More than 190 University of Nebraska-Lincoln employees were honored for providing support to students.
The awards, presented during a Jan. 29 ceremony, are earned through nominations made from parents of UNL students. Presented annually, the honors provide positive feedback to faculty and staff about their work with students. They also encourage good student and faculty relationships and provide recognition in an area often overlooked in the formal rewards system.
“These awards are special because you earn them just for being a good citizen of the university,” said Rick Alloway, an associate professor of broadcasting and 23-time winner of the honor. “It’s heartening because parents take the extra time to say that they appreciate the extra time you spend working with their children.”
The UNL Parents Association solicits nominations through an annual mailing, asking parents to nominate a faculty or staff employee who has made a significant difference in their student’s life. Nominations include a short explanation of why this person was nominated.
All who were nominated by at least one parent or student and who are still with the university received a certificate. The annual recognition ceremony was organized by the Division of Student Affairs and co-sponsored by the UNL Teaching Council and UNL Parents Association. Certificates of recognition for contributions to students were given during the ceremony.
The 2015-2016 recipients are listed below. Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of years a recipient has received the award. If no number is listed, the award is a first-time honor.
For more information, contact Student Affairs at 402-472-3755.
Academic Affairs
Criminology and Criminal Justice — Diane Dannelly (2); Joseph Schwartz; Bennie Shobe, Jr.
Exploratory and Pre-Professional Advising Center — Kristin Plath
First-Year Experience and Transition Programs — Megan Schaefer
Honors Program — Ann Koopmann (13)
Military and Veteran Success Center — Deb Quinn (5)
Nebraska College Preparatory Academy — Deena Curtis
Scholarships and Financial Aid — Anna Plank (9); Deana Unger (7)
William H. Thompson Learning Community — Kelli King (3); Lanita Sledge
Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
Agricultural Economics — Ronald Hanson (24); Rosalee Swarts (18)
Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication — Lindsay Hastings (3); Gina Matkin (4); L.J. McElravy
Agronomy and Horticulture — William Kreuser; David Lambe (7); Donald Lee (23); Walter Schacht; Kim Todd (10)
Animal Science — Kathleen Anderson (3); Dennis Brink (11); Lori Jaixen; Lisa Karr-Lilienthal (5); Bryan Reiling (9)
Biochemistry — Erin Sayer (6)
Biological Systems Engineering — Greg Bashford (4); Evan Curtis; Roger Hoy (4); Deepak Keshwani (4)
Dean’s Office — Tom Field (3); Tiffany Heng-Moss (10); Sue Ellen Pegg (5); Nicole Smith (3); Steven Waller (7)
Environmental Studies — Christine Haney
Food Science and Technology — Randy Wehling (3)
Natural Resources — Ashley Alred; Rebecca Buller (4); Kenneth Dewey (8); Dennis Ferraro (4); Larkin Powell (5); Sara Winn (3)
Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Services — Raul Barletta
Architecture
Architecture — Peter Olshavsky (2)
Interior Design — Stacy Spale (2)
Arts and Sciences
Anthropology — Matthew Douglass (2); Emily Hammerl; Carrie Heitman
Biological Sciences — Gwen Bachman (11); Brian Couch; Scott Gardner (12)
Chemistry — David Berkowitz (2); Brandon Henslee; Jason Kautz (8); Eric Malina (8); Chris McCune (3)
Classics and Religious Studies — Matthew Loar
Communication Studies — Jaclyn Marsh; Angela Palmer-Wackerly; Damien Smith Pfister
Computer Science and Engineering — Donald Costello; Charles Riedesel (8); Stephen Scott; Mehmet Can Vuran
Dean’s Office — Joseph Francisco
Earth and Atmospheric Studies — Mark Anderson (3); David Harwood (3)
English — Wheeler Dixon (15); Robert N. Fuglei Jr. (2); Amanda Gailey (2); Brenda Ingraham (2); Yulia Levchenko; Michael Page (3); Kelly Payne (2); Beverley Rilett (3); Kelly Stage (2); Pascha Stevenson (3)
History — James Le Sueur (6); Carole Levin (5); Ann Tschetter (4); Vanessa Gorman (7); Victoria Smith (3, also in Ethnic Studies)
Mathematics — Steve Cohn (9); Bo Deng (6); Cheryl Kane (4); William Lewis (12); Chris True (3); Mark Walker (3); Jerel Welker
Modern Languages and Literatures — Marie Blair (16); Abla Hasan (2); Alicia Herraiz Gutierrez; Alexis Jimenez (4); Catherine Johnson (4); Bethany Sanio (3)
Philosphy — Jean Cahan (3)
Physics and Astronomy — Matthias Fuchs; Oran Yenen (5)
Political Science — John Gruhl (12); Sergio Wals (2); Tyler White (2)
Psychology — Michael Todd (3); Manda Williamson (4)
Business Administration
Accountancy — Arthur Allen (2); Jina Morris
Advising — Megan Friesen; Ashley Wegener
CBA Honors Academy — Erin Burnette (2)
Dean’s Office — Shelly Harrold
Economics — Sam Allgood (4)
Finance — Shawn Strother; Sue Vagts (3)
Management — Jake Messersmith; Samuel Nelson (6, also with the Center for Entrepreneurship); Varkey Titus Jr. (3)
Marketing — Les Carlson (2); James Gentry (3); Michelle Jacobs (5); Imran Khan; Amit Saini (3)
Education and Human Sciences
Child, Youth and Family Studies — Yolanda Mitchell (2)
Educational Psychology — Michael Butchko
Nutrition and Health Sciences — Dipra Jha (2); Shannon Rowen (3)
Recruiting — Karen Kassebaum (7)
Special Education and Communication Disorders — Alicia Davis; Dixie Sanger (8)
Student Services Center — Eric Einspahr (2); Val Wiemeyer (3)
Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education — Tricia Gray (2); Ted Hamann; Sandra Starkey
Engineering
Architectural Engineering and Construction — Bruce Fischer (5); Wayne Jensen (3)
Civil Engineering — Joshua Steelman
Electrical and Computer Engineering — Michael Hoffman (3); Jerry Hudgins (3)
Mechanical and Materials Engineering — Eveline Baesu; Kevin Cole (4)
Fine and Performing Arts
Art and Art History — Joyce Bingeman; Andrea Bolland (5): Amy Smith
Music — Alisa Belflower (11); Peter Eklund (10); Anthony Falcone (10); Susan Levine Ourada (2); Jeff McCray; Clark Potter (10); David von Kampen
Theatre and Film — Marsha Kahm (2); Steve Kolbe (3)
Journalism and Mass Communications
Advertising — Kelli Britten; Patti Harney; Amy Struthers (8); Adam Wagler (2)
Advising — Andrea Spader
Broadcasting — Rick Alloway (23); Trina Creighton (7)
Dean’s Office — Sue Roush
Journalism — Bruce Thorson (4); Matthew Waite
Technical Agriculture
Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture — Teri Jo Bek (2); Judy Bowmaster-Cole; Tee Bush; Joanna Hergenreder; Brad Ramsdale; Mary Rittenhouse
Other UNL units
ACREW — Adam White
Athletic Department — Jenna Allocco; David Harris; Ruth Hood; Scott Jacobson (3); Katie Jewell (13); Marlon Lozano (7); Mike Nieman (4); John Robinson; Anna Trent
Dean of Students — Matthew Hecker (5)
Information Technology Services — Michael McNeil
Military Science — Brett Erickson
Nebraska Alumni Association — Jordan Gonzales
Nebraska Unions — Gennady Yashirin
OASIS — Joél Orozco-Almeida
Services for Students with Disabilities — Barbara Woodhead (3)
TRIO Programs — Marianna Burks
University Health Center — Unasue Heng
University Housing — Ina Sivits Luhring (3); Erron Reynolds; Erica Schroeder; Will Sheppard (2); Benjamin Wachholtz
