The Land Grant University Movement and IANR: Animal Science Seminar Series

"The problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking we were at when we created them." That quote, attributed to Albert Einstein, epitomizes for me the importance of land grant universities in the 21 st century, and whenever I hear someone say that land grants are obsolete - which, occasionally, I do hear - I want to pull that quote out and say "here - read this." When all the problems in the world have been solved, then - and only then - will land grant universities be obsolete. Maybe. I'm not really willing to commit to the idea that the day of obsolete land grants ever will come, but if all the problems in the world are one day solved, then maybe - maybe - I'd consider it.

University of Nebraska Board of Regents/ Academic Affairs Committee: Engagement with Community

Board of Regents and President Smith: It's a real pleasure to be able to discuss the University's role in engagement with you today on behalf of the four campuses that comprise the University of Nebraska. In preparing this presentation I've drawn heavily upon the Kellogg Commission's report, entitled: "Returning to our Roots - The Engaged Institution," and the Michigan State University guidebook for planning-and-evaluating quality outreach, which is entitled: "Points of Distinction." I think both publications offer valuable insights as we explore the University's role as an engaged-partner with Nebraska.

The Land Grant University Movement and the Future of IANR UAAD

Good afternoon. It is a real pleasure for me to be here with you today, and I thank you for inviting me. I also, as I begin my remarks today, want to thank each of you for the work you do, everyday, to help make this a better university. Please know that work is both valued and appreciated. I'd like to talk with you about a couple of topics today, and after that I'm going to open the floor for questions and comments. I look forward to hearing what you have to say, too. The first topic I'm going to talk about in the next few minutes is our land grant mission. People who know me at all can tell you I am passionate about land grants because I believe being part of a land grant university and helping to advance the land grant mission is one of the great privileges and responsibilities of our times.

The South Omaha Community Scholarship Program: A Qualitative Study of Persistence of Hispanic Students at Bellevue University

The purpose of this case study was to determine the impact of the South Omaha Community Scholarship Program on the persistence of the Hispanic students who participated. Previous research on Hispanic student persistence has focused on the reasons why students do not persist and more recent research has been conducted on programs and retention efforts, colleges and universities are implementing on their campuses. This study researched a specific program, The South Omaha Community Scholarship Program, designed to provide financial, academic and other needed resources to help Hispanic students persist to graduation. The researcher believes this study was important because it provided an overview of how the South Omaha Community Scholarship Program is affecting students both on campus and in their community. Eight interviews were conducted, with eligible students, in person. Students eligible for the study were current students or recent graduates of the South Omaha Community Scholarship Program and had attained at least junior or senior status as of the fall of 2009, as defined by Bellevue University. Research questions were based on the four components of the program and the affect the program had on the student’s life, outside of Bellevue University. The four components of the program were: financial aid, academic advising, the scholarship aid, and the Professional Enrichment Program. The results of the study were broken into five components with an additional section that provided other themes that were derived from the interviews. The five components were: (a) financial aid counseling, (b) academic advising, (c) scholarship aid, (d) Professional Enrichment Program, and (e) the South Omaha Community Scholarship Program beyond Bellevue University. Other themes that were derived from the interviews were: class format, deciding on a college, higher education class, campus resources, and a sense of community on-campus. The research found that the scholarship, provided by the South Omaha Community Scholarship Program, was the primary motivating factor for students to attend Bellevue University and persist in college. The interviewed students also commented on how the scholarship had given them the opportunity to attend college, even though that opportunity had seemed out of reach. The interviewed students also commented on their academic advising experience, campus resources, and feeling a sense of community on-campus as other campus related areas that were affected by the South Omaha Community Scholarship Program. Finally, students provided examples of how the South Omaha Community Scholarship Program impacted their connection to their South Omaha community through volunteer and employment opportunities. Adviser: Richard Hoover

Working Experience and Librarians' Knowledge of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Nigerian University Libraries

This paper discuses the influence of librarians' years of working experience and sources of acquisition of ICTs' knowledge and skills. The study is based on 169 librarians working in thirteen university libraries in the universities of six states located in the South-South zone of Nigeria. The purpose of the paper is to find out if years of working experience has an effect on librarians' sources/means of acquisition of ICT knowledge and skills. The questionnaires used were answered by two categories of librarians. Those with longer years of experience – 16 years and above and those with fewer years of working experience. It was concluded that librarians with fewer years of working experience explore means of acquiring ICTs knowledge and skills more than librarians with more years of working experience. It was recommended that librarians with longer years of working experience develop more interest in sources through which they can acquire ICT knowledge and skills.

Impact of the Internet on Final Year Students' Research: A Case Study of Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria

The 21st century is characterized by advancements in information and communication technology (ICT), including the Internet. Final year students of Covenant University implore the use of the Internet in writing their projects. This paper examines the extent of accessibility and use of the Internet by these students and the impact the Internet has on their projects. A questionnaire was used for data collection. A total of 150 questionaires were distributed to students from each of the three colleges in the university. The results show that all respondents used the Internet for their project work. Nearly all indicated that the Internet has an impact on their projects, especially in the areas of quality of work, speed, time economy, and recency of materials. Recommendations for improvement include provision of wireless Internet access points and training and retraining of students to acquire computer and Internet search skills.

University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension 2004 Fall Conference

I thought about beginning my time with you this afternoon by asking each of you to turn to the person on your left, shake that person's hand, and say congratulations and thank you. Then I was going to ask you to turn to the person on your right, shake hands, and say congratulations and thank you.

A Qualitative Analysis of Youth Feedback of Nutrition School Enrichment Kits in Lincoln, NE

A Qualitative Analysis of Youth Feedback of Nutrition School Enrichment Kits in Lincoln, NE Richard A. Losey, M.S. University of Nebraska, 2010 Advisor: Wanda M. Koszewski The qualitative analysis of the responses given by students participating in classrooms that used the Nutrition Education Program‟s (NEP) school enrichment kits was the primary focus of this research. Data was collected from the participants in written form. Three major themes appeared during analysis of the data, healthy eating habits, cleanliness and change. The theme of healthy eating habits is comprised of the following sub-themes: breakfast, nutrients, label reading, Food Guide Pyramid/MyPyramid and healthy snacks. Cleanliness is comprised of hand washing and food safety sub-themes. The change theme is made up of change in healthy eating habits, change in cleanliness and change in both healthy eating habits and cleanliness. The data suggests that participating students have made or intend to make changes regarding healthy eating habits and cleanliness, which is the goal of nutrition education. The students‟ responses indicate that the NEP school enrichment kits are effective in increasing the knowledge of students and promoting healthy lifestyle changes.

Information and Communication Technologies for Educational Development: The Case of Cybercafés at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

This study examines the use of Cybercafés/Internet resources and the evaluation of their usefulness. About eight Cybercafés located in the university community were used in this study. Questionnaires, interviews with the Cybercafé owners, staff and users as well as personal observations made during inspection of these cafés were used in this study. The data were analysed according to the background of the Internet users. The richness and high speed, accuracy, and authority were used by users to judge the quality of the Internet. Information such as the establishment of the café's facilities, membership and the future of the Cybercafés were also looked into. Finally, one can clearly see that the dominating impact of digital technology has crossed the Rubicon of controversy. The result of the survey shows that forty percent of the users learnt to use the internet by self instruction, thirty five percent learnt from colleagues or friends. Those in the sciences use the internet the most, the channel mostly used in obtaining information is the search engines. A large number of students, faculties and researchers make use of the internet in obtaining information. Many of those of those users make use of the Cybercafés in the university community.

Water Quality Variability in a Bioswell and Concrete Drainage Pipe, Southwest Lincoln, Nebraska

Abstract The goal of this project is to evaluate the effectiveness of bioswells in protecting water quality from urban runoff. The hypothesis tested in this project is that water in bioswells improves water quality. Water quality in both a bioswell and an underground concrete lined ditch, both containing ground and surface water, were tested for certain water quality parameters. These parameters consisted of: Dissolved Oxygen, pH, water temperature, weather temperature, Total Dissolved Solids, Specific Conductivity, Alkalinity, Total Dissolved Carbon, Chemical Oxygen Demand, and depth and width of the sampling site. An additional contaminant that was looked at was motor oil. This was measured by comparing Total Organic Carbon with Chemical Oxygen Demand. A variety of different methods to measure the water quality parameters were utilized. The concrete site had more stable readings, but much higher water temperatures. However, the bioswell water is mainly from surface water runoff, and the underground concrete lined pipe is from underground water, so the two cannot be directly compared. The bioswell had high readings, especially pertaining to Oxygen Demand, Total Organic Carbon, and Specific Conductivity in early test dates. But, these readings improved as they were filtered though the bioswell. As plant activity increased and the weather began to warm up there were more stable readings. It is concluded that bioswells are an effective way to reduce problems associated with urban runoff pertaining to certain water quality parameters.

Distribution of Rain Gardens in Lincoln Nebraska: Are Rain Gardens more Likely to be Built Near Bodies of Water

Abstract Rain gardens are an important tool in reducing the amount of stormwater runoff and accompanying pollutants from entering the city’s streams and lakes, and reducing their water quality. This thesis project analyzed the number of rain gardens installed through the City of Lincoln Nebraska Watershed Management’s Rain Garden Water Quality Project in distance intervals of one-eighth mile from streams and lakes. This data shows the distribution of these rain gardens in relation to streams and lakes and attempts to determine if proximity to streams and lakes is a factor in homeowners installing rain gardens. ArcGIS was used to create a map with layers to determine the number of houses with rain gardens in 1/8 mile distance increments from the city’s streams and lakes and their distances from a stream or lake. The total area, number of house parcels, and the type and location of each parcel type were also determined for comparison between the distance interval increments. The study revealed that fifty-eight percent of rain gardens were installed within a quarter mile of a stream or lake (an area covering 60% of the city and including 58.5% of the city’s house parcels), and that eighty percent of rain gardens were installed within three-eighth mile of streams or lakes (an area covering 75% of the city and 78.5% of the city’s house parcels). All parcels in the city are within 1 mile of a stream or lake. Alone the number of project houses per distance intervals suggested that proximity to a stream or lake was a factor in people’s decisions to install rain gardens. However, when compared to the number of house parcels available, proximity disappears as a factor in project participation.

Use of policy, education, and enforcement to reduce binge drinking among university students: The NU Directions project

This paper describes a program, conducted over a 5-year period, that effectively reduced heavy drinking and alcohol-related harms among university students. The program was organized around strategies to change the environment in which binge drinking occurred and involved input and cooperation from officials and students of the university, representatives from the city and the neighborhood near the university, law enforcement, as well as public health and medical officials. In 1997, 62.5% of the university’s approximately 16,000 undergraduate student population reported binge drinking. This rate had dropped to 47% in 2003. Similar reductions were found in both self-reported primary and secondary harms related to alcohol consumption.

The History of the German-Russian Colony in Lincoln

Standing at the corner of Tenth and O streets in the city of Lincoln, Nebraska, any week-day morning between 7:30 and 8 o'clock, you may see pass by you from ten to twenty women with little black woolen shawls on their heads. Ask any citizen who they are, and ninety-nine times in one hundred he will tell you they are "Russians" who live down on the bottoms, that they are going out into the offices and homes to wash and scrub and clean house, and that their husbands are street laborers or work for the railroad. He may then grow confidential and tell you that he "has no use for these people", that "they are only half human", and that he "would just as soon see the Chinese come here as those people". As a matter of fact the greater part of his information is incorrect, partly through race prejudice but chiefly through ignorance of their history. These people, of whom there are about 4,000 in the city (Including "beet fielders"), are Germans, not Russians: they are Teutons, not Slavs; they are Lutheran and Reformed, not Greek Catholics. To be sure they and their ancestors lived in Russia for over one hundred years and they came here directly from the realm of the Czar whoso bona fide citizens they were—but they never spoke the Russian language, never embraced the Greek religion, never intermarried with the Russians, and many of their children never saw a Russian until they left their native village for the new home in America. They despise being called "Russians" just as an Italian resents "Dago"; a Jew, "Sheeny"; and a German, "Dutchman". Ask them where they came from and most of the children and not a few of the grown people will say, "Germany". If you pursue your questioning as to what part of Germany, they will tell you "Saratov" or "Samara" - two governments in the eastern part of Russia on the lower course of the Volga river. The misconceptions concerning the desirability of these German-Russians as citizens arise from their unprogressiveness as compared with those Germans who come to us directly from the mother country. During their century's sojourn in Russia they have been out of the main current of civilization, a mere eddy in the stream of progress. They present a concrete example of arrested development, The characteristics which differentiate them from other Germans are not due to an inherent lack of capacity but to different environment. Notwithstanding this, the German- Russians have some admirable qualities. They bring us large stores of physical energy and an almost unlimited capacity for work. The majority of them are literate although the amount of their education is limited. They are thrifty and independent, almost never applying for public aid. They are law abiding, their chief offenses being those which are traceable to their communal life in Russia. They are extremely religious, all their social as well as spiritual life being bound up in the church which they support right royally. To be sure, the saloon gets their vote (the prohibition vote among them is increasing); but "was not the first miracle that Christ performed the turning of water into wine? If they would shut up the shows (theaters), they wouldn't need to shut up the saloons". The object of this paper is to give the historical setting in which the German-Russians have lived as one means to a better understanding and appreciation of them by our own citizens.

IMMIGRATION, THE AMERICAN WEST, AND THE TWENTIETH CENTURY: GERMAN FROM RUSSIA, OMAHA INDIAN, AND VIETNAMESE-URBAN VILLAGERS IN LINCOLN, NEBRASKA

The North American West is a culturally and geographically diverse region that has long been a beacon for successive waves of human immigration and migration. A case in point, the population of Lincoln, Nebraska -- a capital city on the eastern cusp of the Great Plains -- was augmented during the twentieth century by significant influxes of Germans from Russia, Omaha Indians, and Vietnamese. Arriving in clusters beginning in 1876, 1941, and 1975 respectively, these newcomers were generally set in motion by dismal economic, social, or political situations in their sending nations. Seeking better lives, they entered a mainstream milieu dominated by native-born Americans -- most part of a lateral migration from Iowa, Illinois, and Pennsylvania -- who only established their local community in 1867. While this mainstream welcomed their labor, it often eschewed the behaviors and cultural practices ethnic peoples brought with them. Aware but not overly concerned about these prejudices, all three groups constructed or organized distinct urban villages. The physical forms of these enclaves ranged from homogeneous neighborhoods to tight assemblies of relatives, but each suited a shared preference for living among kinspeople. These urban villages also served as stable anchors for unique peoples who were intent on maintaining aspects of their imported cultural identities. Never willing to assimilate to mainstream norms, urban villagers began adapting to their new milieus. While ethnic identity constructions in Lincoln proved remarkably enduring, they were also amazingly flexible. In fact, each subject group constantly negotiated their identities in response to interactions among particular, cosmopolitan, and transnational forces. Particularism refers largely to the beliefs, behaviors, and organizational patterns urban villagers imported from their old milieus. Cosmopolitan influences emanated from outside the ethnic groups and were dictated largely but not exclusively by the mainstream. Transnationalism is best defined as persistent, intense contact across international boundaries. These influences were important as the particularism of dispersed peoples was often reinforced by contact with sending cultures. Adviser: John. R. Wunder