Nebraska's top speakers. Maverick Speech claimed seven individual events championships on the way to its first UNO Forensics state title. Champions are seen here with Coach Abbie Syrek, as well as Assistant Coaches Vanessa Hatfield and Ryan Syrek, at the conclusion of competition in Hastings. Iven Mendoza, named top overall speaker (Sweeps), led the way with three first places in Dramatic Interpretation, Prose Interpretation and Duo Interpretation with Cameron Logsdon. Logsdon also won the Program of Oral Interpretation. He is the defending national champion in this event. Allison Henri also claimed two state titles in Poetry and Informative Speaking. Niveditha Rejagopalan was state champion in Communication Analysis and also qualified for Interstate Oratory at James Madison University in Virginia. As one of the two qualifiers, she is among 100 of the top orators in the nation. UNO also won the Quality Award, which recognizes the team with the most points considering number of qualifiers. UNO Forensics begins national competition April 2 in Kearney, Nebraska.
School briefs state board. Two School of Communication faculty members, Karen Dwyer and Lynnette Leonard, were among those speaking to the University of Nebraska Board of Regents at a recent meeting. Dwyer, Reilly Professor and assistant director, explained oral communication assessment. Leonard, assistant professor, described the North Omaha Media Alliance (NOMA) project. NOMA has just received $1,500 in funding from Cox Communications. UNO communication students mentor about 20 area high school students on media and interviewing techniques.
Guest lecturer. Alumnus Stephen Croucher ('00), an associate professor at Marist College, returned to campus to speak in Assistant Professor Chin-Chung Chao's class. She and Director Jeremy Lipschultz hosted Croucher at a luncheon before his lecture to current students. Croucher received his doctorate from the University of Oklahoma. He has become a leading national scholar on forensics topics. Croucher and Chao met while he was a faculty member and she was a graduate student at Bowling Green State University. While at UNO, Croucher competed for UNO Forensics and wrote for the Gateway.
Academic excellence. Dean and Professor Gail F. Baker had a DePaul University screening for "DuSable to Obama: Chicago's Black Metropolis" at the Chicago Cultural Center. She wrote the WTTW documentary. It is the first in a series considered for national PBS distribution. *** Professor Mike Sherer has posted a photograph on his Heartland Views website, which was accepted to be shown at an Iowa State University juried show. *** Professor and Director Jeremy Lipschultz was a panelist following the UNO Theatre opening of "Dark Play or Stories for Boys," which is set amid various computer chat rooms. He, Theatre Chair Scott Glasser and the actors discussed reactions to the story with audience members. *** Lipschultz and Associate Professor Sherrie Wilson joined Matt Hansen, Omaha World-Herald reporter, Caitlin Roth, WOWT-TV reporter and meteorologist, and KVNO-FM News Director Robyn Wisch for a future of journalism panel in Adam Tyma's Introduction to Mass Communication course.
Skype talk. Media Regulation and Freedom students interacted with St. Petersburg Times Reporter and Columnist Eric Deggans using a video chat. Deggans has covered the broadcast indecency issue for the newspaper. FCC regulation of shock radio in Tampa was a major local story for several years. Deggans said that there is now less interest in these broadcasts, and public attention has shifted nationally to two long wars and a recession.
Later in the semester, students will make legal arguments for and against current FCC policies.
Events and photos.CFAM Hockey Night in Section 213 with the "Red Army" was a success. UNO defeated Denver, ranked sixth in the country, before losing the following night. UNO will finish no lower than fourth place, and this guarantees home ice for the first round of conference playoffs March 11-13.
Our visiting professor's first hockey game
Alumni among the Section 213 regulars
Howard Marcus joined students at the Career Fair
Hugh Reilly was recognized at AAF Meet the Pros
The Omaha News aired on NET 2
The Omaha News uses live shots from the newsroom
Adam Tyma met a class outside on a nice day
March
2 - Lambda Pi Eta fundraiser, Noodles, 4-7 p.m.
4 - Center for Collaboration Science annual conference, CPACS Commons, 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.
10 - NOMA, CPACS Commons, 4 p.m.
21 - UNO Spring Break
31 - NOMA, CPACS Commons, 4 p.m.
April
2 - Dart Center Panel, Creighton University, 8 a.m.
9 - Regional PRSSA, Mammel Hall, TBA
14 - High School Media Conference, MBSC 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
25 - Communication Week: Advertising presentations, ASH 112, 3-4:15 p.m.
26 - PRSSA presentations, MBSC Chancellor's Room, 4-6 p.m.; and DuSable to Obama screening, TBA.
27 - Advertising presentations, ASH 112, 3-4:15 p.m. 28 - Alumni Panel, MBSC Dodge A and B, 1-2:15 p.m.; 56th Annual Communication Awards Banquet, Thompson Alumni Center, 6-9 p.m.
29 - Omaha Press Club Scholarship Dinner, OPC, 5-9 p.m.
May
6 - UNO Commencement, Civic Auditorium 2-4:30 p.m.
National undergrad honors. Anna Berlett, senior in the School of Communication, was named one of American Advertising Federation’s Most Promising Minority Students. The program is designed to give students a real world learning and networking experience. She recently traveled to New York City and interviewed with three large firms. Berlett and Associate Professor Hugh Reilly, her nominator, were recognized. Lecturer Jerilyn Hynes Kamm traveled with Berlett. The Most Promising Program was held Feb. 1-3 at the New York Athletic Club. There were 50 Honor Roll students selected from across the nation.
Speaking of Nationals 2011. UNO Forensics had another first winning Nationals Warm-up. Although some of the top national teams did not participate, CoachAbbie Syrekcalled the win an important marker. "The forensics team won our most prestigious tournament," Syrek said. It is typical for the school hosting nationals to also host a warm-up tournament in February to offer competitors from across the nation a chance to perform for the national judging pool and scout the competition. In addition to the team victory, UNO students won five out of the eleven events. UNO Forensics, which finished last year among the top ten teams in the nation, has qualified the entire squad for national competition.
Photography competition. Professor Michael Sherer has rural Iowa photographs accepted for a juried show at Iowa State University. "This is my biggest show yet," Sherer said. His work can be found at his Heartland Views website, and on Facebook. Excellence in action. Assistant Professor Lynnette Leonard has been selected by UNO Chancellor John Christensen for one of three campus presentations to the University of Nebraska Board of Regents on Feb. 18. Leonard will explain her innovative North Omaha Media Alliance (NOMA) project, which now features bi-weekly mentoring of Omaha area high school students by UNO School of Communication broadcasting majors and speech communication students in the Interviewing course. Leonard’s 1 p.m. presentation will be 5-7 minutes. The NOMA presentation is grouped with ones by Culture Walks and Mincroenterprise. The presentations feature a question and answer time with regents at UNO’s Milo Bail Student Center Ballroom.
Faculty notes. Professor Bruce E. Johansen's book, Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Issues: An Encyclopedia (Greenwood, 2004) has been published in Japanese by Akashi Shoten Co, Ltd. of Tokyo. *** Instructor Mike Whye’s work made the cover of the 2011 Iowa Travel Guide, and his photographs also were featured inside. *** Assistant Professor Adam Tyma’s Visual Communication studentstook a trip to Hot Shops to examine an art exhibit featuring a tribute to military service.
Tyma also was interviewed by Caitlin Roth from WOWT. She is working on a story about how more college-age women are establishing relationships (i.e., starting conversations with guys) via text message, rather than by phone call or in person. *** Professor and Director Jeremy Lipschultz was listed as a consulting reader for Psychological ReportsandPerceptual and Motor Skills. He also is on the reviewing board of the Special Issue on Team Collaboration in Virtual Worlds for the Journal of the Association for Information Systems. *** Professor Marshall Prisbell was elected from the College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media to serve a term on the UNO Faculty Senate.
Alumni news. Recent graduate Andrea Ciurej (’10) accepted a job offer from Bailey Lauerman as business development coordinator. She is looking forward to gaining agency experience. She leaves a position at Hayneedle.com and also has written for Silicon Prairie News. *** Alumnus Stephen Croucher (’00) returns to campus on Feb. 21. He will deliver a lecture in Assistant Professor Chin-Chung Chao’s leadership class. Croucher is an associate professor at Marist College.*** Alumna Danielle (Steen) McCarville (’09), a former UNO Forensics team member and School of Communication student worker, is now the administrative assistant to the Chair of the Environmental Studies department at the University of Kansas.
Did you know?
Chris Allen is president of the Omaha Press Club
A NU Foundation committee is creating a Harold Dow scholarship
While in New York Anna Berlett and Jerilyn Kamm
met with industry leaders
Alumni Bridget Brooks and Jon Brooks
hosted a hockey trip to North Dakota
A record crowd of more than 25,000
saw UNO sweep two games from
the Wisconsin Badgers
Around town.
Dave Ogden toured the new
Werner Park baseball field
Q Smith, daughter of distinguished alumnus
Rudy Smith, has a leading part in Mary Poppins
Rabbi Myer S. Kripke, 97, was
interviewed by UNO's Buffett Project
Events and photos.CFAM Hockey Night is Friday, Feb. 25. Contact Pam Schwarting in the UNO Athletics Ticket Office to pick up your combination dinner/game tickets. Also, let her know if you are interested in sitting in the CFAM section or up in 213 with the Red Army.
March
2 - Lambda Pi Eta fundraiser, Noodles, 4-7 p.m.
4 - Center for Collaboration Science annual conference, CPACS Commons, 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.
10 - NOMA, CPACS Commons, 4 p.m.
21 - UNO Spring Break
31 - NOMA, CPACS Commons, 4 p.m.
April
2 - Dart Center Panel, Creighton University, 8 a.m.
9 - Regional PRSSA, Mammel Hall, TBA
14 - High School Media Conference, MBSC 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
25 - Communication Week: Advertising presentations, ASH 112, 3-4:15 p.m.
26 - PRSSA presentations, MBSC Chancellor's Room, 4-6 p.m.; and DuSable to Obama screening, TBA.
27 - Advertising presentations, ASH 112, 3-4:15 p.m. 28 - Alumni Panel, MBSC Dodge A and B, 1-2:15 p.m.; 56th Annual Communication Awards Banquet, Thompson Alumni Center, 6-9 p.m.
29 - Omaha Press Club Scholarship Dinner, OPC, 5-9 p.m.
May
6 - UNO Commencement, Civic Auditorium 2-4:30 p.m.
