Saturday

TMU 9(11-12), December 25, 2012



UNO PRSSA Best of Show. UNO’s award-winning chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America won “Best of Show” from PRSA Nebraska at the annual gala. The chapter also received an award of excellence for their National Organ Donor Awareness Competition entry. It was one of four PRSA Nebraska awards for 2012. Students also were recognized for their Italian Night annual fundraiser, Santa Paws, and the Green Dot campaign.
* Best of Show and Award of Excellence: "Be the Missing Piece" campus event to promote organ donation
* Award of Merit: Green Dot branding campaign for bystanders to reduce power based violence
* Award of Merit: Santa Paws fundraiser for Hearts United for Animals
*Award of Merit: La Notte Italiana fundraiser



One month earlier, UNO PRSSA won the top chapter in the nation for the second time in four years. UNO public relations students also work for the Maverick PR firm, which handles about 15 clients per year. UNO School of Communication students gain professional experience and provide a public service to the community.

Academic excellence. Associate Professor Dave Ogden and Instructor Kevin Warneke published, “The Right Call: Baseball Coaches’ Attempts to Influence Umpires,” in the most recent edition of Great Plains Research (Fall 2012). They examined influence tactics and types of social power that baseball coaches use to get umpires to make calls in their favor. In other news, Warneke’s journalism students published a series of 16 stories this semester in the Gateway, and one student also published work in the Suburban newspapers.

Marlina Davidson and Kate Rempfer, along with three other presenters, won a 2012 Communication Centers Section Award for Top Panel at the National Communication Association (NCA) meeting in Orlando.  Davidson and Rempfer presented, "Collaborating with International COMMunities: A Partnership on Campus and Around the World" as part of the "Celebrating COMMunication Centers’ Outreach Programs" panel. Davidson was elected Vice-Chair Elect for the NCA Communication Centers Section. Rempfer and Davidson (co-authored with Reilly Professor Karen Dwyer) also presented a Scholar to Scholar "Collaborating COMMunity across Campus with Academic Centers" paper at the convention, and Davidson (co-authored with Dwyer) presented, "Assessment of E-textbook Usage in a Large Public Speaking Program" at the conference.

Isaacson Professor Bruce E. Johansen contributed Chapter 19: “Native American Democratic Traditions,” in Benjamin Isakhan; Stephen Stockwell, eds., The Edinburgh Companion to the History of Democracy. This is a worldwide compilation of indigenous democratic traditions edited in Australia and published in Scotland during November, 2012, by the Edinburgh University Press.

Lecturer Holly Miller was honored with the November “Teacher of the Month” award from the Chi Omega Fraternity. They gave her a certificate, a letter and cookies to share with colleagues. Miller is continuing her assignment coordinating activities for the Center for Faculty Development (CFD). She recently accepted an offer to continue as CFD Fellow in the 2013-14 academic year.

Retired Communication Professor Mary Williamson died Dec. 3 at age 88. She mentored many UNO alumni, including KETV News Director Rose Ann Shannon and former news anchor Carol Shrader. Williamson’s “legacy continues through the hundreds of people she trained," Shannon said.

Maverick PR, LPE holiday drives help needy. MaverickPR, the UNO PRSSA chapter firm, collected donations for Youth Emergency Services (YES) and Hearts United for Animals. The backpack drive for homeless and at-risk teens ended Dec. 7. Students collected new socks, underwear, hygiene products and nonperishable food. Maverick PR also held their annual Santa Paws event Dec. 2 at the Bookworm in Countryside Village. Associate Professor Chris Allen and his wife, Elaine Allen, returned this year as Santa and Mrs. Claus. Proceeds went to Hearts United for Animals, a no-kill shelter and animal rescue. Meanwhile, Lambda Pi Eta (LPE), a School of Communication honor society, collected donations for the third annual Warm Winter Drive Nov. 28 to Dec. 12. LPE collected coats, hats, gloves, mittens, earmuffs, scarves, socks, blankets and other winter items.

Sports broadcaster Mike'l Severe guest lectured in Instructor Jodeane Brownlee’s Radio Production course. He talked to students about careers in broadcasting and sports media. Brownlee is advisor for Mav Radio, a station managed and operated by UNO students from studios in the Milo Bail Student Center on the UNO campus. Mav Radio is at full staff for spring semester and is working with UNO PRSSA on promoting the station.

Alumni news. Alumnus Dick Ulmer published, “Yorktown: Growing Up in Small-Town Iowa.” Ulmer began his career at the UNO Gateway and the Omaha World-Herald. He later went to law school at Stanford University. In Silicon Valley he represented Apple, Adobe and other technology companies. In 2009, he was appointed a Superior Court judge in San Francisco. The book is a memoir about growing up in Southwest Iowa, where Ulmer’s father ran a two-room Lutheran school. The book is published by alumnus Dave Krajicek’s News Ink Books. It features original illustrations by Lynne Schneider, with design by Terry Bradshaw and Carlos Valez. It is available on Amazon.com.

Distinguished alumnus Larry Boersma recently signed a book contract with the University Press of Florida. Florida Fauna: One photographer's encounters with wildlife in the Sunshine State features some of Boersma’s wildlife nature photography.

Alumnus Tom Elser has been named vice president and director of communications for the Steier Group. He has more than 20 years experience in fundraising, marketing and journalism. Elser studied broadcast journalism at UNO and worked as a television news reporter for KETV. Elser also is a veteran of the United States Air Force.

Videos and photos.


The Omaha News Retrospective, Vote 2012

Drs. Adam Tyma and Barb Pickering with alumnus 
Nick Klotz at December Commencement

Alumni staffed the PRSA Nebraska Gala:
Heather Tweedy (right) won Top Newcomer

Professors Jerilyn Kamm and Hugh Reilly (top left)
joined professionals at a PRSSA resume review

UNO Criss Library has a new media lab

UNO PRSSA congratulates graduates
and inducts new members

Jeremy Lipschultz used google+ hangout
to plan a PR talk next month in Kansas City

UNO Basketball moved to Ralston Arena
Calendar.
January

16 – High School Media Advisers’ Dinner, MBSC Chancellor’s Room, 6 p.m.

February
UNO Research and Creative Activity Fair, MBSC,  TBA

March

25 – High School Media Conference, MBSC Ballroom 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

April 
12-14  PRSSA Regional Conference, Mammel Hall, TBA.
15-19  Communication Week, TBA

May 

–  58th Annual Communication Awards Banquet, Thompson Alumni Center, 5-9 p.m.

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