_... „nTn..,f-- . Sandy Summers/DN
ROLUN HOTCHKISS, a UNL civil engineering professor, lectures to his Wednesday class. Hotchkiss received
the James M. Robbins Excellence in Teaching Award this spring.
Professor’s zest for
teaching nets award
By Lindsay Young
Staff Reporter
Rollin Hotchkiss gets excited
about what he teaches, and his
students have noticed.
Hotchkiss, associate profes
sor of civil engineering, won the
James M. Robbins Excellence in
Teaching Award in May, given to
one teacher nationwide by Chi
Epsilon, a civil engineering stu
dent honorary society. Hotchkiss
' was nominated by iftembefs of'
the University of Nebraska
Lincoln chapter of Chi Epsilon.
Hotchkiss said he was hon
ored with the student nomination
and thought he was nominated
because of his love and enthusi
asm for his job.
“Students notice my enthusi
asm for what I teach - that I
actually care about what I
teach,” he said.
The honorary society award
is given annually to a civil engi
neering teacher, and the contest
follows a progression upward.
Hotchkiss’ student nomina
tion along with a statement
about his teaching philosophy
were turned into a district com
petition. This district consists of
seven states in the Midwest.
After winning the district
competition, Hotchkiss’ nomi
nation forms and philosophy
statement were passed on to the
national competition. They were
evaluated, and he was chosen by
a panel of university administra
tors to win the national prize.
After receiving his bachelor’s
degree in civil engineering from
Brigham Young University and
his master’s degree at Utah State
University, Hotchkiss went to
work full time for fhe Tennessee
Valley Authority as a flood
hydrologist.
He taught part time at the
University of Tennessee, and it
was during this time, he said,
that he'decided what he really
wanted to do - teach.
He received his doctorate at
the University of Minnesota and
eight years ago came to teach
full time at UNL.
Aside from teaching,
Hotchkiss does research projects
and service, serves on profes
sional committees and has, in
the past, been the adviser of
UNL’s Chi Epsilon.
Apart from this award,
Hotchkiss also enjoys the intan
gible rewards he receives as a
teacher.
He said he likes to see his
students understand the informa
tion he presents to them.
“The ultimate reward is to
see the light of understanding in
a student’s eyes,” he said.
This, he said, is the reason he
teaches.
Hotchkiss said he owes his
positive teaching experiences to
his students.
“I would like to compliment
the Nebraska students. They are
hard-working, ready and willing
to learn. I’ve been pleased,” he
said.
Hotchkiss said it was impor
tant for him to mix his out-of
school experiences into the
classroom and said these experi
ences are important to a profes
sor. •
“A professor needs to live a
full life,” he said.
Hotchkiss is married ^j^yias^...
four children. He collects root
beer and is an avid photographer
and bicyclist.
He uses these hobbies in his
teaching. He has used his root
beer collection and his biking as
examples in his fluid mechanics
course.
Hotchkiss said that it was
good to bring outside activities
to the classroom because stu
dents see a broader perspective.
Hotchkiss, originally from'
southern California, said he
enjoyed working at the universi
ty level because the students
who he taught wanted to be there
and were there because they
chose to be.
His focus on the university
and his students will be awarded
when he attends the national
meeting for Chi Epsilon in April.
There, they will recognize
his efforts in the university set
ting and present him with the
student-nominated award.
Kiewit gives $15 million donation
to new NU technology building
BUILDING from page 1
said.
Regent Nancy O’Brien, who
fought for the institute’s Omaha
location, said the Kiewit gift shows
the business community and Omaha
business leaders’ commitment to the
project.
“Everyone had to come together
for this project,” she said, including
private business, the Nebraska
Legislature, Gov. Ben Nelson and
the university.
Nelson, Sen. Joyce Hillman of
Gering and NU Foundation
President Terry Fairfield participat
ed in the groundbreaking ceremony
with Scott, Kiewit and Smith and
symbolized the statewide effort to
create the institute.
Business leaders promised $40
million to help fund the institute,
O’Brien said. They have given about
$30 million so far, and the Kiewits’
gift covers the business communi
ty’s funding commitment to con
structing the institute’s home, she
said.
O’Brien also said she found the
Kiewit name’s association with the
institute significant.
“Peter Kiewit was a strong busi
ness leader and stood for innovation
in education,” she said.
O’Brien said the institute’s
Omaha location may have helped
bring funding from the Kiewits, who
are Omaha natives.
Peter Kiewit Sr., called the
“Colossus of Roads” by Forbes
magazine, was born in Omaha in
1900 and became one of the nation’s
largest road builders after World
War II, constructing more miles of
the U.S. Interstate Highway system
than any other contractor.
He also graduated from Central
High in Omaha and helped his
brothers’ construction company
build Nebraska landmarks including
Benson High School, the Joslyn Art
Museum and'the tower of the
Nebraska State Capitol.
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