work as a
channel to explore their own passions and views
on life, Olson said. Then, through education,
they can appreciate other cultures, not just show
acceptance on the surface by using correct lan
guage.
Olson said the university could help students
by giving them a week off from classes to seek -
in-depth advising. They could then make better
decisions on their path in education and in life.
“I’ve had an incredibly joyous life, and the
reason is I’ve never done a damn thing I didn’t
want to do,” Olson said.
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Times...
They are a-changin!
As the semester quickly draws to a
close, remember the University Health Center
professionals are here to serve your healthcare needs
throughout the summer.
.
Woman, son prepare to receive degrees
together at UNL’s graduation ceremony
GRADS from page 1
a scholar,” she said.
Peter Lavin, 26, said he didn’t view
the idea of his mother returning to col
lege as out of the ordinary. He said his
father’s job as a professor has always
kept the family around campus.
“We’re all more or less in college,”
he said.
Stephen Lavin, a UNL associate
professor of geography, said he was
excited and supportive of his wife when
she returned to school.
“I knew she was talented, and I
knew she had an ability to go back to
school,” he said.
Stephen Lavin said his wife shared
many common characteristics with
non traditional students he had taught.
“They’re more motivated, more
serious. They tend to be good stu
dents,” he said.
Ruth Lavin graduated with a teach
ing degree from D’Youville College in
New York in 1965. She decided to re
turn to college in the mid-70s after
finding her teaching job didn’t give her
the opportunities she had hoped, she
said.
“I felt I was stifled,” she said. “I
had a lot of ideas, and there wasn’t a
way to make them go anywhere.”
The Lavins moved to Nebraska in
1981, and it was at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln that Ruth Lavin be
gan her studies in earnest, receiving her
master’s degree in 1989.
Although Ruth Lavin said she was
initially worried about competing with
younger students, she said her time
away from school made her more fo
cused.
“You find that your life experiences
have prepared you,” she said.
Questions? Comments? Ask for the appropriate section
editor at 472-2588 or e-mail dn@unlinfo.unl.edu.
Editor: Paula Lavigne
Managing Editor: Julie Sobczyk
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Assignment Editor: Chad Lorenz
Opinion Editor: Jessica Kennedy
Copy Desk Chief: Nancy Zywiec
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Sports Editor: MikeKiuck
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Design Chief: Joshua Gillin
Photo Director: RyanSoderlin
Art Director: Aaron Steckelberg
Web Editor: Mary Ann Muggy
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The Daily Nebraskan (USPS 144-080) is published by the UNL Publications Board, Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St., Lincoln,
NE 68588-0448, Monday through Friday during the academic year; weekly during summer sessions.
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ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1997 DAILY NEBRASKAN
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