Nebraska, South African museums work out exchange
By Melanie Mensch
Staff writer
Two women, with similar
jobs and similar goals and similar
interests, but who come from two
very different places are spend
ing the next 12 weeks brain
storming ideas to better educate.
Granted an award by the
American1 Association of
Museums, the University of
Nebraska State Museum, will be
partners for an international
exchange with the Albany
Museum in Grahamstown, South
Africa.
Marijke Cosser, Albany’s
supervisor of education and
exhibits, began her 6-week visit
July 31 at the NU State Museum,
where she will work and learn
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with Debra Meier. Meier, NU
State Museum coordinator of
education and exhibits, will then
spend six weeks in September
and October collaborating with
Cosser at the Albany Museum.
Both women said they hoped
to learn from each other how to
use the combination of education
and exhibits in their museums to
actively involve more people.
“South Africa is one of the
premier places of fossil finds,”
Meier said, “so it was a good
avenue to go there. We want to
develop interactive displays that
focus on ‘What is human?’ and
actively work towards that”
While Meier said she wanted
to focus more on exhibits in the
NU museum, Cosser said reach
ing out through activity kits in
nearby schools was her goal.
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lack of transport to the museum
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many schoolchildren can’t afford
to travel the short distance from
school to the museum,” Cosser
said of the South African com
munity. “We’re trying to develop
outreach kits to unpack and have
instructions and send them out to
teachers to use in schools.”
Both women said the displays
would focus on the different
adaptations of animals and
humans as they evolved to
changing environments.
“We might compare the dif
ferences in how a gorilla walks to
a four-legged animal to a human
who walks upright on two legs by
their patterned trails on the
ground or their skeletons
shapes,” Meier said.
Cosser said the exchange was
a welcomed opportunity in her
community.
“A creative venture like this
is a sign of hope where education
is dismantling because of gov
ernment attitudes,” Cosser said.
“This is a wonderful opportunity
to build bridges. We need that.”
“American kids are encour
_r
li ...This is a wonderful opportunity
to build bridges. We need that."
Marijke Cosser
supervisor of education and exhibits, Albany Museum
aged to ask questions and have
inquiring minds. The poorest
South African schoolchildren are
taught out of text books in rote
fashion, to sit down and shut up.
To question in class is being
sassy,” Cosser said.
Meier said she would have a
third travel companion to South
Africa, her infant daughter
Maricel, who will be four months
old when she and her mother visit
the Albany Museum.
“I don’t even have my pass
port, but the baby has hers
already,” Meier said with a laugh.
“I’m excited, but it is a little scary
just because it’s something new. I
want a successful project and we
have a good team to work with.”
The American Association of
Museums granted the
International Partnership Among
Museums award to the NU State
museum not only to work on a
joint project, but to continue col
laboration between museums
with similar missions in the
future.
Meier said, “I like the diversi
ty of our cultures but the similiar
ity in our goals and interests. We
can see if a project will work here
in Morrill Hall and if it will work
in Marijke’s museum.”
The international exchange
was funded by the Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs
of the U.S. Department of State
and by the Lampadia
Foundation. Additional support
for the program came from the
Trust for Mutual Understanding.
-G.O.P CONVENTION
Nebraska pols say Bush needs
to display leadership in speech
By Brian Carlson
Staff uri ter
PHILADELPHIA — When
George W. Bush steps to the podi
um tonight to deliver his accept
ance speech, his most important
task is to present himself as a capa
ble leader, Nebraska’s delegates
said.
Tonight at the Republican
National Convention, Bush is
expected to be officially named the
GOP presidential nominee.
“I think he has to show
America that he can be trusted with
leadership,” Sen. Chuck Hagel said
in an interview. “He has to look
into the camera and connect with
the American voter.”
Hagel hopes Bush will focus
on conducting sound foreign poli
cy, expanding free trade and
strengthening Social Security and
Medicare.
Hagel, who supported Arizona
Sen. John McCain’s challenge to
Bush for the nomination, also said
Bush should make a pitch to
McCain voters by mentioning
campaign finance reform, a signa
ture issue of the McCain cam
paign. This would lend credibility
to Bush’s description of himself
during the primary season as a
“reformer with results,” Hagel
said.
Gov. Mike Johanns said Bush,
the governor ofTexas, should make
voters believe he can lead by point
ing to his record.
“All he needs to do is talk about
what he’s done in Texas,” Johanns
said in an interview on the floor of
the convention hall.
Bush should focus on educa
tion and returning more of the fed
eral government’s projected budget
surpluses to citizens through tax
cuts, Johanns said.
By selecting former Secretary
of Defense Dick Cheney as his
running mate, Johanns said, Bush
put to rest any questions of whether
he has the experience and ability
necessary to lead.
Recent polls have shown Bush
with a lead of between five and IS
points. But Johanns said Bush
probably would not benefit from a
large “bounce” in the polls after the
convention because he has already
secured most of his support among
Republican voters.
Bush’s Democratic opponent,
A1 Gore, probably will get a bigger
bounce after the Democratic
Convention later this month,
Johanns said.
Former Gov. Charles Thone
said Bush’s live, prime-time tele
vised address would be important
for his campaign. He said Bush
should focus on his record in Texas
and on issues such as education,
Social Security and strengthening
the military.
“It* an important speech, with
out a question,” he said. “He has to
articulate his dream for America.”
State Sen. Adrian Smith of
Gering said Bush should focus on
the experience he gained (Mi educa
tion and tax issues while serving as
chief executive in Texas.
“His record as governor speaks
for itself,” he said. “He* been gov
ernor for six years of one of the
largest states in the nation. That* a
lot bigger than Arkansas,” he said,
in a dig at President Clinton, who
previously served as governor of
Arkansas.
Smith said Bush* selection of
Cheney showed he was prepared to
surround himself with experienced
advisers on military and foreign
policy issues.
On Tuesday night, the
Nebraska delegation gave all 30 of
its votes to Bush.
Johanns, who announced the
state* delegate tally from the floor
of the convention hall, drew sus
tained applause with one of
Nebraska* claims to fame.
“We have the distinction of
being the only state in the Union—
I repeat, the only state in die Union
— never visited by Bill Clinton
since he* been president”
