the dean`s perspective - University of Nebraska at Kearney

THE DEAN’S PERSPECTIVE
Dear Friends of UNK:
This year has been both challenging and rewarding for the College of Business & Technology. Please take time to
peruse the newsletter to get a feel for what this year was like in West Center and Otto Olsen.
It has been extremely gratifying for me to be a part of the Initial Accreditation of our business programs by
AACSB —The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. This process began long before I arrived
on campus, and I extend a heartfelt thank you and congratulations to the current faculty and staff, as well as those
from the past, who truly dedicated themselves to the hard work associated with developing and sustaining exemplary quality in the business programs. This is an endeavor that is never complete. AACSB accreditation is built
upon the concept of “continuous improvement,” a notion that is ingrained in this institution.
The National Association of Industrial Technology (NAIT) accreditation team was on campus in April assessing
the programs within the Department of Industrial Technology. In addition, the Interior Design Program has been
endorsed by the National Kitchen and Bath Association since 1990. The Association, which evaluates programs
every three years, re-endorsed the UNK program this year.
There are great things happening at UNK. I am proud to be a part of the College of Business & Technology as it
continues to prosper.
Sincerely,
Bruce A. Forster, Dean and
John Becker Endowed Professor of Business
E-mail: [email protected]
Burkink, Forster, and AACSB Peer Review
Team
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COLLEGE OF B & T
Volume 1, Issue 9
2005/06
AACSB International Accreditation:
Validation of High Quality Business Programs
UNK is one of 12 institutions of
higher education to earn the prestigious accreditation of AACSB International, The Association to Advance
Collegiate Schools of Business, during
the spring semester of 2006. AACSB
International is a not-for-profit organization devoted to the continuous improvement of business administration
and management programs. It was
organized in 1916 and is the premier
accrediting agency for business programs.
On April 23, 2006 in Paris, France,
Dr. Bruce A. Forster officially accepted the declaration of AACSB Accreditation for the undergraduate and
master’s degree programs in business
at the annual AACSB meeting. He
also participated in an induction ceremony where he received the charter
for UNK’s Beta Gamma Sigma Chapter, the honorary for AACSB accredited institutions.
The CBT accreditation process began
with discussion among faculty and
administrators in the 1990’s. In 1997,
the departments were spread throughout numerous buildings that were in
dire need of repair. That same year the
official process began after the faculty
conducted an intensive self examination, and the Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, and Dean, submitted a declaration of intent for Pre-candidacy to
AACSB. Once the decision to seek
accreditation had been made the University of Nebraska system and UNK
committed $8.6 million to improve the
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COLLEGE OF B & T
physical plant for these programs. By
2001, the building project, featuring
state-of-the-art instructional technology for the new classrooms, was
complete. Business faculty, staff, and
administrators were finally under one
roof. A quality facility would become a valuable part of delivering
current instruction to business students.
In the fall of 2005, another selfevaluation report was submitted and
the AACSB Peer Review Team,
made up of deans from across the
U.S., was identified. In the spring of
2006, judgment day arrived when the
three deans came to campus to investigate and determine if UNK was
worthy of this accreditation. Many
hours of work were contributed by
faculty, staff, and administrators, as
well as individuals from various offices throughout the campus.
Accreditation means conforming to
standards while focusing on the institution’s mission. Quality teaching,
current curricula, effective management of resources, advancement of
business and management knowledge
through faculty scholarship, cultivation of meaningful interaction between students and faculty, and
graduates who have accomplished
specific learning goals are all a part
of this endeavor.
Continuous improvement is not a
new concept to this institution. In
fact, it began with people like
“Stretch” Roland Welch, Ron Landstrom, and Clara Ockinga, just to
name a few of the many dedicated
former educators at Kearney State
College. Loyalty and dedication to
this institution have been driving
forces in the pursuit of excellence.
Quality graduates from quality programs is not something that just occurred this year. It has been happening
for
some
time.
Employers continue to provide the
evidence that our product is what
they are looking for by their on-going
hiring of KSC/UNK graduates. Now,
however, the programs can be
branded and marketed as among
“The Best Business Schools in the
World.”
Less than 10% of all the business
schools in the world, have attained
AACSB accreditation. In all, that
Press Conference May 3, 2006, Mayor Galen
Hadley, Associate Dean Tim Burkink, graduating
senior, Ashley Moore, Chancellor Doug
Kristensen, Dean Bruce Forster, VC University
Relations Kathy Smith
(Continued on page 4)
Taylor Establishes “The Ron
Landstrom Executive in
Residence Program”
Jerry Taylor, KSC/UNK alumnus and
former Senior Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer for Applied
Materials, and his wife, Jeanne,
announced a donation of $250,000 to
the University of Nebraska
Foundation at a College of Business
& Technology Centennial
Homecoming luncheon for faculty,
emeriti faculty, student leaders, and
distinguished alumni. Their
generosity will provide the funding
for the “Ron Landstrom Executive in
Residence Program” and B&T student
scholarships.
Taylor, who is a North Platte High
School graduate, shared some
“lessons learned” with an overflow
crowd of current UNK students.
“When I began my undergraduate
education at Kearney State College,
$1,500 is about what it cost to attend
a year of college. In 1960 I found
myself short of money and was going
to be forced to drop out and had
decided to join the Marine Corps.
However, in October I discovered I
was the recipient of a $150
AKSARBEN Scholarship. That
scholarship allowed me to complete
my two-years of college at KSC
before transferring to UNL where I
graduated with majors in Economics
and Business Administration in
1964,” said Jerry.
In 1964, Taylor began his career with
Honeywell doing financial analysis in
its Temperature Control Division.
After 12 years of domestic and
international management experience
with Honeywell, Taylor joined
Fairchild Semiconductor in California
and became Corporate Controller.
After Fairchild was acquired by
Schlumberger, Taylor became the
financial head of Schlumberger’s
Wireline Oilfield Service business in
North America. In 1984, he became
VP-CFO of Applied Materials.
“Becoming a CFO had been a long
term goal of mine and Applied
Materials was a company poised for
dramatic growth,” said Taylor.
Jeanne Taylor, Jerry Taylor, Ron Landstrom, Dean
Forster, & Lucas Dart, Foundation Director of
Development
“My early success was due in part to
the ability to use financial
information to add value to the
organization and to instill financial
discipline and integrity. At the same
time I was also learning to manage
and motivate people in a rapidly
changing environment. Another key
element of success is to be
trustworthy. Don’t be afraid to show
up early, work hard, and do a good
job,” he remarked.
He told the students that managing
change would be the biggest
challenge they would face in any
kind of growth company. “Change is
the medium of opportunity so it is
essential to figure out how to manage
it. Wherever you go you’ll find a
capability gap in every part of the
company. Figure out how to close the
gap and improve performance
dramatically. Your company's vision,
mission, and strategies are the starting
point, and partnering with others will
guide you to success. Keep learning.
Integrity of finance is important. 80%
of success is showing up. Every day
is a new opportunity and a challenge.
Failing at a task won’t kill you. Learn
from it. Pick yourself up and carry on
in order to be successful in your next
endeavor. Perseverance is a key trait.
You’ll need it,” said Taylor.
Jerry talked about skills that are
needed for early success. He indicated
that it was important to get the real
facts. Learn to communicate, write
well, ask relevant questions, and
manage face time vs. PC time. Be
able to think well so that you can add
value. He emphasized the need to
always have a back-up plan in case
things don’t work out. He made a
point of telling the students that work
in large organizations is done in
groups, large and small, thus making
collaboration skills a necessity. The
students were told that they can learn
coordination, team building, and
relationship management skills. He
noted that “bad” news can be “good”
news if you get it early and use the
knowledge to quickly correct the
problem. He believes that leading
effective meetings, being
approachable, and helping others
succeed are also valuable skills to
develop.
“When you join an organization, get
to know why that company is
successful and what critical
challenges it is facing. Read the
annual reports and other corporate
information to understand what the
executives see for the company’s
(Continued on page 14)
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COLLEGE OF B & T
B&T Honors
Graduates
Dr. Galen Hadley, former dean of the
College, addressed faculty, administrators, students, and their special guests at
the Annual Honors celebration May 4,
2006. The following graduating seniors
were recognized:
Accounting: Ashley Moore, Cambridge, and Kristin Feuerborn,
Chadron. Finance: Ryan Osten, Newman Grove. Economics: Jeff Baker,
Pender, and Miwa Suzuki, Kearney.
Family Studies: Lindsay Humston,
Giltner. Interior Design: Bryan J.
White, Litchfield. Aviation Systems
Management: Erik Axthelm, Riverton,
WY. Construction Management:
Lysle Todd Roe, Kearney. Industrial
Distribution: Chris Haertel, Greenwood, and Nicholas Lisec, Beatrice.
Telecommunications: Gary Chris
Junker, Kearney. Management: Jonathan D. Kottich, Kearney; Mallory
James, Humboldt; Ardiana Aliu, Kearney; and Michael Duncan, Franklin.
Marketing: Benjamin Goetz, Bennington; Julie Long, O’Neill; and Bethany
Spilde, Council Bluffs, IA. MIS: Ulum
Craig Greenwood, Grand Island.
MBA: Sandra Ramirez, Kearney.
Non-Tenured Research Award: Dr.
Susan Jensen, Management Department.
Service: Dr. Tim Burkink, Marketing/
MIS Department.
Lifetime Service: Dr. Ron Tuttle, Industrial Technology, and Dr. Kari
Anderson, Business Education. This new
award goes to faculty for their teaching,
service to the institution, leadership,
comradery, and intellectual contributions
over many years.
Dr. Ada Leung, Marketing/MIS Department, was the recipient of the Faculty
Mentoring of Undergraduate Student
Research Award.
Honorees Lindsay Humston & Bryan White, and FSID
Chair Phyllis Markussen
(Continued from page 2)
accounts for 527 institutions world-wide
that can claim this prestigious label.
“We congratulate the University of Nebraska at Kearney and welcome it into
the AACSB family of internationally
accredited business schools. AACSB
accreditation represents the highest
achievement for an educational institution that awards business degrees. The
faculties, deans, directors and administrative staffs are to be commended for
their important roles in helping their
schools earn initial accreditation,” said
John J. Fernandes, president and chief
executive officer of AACSB International.
Dean Forster said, “The AACSB International Accreditation is affirmation of
the high quality of education provided to
UNK students through the business programs in the College of Business &
Technology. The professionalism of the
faculty has been evident throughout this
process. They are dedicated to the concept of continuous improvement. This is
not an end in itself. It is an on-going
process. Our dream is to advance along
with the global business community and
provide our students with the skills necessary to compete in a changing and
diverse society. Employers are counting
on us to turn out ethical, problem solvers
who have a passion for continually
learning. We are up for the challenge.”
Honors Night was not only a time to
recognize the accomplishments of the
students, but to also reward the faculty
for their exemplary work. The following faculty were recognized for their
achievements:
Tenured Faculty Teaching Award:
Dr. Greg Broekemier, Marketing/MIS
Department.
Faculty Award Winners: Tim Burkink, Greg
Broekemier, Kari Anderson, Tim Obermier, Susan
Jensen, & Ron Tuttle
Galen Hadley, Dean Bruce Forster, and Kjell Knudsen
Identify UNK on Initial Accreditation Poster at AACSB
Annual Meeting
Tenured Faculty Research Award:
Dr. Tim Obermier, Industrial Technology Department.
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COLLEGE OF B & T
Honoree Sandra Ramirez & MBA Director David Palmer
Palmer named MBA
Director
$mart Money
Week
“Money doesn’t come with instructions,” said Doug Tillet, Vice President of Communications with the Federal Reserve in Chicago. Tillet was a
speaker at the kick off breakfast for
$mart Money Week in Kearney, November 6, 2005. He told a story of a
young man who wanted to buy a pair
of Nike tennis shoes because it was
the in thing to do. His mother directed
him to the financial page of the newspaper and introduced him to the concept of owning stock in the company
rather than investing the money in a
pair of shoes that would wear out. As
a result, he learned a valuable lesson
and enjoyed watching his money grow
as his friends invested in more and
more Nike shoes. The week long series of workshops were directed to
educating people of all ages and walks
of life in the proper care and handling
of their money. The concept of this
educational program came from Mary
Rittenhouse, former Director of Education with the Federal Reserve in
Chicago. Rittenhouse, who is presently the Director of The Center for
Economic Education at UNK, found
many interested parties, both on and
off campus to help her put together
programs on debt management, leaving a legacy, home buying, entrepreneurship, women’s investment issues,
financial needs for retirement, financing the cost of education, obtaining
financial resources, and much more.
Next year the event will have sessions
for Spanish speaking participants as
well.
Director of Economic Education, Mary Rittenhouse, Dean of
the College of B&T, Bruce A. Forster, Doug Tillet, Federal
Reserve
“Money doesn’t
come with instructions,” said Doug
Tillet, Vice President
of Communications
with the Federal
Reserve in Chicago
during the opening
address of $mart
Money Week.
What’s Up ?
Dr. Steven Hall replaced Bruce Elder
as the Chair of the Accounting/Finance
Department. Elder has returned to the
classroom following a fall sabbatical.
UNK’s Construction Management
Program and Student Exchange with
the University of Rostock, Germany
was featured in the national publication,
Home Builders Institute Journal, Building Futures. The program also received a $1000 donation from Stetson
Building Supply Company to be used
for expenses associated with students’
travel to conferences. The Construction
Management students completed a
Habitat for Humanity House at 1608
Avenue C in October 2005.
Dr. David Palmer was named MBA
Director in January 2006 replacing Dr.
Don Morgan who is on sabbatical.
Palmer said, “I believe that we have
excellent faculty in this program who
are providing our graduate students
with the rigor and content that will be
necessary for their future professional
growth. There are undoubtedly opportunities to further develop the program.
However, my job at this point is to
evaluate what is presently being done,
take a look at the competition, and get a
firm handle on the make-up of our students and potential students before we
further chart our course.”
Dr. David Palmer came to the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 1997 as
an Assistant Professor of Management.
He previously had been a teaching assistant at Purdue University, Krannert
School of Management. Prior to pursuing a Ph.D. in Management from Purdue University, Palmer’s expertise was
developed through his experiences in
the food services industry. He holds the
MBA from Bowling Green State University. His research interests are in the
area of organizational behavior and
human resource management.
David and his wife, Michelle, have a
son, Benjamin, who will be in the third
grade at Park Elementary School. Michelle is pursuing her doctorate at the
College of Business Administration at
UNL.
Overall team winners for the Annual
B&T Golf Tournament in September
were: Tommy Eshleman, Jamie Eshleman, Scott Hinrichs, and Nick
Abegglen.
Nebraska Business Development Center Director, Odee Ingersoll, of the
Kearney office, was temporarily reassigned from UNK to a SBA Small
Business Development Center in Hattiesburg, Mississippi to aid relief efforts
from the devastation of hurricane
Katrina.
(Continued on page 6)
Dr. David Palmer, MBA
Director
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COLLEGE OF B & T
(Continued from page 5)What’s Up?
“Stretch”
His Vision Lives On
Roland “Stretch” B. Welch will be remembered by the KSC/UNK community as a visionary, hard-nosed, soft
hearted, and practical business educator.
Bob Young has fond memories of
Stretch, and said, “He was wonderful to
work for. He supported his faculty. He
faced a significant challenge in bringing
respect and money to the business area
during the time that KSC was known as
a teachers’ college. He accomplished a
great deal for the institution, the Foundation, and the community, while always keeping focus on the need for
excellence in teaching and keeping current in the classroom.”
In 1939, when he was 25 he began his
teaching career at Kearney State Teachers College. Four years later, he was in
the military where he served a three
year stint during World War II. Upon
returning to Kearney, he took on the
daunting task of building a business
department. Ultimately, he hired many
of the original Kearney State College
business faculty. Welch and many of
the original business faculty laid the
foundation for the amazing growth and
the reputation of excellence in the business programs at KSC/UNK.
20/20 Vision and Technology Leadership Forum: Diamonds in the Making
was presented to high school and middle
school students, administrators, and technology coordinators to expose them to
career opportunities in the telecommunication field. The event was put on by the
Telecommunications Program and ESU
10 during the fall of 2005.
November 4, 2005 was an eventful day
for the Interior Design students and faculty. After an informative design symposium, the “Task Lighting Lab” was dedicated. Interior Design students will benefit for years to come from the dedication
and financial contributions made by Ken
Anderson and his wife, Linda, owners of
Task Lighting of Kearney.
Lab Dedication: VC University Relations, Kathy Smith,
Chair FSID, Phyllis Markussen, Carolyn Harper, designer,
Task Lighting Owners Ken & Linda Anderson, Dean Bruce
Forster, Chancellor Doug Kristensen
Roland Welch died at 91, July 19,
2005, at Good Samaritan Hospital in
Kearney. He is survived by his wife
Doris, as well as his children, stepchildren, brother, sister, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Department of Economic Education Shows Children the Value
of Education through the Kearney Hub Sponsored Kidz Explore
6
COLLEGE OF B & T
(What’s Up? Continued on page 10)
Mentoring for
Success
Under the direction of Deb Murray,
Management Lecturer, the College of
B&T began a mentoring program for
interested women who are pursuing
business degrees. A number of organizations are being represented by employees who are eager to participate as
mentors. Twenty-four young women
have embarked upon the process of
establishing their expectations and goals
for their partnership. Jeanne Butler,
Director of the Center for Teaching
Excellence, provided the women with
guidance in establishing a successful
mentoring relationship at their October
21, 2005, meeting. The spring followup luncheon provided evidence of a
successful mentoring year. The following students self selected into the program: Brittany Haupt, Kearney; Stacey
Ross, McPherson, Kansas; Becky Benson, Central City; Amanda Dubas, Fullerton; Jennifer Wilton, York; LeeAnn
Jameson, Kearney; Stacy Gewecke,
Kearney; Kristina Davis, Alliance; Jennifer Codner, Wood River; Shalee
Santero, Lewellen; Jenna Sladek,
Chambers; Carrie George, Fort Collins,
Co; Megan Esch, Milford; Amber Powell, Kearney; Josie Atkins, Grand Island; Allison Keller, Hyannis; Amy
Mathis, Omaha; Gina Hayford and
Alicia Rodriguez, Wood River; Kasmira Kent, Grand Island; Dawn Oltman,
Papillion; Melissa Huffman, Axtell;
Jennifer Foster, Kearney; and Stephanie
Janda, Lawrence.
Amanda Dubas and Mentor Marsha Yeagley, B&T
Marketing Faculty
FACULTY
EXCEL
The following faculty were promoted
during the 2004/2005 academic year:
Dr. Vijay Agrawal, Marketing/MIS,
was appointed to Associate Professor,
and Larry Carstenson, Accounting/
Finance, was promoted to Professor.
The following were tenured: Dr. Sylvia
Asay and Dr. Tami Moore, Family
Studies and Interior Design (FSID), Dr.
Bev Frickel, Accounting/Finance, and
Dr. Stan Lightner, Industrial
Distribution.
Dr. Don Sluti, Management, received
the 2004-2005 Annual Recognition
Award for Outstanding Service to the
ASQ Midland Subsection 2016 and
Community from the American Society
for Quality. He has been a member since
1997, served on the board, and has been
an officer throughout that time.
Larry Carstenson, Accounting/Finance,
was honored by the University of
Nebraska at Omaha Aviation Institute
with the Frank E. Sorenson Award for
Pioneering Achievement in Nebraska
Aviation Education.
Mary Rittenhouse, Economics, and
Deb Murray, Management, received
summer research grants from UNK’s
Grant Office. Mary, who is also the
Director of the Center for Economic
Education, hosted a study tour for two
economic educators from the former
Soviet Union March 5-12, 2006.
Economic education initiatives and
programs found in the United States
were the program’s focus. The following
week, Rittenhouse accompanied the
visitors to Washington DC where she
met with Congressional Representatives
regarding the economic education efforts
at UNK and those throughout the state of
Nebraska.
Dr. Sri Seshadri, Marketing/MIS, was
the 2004/2005 Outstanding UNK Mentor
for undergraduate student research. He
visited China for ten days as the College
representative in the four member UNK
delegation exploring opportunities for
recruiting students as well as for student
and faculty exchanges. He met with
University officials and students at Xian
Shiyou University, Chinqing Normal
University, and Shandong University in
Weihai. He also was initiated into The
Epsilon Omega Chapter of Phi Beta
Delta International Honor Society. Since
August 2005, he has been doing a oneyear unpaid internship at Intellicom to
gain on-site field experience in emarketing.
Dr. Jeanne Stolzer, FSID, has a paper,
“ADHD in America: A Bioecological
Analysis,” published in the Journal of
Ethical Human Psychology and
Psychiatry: An International Journal of
Critical Inquiry,” and another paper,
“Breast-feeding in the 21st Century: A
Theoretical Perspective,” published in
the International Journal of Sociology of
the Family.
Dr. Kathryn M. Zuckweiler ,
Management, has a chapter, “Lessons
Learned From Successes and Failures in
Information Systems Outsourcing,"
accepted for publication in Outsourcing
Management Information Systems.
Dr. Timothy Burkink, Marketing,
coauthored, along with Marko
Grunhagen, Ph.D., Klervi N. Le Marre,
Gary J. Wells, and Carl L. Witte, Ph.D.,
a paper entitled "A Second Generation of
Genetically Modified Food: American
versus French Perspectives.” The paper
has been accepted for publication by the
Journal of Food Products Marketing.
He also made a presentation on research
groups at the Conference on Research at
Primarily Undergraduate Institutions
hosted by UNK. His essay, "What is
Marketing?," was published in a newly
released Croatian marketing textbook
titled Identitet Marketinga (Identify
Marketing). The author of the book is
Dr. Bruno Grbac of the University of
Rijeka.
Dr. Kyle Luthans, Management,
recently had a paper, "The Proposed
Contagion Effect of Hopeful Leaders on
the Resiliency of Employees and
Organizations," accepted for publication
in the Journal of Leadership and
Organizational Studies.
Dr. Susan Hayes, Accounting/Finance,
has an article, "Socially Responsible
Mutual Funds: Issues to Consider When
Investing With Your Conscience,"
published in the Journal of Financial
Service Professionals.
Dr. Susan Jensen, Management, had an
article, "Relationship Between
Entrepreneurs' Psychological Capital and
Their Authentic Leadership," accepted
for publication in the Journal of
Managerial Issue. "Strategic Planning:
Basics for Board Members" was the
presentation she made to board members
of non-profit organizations. The
presentation was part of a training
session offered by Central Community
College. She and co-author Dr. Fred
Luthans, UNL, have an article,
"Entrepreneurs as Authentic Leaders:
Impact on Employees' Attitudes,"
accepted for publication in the
L e a d e r s h ip a n d O r g a n iz a t io n
Development Journal. She has been
named to a three-year term on the
University-wide committee responsible
for selecting recipients of the Peter
Kiewit Entrepreneurial Award and the
Walter Scott Entrepreneurial Award.
This committee is comprised of six
faculty members representing UNO,
UNL, UNK and UNMC in the areas of
information science, business, and
engineering. She and Dr. Ken Larson,
Industrial Technology Chair, were
selected to participate in the 2006
Faculty Development program at
Shandong University in Weihai, China.
Dr. Vijay K. Agrawal
received a
$2,000 grant for the fall 2005 semester
from the Midwest Consortium for
Service Learning in Higher Education.
The grant is for the "Incorporation of
Academic Service Learning (ASL) in
Computerized Decision Making for
Business" (BMIS 282).
(Continued on page 10)
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COLLEGE OF B & T
ALUMNI NEWS
Darrin Anson, 1998 Finance Emphasis
graduate, is the Senior Vice President of
First Bank of Longmont.
Erin Arnold, 2005 Marketing Emphasis
graduate, is a Customer Sales
Representative with Wells Fargo in
Omaha.
Carl Bowman, 1993 Business
Administration graduate, earned his JD
with Distinction from the UNL College
of Law in May of 1998 and continues to
live in Lincoln.
Julie Bray, graduate with a Marketing/
Management Minor, is the Director of
Marketing & Sales for the Great Platte
River Road Memorial Foundation.
Brian Buller, 2002 Industrial
Distribution graduate, is employed by
Crescent Electric Supply as an Account
Manager. He presently lives in Clarks
and will be transferring to the Grand
Island facility.
Kristi Castillo, 2005 Marketing
Emphasis graduate, is an assistant with
the Safe Center in Kearney.
Jason Downing, 2002 Management
Emphasis graduate, is the Area Leader of
the Hilltop Mall Buckle store. He and
his wife, Amy, a 1999 UNMC/Kearney
graduate, have a daughter, Hadlea, born
November 16, 2004.
Dan Faltin, MBA and Accounting
Emphasis graduate, is the Executive
Vice President and Chief Operating
Officer for Ballantyne of Omaha, a
leading manufacturer of commercial
motion picture projection equipment and
Xenon lighting products for the
entertainment industry.
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COLLEGE OF B & T
Jenna Fitzke, 2004 Business
Administration and Psychology
graduate, will finish her MA in I/O
Psychology and begin her Ph.D.
program.
Kelly L. Johnson Frank, 2001 Business
Education graduate, has completed her
Middle School endorsement from UNK
and is teaching at Bruning-Davenport
Unified School in Davenport, NE. She
teaches computers and social studies,
and coaches high school volleyball and
track. She and husband, Chad, were
married May 3, 2003 and had their first
child, Hayden Scott, March 22, 2005.
Randy Gehrt, Telecommunications
Management graduate, is a Video
Technician for Charter Media in
Kearney. He is in charge of technical
operation and maintenance of equipment
used in programming, encoding, and
commercial insertion on cable channels,
as well as networking the Avaya phone
system, just to name a few of his many
activities.
Tony Gerritsen, 1988 Business
Administration graduate and 1991 MBA
graduate, has been in Russia as a
Fulbright Scholar. He has chosen to stay
in St. Petersburg and continue to teach at
a number of different institutions.
Brooke Gilliland, 1997 Apparel
Marketing graduate, has stepped down
from her position as Assistant Manager
and traveling store merchandiser with
Gordmans in Lincoln and Grand Island
to be home with daughter, Alyssa Marie,
born September 19, 2002. She and her
husband, Matt, have been married for 11
years.
Benjamin Goetz, 2005 Marketing
Emphasis graduate, is a Pricing Analyst
for Werner Enterprises in Omaha.
Brian Gragert, Management Emphasis
graduate, is the Production Manager for
“While You Were Out,” the British
Broadcasting Company’s home
makeover show. Prior to this position,
he was a temporary production assistant
for the show, he worked for Baby Lions
Productions helping on the movie
“Independence,” and he was an Account
Executive for the Kearney Daily Hub.
Ryan Hatt, Marketing Emphasis
graduate, and his wife, Dusty, have a
son, David Ryan, born August 5, 2005.
Ryan is Assistant Branch Manager for
Enterprise Rent-a-Car in Lincoln.
Andrea Herndon, 2005 Marketing and
Accounting Emphases graduate, is a
Staff Accountant at BKD in Lincoln.
Heather Hubrig, 2001 Industrial
Distribution graduate, is employed by
Kaddas in Lincoln as a Midwest Market
Manager.
Larry Hughes, MBA graduate, earned
his Ph.D. from the University of
Nebraska/Lincoln and is teaching at Fort
Lewis in Durango, CO. He will join
UNK in the fall of 2006.
Larissa Brandt Johnson, 1999
Accounting Emphasis graduate, is an
Audit Manager specializing in the
financial services industry for Deloitte &
Touche. She married Rich Johnson,
UNK graduate, June 17, 2000. They
have a son, Nolan Brandt, born
December 9, 2003.
Kim Kuhlmann, Marketing Emphasis
graduate, is a Corporate Recruiter for
Brooke Corporation.
Lindsey LaShell, 2005 Marketing
Emphasis graduate, is the Area Manager
for National Research Corporation in
Lincoln.
Reanna Long, 2005 Marketing
Emphasis graduate is a Marketing
Assistant with Paster Enterprises in St.
Paul, MN. Paster owns and operates
eleven open mall centers around the twin
cities. Her office is in charge of the
merchants’ association, marketing,
advertising, media buying, event
planning, and public relations for all the
the centers.
Chrystelle C. Martin, 2004 Business
Administration graduate, is working for
Taylor Woodrow, a real estate company,
(Continued on page 9)
(Continued from page 8)
in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Charles McGraw, Director of
Computer Technology, B&T, and his
wife, Stephainie Burge, UNMC
instructor of nursing on the Kearney
campus, are the proud parents of
Elizabeth Leah born April 8, 2006.
Kristen Miller, 2005 Marketing
Emphasis graduate, is working at
Sandhills Publishing in the marketing
department in web marketing and
development.
Venu Nuggehalli, MBA graduate, is a
Principal Consultant for Oracle USA
Inc. He consults in supply chain
planning and management which
includes demand planning and constraint
based network optimization models for
optimal sourcing, distribution and shop
floor scheduling.
Nate Osentowski, 2002 Marketing
Emphasis graduate, is a Mortgage
Banker for First Rate Mortgage in Fort
Collins, CO.
Michael Pelster, 2003 Marketing
Emphasis graduate, is an Admissions
Counselor at the University of Nebraska
at Kearney. Mike and Mindy Engler,
UNK, College of Education graduate,
married June 25, 2005.
Emily Mahlendorf Peterson, 2002
Marketing Emphasis graduate, married
Gabe Peterson of Blair December 31,
2004. She continues to be the Event
Coordinator of the Indian Creek Golf
Course in Elkhorn, NE.
Erica Redfern, 2004 Management
Emphasis graduate, is a Customer
Relations Manager with Pulte Homes in
Colorado Springs.
Stephanie Richter, 2003 Marketing
Emphasis graduate, is a Financial
Representative with Northwestern
Mutual Financial Network.
Michelle Zecha Sawicki, 1995 Family
and Consumer Sciences graduate, is a
Mortgage Banker at Five Points Bank in
Kearney. She and husband, Todd
Sawicki, were married in 1993 and have
two children, Sophia, 8, and Alec, 4.
Todd, 1992 Marketing Emphasis
graduate, is a realtor with Kearney Realty.
Rebecca Schneider, Management
Emphasis graduate, is pursuing a JD at
the University of Nebraska College of
Law and clerking in the summer at an
Omaha law firm.
Kory Schow, AgriBusiness Management
graduate, is the President of the Bank of
Keystone, Keystone, NE. He began
employment with the bank in 1999 as a
Loan Officer Assistant and became the
President in August of 2003. The Bank of
Keystone is an independently owned
community bank with nearly $40 million
in assets. The main bank is located north
of Ogallala, while the branch locations are
in Arthur, Hyannis, and Elsie, NE. He and
Roxy McCoy of Ainsworth married on
September 14, 2002.
Michelle Shifflet, 1995 Agri-Business
graduate, married Burnell Shifflet, UNK
1970 graduate, in December 2002. Their
son, Gunner, was born October 2003. She
works for the US Postal Service as the
Postmaster Relief. She and her husband
own and operate their own farm near
Cambridge, NE.
Dixie Voss Sickels, 1997 Marketing
Emphasis graduate, is a Graphic Designer
with Morris Press. She married in June
2002, and she and her husband have a
daughter, Paige Jordin, born April 27,
2004.
Shawnna L. Silvius, Marketing
Emphasis graduate, has moved to
Nebraska City where she developed a
“Leadership Nebraska City” program
with a grant from a local foundation and
one from the Dept. of Economic
Development. Shawnna recently became
the Marketing Coordinator with the
Chamber of Commerce. She develops
marketing plans, ad campaigns, literature/
materials, and keeps the website for the
Chamber. She is also working with the
Economic Development Director on a
variety of projects to expand business &
industry. In addition, she will develop
new community events and work with a
variety of coordinating committees.
James Soukup, Business
Administration graduate, is working for
Edward Jones in the Minneapolis area
and has recently passed his Series 7
securities test.
Rita Uldrich, 1979 Accounting
Emphasis graduate and 1996 MBA
graduate, is the Executive Director for
the Girl Scouts Goldenrod Council. Rita
received recognition for being the
“Outstanding Student” in 1996. She
and husband, Mike, a UNK Biology
graduate, are the proud parents of
Lindsay Uldrich, 2005 Marketing
Emphasis graduate. Lindsay is working
for Ameritrade in Bellevue.
Second Lieutenant Jacques Smith,
Business Administration graduate from
Lee’s Summit, MO, was the gunner of a
Humvee in October 2005, that was
attacked by insurgents in Ramadi, Iraq.
He and Spc. Matt Adams of Hastings,
Sgt. Lucas Smith of Lincoln, and an
Iraqi-American interpreter were
unharmed.
Katie Smith, 2005 Marketing Emphasis
graduate, is a teller with Nebraska
National Bank and a copy assistant at
Office Max.
Kylie Johnson Thiele, 2000 Marketing
Emphasis graduate, earned an MBA in
2005. She and her husband James, 2000
UNK Wildlife Biology graduate,
married in 2002. They have moved to
Omaha after living in the Chicago area
for five years. Kylie is the Marketing
Manager of the Oak View Mall which is
owned by General Growth Properties.
Katie Weber, 2005 Marketing
Emphasis graduate, is a Sales Associate
with the Gap in Omaha.
Krystle Zecha, 2004 Marketing
Emphasis graduate, works as a staffing
supervisor for Aureus Medical in
Omaha.
9
COLLEGE OF B & T
(continued from page 7) Faculty Excel
Dr. Allan Jenkins, Economics, made a
presentation, "Assessment of
Undergraduate Economic Students: Are
We Closing the Loop or Circling the
Wagons?," at the Economics and the
Classroom Conference in Moran, WY
sponsored by Idaho State University,
Addison-Wesley Publishers, and Aplia,
Inc. Also, his teaching tip about using a
student-drawn lifetimes expected income
graph will be included in Paul Krugman
and Robin Well’s forthcoming
MACROECONOMICS card deck. The
text was available in November, 2005 and
ready for spring 2006 classes.
Dr. Sylvia Asay and Dr. Tami Moore,
FSID, had a book chapter which was
published in the spring of 2006 in
International Family Studies “Developing
Curricula and Teaching Tools.” Dr. Asay
also had an article published in the
National Council on Family Relations
Newsletter entitled “The Strengths and
Challenges of Post-Communist Families.”
Dr. David Palmer, Management, made a
presentation, "Research and PUI Business
Students—The Bottom Line— Including
Students in Research," at the Research at
Primarily Undergraduate Institutions: A
Conference to Explore the Importance,
Strategies, and Challenges of Scholarship
at Non-Research Institutions of Higher
Education in Kearney. In addition, he
presented "Human Resource Management
in the Great Plains with a Micropolitan
Twist: Ten Research Propositions” at the
Business and Leadership Symposium in
Hays, KS. "Wasp-waisted Age
Distributions Outside Metropolitan
Nebraska: Where are All the Gen Xers?"
was his paper which was presented at the
2005 Great Plains Economic and Business
Annual Conference/Nebraska Economics
and Business Association in Omaha.
Dr. Kay Hodge, Management,
coauthored a paper, "Influence:
Commitment, Compliance or Resistance
in the Classroom," which was published
in the Palmetto Review 2005. Hodge and
Dr. Greg Broekemier, Marketing,
presented their paper, “Stressors of
College-Bound Students," at the MBAA
in Chicago in the spring of 2006.
Dr. Steffen Habermalz, Economics, has
10
COLLEGE OF B & T
a paper, "More Detail on the Pattern of
Returns to Educational Signals," accepted
for publication in the Southern Economic
Journal. He & Dr. Vani Kotcherlakota,
Economics, were discussants at the
M i d w e s t E c o n o mi c A ss o c i a t io n
Conference in Chicago March 06.
Habermalz also chaired a session and
presented "The Speed of Employer
Learning and Job Market Signaling
Revisited."
Dr. Deborah Bridges, Economics, has a
paper, "The Influence of Agricultural
Background and Geographic Location on
Students’ Attitudes about Biotechnology,"
co-authored with Ken Casavant and Eric
Jessup (WSU), accepted for publication in
the North American Colleges and Teachers
of Agriculture Journal.
Dr. Stan Lightner, ITEC, and Dr. Phyllis
Markussen, FSID, have been awarded a
$5000 grant by the National Science
Foundation supported Nebraska EPSCoR
program to fund undergraduate research
experience. In addition, Lightner and Dr.
Richard Meznarich, ITEC, have a paper,
“Linking Business and Industry with
Academia. Enhancing Student Outcomes
via Continuous Program Assessment and
Improvement Using Employer and Student
Internship Data: Are We Getting it
Right?,” accepted for presentation at the
2006 NAIT Convention. They also
presented "Student Internships and its
Impact on Industrial Distribution Program
Revisions at the University of Nebraska at
Kearney" at the American Society for
Engineering Education Conference for
Industry and Education Collaboration in
San Antonio, TX.
The following faculty were initiated into
Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society during the
fall of 2005: Bruce Elder and Dr. Laurie
Swinney, Accounting/Finance, Dr. Bruce
Forster, Dean, Dr. Susan Jensen,
Management, Dr. Vani Kotcherlakota,
Economics, Dr. Richard Lebsack,
Management, and Marsha Yeagley,
Marketing. Dr. Tim Burkink, Associate
Dean, delivered the address, "What is Your
Mission Statement?"
Sherry Morrow, along with a group of
Buffalo County safety officers, was
responsible for a grant written by Central
Nebraska Public Access Defibrillator
Coalition which resulted in UNK receiving
several portable automated external
defibrillators.
Dr. Tim Burkink, Dr. Greg
Broekemier, and Marsha Yeagley,
Marketing, and Dr. Sandy Lebsack,
Management, were recognized at the
2006 UNK Assessment Awards
Luncheon for "Research on
Assessment." They presented
“Assessment in the CBT: Continuous
Improvement in the Making" at the
Platte Valley Assessment Conference.
(Continued from page 6)What’s Up?
Terry Gibbs, Aviation Systems Management
Program, September Dedication of the Flight
Simulator
John Munn, Director of the NE Dept. of Banking &
Finance
Discusses Finance with a Student
Students Develop Marketing Plan for Kearney Community
Theatre Mike Sintek, Jared Loyd, KCT Dir. Rick Marlatt, Adam
Johnson, Kristi Andrews, KCT Board Pres. Jan Anderson
(Continued on page 13)
THE SCOOP ON STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
AND OUTSTANDING STUDENTS
The Collegiate Chapter of the American
Marketing Association elected the
following officers for 2005/2006:
President: Adam Yeager, Hastings;
Vice President: Steven Weeks, Omaha;
VP of Finance: Nicole Dusenbery,
Kearney; VP of Membership: Kristi
Andrews, South Sioux City; VP of
Programs: Mike Kearney, Kearney; VP
of Communications: Krystle Faust,
Petersburg; VP of Fundraising: Shawna
Troyer, Seward; VP Career Services:
Casey Marshall, Petersburg; and VP of
Promotions: Matt Wallace, North
Platte.
SCORR Marketing,
Marketer of the Year
The following students were elected to
be officers of UNK’s Association for
Information Technology Professionals:
President: Gail Pedersen, Scotia, and
Ulum C. Greenwood, Grand Island.
Ulum also served as Treasurer.
Secretary: Sangeeta Pathak, Kearney,
formerly from Nepal.
The following students were the officers
for the 2005-2006 academic year for
Students in Free Enterprise: CoPresidents: Sara Glidden, Benkelman,
Business Education; Chelsey Brock
Gothenburg, Marketing; Secretary/
Treasurer: Amber Horse, Chadron,
Mass Communications/Marketing; Exec
VP Ethics: Jenny Jacobson, Geneva,
Management/Marketing; Exec VP
Entrepreneurship: Ardiana Aliu, Gjilan,
Kosovo, Management; Exec VP
Financial & Personal Success Skills:
Jaime Coolidge, Indianola, Accounting/
Finance; Exec VP Team Sustainability:
Melissa Gilmore, Kearney, Political
Science. This interdisciplinary group
actively participated in the program
implemented by the Center for
Economic Education, “Smart Money.”
They were the regional winners of the
Financial Literacy Competition in Miami
in April.
The following students were a part of the
Summer Student Research Program and
made their research presentations in
September on the UNK campus:
Andrea Herndon, Lincoln, “Executive
Compensation and Financial
Restatements,” Mentor: Dr. Steve Hall,
Accounting/Finance; Lindsey LaShell,
North Platte, “Role of Appearance on
Sales Performance via State of Mind,”
Mentor: Dr. Srivatsa Seshadri,
Marketing/MIS; Katie Smith, Kearney,
“Internet Collection of Sales and Use
Taxes in the United States,” Mentor: Dr.
Larry Carstenson, Accounting/Finance;
Sara Gerdes, Kearney, “Is a Job
Reference Really a Reference?”
“Addressing the 'Name, Rank, and Serial
Number' Policy through Legislation in
Nebraska,”
Mentor:
Dr. Bruce
Elder, Accounting/Finance; Jeff
Sylvester, Kearney; “The Multigenerational Workplace: Implications
for Human Resource Management,”
Mentor: Dr. David Palmer,
Management.
Gamma Omicron Chapter of Epsilon Pi
Tau, the International Honor Society for
Professionals in Technology, inducted
the following members in November
2005: Faculty John Alden & Ronald
Shava, Kearney; Breanna Bowers,
Norfolk; Kayla Bowers, Winside;
Dustin Boyd; Holyoke, CO; Justin
Caha, Kearney; Joni Cassidy,
Fairmont; Carrie George, Fort Collins,
CO; John Goodin, Bonner Springs,
KS; Shelbi Grimm, Elwood, NE;
Melissa Huffman, Axtell; Brad
Johnson & Lindsay Johnston,
Omaha; Jason Jones, Louisville;
Brent Kulp, Shane Leon, Weldon
Lowenstein III, all of Kearney; Gary
Lucas, Jamaica Plain, MA; Michael
Marish, Lincoln; Evan Moody,
Kearney; Andrew Olmstead,
Overton; John Orlowski III,
Madison; Jorge Ramos, Cartegena,
Co lo mb ia; S p e n c e r S c h e n k ,
Ainsworth; Dustin Simpson,
Holdrege; Sheena Smith, York;
Terry Sterner, Merna; Kyle
Stewart, Wahoo; Matthew True, &
Patrick True III, Mitchell; Cameron
Warren, North Platte; Jennifer
Wilton, York. These students have
demonstrated academic excellence.
Membership is limited to the upper
ten percent of the student body
pursuing four-year degrees in
Aviation Systems Management,
Construction Management, Industrial
Distribution, & Telecommunications
Management.
UNK Interior Design students, Erin
Flynn and Jenny Stahla, are The
National Kitchen and Bath
Association's (NKBA) National
Bathroom Design Competition
winners. They received their awards
at the formal President's Grand Gala
dinner April 20, 2006 as a part of the
Annual Conference's activities. Since
1993, UNK has had 22 award
winners. Second place national
winner, Erin Flynn from Falls City,
received a $1500 scholarship and
expenses paid to the NKBA’s Annual
Conference and Show in Chicago.
Jenny Stahla from Lexington received
a $1000 scholarship and her expenses
to the conference were paid as well.
The
following
Construction
(Continued on page 14)
11
COLLEGE OF B & T
New Faculty Join in the Pursuit
of Excellence in Education
Five professionals join the College of
Business & Technology to continue the
pursuit of excellence and continuous
improvement, two in the business area
and three from the technology division
of the College.
$750,000 proposal to establish a workforce development center in Arkadelphia,
Arkansas. She is a Certified Grants Specialist and holds a Certification in Grantsmanship from the Grantsmanship Center
Inc., in Los Angeles, California.
Dr. Jennifer Crosswhite-Gamble is an
Assistant Professor in the Department of
Family Studies and Interior Design. Her
M.S. and Ph.D. were earned from Auburn University in Human Development
and Family Studies, while her B.S. was
in Psychology at St. Cloud State University. She taught courses on patterns of
family interaction, adolescent and adult
development in the family, as well as
professional development and ethics
while at Auburn. In addition, she was the
Project Manager in the College of Human Sciences at Auburn. She is interested in research regarding parenting
behaviors, parent-child relations, and
adolescent outcomes. She is a member of
the National Council on Family Relations, the Society for Research on Adolescence, and the Society for Research in
Child Development.
Dr. Kathryn M. Zuckweiler is an
Assistant Professor in the Department of
Management. She earned her Bachelor of
Arts in History from Whittier College in
Deborah Murray is a Lecturer in the
Department of Management. Her B.S. is
from the University of Tennessee and
the M.B.A. from Henderson State University in Arkansas. Murray taught as an
adjunct faculty in the College during the
2004-2005 academic year. She has also
been actively involved in a variety of
activities linking the College with the
business community. $mart Money
Week, technology assessment, economic
gardening, mentoring, and the College’s
strategic planning, are but a few of the
projects with which she has been involved. Her Master’s projects prepared
her well for these activities, as she
worked in the Small Business Development Center designing, recruiting, promoting and coordinating training seminars for small business owners. She was
also a member of a self-managed team of
M.B.A. graduate students who researched and wrote a successful
12
COLLEGE OF B & T
“When people have asked me how
I like Kearney, I tell them that the
town and university are as good as
advertised. I'm really comfortable
here and hope to stay for a long
time. I find my students to be hard
workers and just generally nice
people. I enjoy the variety of
opportunities to interact with them
at UNK. I am involved with online
education, and I think it provides
UNK with a great opportunity to
serve a larger geographical area
and students who, due to work or
other commitments, cannot attend
traditional classes.
Online
education is a good complement to
UNK's traditional programs,” said
Zuckweiler.
California, an M.B.A. from the University
of Houston, and her Ph.D. was awarded in
Business Management with areas of concentration in Production and Operations
Management, Management Information
Systems, Industrial Engineering, and Survey Research and Methodology from the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Zuckweiler’s research interests include: process selection and improvement, the role of
operations in new venture creation, justin-time management, operations strategic
planning, management information sys-
tems, and distance education. She was the
recipient of the Gerald L. Phillippe Memorial Fellowship in 2003-2004 and
2004-2005. Her dissertation topic was:
“Matching Service Delivery to Market
Requirements: Process Selection for
Online Banking.”
Dr. Ronald Shava is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial Technology. His M.S. in Technology and the
D.I.T. are from the University of Northern
Iowa. Prior to coming to UNK, he was a
Graduate Assistant at the University of
Northern Iowa. From 1996 to 1999 he
was Head of the Department of Applied
Sciences and Related Studies at Chinhoyi
Technical College in Zimbabwe.
Shava is a member of the National Association of Industrial Technology, the
Higher Education Examination Council of
Zimbabwe, and Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council. He received the University of Zimbabwe Book Prize for being
the best student in the 1993 and 1994
Technical Graphics and Design class, the
John Deere Process Manufacturing Scholarship for 2000, and the University of
Northern Iowa College of Natural Sciences Graduate Scholarship in 2004.
John Alden is a Lecturer in the Department of Industrial Technology. He holds a
B.S. and an M.S. in Civil Engineering
from the University of Missouri, Columbia. Previously he was Manager of Proposals and Manager of Scheduling for the
Gas, Oil, and Chemicals Division of
Black and Vetch. In addition, he was a
Senior Scheduling Engineer and a Manager of Scheduling at Abbott Laboratories. As District Construction Supervisor
for Missouri Public Service Company, he
supervised and coordinated the construction of the utility company’s district electrical systems. His Master’s thesis was:
“A Method of Integrating Cost Accounting with CPM Techniques.”
Zuckweiler
Pope and Rathe KSC
Professors
Remembered
Dr. Daniel William “Dan” Pope died
from kidney cancer May 18, 2005 at his
home in Overland Park, KS. Dr. Pope
was a Professor of business at Kearney
State College from 1968 to 1973. He
was VP of Human Resources at the
Menninger Foundation of Topeka, KS
for 25 years and Executive Director of
Catholic Charities in Kansas City, KS
from 1995-1999. Dr. Pope was highly
respected for his commitment to excellence in teaching and service to the
Faculty Senate, student organizations,
and the Central Nebraska business community in the areas of management and
human resources. Born in Weston, NE
on May 4, 1934 to Joseph and Lillian
(Tomsicek) Pope, he married Mary
Randolph July 27, 1963. He is survived
by his wife Mary, their children, and
thirteen grand children.
Roland Rathe, former accounting professor at Kearney State College, died
September 23, 2005, in Lincoln at the
age of 87. Rathe was born in Sauk Centre, MN and married Lilah Frederick
who preceded him in death. He was a
member of the Holy Cross Lutheran
Church in Kearney, a lifetime member
of the National Education Association,
a lifetime member of the Nebraska
State Educational Association, the
American Legion Post 52 in Kearney,
and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post
15028. “Roland Rathe was a quiet man
who was a member of a class of educators who were completely dedicated to
the profession of classroom teaching.
Teaching students was Roland's sole
concern. He was completely focused
on his students and their success. The
quality of his Principles of Accounting
classes built a solid foundation for a
generation of students, many of whom
went on to become professional accountants,” said Gene Koepke, retired
KSC/UNK faculty and administrator.
(Continued from page 10)What’s Up?
Outstanding Junior Kristina Hubl Receives Clara Ockinga
Scholarship from Dr. Kari Anderson at the Annual & Endowed
Scholarship Night in April
Anderson and Barton
Refocus
Two dedicated professionals who have
taught in the business education area
for many years have turned in their
chalk or shall we say “mouse,” for
their power point presentations, to
pursue other endeavors. Dr. Kari
Anderson and Dr. Jan Barton Zimmerman retired during the 2005-2006 academic year.
Anderson started her KSC/UNK career working part-time in 1980 and
moved to a full-time position in 1986,
while Barton came to UNK in 1987
after teaching at Central Community
College and Grand Island High
School. Assistant Professor Anderson
and Associate Professor Barton each
hold a Lifetime Nebraska Teaching
Certificate. As progressive educators,
they have impacted the lives and careers of literally thousands of students
through teaching business communications and business education
courses, as well as working extensively to further develop their leadership, communication, and networking
skills through Phi Beta Lambda, collegiate business organization.
“I have been very fortunate to have a
career where I could be in daily contact with students and colleagues who
have inspired me,” said Anderson.
SIGMA BETA
DELTA
Sigma Beta Delta, the business, management and administration honor society,
initiated the following individuals in April,
2006: Juniors: Sachin Plya, Kearney;
Kristin Moncrief, Kearney; Kristina Hubl,
Blue Hill; Jaime Coolidge, Indianola; Arpan Rijal, Kearney; Mai Linh Bui, Lexington; Kassandra Swanson, Superior; Stephanie Obermier, Aurora; Sarah Blecha, Gothenburg; Shannon Ryan, Papillion; Ryan
Kulhanek, Lexington. Seniors: Julie Long,
O’Neill; Dana Meier, Elm Creek; Kristen
Feuerborn, Chadron; Jenna Grenier, Columbus; Mallory James, Humboldt;
LeeAnn Jameson, Bedford, TX; Edward
Venter, Lincoln; Megan Friesen, Hastings.
MBA Students: Anne Hof, Kearney; Kimberly Manajero, Kearney; Joanne Patonona, Kearney. Honor Cords were given
to the following graduating members: Rae
Ellen Corell, North Platte; Laura Erb, West
Point; Rachel Gerdes, Johnson; Jonathan
Kottich, Kearney; Corey Ten Bensel,
Alma; LeAnn Suhr, West Point; Brady
Spiegel, O’Neill; Rachal Skeen, Imperial;
Megan Ryan, Berwyn; Ashley Moore,
Cambridge; David Marshall, Kearney;
Sandra Mary Koll, Wilbur; Adam Johnson,
Ainsworth; Marcus Goldenstein, Gretna;
Alayna Ehlers, Superior; and Shauna Birchard, Gothenburg.
Dr. Bruce Forster, Dean, was an honorary
inductee and gave the address, "Reflections
on Deaning and Leadership: Nature, Nurture, and Serendipity,” to the honorees,
their guests, and faculty.
Sigma Beta Delta Initiates
13
COLLEGE OF B & T
(Continued from page 3)
(Continued from page 11) Outstanding students
future. Identify “best practices” that
you can study, and adopt them to
solve critical problems.” He felt he
was an average high school student,
he had good professors, and while no
genius, he had worked hard and
learned how to add value. Taylor said,
“The best of those special, early
professors was Kearney’s Ron
Landstrom.” Taylor came back to
Kearney to show his respect and
gratitude to this special professor by
establishing the Executive in
Residence Program in Landstrom’s
name.
Management students were a part of
the student competition team which
competed at the National Association of
Home Builders Conference in Orlando,
Florida in January. There were over 40
major universities taking part in the
competition with more than 100,000
people in attendance: Jesse Wilcox,
Curtis; Eric Jaquez, Florence, CO;
Adam Skrdla, Stuart; Levi Rath,
York; Tyler Dunklau, Arlington; Paul
Kubik, Omaha; Tyler Erickson,
Wausa; Clay Otto, Lexington; Sam
Friehe, McCook; Mike Ailer, York;
Brad Johnson, Omaha; Zachary
Barger, Paxton; Andy Mahood, Page;
Bryan Underwood, North Platte;
Erick Axtell, Funk; Spencer Schenk,
Ainsworth; Dustin Bohl, Oxford; Tim
Norwood, Kearney; Nicholas Teter,
Bartley; and Katelyn Roshone,
Valentine.
He closed with a message from the
Wizard of OZ stating, “There is a
yellow brick road for each of you. I
don’t know where yours is, but you
will need...heart, courage, and your
brain on that road. It will be an
exciting adventure!”
Taylor retired from his position as Sr.
VP and CFO of Applied Materials
Inc., the world’s leading supplier of
semiconductor fabrication solutions,
based in Santa Clara, CA, in 1998 to
serve as senior advisor to the CEO
and staff. He fully retired from the
company in 2000. He serves on the
Board of Directors of Lithia Motors
and Electro Scientific Industries. He
is on the Board of Directors of the
Oregon Shakespeare Festival and a
Trustee on the Board of Southern
Oregon University, both in Ashland,
Oregon.
The Taylor’s initial gift, given
through the Jerry and Jeanne Taylor
Family Foundation, has created the
“Landstrom/Taylor Endowed
Business Fund,” which provides
funding for the “Ron Landstrom
Executive in Residence Program” and
B&T student scholarships. Taylor
has plans in place for a larger gift to
benefit the endowment as part of his
estate.
Phi Beta Lambda officers for
2005/2006: President: Lance
McKenney, Broken Bow, and Kayla
Paris, Lexington; VP: Michael
Eiberger, St. Paul; Treasurer: Julie
Barker, Cairo; Community Service:
Joseph May, Lexington; Recruitment:
Craig Beaman, Grand Island; and
Melissa McMinn, Gothenburg;
Historian: Alec Kudrna, Omaha.
Business Competition Day for high
schools was once again a success, as
well as the groups involvement with
$mart Money Week. In addition, they
collected food for the Jubilee Center.
An Evaluation of Alternative
Approaches” at the National Social
Science Conference in Las Vegas in
April. She and Kimberly Manajero,
mentored by Dr. Greg Broekemier,
also presented "Using Video Games as
a Medium.” They received runner up
in the student paper competition.
To reward those who developed the
best consulting papers and solutions to
problems, Intellicom of Kearney,
provided financial rewards to the
following students in Dr. Seshadri’s EMarketing course: 1st Prize: Klint
Holscher, Ogalalla, & Ryan
McKillip, Aurora, $100 for their
paper, “Web-Usability and Customer
Retention.” 1st prize: Ashley Solt,
Central City, Kristine Andrews,
South Sioux City, & Krystle Faust,
Petersburg, $100 for their paper,
“Measuring the Effectiveness of Webpresence.” 3rd prize: Darcy Tinney,
Hershey, Adam Johnson, Ainsworth,
& Boris Ruhukya Uganda East
Africa, $50 for their paper, “Using the
Web for Survey Research.” 3rd prize:
Lindsay Hain, Lexington, Kayla
Paris, Lexington, & Chris Link,
Yutan, $50 for their paper,
“Leveraging the Web-Site Through
Marketing Activities.”
The 2006 Mary Jane and William R.
Nester Leadership Award was
presented to Elizabeth A. Obermeier
a business administration May 2006
graduate.
The Collegiate Chapter of the
Associated General Contractors
(AGC) hosted renowned speaker on
“People Management,” Chuck Vander
Kooi of Littleton, Colorado in March.
Heather Hansen, Kearney, sophomore
business administration major and
music minor, was the guest soloist
playing the saxophone with the UNK
Wind Ensemble.
Graduate Assistant Joanne Patonona,
mentored by Dr. Deb Bridges,
presented “Predicting NE Corn Prices:
Interior Design Student Symposium, fall 05.
Sara Jones, ASID President Elect; Clinton, MO; Allison Nissen, NKBA and
ASID Pr., Bassett; Jenny Stahla, NKBA V.P. and ASID Historian, Lexington; Shawna Meyer, Sec for ASID Sec/Treas. for NKBA, Kearney; Angela
Kucera ASID Tres., Grand Island; Martha Kerr, designer from Neil Kelly,
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COLLEGE OF B & T
Portland, Oregon (Certified Master Kitchen & Bath Designer)
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COLLEGE OF B & T
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COLLEGE OF B & T