2005.01.31

Learning does not just happen on university campuses. A group of UNO professors has made a connection in an area of Omaha with a growing immigrant community, and the result of that outreach will be new courses for students in the fall.

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THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT OMAHA IS NOT JUST A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE COME TO TAKE CLASSES FROM PROFESSORS; UNO PROFESSORS GO INTO THE COMMUNITY TO LEARN, AS WELL.  A NEW OUTREACH EFFORT TO SOUTH OMAHA – AN AREA WITH A LARGE IMMIGRANT POPULATION – SHOULD RESULT IN NEW COURSES FOR STUDENTS NEXT FALL, ACCORDING TO PAUL SATHER.  SATHER SERVES AS THE CO-INTERIM DIRECTOR OF UNO'S SERVICE LEARNING ACADEMY.

LAST JANUARY, A DOZEN UNO PROFESSORS SPENT A WEEK LEARNING ABOUT SOUTH OMAHA'S BUSINESSES, SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES AND PEOPLE.

SATHER: "When you're new to the community, or even if you've been here a long time, the name of an agency doesn't really tell you very much. What really goes on at the Juan Diego Center?  Well you don't know unless you go to the Juan Diego Center and you see what those people do and you hear from them."

IMMIGRANTS FROM MEXICO AND CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA HAVE MADE SOUTH OMAHA INTO A MELTING POT MUCH IN THE SAME WAY THAT CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN IMMIGRANTS DID DECADES AGO.

SATHER: "There's a whole kind of rich fabric of diversity in the community."

IMMIGRATION ISSUES ARE IMPORTANT NOT ONLY IN OMAHA, BUT ACROSS THE STATE,

SATHER: "What does it mean for social services, educational services, health service.  You know, immigrants become English speakers but it takes awhile.  So for some period of time, all those kinds of services in communities that respond to human need have a client they can't communicate with.  And that's a really big challenge in a lot of Nebraska communities."

SATHER SAID PROFESSORS SAW A RANGE OF THOSE ISSUES, AND A RANGE OF POSITIVE OPPORTUNITES..

SATHER: "I think there was sort of two focuses to that.  One was challenges that the community faces, but also a look at the tremendous strengths in the community and a real sense, kind of, of excitement and potential in the community."

WORK BEING DONE BY PROFESSORS NOW WILL MEAN SIX TO TEN NEW COURSES FOR FALL THAT MAY LOOK AT THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY HEALTH AGENCIES, THE NEEDS OF MICROBUSINESSES, LOCAL HISTORY, AND EVEN THE PERSONAL STORIES OF IMMIGRATION.

SATHER: "One has to do with students in a women's studies course working with women who are clients at the Latina Resource Center.  And this course has everything to do with how culture and family and locality and all of those dimensions of a person's life influence identity."

BETWEEN NOW AND NEXT FALL PROFESSOR WILL BE RECONNECTING WITH THE PEOPLE THEY MET BY ATTENDING A FILM SERIES THAT FOCUSES ON IMMIGRATION ISSUES AND HOLDING DISCUSSIONS.

2005.11.10
Making time for wellness and fitness can be difficult, especially for women who are balancing both family and work. UNO Assistant Professor Jennifer White studies fitness and wellness issues and has some practical advice.
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2005.10.20
The library at a university serves more than students and faculty members. And collections today include everything from online journals to DVDs in addition to books. Steve Shorb, the dean of UNO's University Library, explains.
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2005.10.05
Starting the higher education selection process early is the message from David Cicotello, the director of New Student Enrollment Services at UNO. High school students and their parents have a wealth of information available to them.
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2005.10.05
In part II of this special Radio News Line, David Cicotello explains why campus visits can make all the difference in the college decision-making process for high school students and their parents.
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2005.09.14
Alice Schumaker, an associate professor in UNO's College of Public Affairs and Community Service, and a colleague from a Norwegian university have a unique educational exchange going on this semester. Students in their classes are meeting and discussing class work over the Internet.
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2005.07.27
Nebraska will be the center of the Information Systems world for four days in August. A world-class conference on cutting edge technology issues is expected to attract more than 850 people from across the planet to Omaha's Qwest Center. Two UNO professors have spearheaded organizing the event.
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2005.07.11
A unique collaboration between the Gallup Organization and the University of Nebraska at Omaha continues to grow and expand. Dr. Jerry Wagner, a distinguished research fellow at UNO, explains how a new laboratory at Gallup will create high tech internship slots available for students.
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2005.06.13
The Latina Summer Academy is in session this week at UNO. Sixteen young Latina women will get a taste of college and see what taking courses in math, science and technology could mean for them in the future. Curt Bayer, the director of executive education programs in the UNO College of Business Administration, discusses this unique program.
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2005.06.02
The University of Nebraska at Omaha recently has expanded its classes on entrepreneurship. Being your own boss can be a rewarding option for many according to Anne York, the director of the UNO Maverick Entrepreneurship Institute in the College of Business Administration.
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2005.04.14
The University of Nebraska at Omaha Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS) will host the Second Cumbre of the Great Plains starting April 22. Cumbre means summit. A wide variety of important immigration issues will be discussed, according to Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado, a UNO political science professor and the OLLAS assistant director.
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2005.04.04
The annual Airline Quality Ratings are now available.
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2005.03.24
The UNO College of Information Science and Technology has a graduate fair and open house set for March 31. It's a unique opportunity to meet faculty, alums and local business people involved in cutting edge work in our region. Dr. Peter Wolcott explains why an advanced degree can be beneficial.
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2005.03.11
More than 200 University of Nebraska at Omaha students will be spending spring break swinging a hammer or using a paint brush. Instead of going on vacation, the students will be volunteering for Seven Days of Service, a program that renovates homes for people who need low income housing.
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2005.03.07
Learning does not just happen on university campuses. A group of UNO professors has made a connection in an area of Omaha with a growing immigrant community, and the result of that outreach will be new courses for students in the fall.
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2005.01.31
Technology has people of all ages simply swimming in information. How can you keep on top of e-mail, text messaging and cell phone calls? Dr. Ilze Zigurs, a professor in UNO's College of Information Science and Technology, has some advice.
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2005.01.24
The UNO Athletic Department has a special night of fun and information scheduled for women on Feb. 10. Hockey 101 will give participants a chance to learn about the sport, meet the Maverick Hockey team, and take a turn on the ice.
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