UNO Magazine - Summer 2013 by UNO Magazine

summer 2013

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402-554-2341 Eppley Building Room 203

vol. 4, no. 2 summer 2013 www.unoalumni.org/unomag

CREDITS Managing Editor

6 Alumni Association 11 Philanthropy Matters 14 The Colleges 17 Get to Know

Anthony Flott associate Editor

Letter from the Chancellor

Letters to the Editor

Jennifer Arnold art direction

We gave 10 members of the Class of 2013 $20.13 to spend. How did they spend it?

Emspace Group

cover illustration

Brucie Rosch

Athletics

Contributors

Dave Ahlers, Jeff Beiermann, Sarah Casey, Nancy Castilow, Rick Davis, Colleen Kenney Fleischer, Austin Gaule, Joel Gehringer, Matt Goodlett, Susan Houston Klaus, Greg Kozol, Tom McMahon, Nate Pohlen, Charley Reed, Bonnie Ryan, Terry Stickels, Kevin Warneke. UNO Magazine is published three times a year by the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the UNO Alumni Association and the University of Nebraska Foundation.

us ario f v e Th cts o or. e j asp a ma g osin cho

Sights & Sounds

The Cost of College Bill Conleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 12-month experiment of giving

Giving is Good

NOTES

CLASS 56

Living Lean

For Richer, For Poorer

Views expressed within this magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the UNO Alumni Association or the NU Foundation.

Art as an Investment

30 Money matters can make or break a marriage

Send all changes of address to attention of Records or visit www.unoalumni.org/records

How to make sense of a market in which investors are spending billions

Major Money

Direct editorial inquiries to Managing Editor UNO Alumni Association 6705 Dodge St., Omaha, NE 68182-0010 Phone: (402) 554-2444 Toll-free: UNO-MAV-ALUM Fax: (402) 554-3787 Email: aflott@unoalumni.org

$20.13

50 58

46 Century Club Donor Roll

For Fun

FROM THE chancellor

Dear Alumni and Friends: Welcome back to the latest edition of UNO Magazine. This issue focuses in general on money and specifically on the cost of higher education, a topic that has seen much press of late, locally and nationally.

Annual salary of founding UNO President Daniel Jenkins for his first 11 years. The university board in 1919 voted him a salary of $4,000. He accepted only $2,000.

For many young people — and their parents — the investment made to attend college is the largest single source of debt they will incur other than buying a home. Yet the dividends of this investment continue to be paid throughout their working lifetimes: on average, graduates will have greater lifetime earning potential and live healthier lives than their counterparts with a high school diploma. In the next five years, likely 70 percent of jobs will require a degree for employment. At UNO, as with all University of Nebraska campuses, the Board of Regents set tuition rates. The board works hard to keep higher education affordable for our state’s students. A recent Omaha World-Herald story listed UNO most affordable among 11 Nebraska colleges and universities for total undergraduate tuition and fees at $6,511 annually. Here are a few more impressive figures to consider: • 44 percent of UNO students graduate with no college debt. • UNO students who use student loans borrow 12 percent less than the national average. • Nearly 60 percent of recent UNO alums report debt less than $5,000 after graduation. • Alumni contribute more than $2 billion per year to the local economy. UNO graduates also have high employment rates and are meeting the talent pipeline demands of Omaha’s vibrant and expanding community/business sector — and beyond. Tuition, however, does not cover the entire cost of a student’s education. For example, UNO’s tuition only accounts for about half of a student’s educational costs. State appropriations make up the majority of UNO’s remaining operating budget to fund faculty and staff salaries, equipment, technology and services. UNO’s annual tuition remains significantly under its urban/metropolitan peers nationally. With highly ranked academic programs, UNO remains a great value for our students — many of whom are underserved, first-generation college, and/or minorities. We strive to make their dreams of a college degree affordable and attainable. And we look forward to the day our students complete their degree requirements and walk across the stage to receive their diploma, joining the ranks of our 100,000 alumni worldwide. Until next time, Chancellor John E. Christensen

Fridays 7 pm August 23 - September 27 Midtown Crossing Free concerts. Free Parking.

presented by

to THE editor

75¢ Cost per graduate to publish and mail UNO Magazine three times a year.

On Spring 2013 Letters to the Editor Reader feedback is key to making UNO Magazine among the best university publications in the country. Write us about the magazine, the university, or suggest a story. Letters must include the writer’s first and last names, address and phone number and may be edited for taste, accuracy, clarity and length. www.unoalumni.org/unomag-led HERO WORSHIP Thanks for another great edition. Especially liked all the sports history. Leo Pearey [OU’s first football All-American] was a real hero in our Council Bluffs neighborhood! Richard Osborn, ’50 Seminole, Fla. SEEKING HEART AND SOUL My husband and I are both proud UNO alumni. I graduated in 1993 with a BA in French, and he graduated in 1992 with a BA in philosophy. We enjoy receiving UNO Magazine but have noticed over the past several issues that there is little to no mention of the liberal arts and humanities. Could you please highlight these areas, which are the heart and soul of UNO and, indeed, of any university? In fact, it seems that any publication seeking to reflect the nature of a university should be sure to include these areas in any issue. Heidi Bostic, ’93 Chair, Department of Modern Foreign Languages, Baylor University Waco, Texas HARSH HEADLINE The headline used in the Spring 2013 article, “Hate Soccer? Maybe You’re a Conservative” does not reflect the proud tradition of UNO. To associate the word hate with the conservative political movement is a biased interpretation and disappointing at best. The study done by Associate UNO Professor Daniel Hawkins … claims that only 8 percent of the respondents truly hate soccer. While I have not had the chance to read Daniel Hawkins research, based on the summary provided … I can hardly imagine that Daniel Hawkins’ article tied those 8 percent that hate soccer to those that have a conservative political view. Kirk Plath, ’91 Castle Pines, Colo. MORE TIMELINE TALENT I am mailing you a copy of the newspaper clipping regarding my first place in the 400-meter hurdles at the Drake Relays in April 1955. I also won the 400-meter hurdles at the NAIA track meet in record time the same year. Also, the YMCA Track Man of the Year in 1956. Great Magazine. Robert Gerdeman, ’56 Colorado Springs, Colo.

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

Rocking 100 Are you ready to rock?

The UNO Alumni Association is — even at 100 years old! UNO alumni and friends are invited to attend the UNO Alumni Association 100th Anniversary Celebration Friday, Nov. 8, on the UNO campus. Billy McGuigan headlines the event, bringing his hugely popular “Rock Legends” show featuring music from the 1950s to today. The evening celebrates the association’s 100 years of strengthening UNO’s worldwide alumni network. The Class of 1913, composed of 13 graduates, founded the UNO Alumni Association at a banquet June 6, 1913. Since then the university has graduated 109,000 alumni — nearly 100,000 of whom are living. “This milestone moment gives us reason to celebrate that growth and the powerful impact our alumni have around the globe,” says Garrett Anderson, 2012-13 chairman of the board. “This will be a high-energy, fun party, and we’re fortunate to have Billy perform.”

reviews and his sound and energy typically inspire audiences to sing, clap and dance. McGuigan starred as Buddy Holly in a 2002 Omaha Community Playhouse production then reprised that role in hundreds of performances as Holly in the ensuing years. Later he created “Rave On!” – a musical celebration of the lives of Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. He also created the hugely popular Beatles tribute show “Yesterday and Today.” “Rock Legends” is a unique, interactive concert customized by the audience. Members vote for what music they want to hear from among artists including the Beatles, Everly Brothers, Rolling Stones, Elvis, Billy Joel, Queen, Elton John and many others. McGuigan and his band can perform up to 400 songs. The anniversary celebration also includes dinner, an authentic soda fountain and, of course, dancing. Various sponsorship packages are available for companies and organizations. For information and other details, contact Elizabeth Kraemer at 402-554-4802 or ekraemer@unoalumni.org.

Additional information on the celebration and other McGuigan, a 1999 UNO graduate, is one of the region’s most popular and sought-after musicians. 100th anniversary news and events is available at www.unoalumni.org/100. His sold-out shows often are met by glowing

UNO Alumni Association 100th Anniversary Celebration Friday, November 8 6:30 p.m. HPER Building

www.unoalumni.org/100

Young Alumni Academy Seeking Applicants Are you looking to grow your professional network, build leadership skills and meet new friends? Then the UNO Young Alumni Academy is the place to start. Nearly 100 young alumni already have expanded their connections by participating in the award-winning academy, specifically designed for alumni 35 and under. Now, applications are being accepted for the academy’s fourth year, which starts this fall. Sessions are held at unique locations on and off campus, including a behindthe-scenes tour of the CenturyLink Center and time flying in the cockpit of UNO’s Flight Simulator. UNO leaders also address members on topics such as athletics management, student focus and community engagement. The program concludes each spring with a “graduation” ceremony and reception at the Thompson Center. Founded in 2010, the academy has received several awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, including the association’s first-ever Silver award in CASE’s International Circle of Excellence awards program open to more than 3,400 members in 74 countries. Applications for the 2013-14 UNO Young Alumni Academy are being accepted at www.unoalumni.org/unoyoungalumni Direct questions to Elizabeth Kraemer at ekraemer@unoalumni.org or 402-554-4802.

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

Association appoints new board members, issues service awards at annual meeting The UNO Alumni Association conducted its 101st annual meeting May 21, confirming its executive committee and electing new members to serve on its board of directors. Andy Rikli will direct the Alumni Association as 2013-14 chairman of the board. Rikli on July 1 became superintendent of the Papillion-LaVista School District. He earned his doctorate in educational administration from UNO in 2007 and joined the alumni board in 2010. He will be the 90th graduate to chair the board. New board members were elected to serve three-year terms. They include: Traci Harrison (2000), sales support, West Corporation Adam Marek (2000), vice president, Colliers International Penny Parker (1980), executive director, Completely KIDS Todd Rynaski (1995), assistant vice president of financial reporting and analysis, Union Pacific Railroad

UNO Alumni Teaching Award honors nine faculty The UNO Alumni Association celebrated the 17th year of its Alumni Outstanding Teaching Awards program when it presented the honor to nine faculty members during the UNO Faculty Honors Convocation Breakfast April 11. Association President Lee Denker presented the awards, established in 1997 to honor distinguished teaching in the classroom. Peer committees in each college chose recipients, each of whom received a $1,000 award. The association has issued $149,000 in awards since the program’s start. For biographies of recipients, visit www.unoalumni.org/aota. Chancellor John Christensen, far left, with recipients Stanley Wileman, Computer Science; Elliott Ostler, Teacher Education; Patrick O’Neil, Aviation Institute; Jodi Kreiling, Chemistry; Alisa Gilmore, Computer and Electronics Engineering; Laura Beal, Finance, Banking & Real Estate. Not pictured were recipients Lisabeth Buchelt, English; Carson Holloway, Political Science; Anna Monardo, Writer's Workshop.

Eric Weber (2012), associate superintendent, Lincoln Public Schools Joan Lukas (1993), owner of Lukas Partners, was elected to a second threeyear term. A complete board roster is provided at www.unoalumni.org/board Director Appreciation Awards were issued to these outgoing board members: Blake Edwards (1999), Pinpoint Communications; Larry Gomez (1971), Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce; Jamie Herbert (1995, 2000), Union Pacific Railroad; and Brandon Steenson (2001), Kansas City Southern Railroad. Outstanding Service Awards also were issued at the meeting to Laura Kapustka and Anthony Flott. Instituted in 1974, service awards honor faculty, staff, alumni or friends who have shown continuous, outstanding service to the association and/or university. Kapustka is the association’s outgoing past chairman. She served the alumni board since 2007 and was chairman in 2011-12. She earned a BS (1984) and MBA (2001) from UNO and is vice president and chief financial officer of Lincoln Electric System. Flott has worked for the association since 1993 and is its director of communications. His primary role is as managing editor of UNO Magazine. He earned a BS (1990) and MA (1999) from UNO.

Student Regents Installed The UNO Alumni Association’s longstanding support of the university’s student government leadership continued April 2 with installation of student body president/regent Martha Spangler and vice president Benjamin Kaipust. Since 1983 the association has provided scholarship support to the president ($2,400) and since 1997 to the vice president ($1,200). Since 1983 these scholarships have totaled more than $60,000. Spangler is a junior majoring in sociology with a minor in Spanish. Kaipust is a junior majoring in architectural engineering. Both serve oneyear terms. For more on UNO Student government, visit sguno.unomaha.edu

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

Jeopardy! writer, producer awarded Alumni Association’s highest honor The UNO Alumni Association bestowed its Citation for Alumni Achievement upon UNO graduate Gary Johnson during spring commencement May 4 on the UNO campus. Johnson, a 1967 alum, won nine Emmy awards during his career writing and producing television game shows, including Jeopardy! The citation, inaugurated in 1949, is issued at each UNO commencement and is the association’s highest honor. Johnson is the 161st citation recipient. “Gary’s achievements are representative of the extraordinary work being done by many members of the alumni network worldwide,” said UNO Alumni Association President Lee Denker. “We’re proud to recognize him during our 100th anniversary year.” Johnson graduated from UNO in 1967 with a BA in English. He was editor of the Grain of Sand student literary journal and president of the Democratic Club. He also was a member of Phi Eta Sigma, the University Players and the Reader’s Theater. His extensive association with network game shows began even before graduating. In February 1967, Johnson and three other students represented the university on NBC’s G.E. College Bowl game show (the team lost to Texas). In 1970 he moved to Venice, Calif., with his wife, 1968 UNO graduate Michele Vaughn. That same year he began writing for Hollywood Squares. He won a 1974 Emmy with the show for “Best Writing for a Game Show.” Johnson later wrote and/or produced several other game shows and has other non-game show television credits. He joined Jeopardy! in 1997 and later became head writer and supervising producer. Johnson was nominated for 20 Emmy awards with the show and won eight. He retired from Jeopardy! in 2011. In 2006 he published his first book of poetry, Head Trauma: Sonnets and Other Poems, which won the Independent Publishers’ Silver Medal for Poetry and several other awards. He currently is preparing Wretched Refuse: New and Collected Poems for publication later this year. The Johnsons live in Topanga, Calif., and have three adult children. More about Johnson can be read online at www. unoalumni.org/citation-spring13. That includes a video recorded by Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek introducing Johnson as the 161st Citation recipient.

Waving the Flag for UNO Show the O campaign travels the world The worldwide UNO alumni network continues to be on the move … worldwide. As part of celebrations related to its 100th anniversary throughout 2013, the association earlier this year launched “Show the O,” a campaign that provides participants with a large “O” flag then asks them to have themselves photographed holding the flag in front of some notable icon where they live or are traveling. The photos are displayed on an interactive website — showtheo.com — that includes a clickable map and photo gallery indicating all the locations around the world where “O” flags have traveled. Brief information about participants also is included. Through May, alumni, faculty, staff and students have submitted photos with the flag on five continents and in locations including beaches, mountains, cruise chips and numerous tourist attractions. The campaign continues throughout 2013. To participate, visit showtheo.com or call toll-free UNO-MAV-ALUM (866-628-2586).

New Director Named The UNO Alumni Association in May welcomed Steven Summers as its new Director of the Thompson Center, one of Omaha’s most popular event facilities. Summers most recently was an adjunct instructor at Metropolitan Community College's Institute for the Culinary Arts. He has 16 years of managing experience in the restaurant industry with companies including Brinker International and Darden Restaurants International. He has a degree from Bellevue University. Available to the general public, the Thompson Center is one of the area’s most popular destinations for outdoor weddings and receptions. It also hosts banquets, corporate and social events, conferences and more. Catering is available. To learn more, contact Summers at 402-554-3368 or email ssummers@unoalumni.org. More information about the center is available at www.thethompsoncenter.org/tc

alumni association

UNO Alumni AFROTC Chapter Honors Graduating Cadets

Partnerships Seniors in the U.S. Air Force ROTC program left UNO this spring with more than just a degree — they left with gold on their shoulders.

Credit The UNO Alumni Association partners with Capital One to offer

Then they had to hand over some silver.

members a wide range of credit

On May 3 the UNO Alumni AFROTC Chapter gave 11 graduating cadets their first gold second lieutenant bars and the epaulet rank worn on the shoulder of their uniforms.

UNO Alumni Association at

card choices. Please visit the

The seniors also took their oath from a military officer during the event, held in the Milo Bail Student Center. After taking the oath, all 11 had their bars pinned on their shoulders by family members and received their first salute of congratulations from an enlisted person. As tradition dictates, the new officers then gave a silver dollar to that first saluter. This is the fifth class of graduating cadets the chapter has provided with commissioning sets. That includes 29 sets in the past three years. AFROTC has been at UNO since 1951. Students from UNO, Creighton, Bellevue University and College of St. Mary participate in the program at UNO. For a list of 2013 graduating cadets and their upcoming assignments in the U.S. Air Force, visit www.unoalumni.org/afrotc

www.unoalumni.com/card for more information.

Insurance Are you in need of home, life, auto, health or life insurance? The UNO Alumni Association offers graduates insurance for these and other needs at discounted rates. See all the coverage available at www.unoalumni.org/insurance.

Young alumni invest in UNO’s future through Anniversary Class Challenge Recent graduates are injecting a youthful spirit into the UNO Alumni Association’s celebration of its 100year history. And they’re doing it $20.13 at a time, using the power of many to make a big impact. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the UNO Alumni Association, UNO’s recent graduates challenged each other to support current students and alumni this spring through the association’s 100th Anniversary Class Challenge. The challenge, which began in March and lasted six weeks, asked graduates from the classes of 2002-2012 to contribute $20.13 to support association efforts to expand the UNO alumni network. Classes competed to see which year would have the most participants.

A tight race developed among the classes of 2010, 2011 and 2012. Each class led at least once during the six weeks. “I made a gift through the 100th Anniversary Challenge because it is a perfect opportunity to combine my efforts with those of other alumni to make a positive impact on the UNO community,” says Kyle Schulze, ’12. Ultimately, the Class of 2011 won the challenge with 47 gifts of $20.13 or more to the UNO Annual Fund. As winner, the Class of 2011 welcomed this year’s graduates with gifts of UNO Alumni pins. “It's great to see that our class is still collaborating and achieving together, even after graduation,” says Megan Schmitz, ’11. “UNO was such an integral part of me becoming the person I am today. I want to make sure that other students have that same opportunity.” Schulze, whose Class of 2012 finished runner-up, said he was pleased to see his

fellow graduates give such strong support. “It shows the pride we have as UNO alumni,” he says. “I am confident my class will continue their support and aim for the top spot next year.” Overall, recent graduates gave 220 gifts through the Challenge. All were first-time donors to the UNO Annual Fund. Their gifts will support UNO Alumni programming, communications, student scholarships, the Thompson Alumni Center and outreach efforts that make the alumni network’s reach greater and impact stronger. Schulze says recent graduates will only increase their involvement in the coming years. “UNO provided each of us with so many outstanding opportunities, much of which is thanks to the generous support from alumni,” he says. “Participating in future events will show how grateful we are and ensure these opportunities will be available for future students.”

alumni association

Sending seniors off

in style

The UNO Alumni Association celebrated commencement with more than 800 graduating students during the 2013 Senior Send-Off May 2-3! Seniors were given free UNO Alumni license plate frames and UNO Alumni Card during the two days and had their pictures taken in the UNO Alumni photo booth. Photos were posted on the Association's Facebook page and emailed to each participant.

33rd Scholarship Swing set for Sept. 9 Students at UNO all are pursuing their dreams of a college education — dreams that become more expensive every year. Without private gifts, many of these students couldn’t attend UNO. You can help. Please join the UNO Alumni Association Monday, Sept. 9, at the 33rd annual UNO Alumni Scholarship Swing at Tiburon Golf Club. The association’s biggest single fundraiser, the Swing last year raised $40,000, pushing the total to more than $750,000 since the association began hosting the tournament in 1995. Almost 120 golfers and 50 sponsors participated in the tournament. The money raised supports various Association-sponsored student scholarships. Letters have been sent to business and individuals seeking their participation in the tournament as sponsors. To participate, or for more information, contact Elizabeth Kraemer at 402-554-4802 or ekraemer@unoalumni.org.

PHILANTHROPY MATTERS

How Hate Happens

UNO Professor Waitman Beorn teaches UNO students the histories leading to the Holocaust, genocide

By Colleen Kenney Fleischer, University of Nebraska Foundation

Waitman Beorn is a rising star in his field. The young professor hasn’t been on UNO’s campus for long but already made an impact with students and the Omaha community. Beorn is the first Blumkin Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies. He also is an example of how private money helps bring the best and brightest faculty members to UNO. The German police officers of Battalion 101 were normal men, not monsters.

Waitman Beorn, the first Blumkin Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies

Most were middle-aged. Before the war they had been farmers and factory workers, truck drivers and teachers, husbands and fathers. Not rabid Nazis. Yet these normal men shot thousands of Jews point-blank — including children — even though their Army leader had told them they didn’t have to.

streamers hanging from the ceiling (put there by his history department colleagues when he got married). He just turned 36.

Some did. But most didn’t.

This is his dream job, he says.

Why?

UNO is a dynamic academic environment, says Beorn, and he really likes his colleagues. He likes the people of Omaha and hopes to be here a long time. One of Beorn’s goals is to help create a Holocaust and Genocide Studies network composed of other scholars and institutions from around the Midwest.

“Why is this so important?” asks the professor standing at the front of the classroom. Despite a bowtie and beard, he looks the same age as his students. “Why did I assign this reading?” Welcome to a normal day in History 4720 at UNO — Professor Waitman Beorn’s “History of the Holocaust.” Beorn, an assistant professor, is in his first year as the inaugural Louis and Frances Blumkin Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at UNO. Beorn wants to get his students to see themselves in this Battalion 101 scenario; to wonder what they would have done, given the circumstances. To wonder what is reasonable to expect someone do given the circumstances. He wants to drive home the point that people must learn to recognize the first mundane steps in the process that lead to atrocities like the Holocaust. If you can recognize the early steps, he says, you can stop the next genocide long before it gets close to the point where people are being shot. Beorn may not be what you’d expect for such a professor. He’s happy, even though he studies evil. He’s Episcopalian, not Jewish. A West Point graduate, he served as a scout platoon leader in Iraq before getting his Ph.D. He just got married last fall. His office in Arts and Sciences Hall has old maps of Poland and Belarus on the wall and many books on genocide, but it also has pink and green tissue-paper flowers and

He’s become friends with Sam Fried, an Omaha man who survived Auschwitz as a teenager. UNO’s Holocaust and Genocides Professorship was made possible through the efforts of Fried and his wife, Frances, as well as the Blumkins. Louis Blumkin, who recently passed away, was a U.S. soldier who helped liberate concentration camp survivors. Says Fried: “I’ll give you a prediction. This guy (Beorn) is going to put Nebraska on the map. It’s going to be the center for Holocaust education throughout the state, the Midwest. He’s going to do great things.” From the looks on faces of Beorn’s students in History 4720, he already is. “This should be one of the most disturbing pieces we’ve talked about so far,” he tells them. The reasons for evil, he says, are complex — but often begin in such ordinary ways. Like peer pressure. His students can relate to that. In his class, they’re learning how easy it can be for normal people to act like monsters. Maybe even them.

PHILANTHROPY MATTERS

Tom and Janet Miller with two of their “kids”: Ali Almarri from Qatar (standing between the Millers) and Julio Pinzon from Colombia.

were a long way from home, they were young and they were encountering many things for the first time.” Tom works with the TeamMates mentoring program. Janet is a program coordinator for Ollie Webb Center, which works with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

Global Engagement — Student by Student By Colleen Kenney Fleischer, University of Nebraska Foundation

Masato, Renato, Luis Carlos, Salim, Kwon-ho … .

The Millers have been all over the globe visiting their large family. Last summer, one of their children from Colombia got married. He invited them to the wedding and asked them to sit in the front row with his real parents.

Children who came from all over the globe over the years to study at UNO — and then found a warm home with the Millers.

“We actually got to attend as ‘godparents,’” Tom says. “We even got to sign papers saying that we’ve got to help keep this couple together.”

“A lot of them refer to themselves as a ‘Miller’ — as ‘Miller children,’” Janet says, smiling. “And we consider each one of them our children.”

This June, they will travel to Japan for the first time and visit some of their children who live there.

UNO graduates Tom and Janet Miller have more than 100 children.

Since greeting their first one at the airport in 1987, Tom and Janet have hosted 115 foreign exchange students — often, three or four at a time. Together they’d carve pumpkins. They’d decorate Easter eggs. They’d go on vacations to Colorado to visit Tom’s parents. Every Friday night, Tom would grocery shop for the family. He’d take along whoever wanted to go. “I’d pick up a pineapple and say, ‘What’s this?’ I’d pick up a green pepper and say, ‘What’s this?’” They’d talk and laugh around the dinner table. One night, Tom and Janet asked them to demonstrate sounds that animals make back home. It was fun to hear the differences. (In Japan, for example, dogs don’t go “woof” or “arf-arf,” they go “wan-wan.”) They’d talk about cultural differences. No subject was off limits. Whenever the kids had a conflict, Tom and Janet would hold a family meeting to resolve it. Whenever Tom and Janet wanted to add another child, they’d hold a family vote. Says Tom: “That was the environment we were trying to set up — This is your family. Feel comfortable. If you have any questions or problems, just let us know. They

Items from around the globe decorate their Omaha condo. They recently downsized from a house. The move to a smaller condo means they no longer will be able to host students. A few years from retirement, Tom and Janet recently started thinking about the legacy they wanted to leave. They decided to leave enough money in their will to create a scholarship fund for international students at UNO. The Millers had noticed that many foreign students wanted to continue their education at UNO but couldn’t because they couldn’t afford the nonresident tuition. The recipients of their scholarships will pay what Nebraska residents do. “We both really believe in education,” Janet says. “And we decided that is how we wanted to leave some of our money.” Their bequest makes them feel like they’re doing something good in the world. And that feels good. “We’re all basically one world, and we all affect each other,” Tom says. “And we feel that understanding each other’s cultures and beliefs is very important. “We all have to work together to make this a better world.”

PHILANTHROPY MATTERS

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT OmAhA Amount Raised Toward $150 Million Campaign Goal

2005

$170,882,202

89%

513

new funds have been established during the campaign to support UNO.

• Building the educated workforce of tomorrow.

• Enriching campus and community life.

10,461 58% 80% of UNO donors have donated for the first time during the campaign.

UNO CAmPAIGN PRIORITIES

• Engaging our community.

of UNO campaign gifts are from Nebraska households/organizations.

individuals have made donations to UNO during the campaign.

2014

of UNO students apply for financial assistance.

The Campaign for Nebraska is a four-campus fundraising campaign benefiting the University of Nebraska.

campaignfornebraska.org/uno All statistics as of April 30, 2013. The Campaign for Nebraska began in July 2005 and will conclude December 2014.

Private gift supports global experience

UNO education students gained a deeper perspective of history and of the British education system during a trip to England in May.

Eight UNO College of Education students recently returned from England after touring some of the country’s iconic attractions and a few likely not listed in any travel brochures. The group visited secondary and primary schools in London where they gained insight into the British education system and a broader view of education around the world. Experiencing different cultures is a key objective of the Ronald W. and Lois G. Roskens International Experience Fund which supported the students’ trip. It was established in 2011 to give students the opportunity for a meaningful international educational experience. For more information about supporting the College of Education or the university’s global engagement programs, contact the University of Nebraska Foundation’s Nicole Massara at 402-502-4105 or nmassara@nufoundation.org.

the colleges

Money Talks

A look at the cost — and return — of running UNO’s national-caliber forensics team

“Money talks,” goes the old saying. But how much money, exactly, does it take to compete with the best collegiate speech teams in the country? “Oh, it’s expensive,” says Abbie Syrek, coach of UNO’s forensics team. “You’re looking to spend an average of $3,000 per student for the academic year.” Under Syrek, UNO has ranked among the top 10 teams in the country each of the last four years, including fifth-place finishes in 2011 and 2012. This year Mav Forensics placed sixth and set a school record for the number of students participating in quarterfinal events — all with a team that is one-half to one-third the size, and budget, of its peers. “One of the questions we always get is how much would it take? How much money would it take to grow the program, and I laugh at them and say, ‘I don’t know, winning the Powerball?’” Syrek says with a laugh. “Truth be told, to be in the bracket above where we are now we’d need more students on the team.” Unlike its peers, Mav Forensics lacks private funding that usually allows for more students to participate. Since students can compete in multiple events, more students means more chances to succeed in the tournament. But having the money to include more students isn’t just about winning — it’s about the positive impact the program makes on students — many of them the first in their families to attend college.

“That is the story of UNO forensics,” Syrek says. “If you look at the research, for a first-generation, low-income, minority student, there is an 89-percent chance that student will drop out of school in their first year. That is something we will not stand for.” And those students who do make it to commencement often go on to greater successes and contribute to their communities. Syrek cites two specific examples. One is Tunette Powell (2012), a national champion on the forensics team and the first woman in her family to attend college. Since graduating she has written a book, become a motivational speaker and writes for the Omaha World-Herald’s Momaha blog. Syrek also mentions Buey Ray Tut (2009), a South Sudanese refugee who while he was enrolled at UNO founded Aqua-Africa, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing clean drinking water for South Sudan.

One of the questions we always get is how much would it take?

“You can see the difference that it makes,” Syrek says. “They come from nothing, a lot of times, and it’s because of our amazing faculty and amazing administration that we are able to be difference makers for these students.” To supplement the money they receive from UNO, Mav Forensics holds annual fundraisers that help pay for students to attend the national tournament. A UNO Forensics Development Fund also has been established with the University of Nebraska Foundation. Syrek hopes not just to sustain, but to grow. “If we can [provide support] for another student who might otherwise fall through the cracks, shouldn’t we? “ Syrek asks. “That’s our job as educators — to pick up these students that need help and help them get there.” — By Charley Reed, University Communications

the colleges

CookieDough

Think of student fundraisers and — inevitably — bake sales come to mind. UNO has plenty of those. The College of Education’s Talking Hands group has peddled popcorn to benefit a small school for deaf children in Nicaragua. International Studies & Programs has sold sweets to benefit the university’s International Student Emergency Loan Fund. And UNOMAVRADIO put on “The Walking Bread” bake sale with a “Zombie Walk” cakewalk.

Criss Library, the Geography Club, the Muslim Student Association … even the UNO Paranormal Society and numerous others have raised dough selling cookies. But fundraising at UNO sometimes happens on a much larger scale — and those who benefit are just as likely to be some off-campus organization as they are a student club. In the past two years, students and faculty have organized more than 90 fundraisers — 50 of them for groups and organizations in the Omaha community. For some, money is raised — like student Josh Campbell’s 2011 campus bake sale that garnered more than $3,000 for relief efforts following the Japanese tsunami. For others, goods are raised. This April Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity held its ninth annual “Just Can It!” event to raise awareness about homelessness and collect money and food for the Salvation Army. Students slept outside in cardboard boxes at the Crossroads Mall parking lot, helping collect nearly 35,000 cans of food. Sometimes, though, fundraising at UNO happens right in the classroom. That was the experience for students in Professor Angela Eikenberry’s class, “Philanthropy and Democracy.” The class — seven honors students of various majors — spent the semester learning about philanthropy as part of the democratic process and learned how to evaluate nonprofit organizations. With money from the Learning by Giving Foundation, Eikenberry’s class gave $10,000 to Hope Center for Kids. “The Hope Center is positioned in a part of Omaha that has some of the highest crime rates in all of the city,” says Matt Judah, a student in the class. “The fact that they are working with children in these areas … it’s everything that we were looking for in an organization to donate to.” Students in Professor Paige Toller’s Small Group Communication, meanwhile, each semester create and execute fundraisers as service-learning projects benefiting Siena Francis House, a homeless shelter in downtown Omaha. Since 2010, Toller’s classes have raised more than $10,000 for the shelter.

“I see two benefits within these classes.” Toller says. “One being that the Siena Francis House is a homeless shelter — anytime you can help the community is great. And for the students, it’s not just another project or exam. They can get engaged and really make a difference within the community.” UNO staff also get into the act. The UNO Staff Advisory Council (SAC), for instance, teams with five other universities for the Salvation Army’s Back-to-School Backpack Program providing backpacks and school supplies to children in the Omaha metro area. SAC last year got students, faculty, and members of the community to purchase rulers at the UNO Bookstore, eventually contributing 2,000 rulers to the drive. Such help is everywhere on campus. Students in UNO’s Goodrich Organization have raised money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation for almost 20 years and have held benefits for the American Cancer Society, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands, Special Olympics and others. Eta Sigma Gamma hosts an annual Bell Tower Challenge food drive that benefits Food Bank for the Heartland. In the last 18 years the fraternity has collected more than 24 tons of food. MaverickPR, UNO’s Public Relations Student Society of America chapter has helped Hearts United, a national no-kill shelter, sanctuary and animal welfare organization. Maverick Productions this year had students create Valentine Day cards and stuffed animals for patients at Omaha Children’s Hospital and Medical Center. UNO Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Organization has raised funds for Dads Appreciating Down Syndrome and UNO’s National Student Speech-Language and Hearing Association for the Autism Society of Nebraska. And so on. “Everyone likes that feel good sensation of giving back,” says SAC member Kim Kronschnabel. “You never know at what point when you might be that person that needs help or know someone that needs help.” — Austin Gaule, UNO Alumni Association

the colleges

Short Sweet A look at recent UNO headlines ahead of offerings from the University of Florida, George Washington University and the University of Missouri. UNO’s BGS is the only fully online bachelor’s degree available in the University of Nebraska System.

Commencing Careers An estimated 1,620 students attended UNO’s 2013 Spring Commencement, held on campus for a second consecutive year. That included Summer 2013 graduates, who were invited to walk in the spring ceremony. The university-wide commencement was held in Sapp Fieldhouse and followed by six college-specific ceremonies. The Order of the Tower, UNO’s highest community honor, was presented to Dr. George Haddix. The Order of the Tower recognizes lasting gifts of service or financial support that make a difference to the university and to the state. An Omaha University graduate, Haddix was president and CEO of several private and public companies in the computer software and services industries. A proponent of math and science education, he has funded two chairs at UNO and invested in the redevelopment of Roskens Hall. Also at commencement, Harold H. Saunders was presented an honorary degree. He is president of the International Institute for Sustained Dialogue and director of International Affairs at the Kettering Foundation. The UNO Alumni Association presented Gary Johnson with its Citation for Alumni Achievement. See story Page 8.

Online degree program ranked among nation’s best U.S. News & World Report in January ranked UNO’s online Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) degree 11th best among 200 such programs in the country, placing it

“For over 60 years, the BGS degree has provided many students the access and flexibility needed to move them ahead in their career,” said John Bartle, who in March was named dean of the College of Public Affairs and Community Service, which houses the BGS program. UNO’s online BGS is designed with the modern adult learner in mind, featuring seven degrees and 18 areas of specialization, including computer science, nonprofit administration and criminal justice. The online degree is part of a larger BGS program that houses more than 40 degree specialties and can be taken online, on campus or through a blend of those two options.

In the past year, UNO has showcased its commitment to community engagement through projects like the Service Learning Academy’s P-16 Initiative, Seven Days of Service, the SummerWorks program and the new Community Engagement Center, which opens in March 2014.

UNO ranked sixth in ‘Military Friendliness’ UNO is one of the nation’s top six colleges for military veterans for 2013, according to a report from the Military Times. That’s up from last year’s ninth-place ranking. More than 4,000 colleges and universities from across the country took part in a Military Times survey that ranked schools on categories such as financial assistance, academic flexibility, campus culture and support services. UNO ranked ahead of schools such as the University of Kansas, University of Kentucky and Arizona State University.

National honor for community engagement UNO was named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for a seventh consecutive year. UNO is the only Nebraska institution to make the honor roll all seven years and is the only institution in the state to have been a finalist for the Higher Education Community Service President’s Award, earned in 2010. This year, UNO is only one of two Nebraska colleges or universities to make the honor roll “with distinction.” That recognizes strong levels of institutional commitment and partnerships that produce measurable impact in the community.

In April 2012, UNO opened its Military and Veterans University Services Office (MaV USO), which serves as a one-stop location where students can access programs and services specifically designed for active military, veterans and their families. Services include GI Bill assistance, in-processing, deployment assistance and academic support. “MaV USO provides a holistic approach to services for military and veteran students with support from program selection to enrollment to graduation and beyond,” said Hayley Patton, the office’s director. “It is an office staffed by people with a military affiliation who understand veterans and want to make sure they are successful at UNO.”

get to know he answered WHAT’S THE FIRST THING YOU REMEMBER BEING PAID FOR? Working for my dad. He is a chef and I would work in his kitchen preparing meals for customers.

we asked

PELEMA MORRICE Associate Vice Chancellor, Enrollment Management

What was your first job? My first job! I was a paperboy in Santa Cruz, Calif., for the Santa Cruz Sentinel. I had the best route of all time and Jack O'Neill of O'Neill surfboards was on my route and always left me a hefty tip! What was the best advice you ever received? Treat everyone with the same level of care, compassion, and respect. No singular person is valued more than others. What IS YOUR FAVORITE WEEKEND HANGOUT? Dundee. What is your secret to happiness? Appreciation for the simple gift of today.

we asked

WHAT’S THE FIRST THING YOU REMEMBER BEING PAID FOR?

The first thing I remember being paid for is delivering the North Omaha Sun, a weekly newspaper. I was in the fifth grade and delivered the Sun to 70 or 80 residences in the 40th and Grand Avenue area.

My grandfather would pay me a dime to go buy him a copy of the New York Times. Later I expanded in the newspaper business by getting a paper route and delivering the Chicago Tribune.

answered

Tim Harrison (’97) President, Harrison Financial Services

Joe Huebner (’71) Assistant Vice Chancellor & Director of Finance

John Bartle CPACS Dean

I had a paper route that I took over from my older brother at 8 years old and then other routes came as I grew older. Outside of that I occasionally got a quarter allowance on Saturday to buy a candy bar at Millard Pharmacy.

I remember the tooth fairy being my first employer. It was a low effort/low pay sort of gig!

answered Martha Spangler Student President/Regent

Text by Austin Gaule, UNO Alumni Association.

The first thing I can remember getting paid for was when I was young. If I kept my room clean for a week, I would receive a small allowance from my parents. If my room was messy, I wouldn't get my allowance.

answered John Karhoff UNO men’s basketball player

ATHLETICS

New Heights

Photo: Jeff Beieremann

Do-it-all Sami Spenner sparkles as UNO's record-setting heptathlete

Spenner gets motivation for physical activity from the variety of events in which she competes. If she’s not competing in the heptathlon, a grueling test of seven events over two days, she could be long jumping or running the 100-meter dash.

This spring, Sami Spenner took a course called Motivation for Physical Activity. The UNO junior, who is studying to be a physical therapist, probably could have taught the class.

“I like the idea that I’m not stuck doing one event every day,” says Spenner. “Like I’m not just stuck running. I don’t know how our distance runners do it.”

Spenner is a standout multi-eventer for the UNO track & field team, though even that might be selling her short.

“I was always told, ‘You’re really athletic.’ Playing volleyball, basketball and soccer shows you’re athletic, but it doesn’t measure it. So doing these is more of a measure, a test, of how athletic I was and how athletic I still could be.”

Spenner owns UNO records for indoor track in the pentathlon and long jump, and for outdoor track in the heptathlon, long jump and triple jump. At the end of the 2012-13 academic year, she was ranked second in the NCAA in the heptathlon. At each meet, it seems, the question isn’t whether she can set a new record. Rather, it’s wondering how high, how far and how fast she can go. Not bad for someone who was supposed to be a volleyball player. A Columbus, Neb., native, Spenner transferred to UNO during the 2009-10 academic year. She had been recruited to play volleyball for Wayne State, but her role on the team there changed, so she looked for other places to pursue her degree. UNO offered the right classes — and a chance to compete in track & field. “The process of how she got here and the process that we’ve gone through to get her where she’s at is astounding,” says Chris Richardson, UNO’s assistant track & field coach, who works with the team’s multieventers. “We’re talking about an athlete who did track & field for one season in high school. She only did it for half a season during her freshman year here. Now here we are, three years later, and she’s at the top of Division I.”

The heptathlon, she says, is more a test of athleticism.

I've always been such a goal-oriented person...

Richardson says Spenner takes great pleasure in regularly eclipsing the goals he lays out for her each meet, so it’s difficult to say how good she may be one day. She finished fifth in the heptathlon in the NCAA Division II Championships in 2011 and missed qualifying for the Olympic Trials in the event by just seven points in 2012, a year in which UNO began its four-year moratorium on NCAA championship competition because of its transition to Division I. Spenner knows she’s still learning how to be a track & field athlete. But she adds that Richardson, a former All-American decathlete at Nebraska, is the right person to guide her.

“I leave it up to my coach,” she says. “High jump, hurdles, shot put and javelin — I obviously didn’t know how to do those in high school, so it’s just being taught the correct technique and then doing the right weight-training program to help build those specific muscle groups.” Richardson says Spenner is that rare combination of talent and work ethic, and Spenner admits that some of her success is out of her hands. “I’d say genetics has a huge role,” she says with a grin. “I always give Mom and Dad credit.” Spenner will complete her UNO career in 2013-14. It’s unlikely she’ll get another chance to compete for an NCAA Championship because of the reclassification. Still, she hasn’t let that sap her motivation to improve. “I’ve always been such a goal-oriented person where it almost didn’t matter,” she said. “Yeah, I’d love to go to nationals, but it was more that I wanted to do it for me. I want to have that score, and I want to act like I can go. That’s what’s going on in my head. “I want this score because I could still compare myself with those other girls. That’s what I’ve been doing, essentially, comparing myself to the girls who do go to the nationals and say, ‘You know what, I could have been there.’ To me, sometimes that’s enough.” Spenner still could make another run at qualifying for the Olympic Trials. Given her drive, it wouldn’t be surprising if she succeeded. But physical therapy school is on the horizon after she graduates, and she says that’s as important as any meet. “My career goal is to be a physical therapist. I’d love to keep going [in track & field] but if school is holding me back, then school comes first.” — Dave Ahlers, director of UNO Athletic Communications, with Bonnie Ryan and Nate Pohlen

ATHLETICS

Seniors, Teammates Honored at Maverick Awards Banquet UNO’s senior student-athletes were recognized for their career achievements at the annual Maverick Awards Banquet April 28 at the LaVista Conference Center. Ten different athletes received special awards as part of the event, including Paige Frauendorfer, who was named recipient of the Connie Claussen Female Career Achievement Award, and John Faulkner, who received the Don Leahy Male Career Achievement Award. Named in honor of UNO’s athletic director emerita, the awards are presented to those studentathletes who, in their four- or five-year careers as Mavericks, exhibited superior academic and athletic achievement and community service. More than 425 student-athletes, parents, athletic department staff and UNO supporters attended the event. The banquet now is in its fourth year as UNO Athletics’ premiere event. Other award winners:

Marian Ivers Female Athlete of the Year Outstanding athletic performance during a single school year.

Sami Spenner, track & field

Male Athlete of the Year

Ryan Walters, hockey

Bob Kruger Commitment Award For outstanding community service

Maja Mihalinec, track & field

Dr. John Langan Phoenix Award Overcoming injury or hardship to succeed on the field of play and in the classroom

Alex Tran, women’s tennis

Maverick Muscle Award – Female Outstanding commitment to athletic performance and training

Jamie Nash, women’s basketball

Maverick Muscle Award – Male

Alex Welhouse, men’s basketball

Newcomer of the Year Award - Female Freshman, redshirt freshman or transfer student who had the biggest impact on their team's success

Allie Mathewson, softball

Newcomer of the Year Award - Male

Justin Simmons, men’s basketball

UNO Athletics also recognized Frauendorfer and Bryce Aneloski from the hockey team for being named UNO’s Scholar-Athletes, an award handed out at the Chancellor’s Student Honors Convocation in April. Frauendorfer has a 3.94 grade point average in biology and pre-pharmacy while Aneloski carries a 3.78 GPA in continuing studies. In addition, 52 student-athletes were recognized for earning Chancellor’s List (4.0 GPA) honors in either the spring or fall of 2012, an increase of nine from the previous year. — Sam Vrba, UNO Athletic Communications

Photos: Jeff Beieremann

Claussen-Leahy Run & Walk Breaks Record A record number of participants turned out April 20 to take part in the Claussen-Leahy Run & Walk, one of the marquee fundraisers for UNO Athletics. Almost 1,200 people took part in the 5K and 2K run and walk, helping UNO raise more than $209,000 for all student-athletes and athletic programs. The Claussen-Leahy Run & Walk is now in its second year, growing out of the highly successful UNO/Diet Pepsi Women’s Walk that was held for 26 years benefitting women’s athletic scholarships. The Women’s Walk was begun in 1986 by Connie Claussen, athletic director emeritus, and became the largest fundraiser of its kind in NCAA athletics. Including the money raised this year, the events have brought almost $4.5 million dollars to UNO Athletics. In its new incarnation, participants are allowed to designate which teams they would like to support or if that support should go to the general athletics fund. Karen Hawkins and Ande Hawkins Johnson served as event chairs. The event began with an 800-meter Kids' Race and an Elders' Walk around Stinson Park in Aksarben Village, the new home of the event. The Claussen 5K and Leahy 2K runs followed along the Keystone Trail. The morning also included Mini Sports Clinics for all Kids' Race participants conducted by UNO student-athletes. More than 320 runners took part in the 5K race. Joe Hoovestol was overall winner in 17 minutes, 31 seconds, edging Jeff Yau, who ran 17:32. UNO cross country and track & field runner Kourtney Osentoski had the women’s top 5K time at 21:00. Runners and walkers were cheered on by members of UNO’s athletic teams, athletic department staff and UNO faculty. The event also featured 54 different vendors, many of whom donated their proceeds from the day back to the event. One vendor sold t-shirts to raise money to help victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. A moment of silence for those victims was held before the races began. The 2014 Claussen-Leahy Run/Walk will be held Saturday, April 26. — Dave Ahlers, director of Athletic Communications

ATHLETICS

Bits of the Bull

Falling for the Mavs

UNO Athletics enters its second full season in Summit play — and some Maverick teams this fall have titles on their mind No longer is the Summit League unchartered territory. Now, with a full year of league competition under its belts, UNO teams know exactly what to expect when year two in Summit play begins this fall. Based on results from 2012-13, the Mavericks seem poised to take another step forward in their reclassification to Division I.

the way are All-Summit League Second-Team performers Felipe da Silva, Vance Rookwood and goalie Matt Grosey. All-Newcomer Team member Chava Garcia also returns to help lead the Maverick attack. Omaha’s growth as a program already is evident from its improvement last fall, but it was particularly on display when the Mavs earned a 2-1 win in a spring exhibition match at two-time defending College Cup participant Creighton. “We’re happy with our progress so far, but we’re not satisfied,” Head Coach Jason Mims says. “We learned a lot of things in our first year in the Summit League, and we expect to improve again this season. It’s nice now having players who are accustomed to school and soccer here in Omaha and are comfortable taking leadership roles in our program.”

Women’s Soccer

Volleyball The UNO volleyball team was asked to mature quickly last year. Of the Mavericks’ 10 returning letterwinners, six have significant experience as starters from a lineup that included predominantly freshmen in 2012 — now with a year of Summit League experience.

Men’s Soccer

UNO returns 15 letterwinners, including 11 who started at least seven games. Leading

“We had just one senior last season in Dani Archuleta, so it will be nice to have a group of six seniors this fall who have been through a lot in their time here and can be great leaders for us,” Head Coach Don Klosterman says. “In addition to having a lot of veteran players returning, we are excited about our incoming recruiting class, which we hope can contribute right away.”

The Mavericks open the season Sunday, The Mavericks begin the season hosting Penn Aug. 11, when they welcome Drake for State in an exhibition Saturday, Aug. 17. an exhibition.

Preparations for the upcoming season already are underway in earnest. Here’s a preview of the six Maverick teams that compete this fall. The UNO men’s soccer team enters its third year of existence with an added advantage — a new, on-campus soccer stadium. The Mavericks showed great improvement from their first season in 2011 (1-11-1) to their first season in the Summit League in 2012 (5-10-1, 3-3-1 Summit). The Mavs finished in a tie for fourth place in the league. UNO remains ineligible for the fourteam conference tournament until 2015, but that won’t stop the Mavericks from vying for the regular-season title this season.

honors. Her seven points tied for third in freshman scoring in the league. Wampler, Jordyn Braun, Melanie McCormick, Morgan Westenburg, Sarah Nordstrom, Kerry Pivovar and Meaghan Clark comprise a core group of seven Mavs who started all 18 games last season. Monica Bosiljevac started the first 10 games before enduring a season-ending injury, but returns this fall. Omaha will be playing this season at its new on-campus soccer pitch.

A year after playing with just one senior, the UNO women’s soccer team will turn to six of them this fall for leadership — one reason for optimism that the Mavs will improve on last year’s 3-15 record. After a tough non-conference schedule last fall, the Mavs showed they could compete in the Summit League, going 3-5 in conference play. With a long list of veterans returning and a talented incoming class, the Mavs hope to be a threat in the league, even though they can’t qualify for the Summit Championship until 2015. The Mavs return 10 starters and 16 letterwinners. Hannah Wampler is back after posting three goals and one assist to earn All-Summit League Freshman Team

As a team, UNO consistently ranked in the top 25 nationally for service aces per game. Individually, Kelley Wollak was second on the team with 2.64 kills per set, and Megan Schmale averaged 0.86 blocks per set to rank first among returning Mavs. Michaela

ALTHETICS

eight runners who are either freshmen or sophomores.

Schimmer also had a breakout freshman campaign, tallying two triple-doubles for UNO’s first such performance since 1999. Head coach Rose Shires also has added a four-player freshman class for 2013 with the signings of Elise Brown, Nicki Carson, Amanda Conlin and Kristy Wieser. Conlin will be a two-sport student-athlete at UNO, also competing for the track & field program as a thrower. “The four incoming freshmen will bring size above the net and athletic power,” says Shires, who in April was inducted into the Omaha Sports Hall of Fame. “Their lack of experience at the collegiate level will disappear quickly, and they will also add an element of competition for positions on the court. “For our team, 2013 will be an extremely competitive year. We’re a year older, a year more experienced, and we know our players can play at the level we need in order to compete in the Summit League. The potential for growth for the Omaha volleyball program is limitless as we continue in this Division I transition, and we are excited to see what we can accomplish.”

“The student-athletes we are bringing in this fall will create some good competition among the returning runners,” Bierbaum says. “We expect our junior class, runners like Katarina Zarudnaya, Kristin Rogers, Ashley Kildow, MiKayla Peck and Lydia Martin, to step up and become the leaders of this team. We’ll also be helped by Kristen Carmichael, who redshirted last year but should play a big role for us this fall. “Our fifth-place finish in the Summit League Championship last fall was remarkable, but this is a highly competitive league, and we will have to work very hard to finish that high or higher this season.”

Golf

Both the Omaha men’s and women’s golf teams begin play in the fall even though the The Mavericks open 2013 at the Houston Summit League Championship is not held Baptist Tournament Aug. 30-31. UNO then until the spring. Golf is UNO’s only splithosts the Omaha Marriott Classic, its first season sport. home tournament since 2010, welcoming SIU Edwardsville, Southern Utah and Bradley to The Maverick women finished a surprising Sapp Fieldhouse Sept. 6-7. fourth in the Summit League Championship

Cross Country The Omaha cross country team will be building around a young core as it enters a second season in the Summit League. Behind Amanda Vorthmann, the Mavericks last year took fifth in the Summit League Championship. Vorthmann, who graduated in the spring, led the Mavericks in every race last year and was a member of the AllSummit League team. Coach Marc Bierbaum, who oversees cross country and UNO’s distance runners in track & field, could bring as many as four recruits to offset the loss of three seniors and two other runners who have left the team. That still will give the Mavericks

Co-captain Brooke Thilges was third in team scoring, and returns for her senior season. Sophomore Katie Kesti played well for UNO down the stretch and is expected to play a larger role in the Mavs’ fortunes this fall. “I’m very excited for the upcoming season, particularly because of our finish in the Summit League Championship,” says Tim Nelson, UNO’s director of golf. “Our players played with some of the top players in the conference, and I think they realized that they could play with them and got a lot of confidence from that.” The Mavericks will add two local products to their lineup in the fall. Incoming freshman Sarah Pravecek has played for Marian High School while Katie Slump has competed for Skutt. The Maverick men’s golf team returns every player who competed last season. The Mavs finished eighth in the Summit League Championship and were paced by Karl Krieser, who led the team in scoring and shot the lowest round (70) since men’s golf was re-instated in 2011. Nelson acknowledges that building a program from scratch hasn’t been easy. Just two years in, he says, it’s still a work in progress.

“One of our primary goals has been trying to find players who fit well together as a team,” Nelson says. “Seth [Porter] (assistant coach in the spring and return three of the five who oversees the men’s team) also has been players who teed off in that tournament. working with our guys on consistency from Junior Sophie Peters, who transferred to UNO hole-to-hole and round-to-round, and we last year from Morningside, made immediate saw some progress this past year.” contributions, firing eight of the top 10 The Maverick men host their first home rounds last season and finishing second event of the modern era Oct. 6-7 at Arbor in team scoring behind graduated senior Links Golf Course in Nebraska City. Elizabeth Havekost. — Dave Ahlers, director of communications, UNO Athletics

$20.13

UNO Magazine gave 10 members of the Class of 2013 $20.13 to spend any way they saw fit. Here’s where the money went.

Making ends meet Skyler Brooke Exercise Science

whole grain noodles for $2.19.” Fit as a fiddle … and one heck of a bargain shopper.

For many alumni, a trip to the grocery store doesn’t register a second thought about its impact on the checking account. Remember what it was like before you graduated? “Being a college student is a constant challenge of budgeting and figuring out how to pay the bills,” says Skyler Brooke, a student employee in the HPER building for UNO’s Campus Recreation. “Being limited on the number of hours you can work and having to pay for rent, OPPD, MUD, cell phone, car payments, etc., it can be very difficult to make ends meet. Getting an extra $20.13 is very helpful.” He used it for a trip to the grocery store, where he usually spends $40 to $45 a week. “I… try not to get too many unneeded food items,” says Brooke, who is seeking fulltime employment with plans to attend graduate school. One look at the chiseled frame he’s built in the HPER building is indication he’s not splurging on doughnuts, either. “I bought a package of eight 6-ounce salmon filets for $11.99,” he says, “two packages of broccoli steamers, $1.99 each … one can of natural pesto, $2.99 … and some 100-percent

Fit to be tied Jake Thacker Advertising & PR Jake Thacker has graduated, but he’s not going far — geographically, at least. Thacker begins graduate studies in UNO’s School of Communication this fall and will be a paid graduate teacher assisting with publication design and graphics. “To be completely frank, this final year of undergrad has been very busy,” Thacker says, “so I haven’t been able to work as many hours at my job as I normally did while in school. That means I’ve had to put a lot of expenses on my credit card this year. I’ll be working hard this summer to pay that off completely before grad school. I also need to try, somehow, to really start saving up to pay off student loans.” That said, he has a more pressing need to tend to before the fall semester begins. Thacker, who dropped 35 pounds in the last year, put his $20.13 toward altering some of his suit coats. “I’ll be wearing them in the fall for the GTA position,” he says, “and they really, really needed to be taken in.”

Living Mas Brittany Redden Communication, News-Editorial Brittany Redden decided to taker her $20.13 and “Live Mas.” She admits that the green she got from UNO Magazine fueled a bad habit. “I … eat out FAR too often,” Redden says. “This $20.13 went towards a lunch from Taco Bell, a dinner at Panera and funded part of a lunch in Portland, Ore., at a place I can’t remember the name of.” Redden says she’s in a fortunate position to be able to eat out. “I am lucky enough not to be burdened with expenses like student loans, rent, groceries or gas because my lovely parents still stock me up with these things,” Redden says. “I work 25 hours a week at a PR firm and all the money I net from this job goes toward ‘fun food,’ shopping, traveling and, most importantly, into my savings. After graduation I won’t be so lucky and will have to be accountable for these things myself, but because I have a job lined up and money will not be an issue, I am looking forward to not being financially dependent on anyone. I’ll finally be a real grownup!”

Homeward bound Hung Nguyen Business Management Like most other 2013 grads, Nguyen now goes job hunting. First, though, comes a summer of travel — including his first visit home in 10 years. “I plan to visit my native country of Vietnam,” Nguyen says. “It is a place I have not been to in about a decade. I plan to save the $20.13 and see how far the dollar will go in another country.” Nguyen says he’s ready to go far thanks in large measure to his education. “The experience at UNO has given me the opportunity to meet new people, travel to new places and challenge my thinking,” he says. “These opportunities also come with a new level of responsibility. I find myself diving headfirst into budgeting for real life. As a freshman, I was not ready for it. Fortunately, I had great advisors in the Goodrich and Project Achieve Program who guided me through my undergraduate years.”

Banking on her future Roxanne Hodges Accounting As you might expect, Roxanne Hodges has no trouble accounting for her $20.13. She was an

accounting major, after all. Now she’s hoping her degree gets her a job. Hodges is moving to Dallas and searching for work. She also plans to earn an MBA and sit for the CPA exam. The $20.13 she received came in handy during finals week. Part of it went to a couple of meals to fuel her studies. “I have been studying in either the library or Mammel Hall all day,” she says. That left her with $5 and some change. The former went into the “miscellaneous” ledger; the change joined other precious metals in her piggy bank. “Which will eventually go into my savings account and help me pay off my student loans,” Hodges says. “I started saving change when I was little and it has become a habit.”

Summer fun — then study Roxana Cortes Psychology, Latino/ Latin American Studies, Spanish It’s summer time, and the livin’ has been easy for Roxana Cortes. After that, it’s back to work — and lots of it. “I plan to enjoy the summer with my family since I might not have a lot of time to do that in the next three years,” Cortes says. “In August I will start law school at the University

of Nebraska College of Law.” With that in mind, Cortes spent $8.98 of her $20.13 on “Aleph,” a book by Paulo Coehlo. “Law school students and deans advise the new class to enjoy the summer and do a lot of reading as a preparation for the intense routine, so I figured I’d pick a book I’ve been wanting to read for a while to start that reading marathon,” Cortes says. She also spent $3.30 on a muchneeded cup of Joe. “On Friday I was working and writing my thesis and I needed something to keep me going,” she says. The rest — $7.35 — went toward a weekly planner for her first semester of law school. Summer will be over before she knows it.

Giving thanks Suela Cela Management and Human Resources So kids these days are ungrateful? Not Suela Cela. She’s financially stable, she says, thanks to the help of others. “I have been very lucky to get many scholarships that pay my tuition and fees,” Cela says. A job at UNO helps with other expenses, including rent, groceries and gas. But even before commencement day came, Cela had cause to be

further grateful as graduation gifts began to arrive. So with her $20.13, “The first thing that I bought was a package of thank you cards” for family and friends. After that, Cela treated herself to some study juice to help her through finals week. “Due to long days and hours, I have bought a couple of lattes at the cafeteria to keep my self awake,” she says. “Another day, I decided to leave my studies on hold for a while and go out to lunch with some friends in order to say goodbye to one of them who just left to study in Mexico for a year.” An undergraduate assistant in the U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel Archives, Cela will stay at UNO and pursue a master’s degree in public administration and information science.

Living large with a small-T Brittney Thompson Management/ Marketing Brittney Thompson has plenty of options available after graduating. “Law school — not sure where — stay at UNO and get my master’s in business, or go to the military academy,” she says. Her initial plan was to use the $20.13 to fuel her ride. “But I thought that’d be way too

boring,” Thompson says. Instead, she headed to the mall, where a T-shirt had caught her eye a couple weeks prior. She put $10 toward the $23 purchase. “I justified getting the somewhat expensive T-shirt with the fact that this was free money,” she says. “Otherwise, I would have waited too long to get it and all the smalls would have been gone.” The rest of her stipend did end up in her tank. Boring, perhaps, but it got her where she was going. Now she has to determine where her career is headed.

Working out his future Benjamin Yates Exercise Science Benjamin Yates, UNO Campus Recreation’s student employee of the year, often can be seen leading classes through workouts in the HPER building. Now he’s working out his future. He and his wife in July move to Colorado, where he hopes to find employment as a strength and conditioning coach. His dream is to eventually open his own gym. Getting a bit of extra coin was a help to him and his wife, Lindsay, a 2012 UNO art education graduate. Both work part-time jobs. “Money is rather tight and the majority of our

income goes to rent, groceries, gas and other bills,” he says. “I combined the $20.13 with birthday money to purchase something I would never have money for during the rest of the year — a wireless powermat used to charge electrical devices such as cell phones or music players.”

If at first you don’t succeed … Raechel Meyer Graphic Design Turns out spending $20.13 isn’t as easy as it sounds — at least when you’re trying to spend that exact amount. “I made three attempts at this, missing the mark every single time,” says Raechel Meyer, a graphic designer in UNO’s Academic and Career Development Center. “Through this process I realized that when I set out to spend $20, I manage to save myself about two to three dollars. I’m not sure what kind of shopper that makes me, but the idea was fun.” Meyer says she and her husband, Gino, live paycheck to paycheck, “but we afford the things that make us happy.” Her first shot at spending exactly $20.13 came buying birthday gifts for her 2-year-old nephew. But a large drawing pad, crayons

and stickers only got her to $19.00. “I thought I could do better,” she says. Then Gino came down with a 24-hour bug. “The timing was perfect,” said his wife. Raechel would make him his favorite, Italian Wedding soup. But the cash register only rang up $17.84. “I couldn’t believe I undershot it again,” Meyer says. “I made the soup for Gino, of course, but the whole time I was shopping for the ingredients, I was consciously trying to spend as close to $20 as possible. I did not even tempt myself with a candy bar or snack while waiting in line for fear of overshooting the goal.” She went back to the grocery store for her third attempt, filling her cart with the fixins’ for vegetable lasagna. Fail again — thanks to a savings card that dropped her total by $4 to $17.14. “Wow!” she says. “I would have gone over by a single penny.”

From left, Jake Thacker, Suela Cela, Roxana Cortes, Skyler Brooke, Raechel Meyer, Benjamin Yates.

$12,480 UNO grad Bart Vargas’ largest sale to date, for installation of his Trapezoid paintings.

as an Investment

How to make sense of a market in which investors are spending billions By Tom McMahon Hopefully for him, Bart Vargas won’t have to die before he begins making a living. That happens with artists, sometimes. They spend a lifetime creating, but not until they meet their own creator does their work become “valued.” Vargas is a known commodity in the Omaha arts scene and beyond, winning awards and grants, teaching at UNO, and even showing his work at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing. But that doesn’t always put money in his pocket. Photo: LaMont Hamilton, Chicago

“As a self-employed artist, I struggle to make a living solely by my art,” says Vargas, a 2007 UNO graduate. “Sales are few and far between, and the income is unpredictable. I have four galleries that I work with, three in the Midwest and one in New York. “Last year, sales were minimal.” So maybe now is the time to invest in Bart Vargas. Buy low, sell high. “If you believe in an artist’s talent, skill, education and perseverance, you have the potential to purchase works that will increase in value as his or her career progresses,” Vargas says. Some investors are doing just that — even as the U.S. economy was in free-fall. The

market for contemporary art has outperformed the Standard and Poor’s list of 500 common stocks every year since 2003. In 2011, Qatar’s royal family set a record for the most ever paid for a piece of art — $250 million for a Cézanne. In the first half of 2012, auction house Christie’s sold $3.5 billion in art, up 11 percent from the previous year.

he had not anticipated. As his intrigue grew, Schrager connected with Klaus Kertess, a prominent New York City art dealer.

This boom, though, is somewhat misleading, says UNO assistant art professor Adrian Duran. “You inflate the price when you sell [and] auction houses bid on the piece to raise the stakes,” Duran says. “It is tricking the market.”

Still, acknowledges Duran, there are people who see art as a commodity to be bought and sold, like stock, land or pork bellies. Some investors stockpile art pieces and dump them when the market is prime.

So where does that leave everyday investors?

But that can backfire.

“You can knock it out of the park if you buy what you like and get lucky,” Duran says, “but expecting to make a fortune is a delusion.

“An artist who is hot now might soon be dead in the water,” Duran says. “There are trends in contemporary art. Unless you know the trends or are incredibly lucky, it is a crapshoot. Prices move up and down quite quickly, especially with young artists.”

“Unless you are on the inside or really good it, it’s like walking to the dog track expecting to become a millionaire. The odds are stacked against you.”

Love it or leave it

Most collectors, Duran says, buy art because they like it. Making money is secondary. Such was the case with the late Phil Schrager, a well-known Omaha businessman and founder of Pacesetter Corp., a home improvement company that would reach $100 million in annual revenues. Schrager, who died in 2010, was philanthropically generous. At UNO he established the Pacesetter Leadership Scholarship Program, which has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships to students since 1982. He also was one of Omaha’s greatest art collectors. Janet Farber, director of the Phillip Schrager Collection of Contemporary Art, will not release its value but says the collection contains more than 350 pieces. Known as one of the region’s finest, it includes works by Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns.

“He knew he needed help in order to get a sense of the art market. With Kertess, he explored studios and galleries in New York for several years until he became confident of his own ability.”

$ 11.7

million

Gallery Green

Cost to construct UNO’s Weber Fine Arts Building, dedicated in 1992.

Investment advice

Financial advisor and UNO graduate Tim Harrison (1997) thinks investing in art can be profitable and has clients who do so. His advice? Invest no more than 5 percent of net worth in art unless it is your business — and only do so if you have a passion for art and know the market. “It is like coins or stamps,” says the owner of Harrison Financial Services. “Investors who know the market can potentially make money. But if you don’t, the odds against it are high.” And art, he points out, has the disadvantage of not being liquid, can be expensive to insure, and does not produce dividends. Duran advises those interested in art investment to tour galleries and find out where artists are. And if you are serious or find yourself becoming addicted, find an expert who knows the market.

Farber says Schrager did not buy art to make money. “Phil was driven by his eye for art, a certain beauty in pieces. On the other hand, he was aware it took capital and was a financial investment.” He generally sold pieces when he tired of them, sometimes with the intent of making a profit. Others Schrager donated or gave as gifts.

As for advice from the “not-quite starving artist” Vargas, the UNO graduate recommends purchasing “works you want to live with.”

He began collecting in the 1970s. Farber says Schrager became intrigued by art in a way

“It might be worthless someday to anyone else but you.”

“Since an artwork’s value can be subjective, think through your art purchases carefully before you invest in them. Their value may not increase.

Denise Brady, UNO Art Gallery coordinator, says most customers looking to buy the gallery’s pieces do not have dollar signs in their eyes. “I can’t say that I’ve talked to anyone in the gallery who bought work to make money,” Brady says. “Our visitors buy work for various reasons, but mostly because they like the work and want to have it and/or want to support and encourage the artist to keep working.” The UNO gallery features student and contemporary artists with regional and national reputations. Brady says its mission is to expose students to the exhibition experience and to contemporary art. The gallery averages 4,500 visitors each year. That includes shows, receptions, walk-ins, lectures and other events. Sales last year ranged from $20 to several thousand dollars per piece. Total receipts in 2012-13 were a gallery-record $20,000 from six shows. Most sales are for works by students.

$72,600 Average mid-career salary of a UNO graduate. University of NebraskaLincoln average is $70,500; University of Nebraska at Kearney, $61,400.

For many first-year college students, choosing a major comes down to a philosophical question:

Do I do what makes me happy — or what makes me money?

Major Money

A good question, perhaps, for a philosophy major (insert lame philosophy major joke here).

By Matt Goodlett

Turns out, however, that if you give them enough time, philosophy majors do quite well, thank you. According to a Payscale.com report for 2012 to 2013, the starting median salary for an undergraduate philosophy major is $39,000. By mid-career, however, a philosophy major’s median salary doubles to $81,000, 16th best among the top 50 degree majors. That puts philosophy ahead of accounting, architecture, IT and others. For some, then, a major can make you happy and money. At UNO, according to a survey of 456 graduates from 2006 to 2011, 52.6 percent were in a job highly related to their major and 22.1 percent had a job moderately related to their major. Of those who graduated in December 2012, 70 percent received job offers related to their field of study. But how does a student know which major to pick? Students at UNO can select from 127 bachelor’s degree programs, 45 master’s programs, six doctoral programs and two specialist’s degree programs, after all. Here’s a look at various aspects of choosing a major.

$81,200 Give It to the Intern A degree is important to landing a job, but students should also consider acquiring practical knowledge and training while they’re in college. “An advanced degree with experience is going to take you further than just an advanced degree,” says Jessica Wolff, director of Career Services at UNO. “If you can make sure during college that you’re pursuing those volunteer opportunities, internship experiences, full-time experiences, that’s going to make you a more well-rounded candidate and that will increase your earnings potential.” And interns these days are valuable team members — not just gofers fetching the boss a cup of coffee. Legal Aid Nebraska, for instance, has used several

interns from UNO’s English department to write case stories for the organization.

Median salary of philosophy majors 15 years after graduation, according to PayScale.com in 2008. Figure ranks 16th out of 50 majors.

“It’s been immediately helpful for us in terms of helping to raise funds to do our work, making folks aware of the work that we’re doing so folks know to call us if they need help,” says Dave Pantos, Legal Aid Nebraska executive director. Pantos said last year the Omaha Press Club gave Legal Aid Nebraska an award for their annual report, which included content written by UNO English students. He says the students are able to communicate the cases in ways that his lawyers can’t, and they’ve helped spread the word about the work that is happening at Legal Aid Nebraska to a national audience.

Debating the Debt Even a math major might have a difficult time seeing how some degree programs add up. In February, for instance, the Omaha World-Herald ran a story about Omaha’s Creative Center, where students leave with the most student loan debt in the country — more even than Yale, Harvard or Stanford. The design school students there graduate after two years with a median debt of $52,035. The starting salary for a graphic designer is around $36,000 — and it’s a competitive field. Is the juice worth the squeeze? At UNO it certainly seems so. Among graduating students, 44 percent leave UNO with no debt. And according to one survey, 60 percent of all UNO alumni with student loan debt report balances of less than $5,000. A great education at a great cost — that’s major news. And many UNO grads, it appears, land jobs to help pay off loans quickly. Jessica Wolff, director of Career Services at UNO, points to a new exit survey of UNO graduates to get a sense of their starting salaries. Though the sample size was smaller than they prefer, the average starting salary of those responding came to about $43,000. “Those salaries are going to differ,” Wolff says. “A student graduating from college can expect to make anywhere from $30,000 to $50,000.”

CNN/Fortune Senior Editor Pattie Sellers interviewed Warren Buffett on campus during April 29-May 3 “Buffett Week.”

$ 14.25

Getting Philosophical

million

Total paid in federal and state taxes by UNO employees in 2012. UNO is metro area’s 16th largest employer.

Think a degree in philosophy is a waste of money? At the University of LouisianaLafayette, the program itself wasted away. Due to low student interest, the university axed its philosophy program. Not so at UNO. The program is alive and well with 53 majors, significantly up over the last 10 years. With good reason, perhaps. According to Rutgers University, philosophy majors score higher than any others on the LSAT law school entrance exam. The key often is to think long-term with a degree. UNO English professor and internships coordinator Kristen Girten, believes that the long-term benefits of an English degree also are overlooked. “An English major may not graduate and enter into a high-paying job immediately,” Girten says, “but over the course of their career could in fact become a leader in his or her career as a result of the kinds of creativity and leadership foundations that the liberal arts degree provide.”

Going back for more Newsflash: an advanced degree boost often leads to a pay boost. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic, on average, employers will pay 15 percent more to those who hold a master’s degree than those with a bachelor’s degree. That’s nothing new, though, to Bill Swanson, director of UNO’s Executive MBA program. “I can think of a handful of situations within the last year or so where individuals who have completed our program or are near completion of our program have not only received promotions, but have received substantial increases in pay,” Swanson says. UNO’s Executive MBA program gives students an opportunity that only a handful of college’s within the country offer. As part of

the program, students are sponsored by and provide business consulting to companies in other countries. The Executive MBA program is a graduate business program tailored to working professionals. Coursework is delivered on weekends throughout an 18-month stretch. The program is ideal even for those whose undergraduate degrees may have nothing to do with business. “In today’s world, people who don’t have what I’d call formal business education can lend themselves to some different types of approaches to making decisions within an organization and help it be successful,” Swanson says. Among the examples is Dr. Josette GordonSimet, a 2012 graduate of UNO’s Executive

MBA program and in private practice as a physician for 11 years with Alegent Creighton Clinic. As she neared completion of the program last year, she was offered a management position and now is associate medical director of Midlevel Providers. Since graduation she also has joined the board of directors of Girls Inc. Gordon-Simet came to the EMBA program without formal business training. Before she was done, though, she had traveled to the Dominican Republic for her class consulting project. “I can always utilize that international experience in my current job just allowing me to negotiate and in general with managing others,” she says. “It was just a fantastic opportunity.”

Network, Diversify Dr. Josette Gordon-Simet, a 2012 graduate of UNO’s Executive MBA program, says one of the benefits of her EMBA was networking with individuals from various industries and developing lifelong business connections with classmates. Networking and diversified experience, combined with her talent for communication, paid off for Eileen Davis while getting her MA in English at UNO. She applied for a position at Union Pacific Railroad during a UNO career fair, landed her job in corporate communications at U.P. and has been there for 13 years. Davis worked at the Gateway newspaper as a student and one of her faculty advisors was working at U.P. Davis said that five weeks of HTML coding for a class might have been what set her apart from other candidates. Davis’s professors also helped her get a fellowship and then a scholarship, which she says paid for her education at UNO. She believes that her degree allowed her to be more versatile to employers. “I think having a liberal arts education teaches you research skills and it helps you develop original approaches to problem-solving,” Davis said. Davis says the ability to communicate both verbally and in writing are attractive to employers no matter what your degree. “When you can do it on paper and you can do it in person, people will acknowledge that and will want you to come work for them.” Davis says corporate communications pays relatively well but said, “You know if it were all about the money, I guess we’d all be working on Wall Street, but if you enjoy what you’re doing it doesn’t matter how much money you make.”

One Major, Many Paths A liberal arts education can lead in many directions. Those unfamiliar with the English major may believe that teaching is the only career open to them.

“You get that experience from working in the real world,” Simons says. “Then again, if you get a business degree you don’t get much creative experience.”

Will Simons co-founded Omahype.com in 2010, four years after graduating from UNO. Prior to that he was the editor at a startup focused on social media and marketing. Before that he was the managing editor at a weekly newspaper.

That might soon be remedied.

All of that started with an internship while he majored in English. Today, Simmons is something of an entrepreneur focused solely on his cultural and calendar website Omahype and finds himself routinely selling advertisements to businesses. Simons says his journalism experience and English degree are what landed him the job with the marketing firm, which produces online content for a range of industries. “They were looking for a creative type to do that job, rather than someone who was strictly into business and business-minded,” Simons says. “They wanted an editor who was creative and had journalism experience, and that was a lot more enticing to them than someone who used to be head of marketing somewhere.” Simons credits working at the marketing firm with developing in him more of a business mind, which he’s applying to Omahype.

According to a USA Today article, 35 business schools are seeking to partner with liberal arts colleges to provide a broader based education for their graduates. Bill Swanson, director of UNO’s Executive MBA program, and UNO English professor and internships coordinator Kristen Girten are in talks to combine business and English programs in ways. Says Girten: “There is a general consensus that we’re in a different economic landscape today than we were even five years ago. I think there’s also a general consensus that what is going to rescue us and allow us to endure in the longterm is creativity.” Swanson also sees the value of the liberal arts from a business perspective. “I think a strong liberal arts education, particularly with areas of critical thinking, with areas of understanding the human psyche and the communications piece are extremely important as we hit the global marketplace to not only compete with organizations within our own country, but across the globe,” Swanson says.

Advice… Various bits of wisdom related to choosing a major.

$39,000 Typical starting salary for a UNO graduate, according to PayScale.com.

Be happy Salary should not be the only consideration when choosing a major. Students pursuing degrees in areas that they are not passionate about are less likely to have higher GPAs and more likely to switch majors midstream. Take your time Don’t pick a major too early. There’s no requirement that says you must pick a major before starting college. Talk with faculty and students in the majors that interest you. Take different majors for a “test spin” with field-related classes. Jessica Wolff says college is sometimes more about the learning process and helping students to learn how to think differently. She said, “It doesn’t matter if you come to college undecided. You can explore general education classes, first-year experience class or a freshman seminar. Students should make an informed decision knowing themselves and what their values are and try to align that with a major that might help them explore something that they’re passionate about, that would also lead to a meaningful career after they graduate.”

Explore The UNO Counseling Center offers students a Career Interest Inventory and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to help them determine a major. The UNO Career Center also offers various tools, including Myplan.com and others to help those seeking a career choice and major to get them there. The U.S. Department of Labor also offers a site, CareerOneStop.org, with tools for students and job seekers.

Major Money Want a major that pays? Better be good at math, if PayScale.com’s list of the 10 top money-making majors is any indication.

Major Starting Mid-Career Salary Salary 1 Petroleum Engineering $98,000 $163,000 2 Aerospace Engineering $62,500 $118,000 3 Actuarial Mathematics $56,100 $112,000 4 Chemical Engineering $67,500 $111,000 5 Nuclear Engineering $66,800 $107,000 6 Electrical Engineering $63,400 $106,000 7 Computer Engineering $62,700 $105,000 8 Applied Mathematics $50,800 $102,000 9 Computer Science $58,400 $100,000 10 Statistics $49,300 $99,500

25¢ Federal minimum wage hourly rate when first established in 1938. Current federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.

Photo: Beltrami Studios

Want more? Spend less.

By Rick Davis

$102,000

It was a typical suburban scene. UNO graduates Joshua and Kim (Easdale) Becker were spending the day spring cleaning at their four-bedroom house in Vermont.

Sushi sales at UNO in 2011-12.

Kim was inside, Joshua in the garage, and their 5-year-old son was playing alone in the backyard. As the hours and the clutter from the garage piled up, Joshua saw his neighbor approach. “Hey, have you ever thought about minimalism?” she asked. The moment provided an epiphany for the 1997 banking and finance graduate-turned pastor. Becker now recalls,

I had never thought about living with less stuff. Like many, we were always chasing more and more. Becoming Minimalist That conversation in 2008 led the Becker family on a lifechanging path.

is so much better without all the stuff.’ It really became my motivation.”

Today Joshua is a self-described minimalist and the author of two books on the subject, “Simplify” and “Living with Less.” His blog — becomingminimalist — has more than 150,000 readers a month. He speaks on the subject frequently as a presenter, and the Beckers have shared their story on CBS Evening News and National Public Radio.

Next, Joshua and Kim turned their attention inside, decluttering room by room. Joshua started waking up early to spend an hour or so selecting items to sell or give away before heading to work. Within a month and a half, their first sweep of the house was complete.

“I define minimalism as the intentional promotion of everything I value, and the removal of everything that distracts me from it,” Becker says during a phone interview from the family’s home in Peoria, Ariz. — an intentionally smaller home from their former place in Vermont.

Not that it was all easy. It required tough decisions on some items — and an even more difficult introspection.

He still vividly remembers that day in the garage — and his son playing alone. “I remember thinking, ‘What am I doing spending all of my energy taking care of things that I own, while I’m neglecting what’s most important to me?” He immediately told his wife, Kim, a 2000 UNO graduate, about his conversation with the neighbor. She liked the idea. That night, Joshua, a pastor with the Christian and Missionary Alliance, began his transformation. He started small, cleaning out the family’s minivan and car of old sunglasses, CDs and fast-food children’s toys before pulling them into the garage. “It was a very simple first step,” Becker recalls. “Yet, as soon as I sat in my car the next morning, I thought, ‘This

“In getting rid of stuff, I was finding more and more freedom in owning less.”

“The first vanload of stuff to Goodwill was easy; so was the second,” Becker says. “But by the third and fourth vanload, I started to ask myself some pretty hard questions: ‘Why did I have all this stuff? What was I hoping to gain in my life?’ “And I think you begin to discover some of the motivations behind your purchases.” For some, that may be trying to keep up with or impress a neighbor, friend or family member; for others, perhaps, an attempt to fill a void in their lives. “These are helpful things to know as you go forward and try to live a more intentional life,” Becker says. Becker says he now is more careful about his purchases. He will replace things as they wear out — shoes, for example. “But if it comes to something new, I usually have a pretty good reason why I need it,” he explains. “Not ‘I want it,’ but I legitimately need it.”

$1,100 Average spent by college students during 2010 spring break, according to BillShrink.com. Less than half of that was spent on lodging and transportation.

Lessons from Hoarding Distinguishing “wants” from “needs” is an important skill, says UNO professor of social work Christiana Bratiotis, whose research explores the opposite end of the spectrum — hoarding and hoarders. “We need to examine needs versus wants,” Bratiotis says, “And that’s a hard thing to do,” both for those who have a hoarding disorder and those who don’t.

Christiana Vratiotis

For her clients suffering from hoarding disorder, Bratiotis tries to challenge their “problematic thoughts” about objects through a series of questions, such as:

• How many do I already have? • How many is enough? • When is the last time I used it? • Could I get it again if I needed it? “It’s interesting because many of us consumers — those without hoarding disorder — might benefit by challenging ourselves with those same questions.” In addressing a hoarding disorder or in seeking a more minimalistic life, it’s the questioning of ourselves that brings about change.

Do the things I have bring me joy? If I didn’t have them, would I be OK? “’Do the things I have bring me joy? If I didn’t have them, would I be OK? Why would I use it? Do I have a plan for that item?’ These are hard questions,” Bratiotis says. “Living simply is about asking the hard questions.”

Interested in Minimalism? Becker advises to start small with items that don’t hold great personal attachment (think magazine rack over personal photos). And get them out of your house. That will give you “a new energy … to take the next step and the next step.”

Want to Live Lean? In a paper published in 2010 in the Journal of Consumer Research, professors from Cornell and the State University of New York found that people buy more junk food when paying with credit cards.

Bratiotis offers some suggestions from her hoarding research that may apply generally to all consumers. One is a cooling-off period. She suggests trying to avoid purchasing items “on the spot.” “Our strongest attachment to an item is when we are near it and can touch it,” she explains. “Give yourself some distance from the item. Go home and go back the next day.” And that relates to the “needs” versus “wants.” “It’s OK to have a certain amount of things,” Bratiotis says. “But we really need to slow down our impulses and be more mindful. We need to set rules for ourselves.” One of the “rules” she suggests for some with hoarding disorder is a cash-only rule. “Many hoarders are inclined to buy with credit cards and debit cards,” she says. “We need to slow down that urge.”

The Credit Crunch Paying with cash is the rule in the Clayton household. Chris Clayton graduated from UNO in 2006 with a master’s degree in architectural engineering. “Paying with cash helps us budget because it’s simple,” says Clayton, a husband and father of three young children. “If you don’t have enough money for something, you don’t buy it.” Clayton and his wife, Rachel, began paying primarily in cash about five years ago — using an envelope system. “The envelopes are designed for different line items in our budget, including groceries, clothing, entertainment, vehicle maintenance and others,” Clayton explains. They review and, if necessary, adjust the amounts they put in each envelope monthly. The only catch: “If you don’t have enough in the envelope for whatever you would like to buy, you have to wait until you have enough saved up.” In going cash-only, the Claytons are bucking a national trend.

Debt in the USA. The percentage of U.S. households holding some form of debt declined from 74 percent to 69 percent between 2000 and 2011. However, over that same period, the median amount of household debt increased from $50,971 to $70,000 in inflation-adjusted dollars. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Take Five. The Federal Reserve offers these five tips for getting the most from your credit card. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Pay on time. Stay below your credit limit. Avoid unnecessary fees. Pay more than the minimum payment. W atch for changes in the terms of your account.

$ 16.78 trillion

U.S. national debt on the day of UNO’s spring commencement May 5, 2013. Or, $53,000 per graduate.

Rachel and Chris Clayton along with their two daughters

Paying with cash helps us budget because it’s simple. If you don’t have enough money for something, you don’t buy it. According to a 2012 Rasmussen Report, 43 percent of American adults have gone through a full week without ever paying for anything with cash or coins. That doesn’t mean the Claytons aren’t on to something. An MIT study found that in transactions involving potentially high value, a consumer’s willingness to pay can be increased — as much as 100 percent — when they are instructed to use a credit card instead of cash. And while the Federal Reserve reports that the proportion of American families carrying a credit card balance fell nearly 7 percentage points between 2007 and 2010, a study recently published in the journal Economic Inquiry paints a gloomy picture for younger credit card holders. According to the study, credit card holders in their late 20s and early 30s risk dying in debt if they don’t change their spending habits. “Our projections are that the typical credit card holder among younger Americans who keep a balance will die still owing money on their cards,” says Lucia Dunn, a co-author of the study and a professor of economics at Ohio State University.

Back to the Basics Becker, the minimalist, says living a simpler life can help ease the financial strain on individuals and families. “It’s a lot cheaper to live when you’re buying less and you’re owning less.” He says even some of his blog readers who are downsizing more by financial necessity than by choice have come to see the benefits of minimalistic living. “I like to say it frees us up to pursue our passions,” Becker says. “It frees us up to pursue what we really find most important, and no one ever defines that as owning more stuff.”

TALKING ’BOUT MY GENERATION Your view of money is influenced by the generation in which you grew up, according to Ken Mayer, who teaches managerial statistics and business demography at UNO. Members of the G.I. Generation, labeled the Greatest Generation by journalist Tom Brokaw, were teenagers and young adults during the Great Depression and World War II. “The plight of their parents profoundly impacted their view of money,” Mayer says. “They tended to be very careful, conservative, and they tended to be savers. “The Baby Boomers really came of age in an era of relative affluence, so they didn’t see money in quite the same way.” So what about this generation — those whose formative years have been shaped by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the Iraq War and the Great Recession? “You are having grandchildren who are having similar experiences to their grandparents. I think you’re going to see this generation — those in college, the young adults — being similarly cautious with money.” In addition, because they’ve seen the housing market collapse, Mayer believes this generation will be more cautious homebuyers. “The 25- to 34-year-olds are now living in major cities at about twice the rate that they are moving to the suburbs. This is a significant change. And it reflects a kind of lifestyle that was more like their grandparents.”

$0 Amount of debt of 44% of UNO students upon graduation. And according to one survey, 60% of all UNO alumni report balances less than $5,000.

COSTof C the

$6,511 Undergraduate tuition & fees to attend UNO full time for one year — the most affordable among Nebraska’s 11 universities and colleges.* *Omaha World-Herald

COLLEGE By Kevin Warneke

Eleven years of payments to go. Ten years ago, Kelly Gitt left the University of Nebraska at Omaha with diploma in hand and $30,000 in debt. But with no regrets. “It was a big burden, but I did it on my own,” says Gitt, who owns her own real estate company and two gyms. “Everything I have, I worked for myself.” Gitt enlisted in the U.S. Air Force after high school and attended UNO part time while stationed at Offutt Air Force Base. When her military service ended, she attended UNO full time while also working in the optical department at a Wal-Mart and later as a sales representative for an optical company. She also received financial support for her educational debt through the G.I. Bill. Still, she left college with monthly payments of $218 — and 132 months remain. Yet, she says, her debt pales when compared to her friend, who has $115,000 in student loans. “He’s probably going to be in debt forever,” she says. More than ever, perhaps, the cost of college is drawing complaints — from the White House to houses across the United States.

$ 113

million

Total aid to UNO students in 2011-12 via grants, scholarships/waivers and loans, up from $46.65 million in 2001-02.

UNO is doing better than that, but there are concerns.

1960

Photo: Jeff Beiremann

According to the Institute for College Access & Success, twothirds of the class of 2011 held student loans upon graduation and the average borrower owed $26,600. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, meanwhile, estimates total student loan debt at $1.1 trillion, for the first time topping credit card debt. Student loan debt is second on consumer balance sheets only to the $7.93 trillion in household debt.

The Costs

Nationally, the annual cost for undergraduate tuition, room and board for the 2010-11 academic year was estimated to be $13,600 at public institutions, $36,300 at private not-for-profit institutions, and $23,500 at private for-profit institutions, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. USA Today reported in 2012 that the average tuition at a four-year public university climbed 15 percent between 2008 and 2010, fueled by state budget cuts for higher education and increases of 40 percent and more at universities in states such as Georgia, Arizona and California. At UNO, undergraduate students paid $196.75 per credit hour for in-state tuition during the 2012-13 academic year. That’s $4,722 a year for a full-time load of classes — 12 credits per semester. Out-of-state tuition was $580.50 per credit. UNO’s Office of Financial Aid states that undergraduate students who live on campus can expect to pay $19,320 for tuition and fees, room and board, transportation and personal expenses for the 2013-14 school year. Those living off campus can expect costs of $18,770 and those living at home, $13,760. Non-resident students can expect to spend an additional $10,000. Students participating in UNO’s Metropolitan Advantage Program, which provides tuition at 150 percent of in-state tuition for Iowa residents living in 11 counties in southwest Iowa, pay approximately $2,000 more than those paying in-state tuition. There were 1,000 students enrolled in MAP during 2012-13.

UNO Cre

Mary Guinn Knoll, 1964 graduate

Forty-four percent of UNO students graduate with no debt, says Pelema Morrice, associate vice chancellor of enrollment management.

We are always mindful about debt. We are the most affordable four-year institution in the Omaha region.

$7.5dit0Rate

And don’t forget the books. According to the American Enterprise Institute, college textbook prices are 812 percent higher than they were a little more than three decades ago. The College Board puts the annual cost of books and materials at $1,168.

The Debt

How are all these expenses paid for? Typically, with loans. Nationally, as mentioned, two-thirds of the class of 2011 graduated with debt, that averaging $26,600. According to the White House website College Scorecard, UNO students typically borrow $13,500 in federal loans alone. For comparison, students at UNL typically borrow $19,001 and UNK $13,506. The University of Nebraska is addressing the challenges of college costs and, subsequently, college debt head-on. University of Nebraska President James B. Milliken in a May 3 editorial in the Omaha World-Herald praised an Appropriation Committee’s budget proposal that allows the university system to freeze tuition for Nebraskans for the next two years — saving a typical undergraduate $1,000 over two years. Savings that could mean less debt or fewer hours working and more time studying, he wrote. “This would be a very positive step welcomed by thousands of Nebraska students and their families,” Milliken wrote. “Tuition at each of our campuses is well below the averages of our peer institutions, and we have increased financial aid for those who need it most. As a result, the average debt load of graduates on two of our campuses is the lowest in the peer group.” Rachel Machado, a fourth-year student from Grand Island majoring in foreign languages and literature, expects to leave UNO owing $10,000. A federal Pell Grant covers her tuition; a federal Stafford

$687,000 Textbook rental sales at UNO in 2011-12.

2010

5 $79.7it Rate

Photo: Jeff Beiremann

2000

UNO Cred

Kelly Gitt, 2003 graduate

loan is helping cover her monthly living expenses: $362 for rent, $200 for her car, $60 for gas and $35 for Internet service. She works at Krispy Kreme to offset expenses and, she adds, “I try not to use my credit card.” College debt is nothing new, of course. Mary Guinn Knoll, a 1964 graduate of Omaha University, originally attended college in the 1940s, but left to raise a family. She returned in the 1960s — when tuition cost $7.50 per credit hour — and graduated with a degree in library sciences and an estimated $3,000 debt. If she taught for five years, she recalled, her government loan would be cut in half. She paid off her debt before she entered graduate school. “Remember, my salary was $5,000 at the time,” she says.

Support on the Upswing

Randy Sell, recently retired director of financial aid, estimates that between 80 and 85 percent of UNO students receive some kind of assistance — federal aid, scholarships or work study — to help cover college costs. For the 2011-12 academic year, UNO students received more than $26.5 million in internal and external scholarships or waivers, Sell says. That’s nearly triple the $10.5 million in scholarships and waivers UNO students received in 2001-02. For the coming academic year, UNO offered 950 Regents, Chancellor’s or Deans scholarships. Regents Scholarships — which require an ACT score of 30 or above and a class ranking in the top 25 percent or a minimum of a 3.5 grade-point average — cover full tuition and are renewable for four years by maintaining a minimum 3.25 GPA. Chancellor’s Scholarships provide $2,200 in tuition remission for four academic years and Deans Scholarships provide $1,000 per year.

$170.50 UNO Credit Rate

Rachel Machado, forth-year student

Between 50 and 55 percent of students who are offered Regents Scholarships actually attend UNO, says Jean Phillips, assistant director of financial aid. About 30 percent of students offered the other two types of scholarships accept and attend UNO.

A Head Start to Savings Deborah Smith-Howell, associate vice chancellor for academic and student affairs, says students can start cutting their college costs even before they step onto campus. High school students can knock off college courses by earning advanced placement credit or taking dual credit courses while in high school.

“I know of students who come to UNO as sophomores,” Smith-Howell says. “Then, when they get to UNO they Deborah Smith-Howell might take advantage of accelerated degree programs, which allow students to receive double credit for courses in some programs.”

Dual Enrollment By taking a dual enrollment course in UNO’s program, a student receives high school and college credit for the same course. The feet at UNO is $250 — about 25 percent the current cost for tuition and fees. In 2003 — the first year it was offered — 277 high school students participated in UNO’s dual enrollment program, says Kelly Malone, assistant director for dual enrollment. About 3,800 high school students were enrolled in the 2011-2012 academic year and even more in 2012-13.

$286 million

UNO’s 2012-13 operating budget.

International Impact When Asha Adhikari went looking for a graduate program in public administration, she considered “name” schools like Syracuse, Connecticut, Florida State and George Mason. She chose UNO. “UNO offered me the best deal,” says Adhikari, a May graduate from Nepal. Not all those make it to UNO. Of the 1,082 high school seniors enrolled in UNO’s dual enrollment program during 2011-12, 372 attended the university.

Advanced Placement Morrice says UNO accepted 2,100 hours of AP transfer credit for the 2012-13 academic year. UNO participates in the AP program of the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB). Nearly three-dozen courses are available for high school students to take. A maximum of 32 hours of credit may apply toward graduation. Certain scores are required on each AP exam to earn UNO credit. Any AP test score of five also gains a credit for Honors Program members, up to a maximum of 10 credits.

Accelerated Degree Programs

Hesham Ali

UNO also offers several accelerated degree programs. For instance, students who opt for the accounting department’s BSBA-Master’s program can take two classes that count toward undergraduate and graduate credit, says department Chair Susan Eldridge. The program has grown in popularity during the past 20 years and currently has 17 students enrolled, she says.

The College of Information Science and Technology started an accelerated degree program three years ago and now offers computer science, information systems and information assurance students an opportunity to earn their bachelor’s and master’s degrees in five years instead of the traditional six. The desire is to help students cut costs while taking advantage of classes that overlap, says Hesham Ali, college dean. “We received feedback that our students planned on getting their master’s anyway,” Ali says, “For that group, the ability to speed up the process closes the deal for them.” Such students typically can save between $10,000 and $15,000 through the program, he says. Some could save even more with AP or dual enrollment credits. Smith-Howell says more accelerated degree programs are being discussed for UNO.

Adhikari received UNO’s Advantage Scholarship, which meant she paid in-state tuition. Merry Ellen Turner, director of UNO’s International Programs, says her office awarded 78 full or partial scholarships for the 2012-13 academic year. Other UNO academic programs have discretion to award similar scholarships at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Such relief is especially helpful for international students, who receive no break on tuition. At UNO, undergraduate tuition alone for an international student would run $14,000 for two semesters, says Lori Arias, assistant director of International Student Services. If they were to spend six years at UNO getting an undergraduate and graduate degree, the total bill for tuition, living expenses, etc., could come to $170,000. Yet, she says, few international students can secure loans and have limited work opportunities. Citing statistics from the Institute of International Education, Turner says 64 percent of international students nationwide are supported financially by family or personal funds, 22 percent by U.S. colleges or universities, 8 percent by miscellaneous sources that include the private sector and 6 percent by the students’ government or university in their home countries. Many of UNO’s international students are sponsored by the governments of Saudi Arabia, Oman and Brazil, Turner says, so UNO exceeds the 6 percent nationwide figure of funding coming from students’ government in their home countries. Saudi Hassan Almokhreq, for instance, qualified to study abroad under the King Abullah Foreign Scholarship Program. The program covers his tuition, living expenses and insurance. The program also pays for him to return home every nine months. He chose UNO over universities in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and Malaysia. That was good not just for UNO, but for Omaha. Through the tuition payments they remit, the groceries they buy, the rent they pay, etc., UNO’s international students have an annual estimated economic impact of $50 million on the greater Omaha community, Turner says. According to IIE statistics, international students in the United States impact the U.S. economy to the tune of $22 billion each year. During the 2011-12 academic year — the most recent year for which statistics are available — 1,759 international students attended UNO, Turner says. They came from 131 countries, with Saudi Arabia and China the most prevalent.

$ 254 million

Direct and indirect effect on local economy of UNO employees.

Advice Morrice, the associate vice chancellor responsible for enrollment management, offered advice for parents and their children to save on college costs. These suggestions, he says, are based on data gleaned from tracking graduating classes at UNO: • Students who are involved and engaged in campus events are highly likely to graduate in four to five years. Fewer years means fewer payments. • Students who live on campus are more likely to get involved in campus and more likely to graduate.

says Susan Eldridge, accounting department chair, “but actually it’s a heck of a lot more than a nickel.”

Save Sarah Sims and her husband, Rob, are years away from thinking about things such as dual enrollment courses and advanced placement credit hours for their three children, all of whom are 5 and under. For now, Sims tries to tuck away at least $100 per month in mutual funds for college expenses.

“Proximity matters,” Morrice says. “Closeness matters.”

“It’s going to be difficult to save enough for their college,” says Sims, who received her master’s degree from UNO in community counseling in 2006, “but we’re going to try.”

That said, following are a few suggestions from some of our “Cost of College” sources on how to make paying for college a bit easier.

It was a lesson learned by 1964 UNO graduate Mary Guinn Knoll, who says saving is even easier today with automatic withdrawal and educational savings trusts.

Give wisely

“We didn’t travel to Europe like our friends did,“ Knoll says. “We needed to save so our boys could go to college. So we did.”

Instead of springing for Christmas and birthday presents for grandchildren, make donations to their college funds. “You can give them a toy that will end up in the toy box in a few weeks,” says Randy Sell, director of financial aid, “or help pay for college.”

Speak up “No one talked about money in my family,” says 2003 UNO graduate Kelly Gitt. That practice led her to realize too late that paying for college would fall on her shoulders. “Talk with your children early on about money — and how to manage it,” she says.

Who pays … and for what? Parents, be clear with your children about exactly what you will cover in their college costs. Say your child fails a class. Who pays for it? Be clear so your children know the consequences for their actions. “It’s your nickel,”

Advance When in doubt, encourage high school students to take advanced placement tests, says Kelly Malone, assistant director of UNO’s Dual Enrollment Program. A low score on a placement test does not follow the student to UNO. At the very least, taking the test helps prepare a student for college-level examinations.

Be early File your FAFSA — Free Application for Federal Student Aid — and apply for college admission by April 1. “We can give you your best aid package if you apply by the April 1 deadline,” says Jean Phillips, assistant director, financial aid. “Remember, we don’t know you until you apply.”

UNO resident tuition at the start of each decade Tuition from 1910 through 1940 was based on a flat semester fee for full-time students. Per-credit figures shown are based on semester rate divided by 12 credit hours.

1910 $2.50

1970 $15.00

1920 $3.33

1980 $26.50

1930 $6.25

1990 $45.25

1940 $4.91

2000 $79.75

1950 $6.00

2010 $170.50

1960 $7.50

$28,427 Average spent on weddings and related events in 2012, according to survey of 17,500 couples by wedding website TheKnot.com. The highest since 2008.

5 Tips

Money & Marriage

1 Be honest from Day 1

Before you get married, talk about your current financial situation and your expectations about money. Lay it all out there — including credit scores, student loan debt, account balances, and how you generally handle money.

2 Set a budget

Designate categories that include non-negotiables like rent/mortgage and utilities, long-term goals like a house or retirement, and incidentals like lunch and an evening out. Build a cushion. While it’s wise to keep your eye on retirement, it’s also important to put a little away for the proverbial rainy day. Keep some liquid savings available to ease the stress, whether you have a medical issue or an ailing appliance.

3 Track expenses

Websites like Mint.com and Buxfer and software such as Quicken simplify budgeting and make it easy to track your income, spending and account balances.

No matter how many years you’ve been together, it’s critical to talk about money matters. Pick a neutral time and place to have a dialogue about any issues that surface.

5 Wave the white flag If navigating financial waters doesn’t come easily, call on a professional. Meet such a person together with an open mind.

Photo: Nicole (Zych) Ferguson (’04)

4 Talk

$70,000 Median household debt in 2011, according to U.S. Census Bureau — up from $50,971 in 2000 in inflation-adjusted dollars.

For Richer, For Poorer For couples of any age, money matters can make — or break — a marriage By Susan Houston Klaus

From the moment they met, bells were ringing for Megan Schmitz and Matt Nelson. The two were UNO freshmen at the time, campaigning at UNO’s Henningson Campanile for student government openings. Both won senator seats, both eventually graduated and, this June, both were married — to each other (Matt proposed under the campanile). But even before the wedding bells could toll, Megan and Matt started discussing finances. Fortunately, they say, their money management styles are as compatible as their personalities. “We’re fairly similar in the way we want to spend money,” Megan (’11) says. “A lot of it came from how we were raised. We both came from middle-class families and definitely had the chance to learn the value of money at a young age and how it was important to spend your money wisely.”

$ 339

million

Carrying value of land and buildings on UNO’s financial statements ($308 million is buildings).

Chasing ‘harmoney’

Not all couples share the same financial values, though. And getting on the same page about finances is crucial to the health of a marriage, says Bob Thome, a 1977 UNO graduate who has a private counseling practice in Omaha. “Dealing with money issues is a universal topic for couples,” Thome says. “But, generally, one person is more conservative and the other is more liberal in how they want to spend or save.”

Finances are one of the last areas that some couples iron out before they get married. They’re willing to share time, lives, a home and a bedroom. But when it comes to money, they say, ‘That’s serious.’ A recent survey conducted by Omaha-headquartered TD Ameritrade and LearnVest showed just how much of a hot button money is for couples. Forty percent of respondents said they don’t completely trust their partner to manage their combined finances. And the average couple discusses money less than two times a month and fights over money, on average, five times a year. The incidence for financial discord has a correlation with income level, says Mary Ann Powell, chair of the UNO department of sociology/ anthropology. “As a rule, lower-income situations are more stressful to marriage,” Powell says. “If you marry at an older age and are emotionally mature, there’s a lower chance of having problems you can’t resolve. But lowerincome individuals tend to marry earlier.” That, Powell says, may bring into the marriage pressures of doing more with less. The trend of middle-class Americans waiting longer to get married, however, indicates a positive impact on their financial harmony. “In the 1950s and ’60s, marriage was part of the experience of becoming an adult,” says Dan Hawkins, UNO associate professor of sociology.

“Now, it’s a capstone experience for many people. You’ve completed your education, started a career, bought a house and it’s time to get married. That can probably only be good for financial stability.”

Conversations crucial In any household — regardless of age or income — finances can be a constant source of friction. While statistics show that money problems aren’t a direct cause of why couples divorce, a lack of communication about finances is. “Most couples, as they start out, don’t really talk about finances,” says Joseph Bertinetti, professor emeritus in the UNO department of counseling. “They talk about other things, like what they want to do with their lives. Marriage doesn’t come with an instruction manual. Couples need to learn how to communicate before they have problems.” For Schmitz and Nelson, money conversations were a key part of their marriage preparation. Before they walked down the aisle, they agreed on how they’ll pool their finances and make decisions about spending. “We absolutely have goals to pay off our student loans,” Nelson (’12) says, “and we’re hoping most of our savings will result in a nice down payment on a house in the next couple of years.” Tackling debt early is one step in building a successful relationship. A 2009 study by the National Marriage Project examined the impact of consumer debt on a marriage. More debt increases the likelihood a couple will fight over money matters, and over time become less happy in their marriage. More assets, though, strengthen the ties between spouses. And newlyweds who paid off debt they brought into their marriage or acquired early on had lower declines in marital quality over time. Alumni Alexandra (’10) and Matt (’07) Cade have seen that firsthand. “We came out of college like most graduates, with debt,” Matt says. “When we got married, we had more debt than most college graduates make their first year.” Through their church, they signed up for “Financial Peace,” a nine-week money management course created by radio host Dave Ramsey. What they learned proved to be life-changing for the Cades. Eight months after they got married, they had paid off their student loan debt, two car loans, credit card balances, and loans to family for wedding expenses.

Marriage counseling at UNO The UNO Community Counseling Clinic offers confidential counseling services, including marital and couples counseling. Services are free to UNO faculty, staff and students and available at low cost to those in the Omaha community. The UNO College of Education counseling department provides the clinic service, staffing it with advanced,

graduate-level counseling students under faculty supervision. For 2011-12, student counselors provided more than 1,000 hours of counseling to 215 clients. After completing practicum in the clinic, UNO counseling students serve 600 hours of internship in the community.

For 2011-12, 63 graduates combined to offer more than 44,000 hours of service in the clinic and area mental health or education-related facilities. Clinic hours are Monday through Thursday, 1:00 to 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, 9:00 am to noon. For more information, call 402-554-2727.

$ 121

million

Government contracts won in 2012 by small business clients of UNO’s NBDC procurement assistance program.

Making the effort to address money issues can benefit marriages of any length, says UNO Professor David Volkman, chair of the department of finance, banking and real estate. He and his wife, Kathy, are presenters for Marriage Encounter, a Christianbased weekend program. “As presenters, our recommendation is always communication,” he says. “We ask couples to agree to have a dialogue on a specific question — for example, ‘How do I feel about spending money we don’t have?’ — and then write their feelings about it.” The exercise, Volkman says, allows couples to take out the sometimes-misinterpreted non-verbal emotions attached to finances and help couples see where the real problem lies. After couples share their letters, “it’s amazing to see what happens to diffuse a very contentious topic.”

Budgeting for Bliss Those skills come in handy as marriages evolve and bring more responsibilities, including kids, a mortgage and saving for retirement. The TD Ameritrade/LearnVest survey found that while half of couples jointly share household financial responsibilities, more than 40 percent of them don’t follow a budget. Finding the right balance has been key for Molly and Jeff Slobotski, married 13 years. With three boys — 8, 5 and 3 — and a new baby girl, the couple’s spending, Jeff says, “is pretty tightly budgeted.” It wasn’t always that way, says the 2001 UNO alum. “Early in our marriage, my wife was much more gifted at saving and I was more gifted at spending,” says Jeff, founder of Omaha-based Silicon Prairie News, which supports entrepreneurs and start-ups. “Now, we’ve found a great happy medium to balance the two.” That’s included having Molly, a stay-at-home mother, manage budgeting for the household (even though Jeff is a finance and banking major). The couple agree on what they’re spending and still have money set aside for special purchases and savings. One thing that’s unique is how they handle money — literally: The Slobotski’s stick to a cash budget, earmarking a designated amount from each pay period for groceries, gas, bills, haircuts, baby-sitting and lunches. “It’s worked really well,” Jeff says. “It definitely reins in use of the credit card and makes sure we know what we have budgeted. We’re in a good spot. With the kids and a house, it’s easier now to see the need for planning ahead.”

We’ve never had a big argument about money. She’d say, ‘Why’d you buy that model train?’ I’d say, ‘The same reason you bought those shoes.’

And if there’s any doubt that staying in sync about money can’t last, just ask Ronna and Bill Graskowiak, a 1951 UNO graduate. When they married 35 years ago — “it was a corporate merger,” says Bill, and second marriage for both — they joined their financial lives seamlessly.

“It was amicable,” Bill says. “No big to-do about money. It just happened. We bought a house together. I pay the lights and gas. She pays the groceries.”

OU’s Marriage Maven When it came to marriage advice, longtime Omaha University Professor T. Earl Sullenger was something like the Dr. Laura of his day. Beginning in 1927, Sullenger gave annual talks on “Making the Most of a Marriage” at the Omaha YMCA and YWCA. Sociology department chair and a professor at UNO from 1923 to 1958, he also wrote articles on marriage and family for various publications. In 1938 Sullenger introduced a noncredit course on marriage at Omaha U. Enrollment fee was $2. At the time, he later said, courses on marriage and family once were considered taboo for universities to teach. His class eventually became one of the most popular in the department, exploring the parental, physiological, psychological, legal and ”eugenical” aspects of marriage. Among the marriage advice he offered in a 1930 Gateway article: • Don't marry for money. • Don't jump into marriage without due thought about the responsibilities you are entering. • Find a spouse whose interests are similar to your own. • Women should not neglect their homes to work outside, for it may cost them their husbands.

$30 Cost to bring clean water to three people for five years through the work of Planet Water, begun by UNO graduate Mark Steele.

Want to feel good?

Give. By Greg Kozol

Giving is Good One day a stranger stopped Bill Conley in a mall parking lot and asked for a few dollars to get fuel for his car. Conley thought briefly about the typical reaction to this sort of encounter: Ignore the man. Walk away. Maybe he’s lying. Instead, Conley reached into his pocket and handed over $50. No questions asked. No judgment made. “Yes, I think I can help you out,” said Conley, the vice chancellor of business and finance at UNO. Perhaps the man went to the nearest gas station and filled up his tank. Maybe he didn’t. For Conley, it was never about the money. It was about making a connection with someone in need and making that person feel valued.

$11.7

million

Total gifts to UNO Annual Fund since its inception in 1953 ($1,728 donated that year).

Since turning 50 last year, Conley has given $50 every week to a different person or organization — from Dhiraj the convenience store clerk to a sheriff’s deputy diagnosed with cancer. The stranger in the parking lot was part of Conley’s 12-month experiment, called “Giving 50x52 — A yearlong journey of giving.” “This is a lot different than writing a check to an organization,” he says. “This is another form of giving that is more important to people. The impact is not financial. The money is just the hook.” Ask who walked away the happier man that day — Conley or the stranger with $50 — and it might very well be a toss-up. “Philanthropy is, in some ways, more of a benefit to the giver than the receiver,” says Angela Eikenberry, associate professor of public administration at UNO. “There is research that shows that people are happier, more engaged. There is a lot of benefit for the giver.”

A Country of Givers Americans love to say that they’re generous people — and the numbers back that up. Total charitable contributions reached $298 billion in 2011, according to Giving USA, an annual report compiled on U.S. philanthropy. These donations — a 4 percent increase from the previous year — benefit everything from global anti-poverty campaigns to small fundraisers that keep the lights on at local charities. For most donors, the decision to give is deeply personal. Individuals account for about 75 percent of U.S. philanthropy, with much of the rest coming from foundations and corporations. “People tend to give because they are connected,” says Eikenberry, whose research focuses on non-profits and philanthropy. “They tend to give to what they’re passionate about.” For Frank Staskiewicz Jr., the ink on his diploma was barely dry when he started giving back to UNO. He has made regular financial contributions to the university ever since receiving his bachelor’s degree in business in December 1986. He developed a strong sense of school pride from working himself through UNO with little government assistance. “I was one of the first ones on my dad’s side of the family to get a college degree,” says Staskiewicz, 52 and director of systems and administration for Springfield Platteview Community Schools. “I did it on my own. It’s always nice to help someone else out.” Tim Harrison, a UNO graduate and owner of Harrison Financial Services in Omaha, advises clients who make charitable giving part of their long-term financial plans. He believes a desire to reduce tax liability plays a secondary role in motivating his clients, many of whom are in the top income bracket. “They’ve been treated well in their lives,” says Harrison, who has earned a professional designation as a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy. “People have helped them get there and they want to give back.”

Changes in Charity While philanthropy taps into a long-held human desire to help others, modern challenges have changed some dynamics. Eikenberry has noticed that givers are more collaborative. She has studied a phenomenon known as giving circles, which involves groups of donors pooling resources to maximize the impact. She wrote “Giving Circles: Philanthropy, Voluntary Association, and Democracy” in 2009. At the same time, technology has made the act of mailing a check seem outdated. At the nation’s biggest charities, online donations exceeded $12 billion in 2010. More organizations are embracing cause-based marketing, which allows a percentage of sales of a certain product to go to charity. One thing that hasn’t changed is the reality that people can’t donate money they don’t have. When the economy slides, charities and nonprofits find themselves pinched between rising demand and declining donations. The Giving USA report found that total charitable contributions dropped in 2008 and 2009, the height of the recession. “When the economy takes a hit, people shift their giving,” Eikenberry says. “There is a lot more need. That’s a challenge.” Eikenberry says charity, while well-meaning, sometimes isn’t effective in sending resources to the poorest neighborhoods or other areas where the money is needed most. It becomes a dilemma as a larger percentage of budgets for nonprofits and schools comes from voluntary contributions rather than government support. “This shift is saying we need to rely on people voluntarily,” she says. “It’s kind of problematic. People don’t necessarily give to areas where the need is greatest.” Still, there’s no question charitable giving has a tremendous impact, and not just for the recipient. Harrison believes those who give the most end up being happier and more successful. “I find a lot of our clients who are most generous throughout their lives tend to end up with the most,” he says. “It’s kind of counterintuitive. These people tend to see a lot of it coming back.” Conley is reminded of this every week. He admits it hasn’t gotten any easier walking up to a complete stranger with an offer of $50, but the experience has opened his eyes to opportunities to help others. He even gave away $50 after backing into the groom’s car prior to a wedding. “I’m doing something crazy to get out of the norm,” Conley says. “It wasn’t to preach. It’s not to tell anyone how to live their lives. I feel I’ve really grown from it.” See more about Conley’s giving experiment at giving50x52.com

century club

2012 UNO CENTURY CLUB

In 1973, the UNO Alumni Association created its premier giving society – the UNO Century Club – asking graduates to contribute $100 or more. The first 44 members contributed $5,250. Today, the Century Club includes more than 1,000 members who last year combined to give more than $225,000. The UNO Century Club is vital to UNO’s continued growth as one of the nation’s top metropolitan universities. In 2012, the Alumni Association introduced four new funds to which Century Club members could direct their gifts. The four funds — the Communications & Social Media Fund, the Alumni Engagement & Programs Fund, the Thompson Alumni Center Fund, and

the Alumni Innovation Fund — support daily activities of the Alumni Association that make the alumni network’s reach greater and its impact stronger. On behalf of the university, its students, faculty and alumni, the UNO Alumni Association and the University of Nebraska Foundation recognize the generosity of UNO Century Club members who believe strongly in the mission of the university and support its ongoing success. Celebrate 100 years of the alumni network by making your 2013 Century Club donation today! Use the envelope at the center of this magazine or visit unoalumni.org/give.

This following reflects all Century Club-level gifts to the Annual Fund and the four new funds from Jan. 1, 2012, to Dec. 31, 2012.

Platinum Club ($2,500+) Mr. and Mrs. John H. Christensen Mr. and Mrs. Mark E. Grieb George F. Haddix, Ph.D. Mr. Richard D. Holland Mr. and Mrs. Roger R. Jacquart Bill and Patricia Johnston Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Kirshenbaum Mr. and Mrs. Edward A. Pechar Ms. Louise A. Rinn Maj. Thomas A. Spencer, Retd.

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel J. Thiele Drs. Dan E. and Suzanne N. Nelson Tolman Lt. Col. and Mrs. Donald E. Treaster Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Utzke Mr. and Mrs. Jack W. Williams Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin D. Wiesman Mr. Robert M. Wrobel

Golden Club ($500-999)

Mrs. Susan S. Brennan Mr. and Mrs. Richard T. Burress Diamond Club ($1,000-2,499) Mr. and Mrs. Melvin R. Cerny Mr. and Mrs. Henry L. Clure Mr. and Mrs. Ray D. Barr Mr. and Mrs. David H. Craft Mr. William R. Boers Ms. June Crow-Johnson Mr. and Mrs. Michael T. DeFreece Mr. and Mrs. Michael E. Cuba Mr. Donald L. Fjellin Mr. and Mrs. James Cullison Ms. Jane H. Gilbert Lt. Gen. Russell C. Davis, Retd. Terry and Judy Haney Mr. and Mrs. Douglas G. Durbin Ms. Maxine S. Haun Mr. and Ms. Scott D. Durbin Mr. David P. Hawk Mr. and Mrs. James L. Easton Christine M. Jeffrey, M.D. John W. and Nancy C. Estabrook Mr. John A. Jeter Mr. and Mrs. Richard Foster Maj. Clifford D. Kantz, Retd. CMSgt. and Mr. and Mrs. Harold B. Kosowsky Mrs. Alfred J. Fransen, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Scott R. Kubie Dr. and Mrs. Patrick M. Gerbus Mr. David G. Langevin Mr. Francis R. Greguras Mr. Jim L. Leslie Mr. and Mrs. John W. Hancock, Jr. Mr. David H. Luding Mr. Darrald B. Harsh Ms. Virginia H. Malone Dr. and Mrs. Theodore W. Heise Mr. Steven S. Martin and Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Houston Dr. Amy M. Haddad Mrs. Karen L. Hutchinson Ms. Patricia J. Matson and Mr. David M. Juenemann Mr. A. Edward Gottesman Mr. and Mrs. A. William Kernen Mrs. Nancy Noack Mr. John P. Kirk Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Patora Mr. and Mrs. Albert L. Luedtke Mr. and Mrs. Gary D. Penisten Mrs. Ann M. Mactier Mr. William R. Peters Lt. Col. Robert L. McKaig Mr. and Mrs. Leonard M. Sommer Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. McLarney Mr. Terry Stofferson

Ms. Margo L. Metzger Marlene R. Meyer, M.D. Mr. and Mrs. Kevin D. Munro Ms. Deena Murphy Mr. Charles J. Nagle Rev. Donald Nesheim Sondra S. Peters and Kermit C. Peters Mr. Lloyd Roitstein Mr. and Mrs. Herbert A. Sklenar Mr. Gregory C. Snyder Mr. and Mrs. Peter T. Starke Mr. Richard C. Stoufer Mr. and Mrs. Thomas A. Tews Mr. and Mrs. Del L. Toebben Mr. and Mrs. Ronald E. Withem

Silver Club ($250-499) Mr. and Mrs. Larry L. Adams Mr. and Mrs. Nathanael J. Adamson Mr. Geoffrey and Dr. Debra K. Anderson Mr. Garrett G. Anderson Mrs. Mollie K. Anderson Col. and Mrs. Steven L. Andraschko Mr. and Mrs. Brian D. Asmus Mr. and Mrs. Robin O. Bates Mr. and Mrs. Michael F. Baumert Mr. and Mrs. Fred J. Beschorner, III Mr. and Mrs. Harry L. Bianchi Maj. Gen. Edward C. Binder Mr. and Mrs. Thomas M. Bizzarri, Sr. Mr. and Mrs. Dennis G. Brewster Hon. D. Nick Caporale Lt. Col. and Mrs. Virgil V. Carlsen, Retd. Mr. Robert A. Carpenter Mr. and Mrs. Arthur M. Clendenin, Jr. Dr. and Mrs. Richard E. Collins Col. and Mrs. John P. Connell Mr. Everett L. Cook

Mr. and Mrs. Michael W. Coppess Dr. Hugh P. Cowdin and Ms. Catherine E. Rokes Marilyn L. Cowger, M.D. Rev. and Mrs. Norman A. Crews Mr. and Mrs. John S. Crookham, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Gary L. Crouch Mr. and Mrs. Richard G. Cummings Mr. and Mrs. Donald L. Darling Mr. and Mrs. Lee Denker, Jr. Dr. and Mrs. James R. Dolan Mr. and Mrs. Donald F. Dolejs Mr. and Mrs. Delaine R. Donohue Mr. and Mrs. John D. Dunn Mr. Todd and Mrs. Cathy Engle Ms. Katherine L. English Ms. Syntha E. Essex Mr. Lawrence Fargher Mr. and Mrs. Terry G. Forsberg Mr. Alan F. Friebe Ambassador Laurie S. Fulton Mr. and Mrs. Steve Furbush Gov. David Heineman and Ms. Sally Ganem Mr. Peter D. Gerlings Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Gorgen Mr. and Mrs. Cliff Grosskopf Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Gustafson Mr. Kenneth L. Hansen Maj. and Mrs. Marvin C. Hardin Mr. Clifford S. Hayes Mr. and Mrs. David P. Hesselink Mr. Michael T. Hesser Mr. Neil M. Hopkins Mr. W. Craig Howell and Dr. Deborah Smith-Howell Mr. and Mrs. Roman L. Hruska, Jr. Lt. Col. Hans G. Huettig, Retd. Ms. Marilyn A. Hughes Mr. Harold H. Hunter

Mr. Connor A. Isgett, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Dean G. Jacobsen, Sr. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Jamieson Mr. and Mrs. Mike D. Jones Mr. Larry C. Juul Mr. and Mrs. Gerald E. Karlin Mr. and Mrs. Donald G. Kathol, P.E. Mr. and Mrs. Eugene F. Kathol Drs. Anthony R. Keber and Nancy E. Knowles Mr. and Mrs. Michael F. Kelly Ms. Julie S. Kerrigan Mr. Timothy M. Kerrigan Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Killion Mr. Peter Kink, Jr. and Mrs. Bonita E. Allred Mr. Edmund Kirker Mrs. Mary Guin Knoll Mr. and Mrs. Thomas D. Knox Mr. and Mrs. Daniel L. Konopatzke Mr. James J. Kozak Mr. David J. Kriegler Ms. Alicia Chavez Kroupa Mr. Joseph F. Kurgan Mr. Patrick J. Lavelle Mrs. Margaret K. Lemen Mr. and Mrs. Jay D. Lutey Dr. William Mackley, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Leonard A. Mauro Ms. Gloria A. Wallen-Mendez Mr. and Mrs. Dennis M. Meredith Mr. and Mrs. L. A. Miller Mr. and Mrs. Dwight L. Morgan Mr. and Mrs. Walter C. Nodean Mr. Michael J. Nolan Col. and Mrs. Richard A. Orsini Drs. Michael D. and Laura J. Parr Mr. and Mrs. Gregg R. Paulsen Mr. and Mrs. Larry D. Peters Mr. and Mrs. William L. Powers

century club Mr. John B. Preisinger Mr. and Mrs. John A. Prescott Thomas L. and Joan Quinlin Mr. Donal E. Reilly Mr. and Mrs. Richard S. Reiser Mr. and Mrs. Louis A. Rich Mr. Ted L. Ridgway Mrs. Margaret A. Ringhofer Drs. William H. and Jane S. Roccaforte Mr. and Mrs. Douglas W. Ruge, II Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Runyon Mr. and Mrs. Wayne L. Russell Col. Otto P. Scharth, Retd. Mr. Steven Schmitz Barbara M. Schweiger, Ph.D. Mr. Richard Scott Mr. Ron Mordhorst and Dr. Tina R. Scott Ms. Pamela S. Sellenrick Mr. Richard A. Serpan Parker L. Shipley, J.D. and Velma C. Shipley, Ph.D. Mr. and Mrs. Neil E. Shooter Dr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Shuey, Jr. Ms. Shirley K. Siebler Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Smith Ms. Joanne M. Stewart Mr. and Mrs. Todd Stoney Lt. Col. Jarvis A. Strong, Jr. Mr. Robert J. Stutzman Mr. and Mrs. Barry J. Thoendel Ms. Angela K. Thompson Col. and Mrs. Loren E. Timm, Retd. Lt. Col. and Mrs. Charles E. Toomer, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Eugene A. Trout Mrs. Suzanne Wallin Kossow Mr. and Mrs. Thomas H. Warren Dr. and Mrs. Vincent J. Webb Dr. and Mrs. Robert L. Willice Lt. Col. Wilson A. Younge, Jr., Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Steven W. Zuckweiler

Bronze Club ($100-249) Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth H. Abel Mr. Robert C. Adams Mr. Steven R. Adams Mr. and Mrs. Joel S. Adamson Lt. Col. Philip J. Adelman, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. James E. Aguilar Ms. Sharon E. Ahmad Mr. Chris W. Albers Lt. Gen. Donald O. Aldridge, Retd. CMSgt. and Mrs. James L. Alf, Retd. Mr. Robert Alfers Echo G. Allman Mr. Park O. Ames Ms. Jean M. Andersen Mr. and Mrs. J. Patrick Anderson

Lt. Col. and Mrs. John H. Anderson, Retd. Rev. Russell F. Anderson Ms. Sharon E. Appleby Mr. John F. Arkwright Mr. and Mrs. William G. Arnold Mrs. Sharon Ashby Lt. Col. and Mrs. Eugene T. Atkinson, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Frank E. Babic, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Larry J. Bailey Mr. and Mrs. James D. Bailey Mr. Keith O. Bailey Mr. James J. Baker, Jr. and Ms. Stephanie M. Semier Ms. Kay L. Baldwin Mr. and Mrs. Roland E. Ballow Mrs. Beverly J. Banks Ms. Udoxie Barbee Mr. Charles C. Barbera Ms. Deborah J. Barclay Capt. James F. Bard, Jr. Drs. Sean G. and Stephanie L. Barry Mr. and Mrs. Edward S. Batchelder Lt. Col. Chester J. Baumer, Retd. Dr. and Mrs. David A. Baxter, III Mr. Leonard Becicka Mr. Michael F. Bednarz, Jr. Mr. Steven L. Beins Dr. Edward G. Belzer and Mrs. Phyllis Belzer Ms. Patricia J. Bennett Ruth E. Benson, Ed.D. Mr. and Mrs. Wilbert E. Beran Mr. and Mrs. Chris D. Berens Col. Paul A. Bergerot, Retd. Robert J. and Deborah A. Bezousek Mr. John S. Binderup and Mrs. Patricia L. Carrell Mr. and Mrs. Gary G. Birge Dr. Thomas A. Birk and Mrs. Constance J. Sorensen-Birk Mr. Paul C. Birney Mr. Donald C. Blaser Ms. Phyllis A. Blease Mr. and Mrs. Steven Bloch Mr. and Mrs. Leslie L. Blouin Mr. and Mrs. John Boatwright, Jr. Mr. Larry J. Bockelman Mr. Philip Boehm and Ms. Virginia Goertzen-Boehm Dr. and Mrs. Larry A. Boersma Mrs. Nancy Jones Boersma Mr. and Mrs. Brian F. Bollich Mr. Bobby G. Bomgardner Mr. Richard L. Boone Lt. Col. and Mrs. Marvin L. Borgman, Retd. Ms. Linda J. Bors Mr. John W. Bower Mr. Delbert D. Bowers

Mr. Gordon L. Boyer Ms. Linda G. Boyer Ms. Mary Ann Bragg Mr. and Mrs. David N. Brandt Mr. and Mrs. Gary E. Bren Mr. Patrick H. Brennan Ms. Anne L. Breslow-Davies Mrs. Patricia I. Brinkman CW3 Billy Broadway, Retd. Mrs. Cynthia L. Brodhagen Mr. Kenneth R. Brown Mr. Richard D. Brown Mr. Robert and Dr. Virginia Troia Brown Drs. Robert E. and M. Martha Bruckner Mr. and Mrs. Clifford C. Buckingham Dale M. Bunsen, Ed.D. Col. and Mrs. Edwared J. Burke Mr. and Mrs. John F. Burke Mr. and Mrs. Garold W. Burkholder Mr. and Mrs. Roger A. Burmeister Mrs. Patricia L. Burton Mr. and Mrs. Donald P. Bush, CPA Mr. Dennis E. Bussom Mr. Daniel H. Bye Mr. and Mrs. Norman V. Cadorette, Jr. Lt. Col. and Mrs. Richard J. Callahan, Retd. Lt. Col. and Mrs. Bennie E. Callis, Retd. Richard and Nancy Callis Mr. and Mrs. Robert Calvert Mr. Gary J. Campisi Mr. Eduardo Canas Mr. William J. Canelli Ms. Patricia M. Carlson Mr. and Mrs. Thomas D. Carney Mr. Benjamin C. Carrick Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Carroll Mr. and Mrs. Steven R. Caswell Mr. and Mrs. William D. Ceely, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. David J. Chamberlain Col. and Mrs. Clarence W. Chancey, Jr., Retd. Mr. Robert F. Chandler Mr. and Mrs. William Cheese Mr. and Mrs. Jerald L. Chesnut Mr. and Mrs. George A. Chittenden Mr. and Mrs. Raymond D. Christensen Mr. and Mrs. Gary A. Christiansen Mr. John Chrostek Col. and Mrs. Eugene E. Cirillo, Retd. Mr. Arnel B. Citurs Capt. and Mrs. David Clark Mr. and Mrs. Paul M. Clark Mr. Craig S. Clawson Ms. Linda M. Clawson Mr. Bruce L. Clure Lt. Col. George R. Cockle Mr. Oscar Coleman

Mr. and Mrs. Michael L. Combs Ms. Christine Condon Col. and Mrs. Donald R. Condrill, Retd. Janet C. Conney, M.D. Mr. and Mrs. Ralph F. Connolly Mr. Herbert Cossano Ms. Crystalle M. Cotton Dr. and Mrs. Richard T. Cotton Mr. David J. Coulton Lt. Col. Robert E. Courneen, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth J. Cousino, Sr. Mr. Herbert Cousins Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Douglas P. Cramer Lt. Col. Richard E. Crotty Mr. Clyde E. Cummings Maj. Gen. and Mrs. Jerry R. Curry, Retd. Mr. Lycurgus C. Curry, Jr. Mr. Richard M. Curtis Dr. and Mrs. Mark L. D'Agostino Mr. T. Eugene Dahlgren Dr. and Mrs. Harl A. Dalstrom Mrs. Jacqueline Y. Danielson Mr. Joseph Danko Mr. Scott W. Darden Mrs. Rita J. Dargaczewski Mr. Robert E. Campbell and Rev. Dr. April M. Davis Campbell Mr. Richard Davis Lt. Col. James M. Dellaripa, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Norman Denenberg Ms. Dianne K. Desler Mr. and Mrs. Donald Deter Mr. John P. Devries Mr. Dennis S. Dickinson Maj. Gen. and Mrs. Oliver W. Dillard, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey A. Dinzole Ms. Walta Dodd Mrs. Elma I. Dodder Mr. and Mrs. N. Phillips Dodge, Jr. Mr. Vernon Dolleck Ms. Judy K. Dorf Mr. and Mrs. Douglas A. Dougherty Mr. James A. Douglas Mr. Robert C. and Dr. Diana L. Doyle Dr. and Mrs. Charles S. Dresher Mr. and Mrs. Richard T. Drew Mr. and Mrs. Michael C. Drey Mr. and Mrs. Davin W. Drittler Mr. and Mrs. David J. DuCharme Dr. and Mrs. Timothy M. Durham Mr. and Mrs. David A. Dwornicki Mr. and Mrs. Rex D. Earl Mr. Paul F. Ebisch Mr. James M. Ecker Mr. and Mrs. Lennie O. Edwards, Jr. Mr. Dan Friedlund and Mrs. Ramona M. Edwards Lt. Col. Ralph G. Egenmaier, Retd.

Dr. Steven Eggers Mr. and Mrs. Roy V. Ekberg Lt. Col. Arthur R. Ellisen, Retd. Lt. Col. Robert L. Elsasser, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. David A. Emry Maj. Gen. and Mrs. James C. Enney, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. James Erixon Mrs. Jacqueline A. Estee Dr. and Mrs. Frank J. Evans Brig. Gen. and Mrs. Richard J. Evans, III Mr. and Mrs. Douglas A. Ewald Mr. and Mrs. Harlan Falk Mrs. Lori A. Fanning Mr. and Mrs. Eugene D. Feit Ms. Kendra Fennessy Mr. Leonard L. Finnegan, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. John A. Fiscus Mr. Don L. Fitch Mr. and Mrs. John Floerchinger Mr. and Mrs. Gerald J. Flood Mrs. Jill J. Floth Mr. Mrs. Anthony W. Flott Dr. and Mrs. Robert J. Fonda Mr. William A. Forsee Lt. Col. Mary R. Forster Drs. Edward T. and Mary L. Foster Mr. Robert G. Frank Mr. and Mrs. Brett A. Franksmann Mr. and Ms. James W. Freeman Mr. Jack A. Frost Mr. and Mrs. Gary G. Funkhouser Mr. and Mrs. John C. Furstenberg Lt. Col. Robert C. Gaddi, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Mike Gallagher Dr. and Mrs. Archibald N. Galloway Mr. Terry A. Gampper Mr. and Mrs. James Garbina Col. and Mrs. John D. Gardner, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. James C. Gathmann Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Gauck Mr. and Mrs. David Gaul Dana and Steve Gehring Mr. and Mrs. John S. Gelecki Natalie J. Gendler, Ph.D. Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Giles Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Gary M. Gilger Mr. and Mrs. Gary P. Gillaspy Mr. Robert Gillen Charles M. Godwin, Ed.D. Mr. and Mrs. Frank N. Goldberg Lt. Col. and Mrs. Norman Goldberg, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Goldstein Sir and Ms. Carl A. Gordon, P.E. Mr. and Mrs. James M. Gould Col. and Mrs. Judd H. Grace, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Richard R. Graham Mr. Philip Grandin Mr. and Mrs. Patrick D. Gredys

century club Ms. Alyce C. Green Mr. Richard Gregory Mr. Stanley Grett Dr. and Mrs. William T. Griffin Mrs. Marilyn A. Griffith Mr. Charles B. Gruenig Mr. and Mrs. Larry R. Guenther Mr. and Mrs. Troy E. Gutheil-Bykerk Mr. and Mrs. Bryan P. Guy Ms. Jo Ann Haafke Mr. Bruce and Dr. Patricia A. Hageman Mr. Richard A. Hague Mr. and Mrs. Jack R. Hall MSgt.and Mrs. Paul N. Hall, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Otto E. Haman Timothy E. Hamel and Somboon Jaiharn-Hamel Mr. and Mrs. Brian C. Hamilton Maj. and Mrs. Jesse Hamilton, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Allen C. Hansen Mr. and Mrs. Andrew M. Hansen Col. and Mrs. Donald C. Hansen, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Hansen Ms. Lucille E. Hansen Mr. and Mrs. Michael F. Hansen Lt. Col. and Mrs. Kurt C. Haripar Mr. Dale W. Harkert Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Harling Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Harmon Dr. and Mrs. Roger K. Harned Eleanor J. Harper Mr. and Mrs. Willie L. Harper Mrs. Linda M. Harr Mr. and Mrs. James J. Harrington Mr. Melvin H. Harrington Mr. and Mrs. James Harris Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Hartigan Mr. and Mrs. Louis G. Hatch Mr. Gerald L. Hawley Mr. and Mrs. Bruce K. Hayden, Jr. Kristie D. Hayes, M.D. Mr. Terrence Healey Mr. Robert Hearron Mr. and Mrs. Lars Hedstrom, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Richard F. Hekl, Sr. Mrs. Sherry M. Hellmuth Mr. and Mrs. Floyd G. Hellyer Mr. and Mrs. H. Robert Herold, II Mr. and Mrs. Robert G. Herrera Dr. and Mrs. Arthur N. Hicks, Ph.D. Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth E. Hide Dr. Joseph P. Higgins and Ms. Peggy J. Robb Mr. Robert C. Hill Mr. Steven M. Hill Ms. Traci L. Hinkle Dr. and Mrs. John H. Hoehne Shari R. Hofschire Col. and Mrs. Robert L. Hohman, Retd.

Col. Chuck W. Holderness, Retd. Mr. William E. Holley Mr. and Mrs. Richard E. Hood Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Horak Lt. Col. and Mrs. Guenther O. Horn, Retd. Walt and Marilyn Horner Mrs. Jeanette Hosek Mr. and Mrs. Donald R. Hotz, Jr. Mrs. Helen L. Houston Dr. and Mrs. Robert E. Houston Col. Delbert C. Huddleston, Retd. Mr. Henry G. Hudson Mr. and Mrs. Donald E. Iburg Maj. and Mrs. Tobbie H. Ingram Mr. Charles E. Iverson Mr. and Mrs. Leo D. Jackson Mr. and Mrs. Thaddeus E. Jackson, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Eric M. Jacoba Mr. and Mrs. Roger D. Jacobsen Mr. Allen F. Jacobson Mr. Daniel J. Jaksich and Ms. Jayne L. Timmerman Mr. Richard Jandrain Mr. Richard P. Janese Mr. and Mrs. Mark R. Jefferson, CLU Mr. and Mrs. Stefan G. Jenkins Mr. and Mrs. Gene Jensen Mr. and Mrs. Norman K. Jensen Mr. and Mrs. Carl A. Johnson Mr. and Mrs. Dwight E. Johnson Mr. and Mrs. Erik K. Johnson Mr. and Mrs. James W. Johnston, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Willard Blitman Col. and Mrs. J. Richard Jordan, Retd. Mr. Dennis D. Jorgensen Ms. Nancy L. Jorgensen Dr. and Mrs. Barry J. Jose Mr. William F. Kabourek Mr. Hugo Kahn Mr. and Mrs. Dennis L. Kaiser Mr. and Mrs. Philip Kaldahl Mr. and Mrs. Kurtis K. Kammerer Mr. and Ms. Stanley Kapustka Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Karrer Mr. John E. Kasun Mr. Timothy J. Kasun Mr. and Mrs. Donald R. Kavalec Lt. Col. and Mrs. John H. Keene, Retd. Mr. William J. Keiderling Dr. and Mrs. Ralph H. Keill, Jr. Lt. Col. and Mrs. Richard C. Kellems, Retd. Mr. Scott M. Kenealy Mr. and Mrs. John P. Kennedy Ms. Kathleen Kersey Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Ketchum Mr. Clyde W. Ketelsen Ms. Ann T. Kieffer Mrs. Betty J. Kieran Mr. John K. Kieran Mr. Franklin Killebrew

Mr. and Mrs. Gerald F. King Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Kingery Mr. George Kirby Mrs. and Mr. Judith J. Kirchhoff, Ph.D. Ms. Joan Klanderud Mr. Michael C. Knebel Mr. Todd H. Knispel Mr. Sever Knutson Mr. and Mrs. Craig A. Knutzen Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth J. Koehler Mrs. and Mr. Jean L. Koenck Mr. and Mrs. Mike Kohler Mr. and Mrs. Steve Kohler Mr. Steve E. Konnath and Ms. Jane E. Campbell-Konnath Ms. Sandy M. Kopietz Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth J. Kopocis Mr. and Mrs. James J. Koranda Mr. and Mrs. Stephan A. Kort Mr. and Mrs. Michael C. Kotch Mr. and Mrs. Leroy F. Kozeny Mr. and Mrs. John A. Krecek Mr. Donald Krehbiel Mr. and Mrs. Douglas V. Krenz Ms. Phyllis E. Kroeger Mr. and Mrs. Jack J. Kubat, Jr. Ms. Margaret M. Kubat Mr. William M. Kult Mr. James R. LaMaster and Mrs. Mary K. LaMaster Mr. Louis E. and Hon. Patricia A. Lamberty Ms. Lou Ann Landholm Mr. and Mrs. G. Curtis Lansbery Mr. Michael Larkin Mr. and Mrs. Dean L. Larsen Maj. Mensvil N. Larson, Retd. Mr. James A. Lastovica Dr. and Mrs. C. Rex Latta Ms. Fredericka M. Laux Mrs. Carolyn J. Law Mr. Gary R. Leavitt Joel D. Lebsack, Ed.D. Mr. Walter L. Lee Mrs. Judi L. Leibrock Mr. David M. Leigh Mr. and Mrs. Thomas R. Leise Mr. and Mrs. Robert D. Lembke Mr. and Mrs. Larry T. Leverett Mr. and Mrs. Thomas G. Lewis Dr. Mary J. Lickteig Mr. and Mrs. Galen K. Lillethorup Mr. Robert J. Lindberg Ms. Danya A. Linneman Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Lodes Mr. and Mrs. Darrell J. Logemann Mr. and Mrs. Norman E. Long Deborah A. Loper, Ph.D. Ms. Joan L. Lukas Mr. Steven J. Lustgarten Lt. Col. Hillary A. Luton Mr. and Mrs. Bob L. Lykke

Col. and Mrs. Robert M. Lyles, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Henry P. Maass, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Burton Mac-Holmes Ms. Andrena L. MacLeod Mr. William MacQuarrie Mrs. Marion S. Maddocks Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Madison Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Malashock Lt. Col. Louis A. Mallia, Retd. Mr. Beau and Mrs. Maria Malnack Mr. David Manning Mr. Roger L. Mansfield Ms. Aveline Marks Mrs. Barbara E. Markuson George L. Marling and Laura Marling Mr. Donald R. Marshall Mr. Roger A. Martz Mr. and Mrs. John A. Mascarello Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Massara Mr. and Mrs. Dean D. Matter Mr. William G. Mavity Mr. and Mrs. Johnnie B. McCaa Mr. and Mrs. Joe T. McCartney, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Keith McCormick Mrs. Mary McCully Mr. and Mrs. Thomas McCusker Mr. and Mrs. Daniel P. McElligott Roger L. McGargill Jr., Ph.D. Mr. Patrick E. McGinty Ms. Mary T. McGovern Mr. Roger S. McGranahan Col. and Mrs. John J. McHugh, Retd. Lt. Col. Lawrence A. McIntyre, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. R. K. McMillan Ms. Sheila A. McNeill Lt. Col. John J. McOscar, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Richard E. Donaldson Maj. and Mrs. Michael J. Mears, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Mehaffey, Jr. Mr. David Meier Mr. David C. Melliger and Dr. Suzanne R. Melliger Marilyn F. Mellor, M.D. Mr. James D. Melson Dr. and Mrs. Orville D. Menard Mr. and Mrs. Michael L. Mench Mr. and Mrs. Michael F. Merrick Mr. and Mrs. Douglas E. Merz Mr. and Mrs. Garry E. Meyer Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Meyer Mr. Gregory J. Mikuls Mr. and Mrs. Carter D. Miller Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Miller Mr. and Mrs. John Minarich Ms. Shirley M. Minick Mr. and Mrs. Jon R. Minks Dr. and Mrs. Vincent F. Miscia Capt. and Mrs. Matthew C. Misfeldt Maj. Ralph W. and Dr. Paula R. Mitchell Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Mitchell Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Moenssen

Mrs. Maureen M. Moluf Robert G. Money, D.D.S. Sgt. and Mrs. John W. Moore Ms. Juanita Moore Mr. and Mrs. Melvin J. Moore, Sr. Dr. Russell P. Moore Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Terrance R. Moore Mr. Walter F. Moore Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Moran Mr. and Mrs. Darrel Moreland Mr. and Mrs. Turner Morgan Mr. Leonard Morgenstern Mrs. Janice C. Moritz Mr. Matt G. Morton and Ms. Rebecca Dunlap Morton Mrs. L. Louise Moss Mr. and Mrs. Doug Mossberg Mr. and Mrs. John E. Motzkus Mr. and Mrs. Richard D. Muhlbauer Dr. and Mrs. Willis P. Mundt Mr. William F. Munoff Mr. and Mrs. Thomas D. Murphy Mr. and Mrs. William W. Musgrave Col. Charles W. Myers, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. John E. Nahas Mr. and Mrs. James Michael Nanos Mr. and Mrs. Willie Nantz Mr. Rohit R. Nayak Lt. Col. and Mrs. Thomas D. Needham Mr. and Mrs. William D. Nelsen Mr. and Mrs. Bradford J. Nelson Mr. Darold N. Nelson Mr. and Mrs. Elbert L. Nelson, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Irwin H. Nelson Lt. Col. and Mrs. Phillip H. Nelson, Retd. Mr. Lowell A. Neuhaus Mr. and Mrs. Rick Niday Mrs. Mary M. Northrop Mrs. Jennifer J. Nourse Mr. and Mrs. Robert O'Brien Mr. and Mrs. James D. Ochsner Mr. and Mrs. William E. O'Connor Mr. Pedro E. Okoruwa Mr. Richard L. O'Larry Mr. and Mrs. Carl J. Olsen Mr. and Mrs. C. Terry Olson Mr. and Mrs. Curtis A. Olson Mr. and Mrs. Conrad M. Olsson Mr. Paul E. Oppel Mrs. Marjorie I. O'Reilly Mr. Michael B. Ostrom and Ms. Benita M. Seliga Dr. Dorothy A. Ostrowski Dr. and Mrs. Joel M. Padmore Ms. Susan E. Paraska Lt. Col. Curtis G. Parker, Retd. Maj. James G. Parks, Retd. Capt. Dennis R. Partenheimer, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Ronald J. Pasanen Mr. and Mrs. Donald J. Pavelka, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Keith V. Payne

59 57 59

century club Mr. and Mrs. Frank T. Peak, Jr. Mr. Robert E. Peirce Mr. and Mrs. Arthur D. Pepin Mr. Gerald F. Pesek Mr. and Mrs. David W. Peters Ms. Beverly M. Petersen Mr. and Mrs. Dale L. Petersen Mr. and Mrs. Fredrick M. Petersen Mr. and Mrs. Donald R. Peterson Mr. and Mrs. Norman E. Peterson Mr. Wayne Peterson Mr. and Ms. William R. Petrowski Mr. and Mrs. Dieter Petz Mr. Robert E. Pierson Mr. and Mrs. Raymond B. Pille Mr. and Mrs. Stephen R. Pitzer Mrs. Terri Pitzer Dr. and Mrs. Jeff J. Podraza Ms. Kelly L. Podraza Mr. Efren Pol Dr. and Mrs. Louis George Pol, Ph.D. Ms. Mary A. Poppino MSgt. and Mrs. James Porter, Retd. Maj. Gen. Alton G. Post Mr. and Mrs. Clifford H. Pountney Mr. Steven M. Povich Mr. Harold Prater Mr. Patrick and Dr. Clare Prince Maj. Elza B. Pringle Jr. Retd. Mr. Jerome Prismantas Mr. and Mrs. Warren W. Pryor Mr. and Mrs. Gerald A. Radek Lt. Col. and Mrs. William L. Raincsuk, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Ramm Mr. and Mrs. George Randle, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Richard R. Rankin Mr. and Mrs. Edwin D. Rasmussen Ms. Marilyn Raupe Mr. and Mrs. Larry L. Reding Mr. Matthew S. Rehder Mr. and Mrs. Hugh J. Reilly Mr. and Mrs. William R. Reinsch Mr. Wessley R. Reisser Maj. and Mrs. Raymond R. Reusche, Retd. Mrs. Susan E. Riccio Col. Michael E. Richardson, Retd. Dr. Richard A. Riddle Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth J. Rieschl Mr. and Mrs. David M. Riggins Dr. and Mrs. Andrew J. Rikli Mr. and Mrs. Michael E. Ring Mr. Zane O. Gresham and Ms. Carol J. Robinson Mr. and Mrs. John C. Rogers Carolyn R. Roper Mr. Ronald L. Rosberg Mr. Robert D. Rose, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. William F. Ross Mr. and Mrs. Louis J. Rotella, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Daniel A. Rowe

Joanne K. Rowney Mr. and Mrs. Warren H. Rutledge Margaret F. Ryan Turner, Ph.D. Mr. and Mrs. William K. Ryan Mr. and Mrs. Ronald W. Sagehorn Mr. Raul and Mrs. Ellen Thiemann Saldivar Jr. Rev. and Mrs. Gary A. Sallquist Mr. and Mrs. Joseph M. Samson Dr. Michael S. Bauer and Dr. Elizabeth B. Sather Bauer, M.D. Mr. Paul W. and Dr. Linda K. Sather Mr. and Mrs. Craig L. Saunders Mr. John M. Savage Lt. Col. and Mrs. Roy C. Schaeffer Mr. William R. Schlott Mr. Robert Schneck Lt. Col. and Mrs. Frank W. Schnee, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Helmer A. Schoenfeld Mr. and Mrs. Daniel J. Scholz Mr. Barry K. Schonlau Mr. Daniel J. Schroeder Mr. Elroy J. Schroer and Ms. Jean A. Fidone-Schroer Mr. and Mrs. Craig A. Schubert Lt. Col. and Mrs. Magnus R. Schuldt, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Schutte Ms. Karen L. Schwartz Ms. Charlyn Scott Mr. and Mrs. Richard E. Secor, Jr. Mrs. Susan Dishon Secrest Mr. and Mrs. Mark Seem Mr. and Mrs. J. Terry Seliga Mr. and Mrs. Steve W. Seline Col. H. Kenneth Seymour, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Fred L. Sgroi Mrs. Marie R. Shafer Chris and Reynee Shanahan Capt. Jimmy D. Shaw Mr. Foy O. Shelley Mrs. Darlene M. Sheridan Mrs. and Mr. Joyce A. Sheridan Maj. and Mrs. Donald E. Sheriff, Retd. Col. William L. Sickenberger, Retd. Mr. Daniel Silvea Mr. Thomas F. Simeone Lt. Col. Billy G. Sims, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Skalla Mr. Leonard R. Skillan Mr. and Mrs. Robert R. Sklenar Mr. and Mrs. Donald E. Skokan Mr. and Mrs. Gary P. Smith CMSgt. and Mrs. Henry D. Smith, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey H. Smith Mrs. Joan E. Smith Mr. Michael D. Smith Dr. and Mrs. Raymond L. Smith Mr. and Mrs. Rodney S. Smith Mr. and Mrs. Todd C. Smith

Col. and Mrs. Charles V. Smoot, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Dennis L. Smyser Mr. and Mrs. David Snow Mr. and Mrs. Larry E. Socha Col. F. V. Sohle, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. James W. Sorensen Ms. Judy A. Sorenson Dr. Robert Kreitner and Ms. Margaret A. Sova Maj. Robert Spector, Retd. Lt. Col. and Mrs. Hugh E. Spellman, Retd. Mrs. Dorothy J. Spence Ms. Shirley A. Spieker Ms. Dianna L. Springman Mr. and Mrs. Stanley W. Standifer, Sr. Mr. and Mrs. Troy A. Staroscik Mrs. Betty K. Start Mr. and Mrs. William A. Startzer Mr. and Mrs. Francis J. Staskiewicz, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Richard M. Stein John A. Stephens, Ph.D. Mr. and Mrs. William J. Stevens Dr. and Mrs. Timothy J. Stivrins Mr. Dan J. Stoney Mr. Stephen B. Strehle Xiaolu H. Sturgeon, Ph.D. Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. Sullivan Ms. Maureen R. Svagera Mr. Alan B. Swain Mr. and Mrs. Donald D. Swanson Mr. Ernest Swanson Mr. Gregory G. Swanson Mr. Mark W. Swanson Mr. and Mrs. Warren C. Swanson Mr. and Mrs. William R. Swanson Mr. Frederick Swift Mr. Ralph M. Tait Mr. and Mrs. Wayne J. Tannahill Mr. Roy Tate Lt. Col. Maynard Tatelman, Retd. Mrs. Barbara T. Taxman Maj. and Mrs. Burgess L. Taylor Mr. and Mrs. Charles R. Taylor Mr. and Mrs. Thomas L. Taylor Mr. Turner M. Tefft, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. James B. Temme Mrs. and Dr. Lorraine M. Thiele Mrs. Joanne G. Thietje Lt. Col. and Mrs. James D. Thomas, Retd. Mr. Leroy Thomas, Sr. Dr. and Mrs. Austin B. Thompson Col. James D. Thompson, Retd. Mr. Wade H. Thomson Mr. John P. Thorslev Mr. Donald K. Tickler Maj. and Mrs. Frank R. Till, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. James Timmerman Mr. Ben Tobias Dr. and Mrs. Gordon L. Todd

Mr. and Mrs. Robert D. Todd Mr. Thomas N. Tomaszewski Maj. James Tomes Dr. and Mrs. Neal W. Topp, Ph.D. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas P. Tosoni Col. and Mrs. Milo Treska, Retd. Mrs. Barbara L. Tripp Mr. and Mrs. Richard P. Tripp Mr. and Mrs. William Trotter Mr. and Mrs. Omer C. Trout, Jr. Mr. James R. Turgeon Mr. Jeffrey Turley and Dr. Mary Ryan-Turley Mr. Lawrence E. Turner Ms. Margaret A. Twohey Mr. Richard Ulmer and Ms. Anita F. Stork Ms. Carol Valdrighi Mr. Leslie Valentine and Ms. Carol Gutchewsky Mr. and Mrs. Charles F. Van Rossum Mr. and Mrs. Brett A. Vasek Col. Dennis P. Vasey, Retd. Mr. Lee D. Velde and Mr. Healy Leong, AIA Lt. Col. Carl F. Vercio, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Terry J. Vermaas Capt. and Mrs. Harry Vick, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. John P. Vogt Mr. Jeffrey L. Wacker Mr. Michael E. Wagner Mr. and Mrs. Ronald A. Wagner Bill O. Wakefield, Ph.D. Maj. Edwin B. Wakeman, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas D. Waldman, J.D. Mr. and Mrs. Clark H. Ward Dr. and Mrs. Kevin L. Warneke Mr. Mike M. and Dr. Judith E. Watanabe Mr. and Mrs. Herbert L. Watkins Mr. and Mrs. Larry L. Watson Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Way Mrs. Gloria O. Webb Mr. and Mrs. Larry J. Weber, CPA Maj. Verne A. Weber, Jr., Retd. Col. and Mrs. Freeman J. Weedman, Retd. Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Weeks Ms. Sherry J. Weis Mr. Glenn A. Welz Mr. Rob R. Wemhoff Capt. and Mrs. Thomas P. Westgaard, Retd. Mr. Stuart A. Westphal Mr. and Mrs. Paul W. Wheeler Dr. Dennis A. White Mrs. Susan H. White Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Whitehouse Mr. and Mrs. Don A. Whitmer Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Whitney

Mr. and Mrs. Timothy J. Wichita Mr. John J. Wickstrom, Jr. and Dr. Elizabeth A. Wickstrom Mr. Marshall A. Widman Mr. Alan W. Wiederholt and Ms. Karen C. Yamaguchi Dr. and Mrs. Dan L. Wilcox Mr. and Mrs. Gregory E. Wilcox Dr. and Mrs. Wesley G. Wilhelm Mr. and Mrs. Craig D. Wilkins Mr. and Mrs. Jerome W. Wilks Mr. and Mrs. Steven R. Williams Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Williams Mr. Robert M. Wilmes and Dr. Mary Jo Wilmes Mr. Joel M. Wilson Gen. Johnnie E. Wilson, Sr. Mr. and Mrs. Christopher A. Wilson Mr. Nick A. Wilson Mr. Thomas Wilson Jr. Mr. Johan Windmuller, M.A. Mr. Harry M. Wines CMSgt. and Mrs. Laverne Wingate, Retd. Ms. Rebecca L. Wingate Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Wintz Maj. Harry B. Wolfe Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth S. Womack Ms. Carol D. Wood Mr. and Mrs. Vernon H. Wood, Jr. Sara and Kirby Woods Mr. and Mrs. Louis A. Worm Lt. Col. and Mrs. George L. Wright, Retd. Mr. Grover E. Wright Dr. and Mrs. Robert G. Wright Mr. Robert S. and Dr. Mary M. Wurtz Mr. and Mrs. Michael C. Yankus Mr. Paul S. Yarges Mr. and Mrs. Frank V. Yelick Mr. Paul A. Yochum Mr. and Mrs. Arthur L. Young Mr. Francis Young Mr. Lawrence J. Zahm Mrs. Martha K. Zajicek Dr. and Mrs. Raymond Ziebarth

CLASS WALLACE RAKIN (BA) (BA) celebrated his 90th birthday in January and writes from Scottsdale, Ariz.: “My activities include a weekly putting contest, going to shows at the Scottsdale Theater of the Arts, and playing Texas Hold’em poker at the Talking Stick Casino.” wrankin1@cox.net

WALTER GRAHAM (BA) lives in Omaha and is enjoying retirement from his printing business, Modern Litho. He turned 90 in April and writes: “Anybody still around from the class of ’47?”

magigraham@aol.com

MARIE SHAFER (BS) lives in Omaha and writes: “I am proud to be an alum of the university.”

don-marie@shaferdisplay.com

SYNTHA ESSEX (BS) lives in Omaha and is a member of The AFROTC/Angel Flight/Silver Wings Alumni Chapter. Its main focus is scholarship support for cadets. Recently she was honored at the Angel Flight’s 60th Anniversary celebration for being the Angels Flight’s first flight leader.

syntha@msn.com

ORVILLE MENARD (BA) and his wife, Darlene, were invited guests of Chuck Hagel for his ceremonial swearing-in as U.S. Secretary of Defense and reception March 14 at the Pentagon.

NO T E S

class notes

Send your classnotes to www.unoalumni.org/classnotes. Or, post your note on the UNO Alumni Association Facebook site: www.facebook.com/UNOAlumni

the Drake Relays. He also had established ROBERT MCKAIH (BGE) has an OU record in the 440-yard dash at worked as a volunteer at HEB Hospital in 49.4 seconds. Hurst, Texas, for 22 years, logging more than 41,000 hours of volunteer service. NELDA TESAR (BS) lives in Clear Lake, Iowa, and DAVID CLOPTON (BS) retired in 2012 from recently retired in Mount Opportunity Village, where she Prospect, Ill., after many years worked for 38 years as a supervisor and in corporate marketing and then as staff training coordinator serving communications. He writes: “Can't more than 600 individuals in northern believe UNO growth and expansion! Iowa with physical and mental Almost got lost on last campus visit. disabilities. ntesar@netins.net Amazing! Great school and always proud of my affiliation. Whatever happened to GARY SALLQUIST (BA) ’67 grads? Sharp people, but rarely see is a corporate chaplain for any info! Love to hear from someone; Joey Medical and trustee for A drop me a note! Those were the days, my Good Neighbor Foundation in friends.” clopton01@wowway.com Cincinnati. Gary and his wife, Joyce, are involved with church, community and SUSAN SILVER (BA) their grandchildren. They are looking paints from her home in forward to watching their grandson Liam Omaha. She encourages Sallquist play football for the University everyone to look at her art, of Connecticut next fall. interior designs, and fashions on gjquist@gmail.com Facebook. Search for “Susan Joy Silver.”

kirleesu@aol.com

JOEL CHARLES SNELL (BS) is retired from Kirkwood College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and had an article, “The Dana Decision and its Impact on Online Universities,” published in College Student Journal in December. The article reflects on the closing of Dana College. See more at joelsnell.com

BILL MIRANDA (BGS) lives in Valencia, Calif., and has published a biographical self-help book, “Profiles in Latino Courage: How Everyday Latinos Achieve Success.”

JOHN ELSE (MA) lives in Omaha and is retired to be near his grandchildren.

SUE MEHAFFEY (BAE) works as an administrator with Omaha Sister Cities Association, where she oversees activities, events and exchanges with cities in Japan, Germany, Lithuania, Ireland and China. mehappy48@yahoo.com

DAVID CLARK (BGS) lives in Ellicott City, Md., and retired from the National Weather Service in 2001 after 11 years of service as director of training for the computerized weather forecasting program Advance Weather Interactive Processing System. dandj@comcast.net

CHUCK HAGEL (BGS) on Feb. 27 was sworn in as the 24th U.S. Secretary of Defense after being nominated to that post by President Obama and receiving senate confirmation.

bill@billmiranda.com

omenard@cox.net

BOB GERDEMAN (BS) lives in Colorado Springs, Colo. He wrote in response to the Spring 2013 issue of UNO Magazine that included a timeline of “100 Years of Mavs at Play.” Gerdeman in 1955 was named YMCA Track Man of the Year. That came after Gerdeman in 1954 had won the 400-meter hurdles at the NAIA national championship meet and at

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class notes BOB LYKKE (BA) in April received the 2013 Distinguished Alumni Humanitarian Award from Minnesota State University, Mankato. The award goes to Minnesota State Mankato graduates whose lives exemplify service to humankind and who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to humanitarian causes. Lykke earned two degrees from Minnesota State Mankato JON BRIDGEWATER before earning an MS in elementary (BA) lives in Houston and writes: “My second novel and education from UNO. He taught for 28 the second in the ‘Dave Storm’ years in the Millard School District, initiating the Elementary Guidance series is available on Amazon.com.” program before retiring as an jon@jonbridgewater.com administrator and supervisor of student teaching. He then supervised UNO PATRICK KERRIGAN (BA) lives in Barefoot Beach, undergraduate student teachers and mentored graduate students. In 2011 he Fla. He retired as COO from and his wife, Mary, were recognized with Information Technology in the Lifetime Achievement Award from 1999 subsequent to the company’s sale UNO’s College of Education. to Fiserv, Inc. and consulted with Fiserv until 2010. Since 2003, he has been a partner in the Palm Beach Holding Company of Antigua and Barbuda, where the company operates the Lighthouse Bay Resort & Villas on the Island of Barbuda. LAURIE FULTON (BS) resigned as the U.S. Ambassador to Denmark on Feb. 15. She had served in that post since July 2009 following President Obama’s nomination and senate confirmation. She returns home from Denmark to her family, which includes three daughters and grandchildren.

JOHN MCNAMARA (BS) published a new novel, “Harmony House.” The novel centers on Dan Boyle and his attempts to adapt to his new life as a recent widower. Writes McNamara: “His serial infidelities and alienation from his wife preceding her death haunt him, and as much as he wants to insulate himself from family, friends and neighbors, ‘untethering’ from relationships proves difficult. Shedding obligations is easier wished than done. As he examines his behavior during his marriage and following his wife’s diagnosis and death, Dan accepts that he has failed to live up to his own standards, much less the standards of others. He is torn between admitting his shortcomings and ignoring them. Will he change and live his life as a decent man? Or will he persist in placing his own

hedonistic impulses before the needs of others? Is redemption what he needs? Is it what he seeks? Or is it superfluous? A chain that tethers him to a life he wants to forget.” McNamara’s short fiction has been widely published and he has written novels “A Life Without Grace,” “A Final Reflection” and ‘Hunter’s War, A Novella, and Selected Short Stories.” Those novels and “Harmony House” all are available on Amazon.com. In the summer of 1999, he was awarded a professional artist residency at the OxBow Summer Arts Program for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Saugatuck, Mich. He lives in a Chicago suburb with his wife. jmcn49@comcast.net

MARIAN O’BRIEN PAUL (MA) writes from Chicago that in April 2013 his poem, “Cahokia Mounds, Illinois” appeared in the Midwest Prairie Review. obrienmarian@yahoo.com

pjkerrigan@comcast.net

DIANNE KAMMERER POLLY (BS) received the T. G. Kirkpatrick Annual Memorial Kiwanian of the Year Award by the Kiwanis Club of Memphis, Tenn., in January. The award is based on the member’s service and dedication to the organization and the community. Polly is a past president of the club and also has served on the club’s board of directors. She is the current Lt. Governor-elect for the Kiwanis Club Division 1C and currently is heading the Eliminate Project that focuses on efforts to eliminate neonatal and maternal tetanus. Polly is the vice president of Compliance and Community Relations for the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA) in Memphis.

LYLE BENDER (BGS) lives in Lincoln and has retired after 38 years of service as a military pilot. Now he is a senior pilot with Silver Hawk Aviation. lylbndr@aol.com

Thank you, Class of 2011! Your class made 47 gifts of $20.13 or more to win the UNO Alumni Association 100th Anniversary Class Challenge. Your generosity allows the Alumni Association to continue its vital work keeping our alumni connected, engaged and supporting our students. As winners of the challenge, the Class of 2011 welcomed this year’s May graduates into the alumni network with UNO Alumni pins at the May 4 graduation ceremonies. Thanks to more than 200 UNO young alumni who made gifts to the UNO Annual Fund during the 100th Anniversary Challenge. These recent graduates were challenged to give $20.13 to celebrate our centennial. Their generosity serves as a model for all UNO Alumni, and proves that gifts of any size can have a huge impact.

To make your gift to the UNO Annual Fund, use the envelope in the center of this magazine, or visit unoalumni.org/give

class notes TIM CAVANAUGH (BS) lives in Omaha and in January was elected chairman of the board of directors for the Metropolitan Utilities District. He has been on the board for 13 years and previously was chairman in 2007. He also is chief deputy Douglas County treasurer and a retired Omaha police captain.

stlcavanaugh@hotmail.com

PAUL HOFFMANN (BSBA) resides in Lee’s Summit, Mo., and writes: “I have fond memories of UNO, including the business school, the debate team and student government, and would love to reconnect with classmates.”

phoffmann@kc.rr.com

STEVE BARRETT (BA) is the associate dean for academic programs, College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Wyoming. His 10th book on embedded processing systems was published in April. The book, a joint venture with Texas Instruments, features the BeagleBone Linux-based processor. Barrett is a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the university. steveb@uwyo.edu MERRY WITZKI (BS) lives in Gering, Neb., and recently retired after 33 years of teaching elementary and K-12 gifted education. She writes: “Joyful contentment quickly set in (after retirement) and we are spending time in the mountains, with our little ‘grands’ and whatever else seems to ‘just pop up.’ Our door in western Nebraska is always open to visitors!” merrywitzki@charter.net

MICHAEL FERRAGUTI (BA) lives in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with his wife and three kids working as the creative director for EE International, a nonprofit Christian mission organization. He writes: “Florida is home to our kids, but Nebraska will always hold a special place in my heart.” mferraguti@eeworks.org

BARBEE DAVIS (MA) is writing books from Omaha on project management, including “Agile Practices for Waterfall Projects.” She also has written plays (“Escoffier” and “20% and Counting”) performed at Le Voltaire in Omaha.

DENNIS SCHUELKE (BS) has authored a new book, “Attorneys Above the Law.” He writes: “It is time America sees firsthand the true unethical standards of the so-called law profession, the mission original 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution which prohibited lawyers from running for public office, and my documented consequential results plaguing, not only me, but our entire society.” The book is available at www. attorneysabovethelaw.com in paperback and e-book format. Scheulke lives in Hendersonville, Tenn.

you, UNO, for teaching me the needed business tenets to achieve this success!”

chris@ thoughtpuzzle. com

dennis@attorneysabovethelaw.com

CLIF BANNER (MPA) is the senior technology systems analyst for the U.S. Air Force at Air Force Life Cycle Management Center in Nashua, N.H. He works on airborne networks and communications for the Department of Defense. His work focuses on small business innovation research and tech insertion of new technologies to improve the speed, accuracy and capability of airborne communications. He writes: “We're looking to hear from our Omaha friends —come east to New Hampshire and say hello!”

clif.banner@myfairpoint.net

ZAN BOCKES (BA) lives in Missoula, Mont., and is working as a residential sanitation specialist. In her free time she writes poetry. Her first collection is available from Turning Point Press. zanbockes@montana.com

Kevin Munro (BSBA) opened a regional commercial banking office for BMO Harris Bank in Omaha. The office will serve middle market and mid-corporate clients in Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota. He previously was the Omaha Market president for U.S. Bank.

ANDREW FOX (MBA) lives in Manlius, N.Y., and writes: “My wife and I have recently renovated a 31,000-square-foot furniture building in Syracuse into the largest independent health food store in upstate New York, offering a non-toxic salon and a gluten-free cafe/juice bar. Our organization employs 80-plus employees and we operate on a multichannel basis as a brick-and-mortar retail store, a retail catalog, an e-commerce Internet business, and as a fulfillment service for practitioners all over the country. Thank

CHRIS AUGERI (BGS) launched Thought Puzzle, a data analysis company. He also was interviewed by KIOS-FM about his 20-year journey to get his Ph.D. and start his company.

GARY HOWARD (BA)

lives in Omaha and recently completed his associate’s degree in liberal arts at Metropolitan Community College in 2012. How780@aol.com

VERONICA “VICKI” WHITE (BS) joined Pennoni Associates in Chantilly, Va., as a senior business development associate. Pennoni is an Engineering News Record Top 100 engineering, design and consulting firm. White previously worked in business development for Syska Hennessy Group. She has 20 years of experience and has participated extensively in industry associations. She currently is the program’s committee chair for the American Council of Engineering Companies’ Metro Washington chapter and membership co-chair of the Society of American Military Engineers’ Northern Virginia Post. She also is a member of the national Society for Marketing Professional Services and in 2009 received its Ginny Solomon Golden Tuba Award for outstanding contributions to the marketing profession.

SCOTT MENKING (BGS) continued his education at the University of Southern Queensland in Australia and shortly after that moved to Japan. He writes: “Since moving to Japan 20 years ago I have been able to learn a great deal more from living and teaching in a country that is very different from where I grew up in Nebraska. In the past few years I have also been honored with a five-year research grant to explore

international communication with an emphasis on East Asia, Japan’s neighbors, as well as countries in Southeast Asia. It has been pleasing to find that the current generations, through better and diverse lines of communication, are becoming more interested in one another. Japanese animations and manga, Korean TV dramas as well as Korean music groups have started to change images of neighbors. More people are becoming interested in each other’s languages, but most seem to rely on the English language to deepen understanding. The freedom to communicate and listen to music directly across borders that often includes vast stretches of ocean has given the region a renewed chance of prosperity not only financially but also socially. The spice of life is often diversity and the encouragement of seeking new things that might have been taboo in the past.” scottmenking@gmail.com

JAMES BRADER (MBA) was promoted to chief financial officer of the Omaha architecture firm Leo A. Daly in March and will direct the firm’s financial polices, including accounting, budget, credit, insurance, tax and treasury. He joined the company in 1986 and since has been promoted to accountant, senior accountant, assistant controller and controller.

DEB CLEMENTS (BA) lives in Glenview, Ill., and has joined Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago as professor and chair of family and community medicine. dsclements@me.com

JOEL WILSON (MBA) has been living in Ceresco, Neb., since September 2006 and works full time at the Cabela’s call center in Lincoln as a customer service representative. He also delivers the Lincoln Journal Star and the Omaha World-Herald papers in Ceresco. joelwilson1027@gmail.com

ROB M. MAYER (BS) lives in Omaha. In October the Better Business Bureau awarded him its Silver Award of Distinction for significant commitment to ethical business practices. Mayer is owner of Graphic Technologies. The award was presented at the BBB's 2012 annual Integrity Awards Luncheon.

rmayer@graphictec.com

class notes KATHY BYRNES (MPA) and her husband, John, opened Village Canvas and Cabernet, Omaha's "paint and sip" art gallery in Aksarben Village in September 2012. They also are partner/ owners of the Hot Shops Art Center in north downtown Omaha.

educator, historic site manager and library and archives director. He also has authored ‘Creighton University Athletics: A History In Photographs” (Osage Orange Publishing, 2005). Both books are available for purchase at his website: www.osageorangepublishing.com

PAUL BELLUS (MA) is the debate coach at the University of Iowa and has coached students to four national titles. He also is the newly appointed director of youth programs for the university, overseeing all youth programs on campus and directing and implementing youth program policies.

TYSON POSKOCHIL (BA) is in his 15th year as a police officer with the University of Nebraska police department. He recently was appointed to the 18-member state advisory council for Mothers Against Drunk Driving Nebraska Chapter. tposkochil2@unl.edu

paul-bellus@uiowa.edu

EVONNE EDGINGTON (BA) is a librarian with the Omaha Public Library and branch manager at Willa

Cather. eedgington56@gmail.com

LIAM CUNNINGHAM (MA) resides in Livermore, Calif., and had a research paper published, “Transit Oriented Development: A Viable Solution to Revitalize Inner Cities,” in the September/ October edition of International Right of Way Association (IRWA) magazine.

liamcunningham07@att.net

JOE PETERS (BA) lives in Tokyo and owns I Search Worldwide KK, a recruiting firm that specializes in recruiting bilingual Japanese for client companies. Since leaving Omaha he has lived in Singapore, Malaysia and Japan. He writes: “If your company needs excellent talent in Japan, feel free to contact me to discuss.”

joepeters@isearchworldwide.co.jp

TRAVIS SING (MA) was interviewed on camera by, and furnished photographs to, NET for “Devil Clouds: Tornadoes Strike Nebraska,” which premiered March 22. Sing wrote “Omaha’s Easter Tornado of 1913,” published in 2003. The tornado, which struck close to 6 p.m. on March 23, 1913, spared downtown Omaha, but left the city's western and northern neighborhoods heavily damaged. More than 100 lives were lost, and property damage ran into millions of dollars. Sing’s book features nearly 200 photographs documenting the path of destruction, as well as stories of survival, compassion and reconstruction. “I grew up in rural, central Oklahoma, and have a lifelong fascination with severe and unusual weather, especially tornadic activity,” he writes. Sing is an independent historian and has worked as a consultant,

SCOTT CAMPBELL (MBA) recently joined

American National Insurance Company as senior vice president and chief marketing officer. scc_76@yahoo.com

SHILO JORGENSEN (BA) joined Cox Media to help with its business development. shilo.jorgensen@gmail.com

LAMARR WOMBLE (BA) is owner of Passion for Leadership, a motivational speaking business based in Omaha. He travels around the country speaking to middle school, high school and college students about passion development, leadership, personal branding and relationship building. He writes: “If you are in a position to consider bringing in Passion for Leadership, please check out my website at www.passionforleadership.com or email me.” He also is assistant director of UNO Admissions.

MELINDA MARSHALL SOMMERFELD (BS) was promoted to account supervisor at Anderson Partners lamarr@passionforleadership.com Advertising in Omaha. ANDY RIKLI (Ed. D) was named superintendent of the CHERI CZERWINSKI (BS) is the job Papillion-La Vista School developer at ResCare Workforce Services. District in April. “All I can tell She writes: “ResCare assists people in you is, I’m a very lucky guy,” Rikli told the finding employment by inviting employers Omaha World-Herald. In May he became in to our office to hold job fairs, attend our the 90th chairman of the UNO Alumni Job Club, and set up tables in our lobby to Association Board of Directors. recruit candidates from our office.” SHEENA KENNEDY (BS) CRYSTALLE COTTON was promoted to volunteer (MIS) lives in St. Louis and development manager at the writes: “I have professional Girl Scouts Spirit of Nebraska experience doing part-time Council. Sheena has been employed with work as a sales associate in the Clubhouse Girl Scouts since Shop at Independence Center; as a 2011 as an computer technician at Web Innovations & outreach Technology Services, Inc.; and as a specialist. computer lab assistant at St. Louis VAMC skennedy@ Hope Recovery Center.” girlscouts

crystalle.cotton@gmail.com

PATRICK LEAHY (BA) lives in Omaha and recently was elected to the PapioMissouri River Natural Resources District Board. He writes: “On the board, I will work to ensure NRD policies and programs are working to keep these goals, and the taxpayer’s money, in mind.”

DEISY NICHOLSON (MA) after receiving her master’s degree in Spanish at UNO moved to Thomasville, N.C., with her husband. After working in two public high schools in N.C., she joined North Carolina A&T and teaches Spanish there. She writes: “Take care, I wish you the best and God bless you always.”

dperozo@netscape.net

JEFF LEHMKUHL (MPA) lives in England and has been accepted to University of Cambridge’s master of study program in International Relations. Completion grants automatic acceptance to its Ph.D. course. jeff.lehmkuhl@gmail.com

MICHAEL SUSTAITA (BA) resides in Lubbock, Texas, and has been accepted to the clinical psychology doctoral program at Texas Tech University. He writes: “We are proud to be Mavs and look forward to catching a hockey game the next time we visit Omaha!” sustaita.michael@gmail.com

BEN SCHMOKER (BCS) works at Security Intelligence Company after contributing to research work at national labs. He also is starting companies for security education. KATHY RADOSTA (MA) joined the UNO English department as an ESL specialist upon graduating in 2010. She teaches ESL classes as part of the First Year Writing Program. She also works in the Writing Center on campus as the ESL specialist and Graduate Writing consultant. kradosta@unomaha.edu

EMILY POESCHL (MS) became the new associate director of marketing in the UNO Office of Communications. She will oversee university-wide brand and marketing activities.

epoeschl@unomaha.edu

KRISTIN CUTSHALL (BS) joined Discovery Cove Orlando, Sea World’s sister park, in Orlando, Fla., as a part-time employee shortly after graduating from UNO. After her first year in the SeaVenture program, where she took care of tropical nebraska.org fish, rays, moray eels, and sharks, Kristin was offered a full-time position as an associate aquarist. She now spends the BLAINE PARKER (BS) has majority of her time in the saltwater moved to Memphis, Tenn., and educating guests of the park about the launched her own private animals. She writes: “I proudly tell people I practice, Parker Pediatric received my degree from UNO and that my Speech Services, LLC. education was a crucial aid to getting my blaineparker@me.com dream job. So happy to be a UNO alum!”

class notes

in memoriam A listing of alumni whose death the UNO Alumni Association has received notice of since Jan. 1, 2013. Years indicate graduation from UNO.

1934 Gary J. Vicker

1954 Walter J. Lukken

1966 Beulah B. Tally Goggins

1980 Susan K. Landow

1942 Harriett Williams Moore

1955 Richard D. McKee

1968 James A. Herman

1981 Ralph L. Harrington

Oliver P. Tjossem

1984 Carolyn Lanphier Wilson

1956 Mary Olson

1969 Tewfik S. Kawa

1989 Francis J. Buglewicz

1957 Demeral L. Andrew

Karen L. Reigle

1958 John G. Poehling

Barbara M. Tacey Sovereign

Bonnie J. Meisinger Rouse

Robert T. O'Hara

1960 Janice A. Anderson DeLoof

1970 Duane M. Lane

1991 John E. Clarke

Lois A. Spellman Schank

1961 Susan Brailey

Eugene Novikoff

Rita E. Jostes Murphy

1971 Gerard J. Jackson

Colleen Haller Wuebben

Stanley O. Schaetzle

1975 Jerry A. Williams

1993 Judith A. Slimm

1962 Dwight W. Ehrenberg

1977 Sharon M. Tucker

2003 Daniel Dale

Violet M. Pospichal Callaway

1947 Clifford C. Pinkerton 1949 Betty J. Bilunas Corrigan

1950 James Buck Clayton L. Hansen

Howard M. Johnson

1951 Andrew Marinkovich Kenneth P. Petersen

1952 Forrest Westering

Duane R. Sprick

Parker G. Branch

John W. Zimmer

Ballenger

1963 John F. Fuller

1978 Mabel M. Kastrup

1964 Dean C. Johnson

1979 Michael A. Piccolo

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class notes Willow Ann Philippi,

daughter of Pat (’06) and Josef (’06) Philippi of Omaha. Liviana Faith Foster ,

Association has given 1,975 free shirts and bibs to the children and grandchildren of UNO graduates! Get YOUR child a shirt today! Submit a birth announcement within 1 year of birth by completing the form at www.unoalumni.org/ futurealums. Or, send by mail — include baby’s name, date of birth, parents’ or grandparents’ names and graduation year(s). Mail to UNO Magazine Future Alums, 6705 Dodge St., Omaha, NE 68182.

CLASS NOTES

Akshara S. and Anannya L. Appadwedula , daughters of

Dane Wade Ruopp, son of

Brandon and Jeana (Goswick, ’09) Ruopp of Marshalltown, Iowa, and grandson of Janet Goswick (’06) of Bellevue, Neb. Alaina Grace LaPorte,

daughter of Leonard and Amy (Dush, ’99) LaPorte of Minot AFB, N.D. Peyton Lynn Kankousky,

daughter of Michelle (Manthei, ’02; ’08) and Chris (’01; ’08) Kankousky of Spring, Texas.

News:

Sarita (Rao, ’10) and Satyam (’11) Appadwedula of Wausau, Wisc. Lydia Grace Ross, daughter of

Elicia and Kenneth (’04) Ross Jr. of Omaha. Isabelle May McMichen,

daughter of Brian and Christina (Gawley, ’10) McMichen of Madison, Wisc. Austin Jeffrey Hansen, son

Larry and Chantel (’07) Dunn of Omaha. Victor Philip Smolinski, son

Roslyn Claire Graziano,

daughter of Maureen (Casey, ’00) and Charles (’02) Graziano of Omaha. Harper Alise Seely, granddaughter of William Seely (’75) of Indianapolis. Brayden Michael Sterba , son of Shaun and Suzi (Shelbourne, ’09) Sterba of Omaha. Gino Richard Cerone, grandson of Michael T. Trummer (’90) of Omaha.

of Teresa (Ford, ’05) and Jeff (’03) Hansen of Omaha.

What have you been doing since graduating from UNO? Your fellow alumni would like to know! We welcome personal and professional updates and photographs for Class Notes. Send your news to Class Notes Editor, UNO Magazine, 67th & Dodge Streets, Omaha, NE 68182-0010; fax to (402) 554-3787; submit online at www.unoalumni.org/classnote

Class Year: Degree:

E-mail:

of George and Amy (Barron, ’01) Smolinski.

Nathan Seyyon Marudaraj, son of Sona and

May we post your email address in the next UNO Magazine?

Last name while a student:

City/State/Zip:

Ann Elise Spencer ,

granddaughter of Theresa Tester (’87) of Omaha.

Name:

Address:

Rosie Joyce Dunn, daughter of

daughter of Eric and Libby (Hasenbank, ’05) Foster of Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Marudaraj Jivaraj (’05) of Omaha.

future ALUMS Since 1991, the UNO Alumni

Piper Adelade Murray, daughter of Levi and Barbara Ostebo (’05) Murray of Pueblo West, Colo.

Phone:

Yes No

sights & sounds

SIGHTS & SOUNDS A look at happenings on and off campus

A Spring Break of Service Now in its 11th year, UNO’s Seven Days of Service attracted nearly 1,500 volunteers to work at sites around Omaha, painting, repairing, landscaping and more during the university’s spring break. Held March 16-23, it benefitted area nonprofits, including the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, the Union for Contemporary Art and others. The program began in 2003 when seven students in an Oleson class helped coordinate 70 others who repaired homes for low-income families. It since has expanded beyond Omaha into Council Bluffs and Missouri Valley and has contributed more than $1 million in volunteer time.

A Week of Warren UNO’s College of Business Administration celebrated “Buffett Week” April 29-May 3, hosting several events focused on Warren Buffett’s life and career. That included a question and answer session with UNO students broadcast live by CNN/Fortune and moderated by Pattie Sellers, Fortune senior editor-at-large. Other events included a “Genius of Warren Buffett” seminar with Buffett expert Robert Miles, the 10th Annual Value Investor Conference, and the premiere of “Mr. Buffett: The Teacher,” a documentary by Jeremy Lipschultz, director of UNO’s School of Communication. The documentary focuses on Buffett’s time teaching at UNO. Buffett’s father-in-law, William H. Thompson, was a UNO graduate and long-time faculty member. The Thompson Center is named in his honor.

Graduates in bloom UNO hosted its spring commencement on campus once again, celebrating the graduation of nearly 1,900 students who ended their studies at UNO. The figure includes those who will graduate later this summer. An estimated 14,000-plus guests were on campus for the main university commencement and six college-specific ceremonies.

Poof! goes spring UNO’s Indian Student Association hosted Holi, the Indian festival of color, on campus in early April. The festival celebrates spring, new life, diversity, tolerance, camaraderie and equality. Students coated each other with seven shades of colored powder — Gulal — in front of the Maverick Village Clubhouse. Photos: Jeff Beieremann, University Relations

These students give up their spring break to build and strengthen the community, while laying the foundations for engaged citizenry. Says Kathe Oleson, Seven Days of Service director.

sights & sounds

Spaced out Clayton Anderson, NASA’s only astronaut from Nebraska, visited UNO in April for a week to promote STEM — Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Anderson also met with faculty, students and the community. Born and raised in Ashland, Neb., Anderson recently retired from NASA after 30 years. At UNO he visited the Child Care, hosted a Q&A and spoke to an Intro to Aviation class Center (pictured).

Slice of Fun Professor John Konvalina, chair of mathematics, was first in line for the Math Club’s “Pi Your Professor” event celebrating national Pi Day at UNO March 14 (3.14).

Chinese Spring Festival UNO’s International Studies & Programs hosted a Chinese Spring Festival — often known as "Chinese New Year" — Feb. 7 in the Milo Bail Student Center. UNO’s Chinese students celebrated their home country, writing the names of attendees in Mandarin, demonstrating Chinese string art and offering samples of Chinese food — with chopsticks.

She works hard for the money Chelsea Rose was all smiles after receiving her 2013 UNO Employee of the Year award from Tim Rochford, manger of student employment (left) and Lee Denker, president of the UNO Alumni Association, which sponsors the award.

Their cup runneth over The Omaha Skutt Catholic High School team celebrates winning the inaugural Innovation Cup hosted by UNO’s College of Information Science and Technology for area high school students. Chelsea Rose

Governors on the Grounds Nebraska governors past and present were on campus this spring. In March, former Nebraska Gov. and U.S. Senator Ben Nelson answered questions in Professor Jonathan BenjmainAlvarado’s political science class. Professor Randall Adkins, chair of the political science department, later presented Nelson with a Maverick T-shirt. Current Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman in April was a guest speaker in Dick Fellman's “Government and Politics of Nebraska” course. Two days later he spoke at the NACo National Cyber Symposium at UNO’s Peter Kiewit Institute.

for fun Test your brainpower with these puzzles created by UNO graduate (and former football player) Terry Stickels (’76). An author, speaker and puzzle maker, Stickels’ FRAME GAMES is published by USA Weekend magazine and in 600 newspapers. For more information on Stickels, or to order any of his books, visit www.terrystickels.com

Logic

You and a friend decide to go see a Minnesota Twins baseball game. Your friend says he is willing to toss a coin to see who purchases the tickets. He says that he is going to toss the coin three times and if heads comes up two out of those three tosses, he will buy both tickets. Are you getting the better end of the deal?

Visual

Here is a good brain workout. You go to a jeweler and ask him to make a bracelet using the chain sections below. (The first section has three pieces or links). They tell you that it costs $1 to break a link and $2 to weld a link together. You think it will cost $12 to build the bracelet. It can be built for $9, however. How?

Mathematics

Mindy and Mandy each want to buy their favorite candy bar at a store on the way home from school. One girl is 58 cents short and the other is 25 cents short. When they combine their money, they still don’t have enough to buy one candy bar. What is the least one candy bar could cost? Put this sentence back into everyday English: It is highly inadvisable and certainly a waste of time and possibly money, to use a calculator or other device, including fingers to enumerate a certain, well-known worldwide avian species while those to be tallied are not yet in existence.

answers Visual: Select the chain section with three links (first section shown in question). Break open one of the links and use it to connect any two of the three other sections. Now, break another of its links and use it to connect any two of the three remaining sections. Break the third and final link and use it to make a complete loop.

Language

Language: Don’t count your chickens until they are hatched. Mathematics: 82 cents. This would mean one person had 24 cents and the other 57 cents. When you combine the two, they have 81 cents. Logic: Mathematically speaking, no. Out of eight possibilities, two heads come up three times. So you have a friend who understands probability. Your friend has 5/8 of a chance of winning and you only have 3/8 of a chance of winning.

Puzzles taken from “The Big Brain Puzzle Book,” created by Terry Stickels for the Alzheimer’s Association

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Major Money

The various aspects of choosing a college major

Cost of College

The costs, the debt, the savings

Giving is Good

Bill Conleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 12-month experiment of giving