Support Geology

Stephen J. White Memorial Fund

Stephen J. White was a member of the geology faculty of the Department of Geography/Geology at the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) in the early 1980s and continued to teach courses and advise students as an adjunct faculty member while working as a geologist for the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Steve contributed to the geology program at UNO in many ways. While at UNO he was one of the developers of the self-paced lab for physical geology that was used for many years and one of the principal authors of the first edition of the lab manual that is used, in part, for that course. He also created and was the first to teach the environmental geology course that is an important part of the geology program and a core course for the environmental studies major.

Steve also really threw himself into organizing field trips, whether local class trips or the big annual field trip. He was the motivating force behind the first Lake Superior trip, the geology field trip to the Pacific Northwest, and the field trip to Iceland.

But Steve’s greatest impact was on the students he taught. Whether in the classroom or on field trips, he had the ability to inspire students to make the effort needed to learn the subject at hand and to feel like he was on their side in the learning process. He also did a great job of mentoring students in their independent research projects; giving them the help and encouragement needed to get them through.

Steve got a great deal of enjoyment from teaching and from the respectful yet warm relationships he developed with students. It always pleased him to see students succeed in their education, and he did much to see that they would.

If you are interested in supporting the geology program at UNO, you may do so by donating to the Stephen J. White Memorial Fund at the University of Nebraska Foundation site. Funds donated will be used to support undergraduate research, travel, and fees associated with the learning and study of Geology.

UNO Geology Fund for Excellence

The second fund is called the UNO Geology Fund for Excellence. Like the Stephen White Fund, this fund is used to support undergraduate research and undergraduate experiences. It is not an endowed fund like the White Fund, rather we can spend whatever is in the fund. It allows more flexible spending and has been heavily used. For example, the UNO Soils Judging Team uses these funds to support their travel to regional competitions, paying for registration, lodging, and food for the students. Without this fund, we would probably not be able to support the UNO Geology soils team. The Stephen J. White Memorial Fund is fully endowed, and so we recommend donations be made to the Geology Fund for Excellence (01140040). However, we are delighted to receive any support and thank you for that. The link for donating to the UNO Geology Fund for Excellence can be found here.

Please contact us if you have any questions.

The University of Nebraska Foundation is a non-profit organization established by the Board of Regents that raises and manages private gifts for the college. If you have questions about establishing a new fund or scholarship, making long-range plans or giving through a different vehicle, please contact David Belieu.

David Belieu
College of Arts and Sciences
402.458.1180 direct
800.432.3216 toll-free
david.belieu@nufoundation.org