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Finding His Future Through Tech

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By Susan Houston Klaus

UNK Cyber Systems Program Helps Students Gain Experience

As a kid, Trey Svatos spent his fair share of time playing video games. But more than reaching the next level of his favorite games, he was intrigued about the technology that lay beyond the controller and console. The Neligh, Nebraska, native had heard people say it was about ones and zeros and switches, and he wanted to know more. So, he dug in. He learned how games were built. He read articles about the latest innovations. He wrote papers in high school on how technology was evolving.

“I had a friend that kind of taught me the very basics of coding, and I found it pretty intriguing,” Svatos said. “It was kind of like a puzzle. It was a lot of problem-solving and trying to think outside the box with the tools you have.”

When it came time to choose a major at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Svatos decided on computer science.

“I’ve loved it ever since,” he said.

The UNK Department of Cyber Systems offers a wide range of majors for students like Svatos who are interested in a tech career, including cybersecurity operations, computer science, information technology and business intelligence. Each major focuses on providing the fundamentals and then building on those skills by helping students gain knowledge of the latest advancements.

Job opportunities for cyber systems students continue to grow exponentially, said Associate Professor Angela Hollman, Ph.D. “For example,” she said, “the job market for cybersecurity openings is at 5,000 in the state of Nebraska alone. And many of these jobs are not in the eastern urban areas in Nebraska, but in our own hometowns.”

In an industry known for its blink-and-you’ll-miss-it evolution, UNK faculty stay up to date on what’s happening in the field by seeking recertifications and participating in externships, and by nurturing relationships with the business community, said Hollman.

“We’re really closely connected to local companies. We bring them into the classroom regularly so students can hear directly from them what’s changing or what’s the new thing that’s going on.”

Class sizes are smaller at UNK than at larger schools, Hollman added, which helps students from rural communities in particular feel more connected in the classroom. Those connections along with donor support from the Only in Nebraska campaign will help students succeed in cyber technology and become leaders in their fields.

“Scholarships are an important part of helping attract students into the cyber majors,” Hollman said. “Continued investment will help us provide our students with current technology equipment in the mini data center in Discovery Hall. It can also help to fund competition travel for the cyber student group, which remains an important extracurricular activity that helps connect students to other peers and recruiters in the field.”

Svatos, a junior who’s also in the UNK Honors Program, said having access to faculty like Hollman helped him get his footing early on.

“That helped quite a bit my freshman year,” he said. “I’ve gone in when I’ve had questions, whether it be about cyber systems itself or who I can ask to go to for advice for a coding language or if I just have general questions about how things function around UNK.”

I want to be around the area to give back to the communities that raised me, that helped me out.

Trey Svatos

Support through scholarships also has helped ease financial concerns for Svatos and allowed him to concentrate on his coursework. He has received a Board of Regents Scholarship, Honors Program Room Waiver, Jean Sullivan Rawson and Richard Rawson Scholarship, and B. M. Stevenson Family Endowment Scholarship. Without this financial support, Svatos said he wouldn’t have been able to focus nearly as much on his studies as he can now.

“Really, a large portion of my success in and understanding of my studies is due to all that support,” he said.

Pairing his major with minors in mathematics and psychology, Svatos looks forward to seeing where a career in software coding or application development can take him.

Initially, he said he was unsure about how much he could help people by working in software.

“I like kind of making life a little bit easier for people, taking stress and weight off their shoulders,” Svatos said. “But just by making a simple time-off application or learning the ins and outs of how web development can help people, I’m more invested in making sure I contribute to Nebraska and to all companies around it.”

After graduation, Svatos plans to stay in Nebraska. His experiences through the cyber systems department have opened his eyes to the need for people who are well versed in computer science and tech in general.

“I want to be around the area to give back to the communities that raised me, that helped me out,” he said.

Giving Voice To the Vulnerable

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By Deborah Shanahan

Law School Students Advocate for Abused and Neglected Children

Hannah Cook was attending an admitted-student day for the University of Nebraska College of Law when she heard Michelle Paxton speak about the college’s Children’s Justice Clinic.

The clinic allows third-year law students to be advocates in court for vulnerable children dealing with troubling family dynamics, such as child abuse or neglect, domestic violence or parental drug use.

“I thought, ‘Wow, that’s exactly what I want to do with my career,’” Cook said. “It was a deciding factor.”

Now Cook, a 2022 law college graduate from Verdigre, Nebraska, is using skills learned from her clinic experience in her work as a child advocacy attorney in Philadelphia.

“I was able to take this job and hit the ground running,” Cook said.

That’s the goal, said Paxton, director of the Children’s Justice Clinic. She said students are assigned cases, partnered with experts and get hands-on experience meeting with families and appearing in court for an academic year, graduating “practice-ready.”’

Hannah Cook

The clinic was created in 2017 in partnership with the University of Nebraska Center on Children, Families, and the Law to train law students to serve in the complex role of guardian ad litem, which is a legal advocate for children in family court cases. There’s a shortage of guardians ad litem, so the clinic is helping to address an urgent workforce need in the state.

Paxton each year supervises eight students who are chosen after they take her juvenile law class. The students commit a full academic year to the clinic to improve stability for the child clients.

For each case, students do an investigation, interviewing all parties involved, figure out what a child needs and present the findings in court. Paxton said the student attorneys work with numerous professionals in different roles, building skills to work with others and a variety of personalities.

Student attorneys, she said, “learn to meet people where they’re at in times of crisis and what people in poverty face — great skills for lawyers.”

Paxton oversees all the cases, and she and others such as social workers, psychologists and mental health clinicians provide support in whatever area a student needs, whether it’s law, public speaking, writing or meeting with families.

In addition, students, through weekly sessions, receive more than 70 hours of expert training in such topics as domestic violence, substance use, child development, poverty and trauma.

“We make sure we provide the highest quality of representation,” Paxton said.

In recognition for her leadership of the clinic, Paxton in 2021 received a new grant to launch a separate program for licensed attorneys in rural Nebraska to learn to serve as child advocates.

In Nebraska, the guardian ad litem has a dual role: advocating for what is in the best interest of the child while also representing the wishes of a child old enough to express them.

Tori Hervey, a 2022 graduate of the law college, said one of her cases through the clinic underscored the need for children to have a guardian ad litem. The case, she said, started as general neglect involving two children. But further exploration uncovered more issues that indicated the home wasn’t safe for the children, leading Hervey to go against the recommendations of the state and parents that the children remain in the home.

Ultimately, the judge agreed with Hervey’s findings and removed the children.

Hervey said she learned how to get the full picture of what the children experienced by talking to them, school counselors, doctors and other family members.

The clinic “would be a much different program without Michelle Paxton and her passion for juvenile law,” said Hervey, who now works for a North Platte firm that also serves as the county public defender.

Victoria Hervey

You have to figure out how to get everybody in a safe place.

Emily Medcalf, College of Law graduate

Emily Medcalf agrees, saying Paxton is still someone she calls if she has a question. She graduated with her law degree in 2020 and now is a deputy county attorney in Douglas County, Nebraska.

Medcalf said her caseload in Douglas County is all domestic violence and crimes against children, but she thinks the clinic provided perspective that made her see cases from all sides and left her with a higher level of empathy.

The most “eye-opening” clinic case for Medcalf involved the end stages of a long-running case involving child sexual assault.

“You’re not only seeing how sex assault impacts a child but also the parent not involved,” she said. “You have to figure out how to get everybody in a safe place.”

Working with children going through such difficult times can take an emotional toll on attorneys and students in the clinic.

Emily Medcalf

Paxton said working in teams can help with that as well as what she calls “reflective practice,” where students meet and have conversations facilitated by a social worker about their cases.

Colby Simpson, who graduated from the law school in May, described the sessions: “No phone, no laptop, just being present to talk about what’s on your mind.”

The facilitator, he said, “asks probing questions, forcing you to think and challenging how you’re thinking.”

The “deep dive” every other week into how he was feeling and how it affected what was going on was “a good refresher,” Simpson said. It helped him to see other potential outcomes to a case and understand why others involved thought differently.

Simpson said he thought reflective practice was so helpful that he asked his new employers if they do something similar. He was assured they would, in a less-structured, off-the-clock way.

When he was interviewed for this story, Simpson was two weeks from starting as an attorney in Denver’s Department of Social Services. He said he’s grateful for what he learned through the clinic and its real-life outcomes for his young clients.

The Children’s Justice Clinic has filled a much-needed role over the last six years, and private support has ensured that it will continue to do so, Paxton said.

In June, the Children’s Justice Clinic received a significant private gift from the Acklie Charitable Foundation that will permanently endow the clinic.

“We are pleased that the clinic will be able to train advocates using a holistic approach for years to come, thanks to the generous endowment we received,” Paxton said.

Colby Simpson

UNL Student Opens Doors Through Inclusive Business Leaders

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By Susan Houston Klaus

When Bree Bell arrived at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln as a freshman in fall 2022, she couldn’t have imagined all the opportunities in store for her.

Today, after participating in Inclusive Business Leaders (IBL), a cohort-based program of the UNL College of Business, she’s looking at her future with a fresh perspective.

IBL brings together a group of first-year students selected for the program who want to see more inclusivity in their chosen field, both at UNL and in the business world. Over two semesters, participants attend weekly IBL-specific classes as well as take part in other activities.

More than 100 students have been part of the IBL program since it started in January 2021. The program includes a $2,000 scholarship for each participant, something Bell says helped ease her transition to college.

“Sometimes financial aid doesn’t cover everything, and it can be hard financially in this new life where you have to juggle more academics, more workload than in high school. It’s just a new dynamic to get used to.”

Featuring curricular and cocurricular learning that includes making connections with local businesses, community service projects, a business case competition and discussions with guest speakers, IBL helps students explore a bigger world. The program receives support from generous donors through the University of Nebraska Foundation.

As part of IBL, students learn about the principles of DEI — diversity, equity and inclusion — and their application in business and receive hands-on experience consulting for local businesses.

During Bree’s fall semester, the group learned about the different forms DEI can come in and heard from guest speakers who talked about their own experiences with diversity. In the spring, she and other students were paired with a company in the interest of their major.

“We went into their offices and were able to consult with them,” Bell said. “Our goal was to help them implement DEI practices either that they can improve on or maybe try to start within their company.”

Kasey Linde, director of teaching, learning and accreditation, praised Bell for taking the initiative to apply for and prepare for the interview after learning about the internship through the IBL program.

“We hope others follow in Bree’s footsteps by taking advantage of opportunities and applying what they learn in the classroom in their personal and professional endeavors,” Linde said.

Bell, a marketing major from Omaha, said she was motivated to get involved in the campus community after hearing a program mentor and recent IBL scholar speak to her group.

“She took a couple minutes explaining everything that she was involved in, and at the end she said, ‘And I’m a sophomore.’ She really inspired me. I saw her and I said, ‘I want to be like that.’”

Now a sophomore herself, Bell is embracing the many opportunities available to her as a UNL student.

This past summer, she was an intern through the Council for Advancement and Support of Education for the University of Nebraska Foundation. She serves as marketing chair and vice president of her Latina sorority, Lambda Theta Nu. At Alpha Kappa Psi, a business fraternity, she is social chair. She’s also involved in the Mexican American Student Association, where she serves as the public relations chair.

“Making myself more exposed to different opportunities on campus has allowed me to network and gain opportunities that I wouldn’t have if I wasn’t as involved,” she said.

Bell hopes to study abroad while she’s in college, and after graduation is thinking about working in corporate brand management, possibly in a job that requires some travel.

For any prospective student who’s considering applying for the IBL program, she says the experience is one that will reap dividends.

“The main benefit is meeting people you’ll be able to make a genuine connection with, and also it just opens thousands of doors for you.”

Guest Feature: Burnett Society member reflects on the impact of his gifts

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By Randy Essex

Editor’s note: The following story was provided by Burnett Society member and former executive editor of the Omaha World-Herald, Randy Essex.  

 

Sometimes, when I’m at University of Nebraska–Lincoln donor events, I pinch myself a little. 

That’s not me, I still think. I’m a poor kid from Beatrice. Didn’t have an indoor bathroom till I was 14. Older brother was a local jailbird. Got teased in middle school about my clothing. Went to college on grants, loans and money from my jobs at the Daily Nebraskan and Lincoln gas stations.  

I made it through, earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1983. That launched me on a career that’s included senior leadership positions at Pulitzer Prize-winning newspapers and has allowed me to interview national political leaders and titans of business and enjoy a stint as executive editor of the Omaha World-Herald — where I’d been a news intern in 1979. Most importantly, public education, culminating in that degree from UNL, lifted me from poverty and let me live a deeply fulfilling version of the American dream. 

So, in 2002, when I was put in my first bonus program as an editor at the Des Moines Register, I thought I should give back. By that point in my career, I’d edited Pulitzer Prize-winners and supervised graduates of Columbia and Northwestern universities, among other highly regarded journalism programs. I knew that UNL had prepared me to work with the best. I gave $125 to the College of Journalism and Mass Communications’ News-Editorial Excellence Fund. That massive gift was doubled through Gannett’s match program.  

A few months later, I was surprised to hear from a University of Nebraska Foundation representative offering to take me to lunch. He further stunned me by suggesting I start a scholarship fund. I said he may have gotten the wrong impression — I wasn’t wealthy and didn’t anticipate making a lot of donations — and they wouldn’t be large. He said I’d be surprised how small donations could grow, that there was no risk, and “it’ll be fun.” 

Randy Essex headshot
Randy Essex

“My gifts clearly are the best use of my money ever.”

I decided it made sense to give part of my future bonuses to the school that made them possible. The Essex Scholarship Fund was created 20 years ago in May. The fund, now endowed, has awarded 19 scholarships. While recent awards have been as much as $1,000, early awards were as little as $300 — I took to calling it my beer and books scholarship. Joking aside, though, I remember excruciatingly well what a few more bucks can mean to a struggling college student.  

I’ve designated a portion of my estate to go to the fund to ensure that I can continue to help students and support the school that, bluntly, changed my life.  

And it has been fun. One of my scholars was Herbie Husker (the guy inside the suit). One, largely by coincidence, worked for me for a summer when I was editor-publisher of the Glenwood Springs Post Independent in western Colorado. I’ve gotten to meet several of the students, which is invigorating, encouraging — and humbling, because they have it so much more together than I did at that age.  

It also has been deeply gratifying and at times moving. One student’s thank-you note stuck with me through the years. She wrote that her mother had died when she was 11, and her father, earning just $25,000 a year, had borrowed against his retirement fund for living expenses. This was just the type of student I had hoped to help when I set guidelines for the fund.  

In preparing to write this essay, I looked up what had become of that student, Katrina Fischman, whom I’d met at a lunch in 2010. 

She didn’t go into journalism, moving instead toward working with immigrants, including a role in Lincoln as a Spanish interview specialist for an insurer. And then, LinkedIn told me, Harvard Law.  

Today, Katrina Fleury is an attorney with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, representing people in immigration court and helping them apply “for lawful permanent residency, employment authorization documents, naturalization … visas for victims of qualifying crimes and human trafficking” and more.  

She generously said by email that my scholarship meant a lot to her. But what she has done, what the other recipients have done, means more to me. My gifts clearly are the best use of my money ever.  

‘Helping Each Other’

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For the First Time, Future Physicians Will Complete Their Medical Training in Kearney

By Kelsey Kirk

Cordelia Harbison grew up visiting Lexington Regional Health Center in Lexington, Nebraska.

For at least a decade, she would drop off dinner to her stepmom, who was a nurse at the hospital.

Those night-shift visits showed Harbison the impact that physicians can have on their patients, especially in a rural part of the state. And it made her realize a career in medicine was within reach.

“That drove me to want it even more,” Harbison said, “especially seeing the amount of good you can do in a rural area.”

Harbison is in her freshman year at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. She’s majoring in chemistry with a health science emphasis. She plans to become a family practice physician.

Harbison, 19, will stay in Kearney — a 30-minute drive from her family home in Lexington — for the duration of her collegiate career. And upon finishing medical school, Harbison hopes to stay in central Nebraska to practice in a rural town.

That’s one of the goals of the Kearney Health Opportunities Program, a joint project between UNK and the University of Nebraska Medical Center that was established in 2010. In 2015, the $19 million UNMC-UNK Health Sciences Education Complex opened its doors, offering programs in nursing and allied health professions on campus in Kearney.

Now the two campuses have teamed up again, this time offering start-to-finish training for physicians. UNMC is bringing its College of Medicine to Kearney with the planned construction of an $95 million Rural Health Education Building.

The continued collaboration is designed to meet the urgent demand for health care workers in rural Nebraska. Dentists, nurses, pharmacists and numerous allied health professionals are in short supply, and the state has designated every county in Nebraska, except for urban Douglas and Lancaster, as health care shortage areas. But perhaps nowhere are the shortages more urgently felt than in primary care. A 2022 report by UNMC Rural Health Initiatives said more than a quarter of counties in Nebraska have either no family physician or just one family physician serving an area of more than 2,000 people.

The Rural Health Education Building, set to be complete in 2025, for the first time will allow future physicians to complete their medical training in Kearney and bring public health and pharmacy students to UNK while expanding offerings for allied health and nursing students. The initiative aims to build on the success of the Health Sciences Education Complex, which has seen 85% of its graduates start their careers in rural Nebraska.

“It’s almost shocking to think you can have (an academic) medical center here in Kearney, Nebraska,” Harbison said. “I am excited because I don’t know of many medical centers in small towns. This is going to be the center of Nebraska, a diamond in the rough.”

Harbison said she’s excited to be part of the program, especially as a member of one of the first generations to go through it.

“It’s almost shocking to think you can have (an academic) medical center here in Kearney, Nebraska,” Harbison said. “I am excited because I don’t know of many medical centers in small towns. This is going to be the center of Nebraska, a diamond in the rough.”

Harbison wants to return to a small community after graduation. The Lexington area would be ideal, she said, but she would enjoy serving elsewhere in central Nebraska, too.

While Harbison briefly considered going into pharmacy, shadowing physicians in Lexington let her see the difference in how physicians work compared with pharmacists.

“That kind of put me in their shoes,” she said.

Those shadowing experiences were moving, Harbison said, especially seeing the way each doctor knew their patients on a more personal level.

Harbison, who is bilingual in English and Spanish, was especially moved to see physicians working with Spanish-speaking patients and connecting with them despite the language barrier.

Another driving factor was the experience Harbison’s sister had during her pregnancy. When Harbison’s sister, who lives in the Ogallala area, went into labor, her doctor was at another appointment 60 miles away.

In her sister’s case, everything went smoothly. But Harbison said other people may not have the same positive outcomes.

“I want to be able to help,” she said. “You don’t want to have to go through that stuff alone.”

The decision to land at UNK fell into place her senior year of high school, Harbison said. Staying close to her hometown was a plus and felt less intimidating than moving to Omaha to attend UNMC after graduation.

The Kearney Health Opportunities Program’s goal is to support health care workers in training and improve health care delivery in rural areas. Harbison identified with that objective, and she wanted to make her intentions clear in her applications. She even made her siblings read all her scholarship applications to be sure she was getting the message across.

“I want to see rural areas that don’t have to struggle with health care,” Harbison said. “I wanted to express how seriously I wanted to return. Some people sign up with no intention of returning to a rural area. I want to give back to people what they gave to me.”

Harbison said students in the program all have the same end goal: making a difference as physicians and health care workers.

“We’re not so much competing with each other and trying to outwork one another, but helping each other achieve the same goal,” Harbison said. “Everyone genuinely wants each other to succeed.”

The official groundbreaking for the Rural Health Education Building was Sept. 5.

And We’re Rolling…

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Students Go Live in State-of-the-art Experience Lab

By Deborah Shanahan

On a March Friday night, with spring football curiosity running high, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Athletic Director Trev Alberts sat for a live interview on the new set of Nebraska Nightly, a student-led newscast.

It was quite a score for Nathan Hawkins, a senior from Bellevue, Nebraska. The sports media and communication and broadcasting major said he had prepared all week for the exclusive interview.

Afterward, Alberts told an interviewer that he was impressed by the investment the university has made to give journalism students the tools they need to develop their skills.

“People should know the technology here is amazing,” Alberts said. “There’s a lot of talent in the room, you can tell. A lot of passion.”

Passion is a word several students also used to describe what they’re drawing from the College of Journalism and Mass Communications’ heavy emphasis on experiential learning, along with practice, portfolios and professional contacts.

“I’m jealous of freshmen who will have this their entire careers here,” said Lance Vie, a senior broadcasting major from Fontanelle, Nebraska. “Look around at this nice new studio. Students sit in front of the equipment and their eyes light up. It’s all stuff they want to learn.”

Support the College of Journalism and Mass Communications

Journalism colleges long have strived to offer real-world experiences, but usually after a year or two of basic skills learning. At UNL, under the leadership of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications Dean Shari Veil, MBA, Ph.D., the college’s motto is “do from day one.” Beginning this year, freshmen are required to enroll in an Experience Lab course their first semester on campus.

“Practice makes perfect, and we’re all practice all the time,” said Jemalyn Griffin, co-director of the Experience Lab. 

The interdisciplinary lab breaks down barriers and silos, Griffin said, giving students a broad sense of different areas of opportunity. “We hope to respond to what the market is demanding,” she said.

The early access to hands-on experiences is already boosting enrollment. Veil wrote in December that the college’s 16.3% growth in incoming freshmen led the university, and transfer enrollments more than doubled.

A hub of this hands-on learning is the Don and Lorena Meier Studio, which opened in November in Andersen Hall. The foundation established by the couple pledged $10 million for scholarships over the next 25 years and $755,000 for the new television studio and newsroom.

The Meiers were familiar with quality broadcasting through their own media careers, which included producing the well-known “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom.” Don Meier, who died in 2019, wanted to assist students because he recalled his own struggles to afford college. 

The investments have continued, Veil recently told donors in a letter, citing the Phil Perry Family Photography Studio and Classroom, a new radio tower and antenna on Oldfather Hall, the new Pepsi Unlimited Sports Lab and more sponsors for student-run advertising agencies. 

The Pepsi Unlimited Sports Lab serves the fast-growing sports media and communication major, which was established in 2017 and enrolled 300 students as of last fall. The space features state-of-the-art equipment, which allows students to go live during sports broadcasts. 

Advertising and public relations majors mostly work across the street from the studio at what’s known as The Agency — 14 offices customized and furnished by sponsoring firms.

In all, the Experience Lab spaces house Unlimited Sports; Jacht, a student-run advertising agency; Buoy, an advertising and public relations agency for nonprofits; KRNU, the campus radio station; Heartland Pulse, an online community magazine; the Nebraska News Service, a statewide wire service; and Nebraska Nightly, a recorded news show.

Students working in the Meier studio spaces and newsroom have provided coverage of election night, the Nebraska Legislature and other news, feeding the Nebraska News Service.

“Over and over, we see weeklies pick up our content,” said Jill Martin, co-director of the Experience Lab. A Panhandle newspaper usually is not going to have the staff to send to Lincoln for a legislative hearing, she said, so it’s truly a service when students provide the coverage.

Students work four to six hours a week in the lab. From their work, students build portfolios to show potential employers.

“Young professionals I’ve spoken to are blown away by the opportunity we get right from the day we start college,” said Paige Brophy, a junior advertising and public relations major from Lincoln. “We’re exposed to real-life work for real-life clients. Our ideas are implemented in the real world.”

Students praise the chances they get to work with industry professionals and to take on leadership roles themselves because of the Experience Lab’s human infrastructure. 

Volunteer professionals-in-residence and paid student leads help to coach students from idea to production, providing technical know-how, guidance and feedback.

Odelia Amenyah, a senior from Omaha majoring in advertising and public relations and journalism, said she works with fellow students on interviews and gathering other components of content packages. The Experience Lab is a great setup for when students want to team up, she said. 

The student lead role is not just about production, Martin said.

“We talk a lot about cultivating leadership, managing up and down, communication and collaboration,” she said.

The professionals-in-residence share best industry practices and get a chance to observe and interact with students for their own recruiting. 

Kloee Sander, a senior from Lincoln, said her college connections led to several off-campus work experiences, including several months at a local television station. She was exposed to the behind-the-scenes work of getting an investigative report on the air. Now, she is headed to law school after she graduates in May.

“I saw the impact a lawyer can have on newsroom storytelling,” she said.

For sports broadcasting major Hawkins, watching students create something they are proud of has been one of his favorite parts of working in the lab. But nothing beats the assignment today.

“Overall, the best part is doing what I’m doing today,” Hawkins said. “The Alberts interview.”

Odelia Amenyah poses in front of sign reading "im so insanely proud of you"

“For me, it’s been a really great place to communicate with different faculty, to build relationships with them. That’s led to different opportunities. It’s helped with my portfolio, and I’ve had a chance to show management skills.”

 

-Odelia Amenyah of Omaha
Senior advertising and public relations
and journalism major

Memorializing a Mother’s Inspiration

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Architecture Grad Drafts Plans to Aid Students

By Ed Rider

Richard Griffin knows what it’s like to come from an underprivileged family. Growing up in Central Missouri as the middle child of a single mother, Richard, a Burnett Society member, didn’t have the resources to pay out-of-state tuition to pursue his degree in architecture.

Thanks to a reciprocal tuition program between the University of Missouri and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Richard earned his degree from the UNL College of Architecture in 1980 and went on to a successful career with firms across the United States.

A longtime resident of Arizona, Richard credited his experiences growing up in Missouri and attending UNL for motivating him to make a planned gift to establish a scholarship in his late mother’s name — the Avanell Fowler Griffin Memorial Scholarship — at the College of Architecture.

“I lucked into the reciprocal program that got me to UNL in the first place,” Richard said. “There are so many students who come from disadvantaged situations who could become successful architects if only given the chance. So, I decided, if I was able, I would provide funding to the College of Architecture to be used specifically for scholarships for disadvantaged students who otherwise may not be able to pursue their dreams. I remember that as a student — every little bit helps.”

In November, Richard visited the College of Architecture and spoke with a group of third-year students. He said the conversations he had with those students, as well as the energy he felt around the college, were inspiring.

“It is clear that the vision for the college that was set in motion when I was a student by Dean (W. Cecil) Steward continues today,” he said.

Among the experiences that motivated Richard to create the gift, which was established as a bequest, were the many people he witnessed giving back to the College of Architecture, either serving as guest lecturers or by engaging students like him who were looking to enter the field of architecture. Richard also credited the history of the college and how graduates from UNL have helped shape the world.

But it was memories of his mother’s resolve while raising her three children alone through the crucial years of middle and high school that inspired Richard to create a scholarship in her memory.

“I decided to name the scholarship after her as a way of ensuring that everyone remember that she did everything she could for me, and all she asked in return was for me not to give her anything to worry about,” Richard said. “She continues to inspire what I do. I feel that honoring her in this way is the least I can do.”

Campus Kickoff Events Draw Interest and Enthusiasm for Campaign

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By Ed Rider

The impact of philanthropy throughout the University of Nebraska is unmistakable. From state-of-the-art facilities to high-tech equipment, new educational programs, student scholarships and faculty support, private donors have left an impression on the university for generations to come.

Approximately 1,500 students, faculty and staff from across the University of Nebraska System gathered over several weeks to celebrate the launch of Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future. The campaign is a historic initiative to engage 150,000 benefactors to raise $3 billion to support the University of Nebraska and build the future Nebraska needs right now.

Campus campaign kickoff events began Dec. 7 at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis, Nebraska, with approximately 200 people in attendance. The University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Nebraska at Omaha held rallies the next day that drew about 500 at each campus. Approximately 300 attendees took part in the University of Nebraska at Kearney’s event Jan. 24. Scheduled events at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln City Campus and East Campus were canceled due to a winter storm Feb. 16. The events will likely be rescheduled.

Fishermen with a vision find purpose through UNL’s Engler program

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By Dan Crisler

Before joining the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program at the end of his sophomore year, a frustrated Hunter Suchsland was almost ready to drop out of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

His friend Cade Ludwig felt much the same way before he joined the program at the beginning of his junior year.

“I would just go through the motions,” Ludwig said. “I did my homework when I had to, but I wasn’t really happy about it.”

Both Ludwig and Suchsland joined the Engler program after finding out about it through their academic advisers.

What made the friends joyful was fishing. Through the Engler program, Ludwig, who’s from Wood River, and Suchsland, who’s from Kearney, could pursue and monetize that passion by starting their business, LS Lures, to create tournament-grade lures.

By providing $50 in seed money to start a business, the Venture Lab experience in the Engler program encourages fledgling entrepreneurs to move forward and grow their business.

For the two friends, the $50 meant starting off by purchasing a few packs of hooks, silicone skirt material and raw lead to make bass jigs from scratch.

The initial investment led to sales that grew exponentially. Ludwig and Suchsland, who both graduated in May 2022, are now in their third year of owning and operating LS Lures. Available online and in several retail locations, the duo’s lures continue to attract an expanding customer base made up of recreational and tournament angler customers from multiple states.

“We’ve quadrupled sales and customers from year one to year two. And I think we’re going to do the same thing again this year,” Suchsland said.

Ludwig added he and Suchsland are now “light years” ahead compared to where they started. Initially, Ludwig said their lures were comparable to ones found at big box chains.

But after receiving $5,000 through an Engler fellowship program in summer 2021, Ludwig and Suchsland were able to improve their lure-making skills by using that money to pay living expenses, making their need for other employment less necessary.

Ludwig and Suchsland’s business got a huge boost after winning the UNL Center for Entrepreneurship’s 2021 New Venture Competition, taking home the first prize of $25,000.  Those funds, provided entirely by private donations, helped propel their business forward.

Today, Ludwig said, “we’re doing all custom stuff, the highest quality hooks. We don’t skimp anywhere.”

They have the marketing chops to match. The pair regularly post photos on their LS Lures Instagram account. Posts include their recent catches and creatively named products such as Albino Rhino or Lil Wizard.

Ludwig and Suchsland said some of their longest-lasting lures were good for catching more than 35 fish. None of their lures have failed or malfunctioned.

To Engler program director Thomas Field, Suchsland and Ludwig’s persistence and success are a typical Nebraska story. Like others in the Engler program, Field said the two men knew how to target their customer base and took a “can do” attitude to succeed.

“They had a clear market, and they’re immersed in that market. As such, they were able to understand their customers really well,” Field said. “They took action and then just stayed with it.”

As they continue to reach new heights with LS Lures, Suchsland and Ludwig remain cognizant of how their Engler coaches guided them and helped the business partners find their purpose.

“We can’t thank everybody in Engler enough. They’re kind of the whole route of how we got started,” Suchsland said, adding that people within the program were among their first customers and helped spread the word about their products.

Although many successful entrepreneurs have gotten their start through the Engler program, the program is now looking to move to its next phase and expand into rural communities across Nebraska. To that end, the Engler program hopes to raise $10 million as part of the University of Nebraska’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources’ $108 million campaign goal through Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future.

“We think that there is a whole host of good ideas spread across the state,” Field said. “We think our model, which is designed to get people off the sidelines … and get potential entrepreneurs past their doubt and fear to start something, is good for Nebraska.”

While the Engler program has found great success in reaching people through social media and radio spots, it will take more people and programming to cast a wider net.

“Our biggest challenge to me is: How do we structure what we do so we serve people where they are?” Field said. “A vibrant effort is going to require a footprint that meets the people in their communities, not necessarily just on campus.”

While the Engler program carries high expectations for its students, Ludwig and Suchsland can readily attest that staff members provide a level of coaching and motivation to match those expectations.

“Everybody in Engler that teaches or supports the kids has found a way to bring out the best in everybody,” Suchsland said. “All of the teachers do a really good job of understanding how to get the best out of people however they need to.”

Ludwig and Suchsland have only one regret about their time in the Engler program. It’s that they didn’t join sooner.

“I would have done anything to have four years in the Engler program,” Suchsland said. “Anybody who has even a slight thought or interest in entrepreneurship, or just wants to learn more about the world … definitely check out the Engler program, because they’ll change the way you think about everything.”

The Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program was founded in 2010 through the generosity of Paul Engler, who chairs the program’s advisory board. A native of Bassett, Nebraska, Engler graduated from the University of Nebraska with a degree in agriculture and built Cactus Feeders in Texas. Cactus Feeders is one of the largest feedlots in the United States.

Kiewit Hall Represents a New Landmark for University of Nebraska

by

By Connie White

The College of Engineering’s Kiewit Hall isn’t slated to open until January 2024, but the still-under-construction building is already a landmark at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln — both for what it is and what it represents for Nebraska.

That’s how University of Nebraska System President Ted Carter described Kiewit Hall during a beam-signing ceremony for the project in August. Kiewit Hall, as a center of undergraduate engineering education, will position the University of Nebraska to meet growing workforce needs across the state.

“I’ve heard from Nebraskans how important it is that we as a university system, particularly our flagship here at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, be hand in glove with the business community and how we’re going to build out the future professions, particularly in engineering and STEM-based fields for the great state of Nebraska,” Carter said. “We cannot grow this state without filling that workforce. Kiewit Hall is the answer.”

Kiewit Hall is part of a transformation of College of Engineering facilities designed to expand its educational capabilities and research. The $190 million investment, the result of both public and private funding, represents the largest academic facilities project in UNL’s 154-year history.

Gracie Kerr, a sophomore civil engineering major from Omaha and one of the inaugural cohort of 10 Kiewit Scholars, said she’s excited about what Kiewit Hall will offer for her and future engineering students.

“Kiewit Hall will grant every engineering student the ability to learn as much as possible, to achieve their full potential and to grow into a top-notch engineer,” Kerr said. “By ensuring that all Nebraska engineering graduates leave prepared to make a difference, it is inevitable that the world will be changed for the better.”

Growing the College of Engineering is a major priority of Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future. The campaign’s overall goal is to raise $3 billion from 150,000 unique benefactors to support the University of Nebraska.

Group of students in yellow construction vests standing in front of the future Kiewit Hall

In addition to new and improved facilities, the College of Engineering seeks to increase its number of merit- and need-based scholarships to assist in recruiting and retaining students and to invest in faculty to help students succeed and increase the college’s ability to engage with industry and conduct research. And, an investment in research and innovation will fuel economic development in Nebraska.

“Philanthropy is just so important to enabling us to accomplish our goals and to deliver on our mission,” said College of Engineering Dean Lance C. Pérez.

He noted the $115 million Kiewit Hall is entirely funded by donors, with a $25 million naming gift provided by Kiewit Corp.

“Without philanthropy, that building simply wouldn’t be,” he said.

Pérez said Kiewit Hall is critical to the college’s goal of growing undergraduate enrollment from 3,000 to 5,000 students.

“The quality of your facilities plays a really important role in recruitment. Students want to come to a place and a facility that show you’re taking their education seriously,” he said.

By constructing buildings, hiring new faculty, recruiting more students and expanding research, the state’s only engineering college can spur economic development in Nebraska, Pérez said.

Engineers are in huge demand across the state and are essential to its biggest industries. Nebraska’s banking and insurance companies, for example, require software engineers to support their online infrastructure. Modern agriculture needs equipment for automation and data analytics to manage water resources, fertilizer, seed distribution and productivity, he said.

Growing Nebraska’s pipeline of engineers and computing and construction professionals is critical to filling those and other open jobs in the state and region and to creating new jobs, Pérez said.

“Engineering plays a role in more and more sectors of both the Nebraska economy and the U.S. and global economy,” Pérez said. “We have to produce the engineers who can fill those roles.”

Pérez has high praise for the college’s “amazing, world-class faculty,” who he says are doing research to address the fundamental problems facing the United States and the world.

“From climate change, to disease, to better construction methods, to new approaches on computing, we have faculty doing work in all those areas,” said Pérez, who holds the Omar H. Heins Professorship of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

The College of Engineering, which also offers programs on the Scott Campus at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, added 13 new faculty members for the 2022-23 academic year, increasing total faculty hires to 67 over the past six years.

“A lot of economic growth occurs from the intellectual property and startup companies that come from having a really vibrant research enterprise,” Pérez said.

Philanthropic support is critical to retaining those faculty, he said, while keeping a Big Ten engineering education within reach for all students through scholarships and other funding.

A $2 million gift from alumna Kit Schmoker and her late husband, university alumnus Dick Schmoker, will fund the Schmoker Presidential Chair in Systems Engineering — a high demand field in Nebraska and nationally. Pérez also noted the impact of gifts for named endowed professorships. In fall 2022, 10 faculty members were honored with named professorships, including those supported by the family of Ray Fauss, Wilmer J. and Sally L. Hergenrader, Richard L. McNeel, and Robert F. and Myrna L. Krohn.

This article includes material provided by the College of Engineering.

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