2006.02.01

The Fifth Annual Malcolm X Festival will be held Feb. 15 and 16 at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. This year's festival will focus on "The Black Woman: Past, Present and Future." Professor Peggy Jones explains.

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THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT OMAHA HAS EARNED A NATIONAL REPUTATION FOR HOLDING AN ANNUAL MALCOLM X FESTIVAL.  THE UPCOMING TWO DAYS OF FESTIVAL EVENTS POINT TO HOW RICH NEBRASKA'S CULTURAL HERITAGE IS, ACCORDING TO PEGGY JONES, A VISITING PROFESSOR OF BLACK STUDIES AT UNO AND THIS YEAR'S FESTIVAL COORDINATOR.

JONES: "As some people or many people might or might not realize, Malcolm X was born here in Nebraska on May 19^th, and the festival was initially, I believe, conceived to be an homage to Malcolm X--an acknowledgment that some people may not realize that we have these black pioneers, in a sense, that are generated from the Midwest."

FORMER UNO BLACK STUDIES CHAIR ROBERT CHRISMAN CAME UP WITH A DIFFERENT THEME FOR THIS YEAR'S FESTIVAL—"THE BLACK WOMAN: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE."  HE ALSO HELPED ATTRACT A VERY SPECIAL PRESENTER.

JONES: "Well we're pretty ecstatic because we found out, due to a lot of the contacts of Dr. Chrisman, we were able to get some amazing scholars.  And our keynote headliner is the amazing poet Sonia Sanchez . . . poet and playwright Sonia Sanchez."

SANCHEZ HAS HAD A RICH CAREER, AND HAS WON THE ROBERT FROST POETRY AWARD.  HER PRESENTATION ON FEB.15, LIKE ALL FESTIVAL EVENTS, IS FREE.

JONES:  "We are really lucky that we have great support from the university that everything is free and open to the public."

OTHER PRESENTATIONS WILL FOCUS ON LITERATURE, ART, POLITICAL ACTIVISM, EVEN DANCE. DIVERSITY ISN'T JUST AN URBAN ISSUE, EITHER.

JONES: "Nebraska is getting more diverse by the second and not just Omaha, Lincoln, the metro areas, but areas in Grand Island, areas in North Platte."

JONES ADDS THAT EMBRACING DIVERSITY MAKES SENSE ON SEVERAL LEVELS. 

JONES:  "There is an influx of groups coming in and it's not even a moral thing to do.  It's an economic thing, a social thing.  It gives you a better underpinning when you can get along with people that aren't just like you, and what you'll discover is that you have more things in common than you realize because you're all human beings."

THE MALCOLM X FESTIVAL IS SET FOR FEB. 15 and 16.  GO TO WWW.UNOMAHA.EDU FOR MORE INFORMATION. 

2006.08.22
While high school seniors should be enjoying their final year, it's never too early to start thinking about college. Jason Blohm, assistant director for UNO Rescruitment Services, offers a great deal of practical advice for high school students and their parents in this podcast interview. NOTE: This is a true podcast file. This interview is more than eight minutes long.
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2006.07.31
UNO's Center for Public Affairs Research (CPAR) has just release a new report on state population trends. David Drozd, a CPAR researcher, says that the 2005 Nebraska Population Report points to a continuing and expanding divide between urban and rural counties. Drozd also describes the state's "population fishhook." NOTE: This is a true podcast file. This interview is more than eight minutes long.
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2006.06.14
The University of Nebraska at Omaha is helping keep our state on the cutting edge of the global economy by making connections aroudn the world. A new and growing relationship with the Indian Institutes of Technology brought dozens of students from half way around the world to Omaha to learn from UNO faculty and meet area business leaders, including Warren Buffett. Dr. Deepak Khazanchi, from the UNO College of Information Science and Technology explains. NOTE: This is a true podcast file. This interview is less than 13 minutes long.
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2006.05.12
Nebraska's primary election results are now final. Loree Bykerk, the chair of the UNO Polticial Science Department, in this interview breaks down what happened in the races for Nebraska's U.S. Senate seat and for governer. Bykerk, who has closely followed state politics for years, says the primary results for governor were espeically interesting. NOTE: This is a true podcast file. This information packed interview is just a little over seven minutes.
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2006.05.03
Spring graduation not only is a time for university and college students to celebrate, it is also the season they look for full-time jobs in career areas they are (hopefully) interested in. Bill Swanson, the director UNO's Office of Career Exploration and Outreach, talks about the employment outlook for graduates in Nebraska, preparing for interviews, and common sense job hunting advice. NOTE: This is a true podcast file. This information packed interview is just a little over 11 minutes.
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2006.04.14
Methamphetamine drug abuse continues to be a issue that especially concerns rural states. Nebraska is no exception. Hank Robinson, the director of UNO's Juvenile Justice Institute, has extensively researched the topic. In this interview he explains how meth comes to Nebraska and what are the best practices to address meth addiction.
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2006.04.03
The 16th annual Airline Quality Ratings are out today, April 3. Click on the link below to listen to Dr. Brent Bowen, director of UNO's Aviation Institute. He talks about which airline is top ranked and industry trends. PLEASE NOTE A VIDEO LINK IS ALSO AVAILABLE BELOW.
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2006.02.22
A service learning class brought high tech help to small businesses in South Omaha last semester. A professor and a student recruiter from the UNO College of Information Science and Technology explain.
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2006.02.01
The Fifth Annual Malcolm X Festival will be held Feb. 15 and 16 at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. This year's festival will focus on "The Black Woman: Past, Present and Future." Professor Peggy Jones explains.
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2006.01.06
The University of Nebraska at Omaha's Neighborhood Center for Greater Omaha teaches and empowers individuals and area neighborhood associations. Ron Abdouch, the center's director, explains how this unique program operates.
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