Skip to main content
University of Nebraska Omaha logo University of Nebraska Omaha
APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY

Students Faculty Staff Community
University of Nebraska Omaha logo
College of Arts and Sciences
APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY
Students Faculty Staff Community
  • About Us Backback to Main menu
    • About Us
    • Departments & Programs
    • News & Events
    • Dean's Office Staff
    • Faculty/Staff Resources
    • Organizational Chart
  • Academics Backback to Main menu
    • Undergraduate Programs
    • Graduate Programs
    • Love Your Major
    • Pre-Health
    • Pre-Law
    • Arts and Sciences Minors
    • Academic Advising
    • Academic Support
  • Admissions
  • Student Opportunities Backback to Main menu
    • Scholarships
    • Student Organizations
    • Internships
    • Study Abroad
  • Community Engagement Backback to Main menu
    • Community Engagement
    • College Centers
    • Conferences
    • Nature Preserves
    • Professional Services
    • Teacher Training
    • Youth Programs
  • Research Backback to Main menu
    • Research
    • Student Research Support
    • Social Science Research Commons
  • Support Us
  1. UNO
  2. College of Arts and Sciences
  3. CAS News
  4. 2022
  5. 03
  6. MA CCT Student Applies Coursework to Role with State

MA CCT Student Applies Coursework to Role with State

  • published: 2022/03/29
image
When Gene Cotter took his very first class in the Master of Arts in Critical and Creative Thinking (MA CCT) program at UNO, CACT 8000 – Intro to Critical and Creative Thinking, he knew.

"I can tell you that in my very first class, Intro to Critical and Creative Thinking, was when I absolutely knew that I was in the right place," he said. Now as Cotter nears the end of his time in the MA CCT, he's clearly seeing the importance of the program's multi-disciplinary approach to addressing some of society's most pressing issues.

Cotter says he did not exactly set out to become a probation officer after graduating from UNO with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice in 1990, but that the profession found him. He worked as a probation officer in Scotts Bluff County for five years then made his way back to eastern Nebraska, where he worked as an intensive supervision probation officer for 11 years. In 2006, Cotter helped start a program called Specialized Substance Abuse Supervision, a statewide initiative that aimed to reduce prison populations, and soon after that, stepped into a supervisory role. He then moved up to the Chief Probation Officer role in the adult office and later made his way to the Capitol's judicial branch, where he is now the Deputy Administrator for Operations at the administrative office of the courts and probation.

So by the time Cotter enrolled in his first class for the MA CCT in 2019, he brought decades of experience with him that he was able to draw on for his class assignments. However, the course, taught by Dr. Brian Kanouse, had him seeing a field in which he'd spent nearly all of his professional career through an entirely new lens.

Cotter's project for the introductory course centered on the use of NARCAN, the analgesic used in opioid overdose, whether a non-medical practitioner should be allowed to use such treatments and how the judicial system can borrow methods from the medical field, such as risk management and documentation, to implement the use of NARCAN.

"When I was working on that paper, and just examining and exploring all the interconnections between the views of my field and the medical field and the community's thoughts, and the views of families of addicts, it all came together. And I just look at the considerations in that one little project which wasn't all that little. It was a 10-, or 20-, or 25-page final paper that I probably could have written 200 pages on," Cotter said.

"It was like the proverbial onion; the deeper I went, another layer would come off, and I would have to go explore that layer and then I'd have to go explore another layer. There were things in my job that I had probably grown accustomed to doing, but I just hadn't paid attention to it before."

This semester, Cotter is in his final class in the MA CCT before he begins his final project this fall. The graduate project in the MA CCT allows students to tackle a multi-faceted issue using research and methods gained in their coursework. For his project, Cotter plans to examine what other judicial branches across the country have done to help increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in their ranks.

"I know I can't achieve systemic change on my own, nor would I ever try to, but I can certainly help do some research on where we stand in comparison to others and what efforts have worked in other states."

Cotter says that throughout his time in the MA CCT, he has focused his projects and papers with his career in mind.

"I'm trying to ensure everything I have done in the MA CCT will be mutually beneficial to not only myself but to my work. That, in turn, at least in my mind, can lead to more benefit to the people of Nebraska in all sorts of ways."

Cotter says that ever since he stepped into a supervisory role in probation, he's carefully considered why he chose his career path, and the leadership-focused courses in the MA CCT have helped with that "why."

"When I went from being an officer to being a supervisor, I had to determine my 'why' because I was no longer directly involved with making things better for the people of Nebraska," Cotter said. "Instead, I was in charge of the people that were making things better for the people of Nebraska. I always want to be in a place where I am able to give the people involved in direct service delivery a psychological ownership and an intent to act in everything they do. So that they feel they have the tools they need and the ability to influence at the local level and so they can get the work done and create positive change."

Cotter admits that when he first started the MA CCT, he wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but he knows he made the right choice.

"Once I earned my way with my first class, my mindset went from 'Can I do this?' and became 'Oh my gosh, I need to do this.'"

News Sections

  • College of Arts and Sciences News Center
  • UNO News Center
  • Maverick Daily
  • The Bullseye
  • Campus Events

Featured

  • A Round of Applause: CAS Student Award Winners for Spring 2025
  • Meet Moolaweh: Sharing Her UNO Story
  • Deja Harris Found More Than Just a Major — She Found a Mission
  • Following Family Footsteps: Second-Generation Maverick Crosses the Finish Line at Commencement

Most Viewed

  • Four College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Receive Weitz Innovation and Excellence Fund Awards
  • UNO Researchers Protect the Role Bats Play in Nebraska’s Ecosystem
  • UNO James Madison Fellow Inspires Next Generation of Civic Leaders in the Classroom

About the College of Arts and Sciences

College of Arts and Sciences

Contact Us
  • 220 Arts & Sciences Hall
  • College Advising Office
Social media
College Resources
  • For Faculty and Staff
  • Math-Science Learning Center
  • The Writing Center
Arts and Sciences Hall building with large white columns in front of a pink and orange sunset.

Next Steps

  • Visit UNO
  • Request Information
  • Apply for Admission
  • The UNO Advantage
  • Our City (Omaha)

Just For You

  • Future Students
  • Current Students
  • Work at UNO
  • Faculty and Staff
  • A-Z List

Popular Services and Resources

  • my.unomaha.edu
  • Academic Calendar
  • Campus Buildings & Maps
  • Library
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Course Catalogs
  • Internships & Career Development
  • The Maverick Store
  • MavCARD Services
  • Military-Connected Resource Center
  • Speech Center
  • Writing Center
  • Human Resources
  • Center for Faculty Excellence

Affiliates

  • University of Nebraska System
  • NU Foundation
  • Buffett Early Childhood Institute
  • Daugherty Water for Food Institute
  • National Strategic Research Institute
  • Peter Kiewit Institute
  • Rural Prosperity Nebraska
  1. University Policies
  2. Privacy Statement
  3. Accessibility
  1. 402.554.2800

University of Nebraska Omaha
University of Nebraska Omaha, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE, 68182
  • ©  
  • Emergency Information Alert
  • MavsReport

Social Media


Omaha Skyline

Our Campus. Otherwise Known as Omaha.

The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its education programs or activities, including admissions and employment. The University prohibits any form of retaliation taken against anyone for reporting discrimination, harassment, or retaliation for otherwise engaging in protected activity. Read the full statement.