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Future Teacher Overcomes the Odds with Help from Donors

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By Lily Dohmen

We all know that overcoming trials and conflict is part of what makes a good story. If you bought tickets to see a superhero movie in which the hero has no villain to fight and lives in a world where nothing ever goes wrong, you’d ask for your money back.

It turns out what makes a good story in the movies also makes a good story in real life. For University of Nebraska-Lincoln sophomore Marlana Saalfeld-Green, trials have been a part of her journey. But, thanks to donors, she’s been able to overcome them.

Saalfeld-Green grew up in a single-parent household and spent a lot of time with her grandparents while her mother worked two jobs. Although she is grateful for the sacrifices her family has made to put her in a position to succeed, she was still at a disadvantage.

A recent study published in the journal Education Next found that teens who lived in a single parent household were 26% less likely to graduate from college by the time they were 24 when compared with those from a two-parent household. One of the main factors was finances. Thankfully, Saalfeld-Green found financial and moral support.

Because her grandparents didn’t attend college and her mom was a non-traditional college student, their perspective was valuable in communicating to Saalfeld-Green the importance of pursuing an education after high school. “My grandparents, along with my mom, told me I needed to go to college,” Saalfeld-Green said. “They wanted me to get an education past my high school degree.”

Thanks to donors, she was able to make it happen. Scholarships through the College of Education and Human Sciences have paved the way for her to become a teacher when she graduates. “My life would be significantly different if I didn’t have support from donors,” Saalfeld-Green said. “UNL has been a place where I can spread my wings by getting involved in college activities. I feel included here.”

Saalfeld-Green knew she wanted to be a secondary education teacher because she wants to promote diversity and inclusion in the school system. From previous experiences in high school, she was, at times, frustrated with how her teachers treated her. “In my classroom, I want to build a community where everybody feels respected to share their viewpoints, no matter what background they come from,” Saalfeld-Green said.

Saalfeld-Green is currently a Senator for CEHS, Vice President of the Future Teachers of Color Club, Senator of the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska and a member of the Institute for Inclusive Innovation. Many of the clubs and organizations CEHS offers students are also donor funded.

Even though we will likely never write a superhero movie, we can all play a meaningful part in an ongoing real life story. Trials like the ones Marlana Saalfeld-Green faced will continue to challenge students in our communities. We can help them overcome these trials and conflicts by providing them with much needed financial relief.

To see more students like Marlana Saalfeld-Green succeed, consider making a gift of any amount to the College of Education and Human Sciences.

Support the College of Education and Human Sciences

A gift to this fund provides much needed general support for the college to assist areas and programs of greatest need.

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Support Education & Human Sciences Scholarships/ Fellowships

This fund shall be used to promote the mission of the College of Education and Human Sciences at UNL.

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My life would be significantly different if I didn’t have support from donors.

Marlana Saalfeld-Green

Powerful Partnership Results in Launch of Engler Enterprise Financing Program

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By Lexi Bodlak, Public Relations Storyteller, Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program

Good people, good drinks and the good life. Abby Miller, a recent University of Nebraska–Lincoln graduate, found her passion and purpose in bringing these three things together.

Miller, who grew up in Mead, Nebraska, enrolled as a freshman in Engler 101, the introductory course in the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program. During a class pitch competition, she realized she could make memories and a profit through her love of bringing people together. Her business idea: convert a 1950s Chevrolet into a mobile tap truck serving Nebraska.

She received mentoring and guidance from Engler staff and financial support for her business venture from the recently created Engler Enterprise Financing Program, launched in cooperation with Union Bank & Trust (UBT) and Farm Credit Services of America.

Miller spent $3,000 to pay for half of the truck, lovingly named Pat, and her dad loaned her the rest of the funds. She went right to work giving Pat a facelift. As you can imagine, the pickup (found in a shed with no roof) had a few dings. After many late nights and a lot of elbow grease, Pat was fully restored and ready for service.

Shortly thereafter, Miller launched Pat on Tap. Ever since, Miller and her vintage Chevrolet have traveled around eastern Nebraska serving drinks and bringing people together at weddings, parties and other special events. “I didn’t do this alone,” she said, citing the Engler Enterprise Financing Program (also known as the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Loan Program).

“For many of us, our only financial backing comes from family savings — if that,” said Miller, who graduated from UNL in May 2024. “As students, we don’t have collateral to secure traditional small business loans.”

That’s where the loan program comes in. With the support of a $25,000 loan, Miller is positioned to scale her business beyond what she thought possible. She has two vehicles in her fleet and will soon have a third. At just 23 years old, she plans to expand her business into western Nebraska and beyond the state’s borders to other Midwestern cities.

Miller was the first recipient of a loan from the new program. It’s designed to provide start-up funding for Engler students, offering low-interest loans to students who might not otherwise be able to obtain them.

Before applying, Engler students first participate in an education and training program to learn about business management and the loan application process. Through the Engler Enterprise Financing Program, students gain real-world experience in securing funding, said Brennan Costello, the Engler program’s chief business relations officer. Because of close collaboration between students and staff, he’s confident the loan repayment rate will be high. As recipients pay back their loans, the funds will be used to support other student-entrepreneurs’ business ideas.

The financing program is administered in partnership with UBT, providing low-interest business loans ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 and repayment terms of one to three years.

“UBT is proud to support the Engler program and its efforts to assist students in starting and growing their businesses. Many times, businesses can’t get off the ground as they have no access to resources, whether that be financial or a support system,” said Stephanie Dinger, vice president of small business at UBT. “We feel this is a wonderful partnership as we not only can provide financial support regarding a low-interest loan, but we also provide financial literacy and a point of contact for students as they grow and have additional needs.”

Farm Credit Services of America made a $35,000 gift through the University of Nebraska Foundation to prototype the financing program.

“We created the initial gift because the project provides hands-on learning for Engler students to build their business plans and engage with a lender to access a loan for their business,” said Bob Campbell, senior vice president of lending with Farm Credit Services of America/Frontier Farm Credit. “We believe that business owners need to be able to communicate the strategic vision of their company and demonstrate the business acumen needed to obtain financing or equity partners.”

As the Engler program continues to grow, the number of students who want to expand their business ventures is also growing. To support the student-entrepreneurs, philanthropic support is requested to expand the Engler Enterprise Financing Program.

When the late Paul Engler founded the Engler program in 2010, his vision was to provide students with the experience and support they need to return to their communities inspired to build sustainable businesses. The Engler program provides students with the academic, emotional and financial support to make their dreams a reality.

Without the Engler loan, Miller said she may have needed to take out a traditional loan, with a higher interest rate and risk not having the collateral to support it. “It might be the only way some of these ventures can exist,” she said.

She credits Engler staff for helping her sort through her business ideas, particularly Director Tom Field, Chief Learning Officer Dave Lambe and Costello.

“The Engler community has been my biggest champion,” Miller said. “They push me to dream bigger and give me the resources to make it happen.”

Engler Enterprise Financing Program
  • The Engler Enterprise Financing Program provides Engler students at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with access to low-interest loans to transform their entrepreneurial dreams into reality. To learn more about the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program, go to englerjourney.com.
  • To learn more about supporting the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Loan Program Fund, contact Justin Swanson, senior director of development for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska Foundation, at [email protected].

Missouri Native Becomes a Husker Fan

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By Susan Houston Klaus

Paul Garnett has been a loyal Husker Athletics fan ever since he moved to Nebraska from his home state of Missouri nearly 49 years ago.

A Burnett Society member, Paul believes so strongly in the combination of athletics and education, he’s giving back to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the form of an athletic scholarship in his name. He’s made a planned gift to the University of Nebraska Foundation to benefit the Husker Athletics program.

Playing sports, Paul said, has always been an important part of his life.

“I had an older cousin who was a good athlete, so we did backyard competitions about anything and everything,” he said. “Just naturally, I guess, I gravitated toward sports — Little League baseball and flag football, and track, basketball and baseball in high school.”

Paul’s athletic talent earned him a college basketball and baseball scholarship, giving him an opportunity he says he otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford.

“I grew up on a small farm in central Missouri, and we didn’t have a lot of financial wherewithal as a family,” he said. “I doubt that I would have been able to financially go to college if it wasn’t for an athletic scholarship.”

Paul earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education at Truman State University. He was working toward a master’s degree — with plans of being a coach — when his father passed away. Family responsibilities came first, and he left school to help his mom run the family’s farm for about a year and a half.

Paul returned to school after that, but he changed his area of study to finance and economics. It was a move, he said, that would alter his life trajectory. He got a job as a salesperson with brokerage firm Edward Jones, and in 1976 he was scouting communities where he could open a new office. A few Nebraska towns were open to talking with him. So, he came to see the southeast part of the state and a few days later chose Beatrice as his new home — starting his life over from scratch “and not knowing a person,” he said.

Today, Paul has four decades of experience in the finance industry. He’s the co-owner, with his daughter, Traci Garnett-Froscheiser, of Garnett Investment Strategies. For 12 years, the company has managed assets for nonprofit organizations as a registered investment adviser, or RIA.

As an entrepreneur, Paul has been involved in more than 20 private equity companies, including ag, tech, medical emergency evacuation, and health and dietary startups. For example, his management company operates the second-largest egg producer in the United States.

Paul became involved with Husker Athletics during the early 1980s, when each sport had a booster club with a board of directors. Serving on those boards, he got to know men’s basketball head coach Danny Nee and, later, coach Doc Sadler and former Athletic Director Bill Byrne. Paul has been a loyal Husker fan and often attends games with his family.

“We go to a lot of games,” he said. “We’ve got eight football tickets and four basketball tickets, and we go to all the football games and almost all of the basketball games.”

Occasionally, he attends a volleyball match and also enjoys watching Husker Baseball.

Paul feels confident having the University of Nebraska Foundation manage the assets he’s leaving to the university.

“I’m a big fan of the foundation,” he said. “I have watched their investment policy statements and how well they diversify and manage the returns that are out there. I feel very comfortable that the assets I leave behind will be managed well for many, many generations to come to support Nebraska scholarships and Nebraska facilities.”

Paul said his success is “maybe the result of some hard work, and maybe a lot of luck along the way.” He’s a believer in donating his time and resources to things he has a passion for.

“I guess I’m in the business where I understand that we’re all mortal,” he said, “and if I have some kind of financial assets left behind, you look at family, you look at God, you look at the passions that you support.”

As Paul reflects on the success he’s had, he knows young people just need an opportunity.

“I think it’s beneficial to help kids find their way to get to higher education,” he said. “So I want to make sure the facilities are good. I want to make sure that there’s scholarship money. I want to pass it on.”

Fighting Cancer by Giving Back

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By Robyn Murray

Born and raised in Aurora, Nebraska, Doris Jones married her high school sweetheart, Lyle, in 1954. For 68 years, they lived, loved and worked together, raising three children in Lincoln.

Two years ago, Lyle passed away from esophageal cancer. The loss was devastating, but it wasn’t the first time — and it wouldn’t be the last — that cancer extended its deadly grasp into her family’s life. Doris, a Burnett Society member, had already lost her father and father-in-law to cancer. She had watched her oldest daughter fight thyroid cancer and skin cancer and her second daughter endure a double mastectomy to fight a cancer diagnosis.

Those experiences inspired Doris to do what she could to give back, to make whatever impact, large or small, to help in the global fight against the ravages of cancer, which continues to be a leading cause of death worldwide. After speaking with a development officer at the University of Nebraska Foundation, who has become a good friend, Doris decided to direct two insurance policies to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, establishing the Lyle M. and Doris V. Jones Memorial Cancer Research Fund.

“I got really excited and decided this is what I want to do,” Doris said. “It’s just so good to give. It’s a good feeling.”

Giving back was always part of Doris and Lyle’s life. They began with a gift to the CEDARS Home for Children, after their granddaughter died from a surgical error, and they never turned back.

“We haven’t taken any trips around the world, and I don’t drive a Cadillac, but I think we’ve really helped a lot of people through the years,” Doris said. “I think it’s a wonderful way to give money that you don’t really need yourself.”

Doris said her hope is that someday cancer will be eliminated, and the suffering will end.

“That’s a really big dream, of course,” she said, “but it’s just such an awful thing to see people suffer from. And because it’s been so prevalent with people in my own life, if I can be of help in any way, that’s really important to me.”

A Hidden Gem in Rural Nebraska

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A Hidden Gem in Rural Nebraska

As a key provider of highly skilled agricultural workers, NCTA plays a crucial role in building Nebraska’s workforce.
By Robyn Murray

Located in Curtis, Nebraska, the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture is a small campus with a big impact. As a key provider of highly skilled agricultural workers — in a state in which 23% of the workforce is employed in the ag industry — NCTA plays a crucial role in building Nebraska’s workforce.

Jim Stewart, a University of Nebraska Foundation Trustee and 1975 graduate of NCTA, has farmed for most of his life. He said the college teaches crucial fundamentals in agriculture. “Farming isn’t as easy as it looks,” Stewart said. “NCTA taught us to properly use equipment and work with animals. It also taught us one of the most important things in farming, which is money management.”

Founded in 1913 as a regional high school, NCTA offers academic programs in agribusiness management, animal science, agronomy, welding, diversified agriculture and many other areas.

Today, as Nebraska faces a growing workforce shortage in the ag industry, NCTA aims to build on its strong foundation — it’s ranked No. 1 for career outcomes among U.S. community colleges — and double its enrollment to 500 students. Key to that aim is a $12 million renovation to create a new Student Success and Activity Center, which would function like a student union. Fundraising is being matched by a $6 million challenge gift from Barbara and Wally Weitz of Omaha.

University of Nebraska Foundation Trustees Jim Stewart and Terry Keslar want to support and raise awareness of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture.

Terry Keslar, who is also a trustee and serves on the Only in Nebraska Campaign Committee for NCTA with Stewart, said she wants to raise awareness of the benefits NCTA provides. “Some students think they won’t succeed at a college,” Keslar said. “But at NCTA, students know the faculty, they eat lunch together. The faculty, and all the staff there, really want the kids to succeed.”

Stewart said investing in NCTA’s facilities matters when it comes to recruiting students.

“I’m pretty darn conservative, but even I can see campus needs to change,” Stewart said. “We have to upgrade facilities to attract people to come there.”

Stewart and Keslar have both made gifts to support various aspects of NCTA. Stewart said he was encouraged to get involved with the college after his brother, Michael, passed away 10 years ago. Michael Stewart was the first in his family to attend NCTA and was committed to giving back to the college and the community of Curtis.

“When he passed away, I wanted to give back to some of the things that he liked and appreciated,” Jim Stewart said, adding that he is thankful for his experience at NCTA, which gave him not only the practical tools he needed to succeed on his farm but also valuable life experience.

“There are a lot of good people there,” Stewart said. “You meet people from all over the state and learn about where they come from. It’s a great education.”

Related Stories

Chase Glover of Grand Island, Nebraska, is studying agronomy at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture.

‘Prepared to Go Out Into the World’

Chase Glover didn’t think college was for him. His plans changed after his high school Future Farmers of America adviser suggested he check out the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture. He traveled to Curtis, Nebraska, and took a tour. The experience changed Glover’s mind about college and planted the seeds for his future.

Read More »

Dick Holland’s Support Mirrors His Passions

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By Steve Jordon
Celebrating the Arts

Separated by time, Dick Holland and Da’Von George are connected by their shared passion for art and communications — the late Holland, an Omaha advertising industry titan and Omaha University art graduate, and George, a future graphic designer.

Another connection: George is an inaugural recipient of a scholarship endowed by the family foundation of Holland and his wife, Mary. George will complete his bachelor’s degree in December at the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media.

The Holland Foundation’s gift adds $2.5 million to a scholarship fund supporting students studying arts and communication. The UNO Richard Holland Endowed Scholarship Fund helps students like George, who is the first in his family to go to college and serves as a role model in his community. George coaches basketball and mentors boys in Omaha’s NorthStar program, which aims to support young men in North Omaha.

“A lot of these kids are asking me how to find scholarships and other questions about college,” he said. “It’s always good to get it into their heads that college is an option.”

After graduation, George aims to pursue freelance graphic design logos.  He and his brother recently started a clothing business.

“I love to do anything creative and love to create logos and design,” George said.

George has merged his passion for art with his love of skateboarding and recently created live art at an event hosted by SkateFest, an Omaha nonprofit whose mission is to develop skate culture for the Omaha inner city.

George said he is grateful for the support he received from the Holland Foundation. “It is so meaningful for me to not have the financial burden,” George said. “I feel honored to be an inaugural recipient of this scholarship.”

An inaugural recipient of a scholarship endowed by the Holland Foundation, UNO graphic design student Da’Von George said, “It takes the weight off my shoulders about having to worry about the financial aspects of this year.”
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Da’Von George and his brother, Ira George Jr., developed and designed a clothing brand called From the Rejected, and Da’Von George is doing freelance design work, such as creating business logos.

Melissa Berke, Ph.D., associate dean of the UNO College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media, said affording college is nearly impossible for some students. “We talk about the economic mobility that a college education provides,” she said, “and to have scholarships that provide that opportunity for students to graduate without enormous amounts of debt is amazing.”

The Holland Scholarship recipients, in turn, will impact their classmates. “The collaboration that happens between students who may not be as advantaged can broaden everyone’s lifetime experiences,” Berke said.

Advocating for Public Health

Dick Holland’s passion for health equity, reflected in a recent $2 million gift from his family foundation that established a presidential chair at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, already is seeding two high-potential efforts to save lives.

“We are innovative and we’re impatient,” said Ali S. Khan, M.D., dean of UNMC’s College of Public Health and the first holder of the Richard D. Holland Presidential Chair in Public Health, an endowed fund that provides Khan more than $80,000 a year for innovative work in improving community health.

“I spend all my time thinking about how to make Nebraska the healthiest state in the union,” Khan said. “It was not surprising Dick Holland wanted to help, given his passion for social justice and public health.”

Guided by Holland’s interest in children’s issues, Khan directed part of the chair’s first-year proceeds toward an academic-private industry health coalition that aims to reduce maternal and infant mortality in Nebraska and eliminate heath inequity.

He also is funding development of a K-12 curriculum, including an online game called Zoodemic, dealing with public health and agricultural pathogens such as avian flu. Goals include supporting healthy behaviors while working with animals at state and county agricultural fairs and starting public health clubs in every school.

Larger national grants will finance these programs’ long-term growth across the nation and could yield significant impact, Khan said.

“That’s what the Holland money does,” Khan said. “It gives us seed money for a small project that will move forward to a much larger project to catalyze good change.”

‘Teaching is My Calling’

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By Susan Houston Klaus

Wheeler Elementary School teacher Emily Lorenzen loves that her 26 second-graders are so eager to learn and try new things. The Millard Public Schools teacher has felt the same connection to the classroom since she was not much older than her students are.

“My aunt was my preschool teacher, and in elementary, middle and high school, I would always go back to her classroom on days that I had off and just help out with whatever her class was doing,” Lorenzen said.

The University of Nebraska at Omaha graduate, who recently earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, always thought she would have a career in the classroom.

“I just knew that teaching was my calling,” she said.

Lorenzen also has benefited from being a UNO Teacher Scholars Academy student at the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences. The donor-supported academy, also offered at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, provides scholarships and prepares students for teaching careers in the local community through experiential learning. A cohort-based program, the academy was created to address the immediate need for educators and grow the teacher workforce in the state.

Lorenzen said the scholarships provided by the academy have made a world of difference.

“I didn’t have to have the stress of finances and how I was going to afford college,” Lorenzen said. “I just feel very grateful, because I don’t have any loans to pay off. The scholarship also provided me with money to provide supplies for my classroom last year, which was really helpful to making my classroom how I wanted it to be.”

The first cohorts for the Teacher Scholars Academy started in 2019. Since it began, the UNO TSA has enrolled 114 teacher scholars, with a retention rate of 87%. The UNL TSA has enrolled 156 students, with a 91% overall retention rate.

“What is impressive to me is the quality of students TSA attracts and to watch these students grow into critical-thinking, empathetic and sophisticated teacher leaders,” said Braden Foreman-Black, UNL Teacher Scholars Academy coordinator. “Now that we are seeing the payoff of these students now teaching in Nebraska schools, I cannot be prouder of ways we can continue to push the field of teaching to meet the current demands of schools.”

Teacher Scholars Academy graduate Paul Pechous earned his bachelor’s degree in education and special education from UNL in 2024. Today, he’s a special education teacher at North Ridge Middle School in Elkhorn Public Schools. Pechous said building lasting connections with his cohort community has played a key role in reinforcing his decision to become an educator. Those supportive relationships have continued, as graduates helped each other prepare for their first semester of classes last fall.

“I think having a group of like-minded people has been transformative, and it’s reassured me that teaching is what I was meant to do and what I’m supposed to do,” Pechous said.

North Ridge Middle School teacher and Teacher Scholars Academy graduate Paul Pechous

The Scarlet’s New Academic Space Will Offer a ‘Living Laboratory’ for UNL Hospitality Students

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By Connie White

Growing up, Abby Cantrell of Lincoln often traveled with her father to conventions and other events around the country. She attended dinners, banquets and concerts, seeing firsthand the results of months of behind-the-scenes preparation by corporate event planners. The experience — and her love of travel — drew her to pursue a career in the field.

“I like the happiness that it can bring other people,” said Cantrell, a junior in the Hospitality, Restaurant and Tourism Management (HRTM) program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. “Event planning can be stressful work, but to see the smiles on their faces after an event lets me know that I was able to make their day.”

Cantrell and other students in the HRTM program will soon learn in a new academic space — one that extends their learning beyond the classroom.

In fall 2025, the HRTM program will move from its current location in Leverton Hall on East Campus to The Scarlet on the Nebraska Innovation Campus. The 154-room Marriott Tribute property, the only hotel on campus, was designed to celebrate Nebraska, with each room highlighting a Nebraska town. The hotel is owned, operated and managed privately, with the academic space managed by the College of Education and Human Sciences.

Fundraising for the first phase of the project, which includes 6,000 square feet of academic space, is complete, and construction is underway. The project is supported by a grant from the Economic Development Administration and a leadership gift from Dean and Jessie Rasmussen of Omaha. Additional private support is being sought for a phase two project to build a 4,000-square-foot commercial teaching kitchen in the hotel.

Ajai V. Ammachathram, Ph.D., HRTM program director, said the academic space in The Scarlet will serve as a “living laboratory” for students, with classrooms, a conference room, lounge space for students and faculty offices.

Abby Cantrell

“The classroom can only take you so far in a major like this,” Ammachathram said. “The students have to experience it.”

The hospitality industry is the third largest revenue generator in Nebraska, with nearly 100,000 people working in the leisure and hospitality sector. In 2022, tourism spending contributed $4.3 billion to Nebraska’s economy.

Ammachathram said that, with the hospitality boom post-COVID-19, the program’s graduates are in high demand. The placement rate has been outstanding, with 150 job offers among the 50 students who graduated in the 2022-23 academic year. He said hospitality students have come to their faculty advisers to say, “I have two or three offers. Which one should I pick?”

Students choose from among six emphasis areas: hotel management, club management, event management, food and beverage management, tourism and human resources. There are 250 students in the program, with 100 majors and 150 minors.

Students must complete three internships before graduation. One of the internship experiences offered through the program is at the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, where students work as bartenders and servers in hospitality cabins and suites for 10 days.

Cantrell, who has worked at the tournament twice, said that in her first year, she was nervous because she knew “there would be very important people in the room.” In her second year, she returned to the Masters as a student lead from UNL. The staff quickly bonded, she said, and they worked together to provide patrons with exceptional service. She said the experience enhanced her communication, teamwork and customer service skills and showed her firsthand that little details matter.

“Getting the internships and on-the-job experience is probably the most important part of what we do in our program,” said Cantrell, who also has a part-time job at a Lincoln event venue. “Until you learn how to apply what we’re learning and get experience doing that, it’s hard to imagine how to put on an event.”

Lyv Williams, a UNL sophomore from Columbus, Nebraska, also provided hospitality for the Masters Tournament last spring. “That was probably the coolest experience of my entire life,” she said. “I know nothing about golf, but I know a lot about hospitality.”

She also completed an internship this summer at an Omaha event planning and floral arranging business. Williams said her goal is to someday start her own business planning weddings and other events.

Williams said the HRTM program provides her with the foundation she’ll need to run her own business. She also appreciates seeing what she learns in action, so she’s excited to take classes in The Scarlet.

“It showcases so many different aspects of hospitality — a restaurant, coffee shop, event space,” Williams said. “Not to mention, the whole building is stunning.”

Fundraising continues for the commercial teaching kitchen at The Scarlet. Gifts may be made online to the Hospitality, Restaurant and Tourism Management Development Fund through the University of Nebraska Foundation.

Lyv Williams

UNO’s FNBO Code Studio Mirrors Professional Workspaces

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By Sara Badura

Ashita Abraham, a junior double-majoring in cybersecurity and computer science at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, spends a lot of time working independently on her coursework.

So, she welcomed the interactive format in her Introduction to Mathematical Proofs class, a one-credit, six-week course she took in the spring of 2024. Instead of in a typical classroom, she found herself in the FNBO Code Studio.

Located on the second floor of the Peter Kiewit Institute building on UNO’s Scott Campus, the FNBO Code Studio serves as a space for computer science students to connect and collaborate with classmates. The studio opened in fall 2023, supported by a generous gift from FNBO (First National Bank of Omaha). An outdated computer lab was refurbished and transformed into a modern tech space, with oval tables, docking stations and whiteboards.

FNBO also made a gift through the University of Nebraska Foundation to create an endowed scholarship to assist students pursuing a degree in the College of Information Science & Technology.

“I loved the whole setup of the Code Studio, which is, when compared to normal classrooms, much more engaging,” Abraham said. “We even had a couple of small TVs and TV screens where students at each and every table could see what the professor was projecting.”

Students and faculty alike appreciate the design of the FNBO Code Studio, said Mahadevan Subramaniam (Subu), Ph.D., professor and chair of the Computer Science Department at UNO. Subu had his first opportunity to teach in the code studio as the instructor leading the Introduction to Mathematical Proofs course.

“At UNO, we talk in terms of small class sizes and having a very nice faculty-to-student ratio,” Subu said. “That’s really important because computer science programs at some institutions across the country have huge classes with hundreds of students.”

UNO prides itself on providing an excellent computer science education while also giving students opportunities for small group and individual experiences, he said.

The FNBO Code Studio provides an ideal learning environment while helping prepare students for their future professional careers, Subu said. Computer science studies often involve individual work, but collaborating with others is crucial to success in the field.

“I think that this kind of an environment makes the transition into the workforce a little bit easier because you’re used to talking to small groups,” Subu said. “You interact with small groups, and you know how to express your ideas.”

UNO student Ashita Abraham
UNO student Thomas Minnich

Thomas Minnich, a UNO senior majoring in computer science, was another student in Subu’s mathematical proofs class in the FNBO Code Studio. He said about half his time in the class was spent working on group projects. The tech-friendly space made it easy for students to plug in their laptops and share their projects on monitors around the room.

Minnich said the FNBO Code Studio is a “great collaborative space” that encourages interactions like those he expects to find in the professional world.

This summer, he completed an internship in software development. In the life cycle of developing code, he said, time is invested early to talk about ideas and make design decisions “before you even start to write the code.”

“Having that social interaction really helps prepare you for real-world challenges when it comes to IT and software development, where a lot of time is spent talking to people,” Minnich said.

UNK Chemistry Student Grateful for Scholarship Honoring Longtime Professor

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By Sara Badura

Caleb Sund of Fremont, Nebraska, knew he wanted to make a difference in the scientific world, so he decided to pursue a career in chemistry. The only thing standing between him and his dream of becoming a pharmaceutical researcher was his ability to pay for higher education.

Fortunately, for Sund, this spring he was awarded the Donald E. Fox Endowed Scholarship at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, providing him with $1,000 to support his academic pursuits. Sund qualified for the scholarship due to his status as a second- semester, first-year student majoring or minoring in chemistry with demonstrated academic achievement, need, integrity, character, dependability and motivation.

“I’m purely paying for college by myself,” Sund said. “This scholarship is really helping me afford college.”

Beginning with a $1,000 gift in 1979, the Donald E. Fox Endowed Scholarship Fund has grown to more than $600,000, thanks to an estate gift from Viola C. Fox after her death in September 2023. With the new funds, the department hopes to award approximately 20 scholarships annually.

The scholarship is named in memory of Fox’s husband, the late Donald E. Fox, a faculty member at Kearney State College and then UNK for 38 years. He taught chemistry and led the department as chair, later serving as dean of the College of Natural and Social Sciences.

Just as Donald Fox’s commitment to teaching made a lasting impact on countless UNK students, Sund’s high school chemistry teacher sparked his passion for chemistry.

“I got really intrigued by chemistry in high school from my cross-country coach who was also my teacher,” Sund said. “I learned a lot about the chemistry of how your body works and how it functions from our workouts and runs, and that really got me interested in doing that in college.”

After speaking with several UNK upperclassmen in the honors program who are also majoring in chemistry, Sund was encouraged to apply for the Donald E. Fox Endowed Scholarship. Sund reflected on the significance of scholarship support for him and other college students.

“It’ll definitely impact my ability to pay for my classes,” Sund said. “I will say that I have a lot of trouble with getting money for all of college, so this will definitely help with that, especially with the costs of books and equipment for labs.”

With three years left as a UNK student, Sund is looking forward to the opportunities that have opened up because of financial support from the scholarship. This year he will team up with several professors to assist with chemistry research.

“It’s kind of like a part-time job,” Sund said. “I’ll spend after-school hours inside a lab. The professor will do a lot of research, but I’ll be finding out more of the solutions by actually using a lab. It’ll be really fascinating.”

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