The "New" Bruner Hall of Science Complex at the University of Nebraska Kearney Dedicated with Fanfare--The Edge of Science

Today, UNK's renovated, enlarged and greatly improved Bruner Hall of Science will be dedicated in a noontime ceremony marked by speeches by university leaders, the presence of many dignitaries and a ribbon cutting engineered by students, past and present.
Besides providing a new visual signature to the campus, especially the dramatic structure facing the UNK Main Quadrangle and housing a spherical Planetarium "egg" behind its glass facade, Bruner Hall brings a whole new design to the instructional and research spaces for UNK students and faculty.
The original art mural on the facade of the building sets the tone for what is inside, including the basic scientific disciplines of physics, chemistry, biology as the underpinnings of Health Sciences, with over 600 students in 19 programs, one of the largest areas of study at UNK.

   A UNK trademark is close faculty-student collaboration, especially in undergraduate research--research that frequently rivals research institutions in its quality and contribution to knowledge. And the degree of undergraduates' hands-on experiences in laboratories, with actual research projects, as partners with professors, is way ahead of their counterparts' ability to participate in research at most Research I institutions. Modern teaching and research labs have been designed for teaching science in the twenty-first century.

Other features of the building include: Nebraska’s only Foucault pendulum, a replica of the first experiment to dynamically prove that the Earth rotated on its axis; a roof observatory to give both community visitors and students opportunities to explore the sky with state-of-the-art telescopes and electronics; a living animal facility; and an herbarium.

With the dedication today of the new Bruner Hall of Science complex, UNK enters a new chapter in its long history of providing excellent science education to its students from Nebraska and around the country and world.

UNK Acquires Property for a New Campus Gateway and to Address Safety Concerns

A long sought-after piece of property along the east side of the campus officially became property of the University of Nebraska at Kearney in August.

Ownership of the land by the university will now make it possible to address safety concerns in the area, ease traffic flow and create a main entrance to the campus. The parcel, which is comprised of the west end of the 800 block between 25th and 26th Streets, had been part of the O.G. "Bob" Saunders estate since Saunders passed away in 2007.

Because changes in traffic flow in the area to develop a new “gateway” to the campus will involve city streets and a state highway, UNK planning will involve consultants, the City of Kearney and the State Highway Department. All plans so far are preliminary.

Planning for demolition of the unoccupied building (most recently occupied by Follett’s Bookstore and a military service recruiting office) is underway and is expected to begin mid-October. The immediate building perimeter is currently fenced to keep passersby at a safe distance from the structure due to its fragile, extending roof.

Although ownership and possession of the parcel has been transferred to the university, the final cost of the property is still being determined. An appraisal by a panel of three experts appointed by the Buffalo County Court set the value at $480,000. However, the Saunders family has since filed an appeal in Buffalo County District Court. That appeal is still pending.

UNK Enrollment Up for Sixth Consecutive Year

Enrollment at the University of Nebraska at Kearney increased this year for the sixth year in a row. UNK’s headcount enrollment was 6,650, the highest total since 1999 and an increase of 1.6 percent over last year. Aggregate student credit hours – the course-load that students take -- also rose, by 0.6 percent over last fall. Students have come to UNK this year from all 93 counties in Nebraska, 46 countries around the world, and 47 states.

Growth was particularly strong at the graduate level, as UNK offerings continue to attract students who seek career or personal development through advanced education. Total enrollment in graduate programs increased by 12.5 percent, to a total of 1,619, as both online and on-campus numbers rose compared to last year’s result.

Undergraduate results were somewhat mixed. Overall, undergraduate headcount decreased by 1.4 percent, mainly because of declines in part-time, nonresident, and international students that produced a smaller first-time, full-time freshman class of 969 students. That group is 6.6 percent smaller than last year’s comparatively large class. Even so, the Fall 2009 freshman class is larger than the groups which entered UNK in Fall 2006 and 2007. Freshman representation from key areas in Nebraska held stable or rose, and there was a notable rise in freshman from the Omaha region. Undergraduate transfers also increased by 14.4 percent, to 334, or the best result since Fall 2005.

Although the freshman class was smaller than last year’s, its average ACT score is the highest ever achieved by an entering class at the Kearney campus. Additionally, numbers of new enrolled Honors Program freshmen rose to the highest level in six years (145). These high academic achievers bring with them an average ACT score of 28.2.

35 New Faculty Enhance Academic Expertise and Experience at UNK

New faculty were introduced last Friday at UNK's opening convocation and classes began on Monday, officially marking the opening of another school year. In spite of the current budget cutting cycle that is leaving fewer resources for academic administrators, it is worthwhile to reflect for a moment on the variety and quality of the 35 new faculty to join the University this fall.

Most have earned terminal degrees in their respective fields from universities as far ranging as the University of New Mexico, Washington State University, and the University of Albany. Many have their degrees, as well, from universities around the Midwest including the University of Iowa and our sister institution, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Fields of expertise range from military science (UNK re-started ROTC on campus last year), communications disorders to experimental atomic physics and many more. This new crop of faculty brings a huge range of experience including such accomplishments as founding and leading a community music organization, working as part of the management team of The Buckle and American Foods Group, serving as a Materials Manager at Eaton Corporation in Kearney, as an intelligence analyst for the military in Germany, Iraq and Afghanistan, conducting strategic planning for expansion of global education at St. John's University in New York, spending 35 years as an elementary principal, playing in major orchestras, and, of course, many have served as professors at prominent universities around the country. This listing is but a small sampling.

UNK is very proud of the expertise and accomplishments of its new faculty, who join an already sterling faculty who are contributing to the knowledge in their respective fields through scholarship while, at the same time, serving as mentor-teachers to UNK's 6,500-plus students.

UNK Maintains 15th Rank Among Midwest Public Universities at the Master's Level

The University of Nebraska at Kearney yesterday announced that the campus has again earned a ranking in the top tier of the "U.S. News & World Report's" listing of the Best Universities-Master’s, public and private, in the Midwest. UNK was ranked against a total of 139 universities across 12 states in this category.

Further, for the third consecutive year, UNK ranks 15th among all public universities at the master’s level in the Midwest.

The overall ranking is a composite of scores in several specific categories. UNK measures equal to, or better than, the average of its Board of Regent-defined peer group in 8 of 11 scores. Compared to last year’s scores, UNK improved its graduation rate from 55 to 56 percent, increased the number of classes with fewer than 20 students from 37 to 39 percent, reduced the number of classes with more than 50 students from 6 to 5 percent, and increased the number of freshmen who rank in the top 25 percent of their high school graduating class from 36 to 38 percent. UNK’s average freshman retention rate (81%) and the percent of faculty who are full-time (91%) are also noteworthy, especially in comparison to its peers.

Undergraduate Research—A UNK Distinctive

The Undergraduate Research Fellows (URF) program of the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) is one of a very few undergraduate research programs in the nation funded entirely by student fees.
This comprehensive and experiential learning opportunity is a reality at UNK, largely because students last year were willing to add $1.50 per credit hour in student fees to fund URF. Last school year, 75 sophomores, juniors and seniors, collectively, were awarded fellowships. Provided that the student makes appropriate progress, fellowships are renewed annually. In a given year, conceivably, up to 100 Research Fellows may be supported.
By the time they are juniors, Research Fellows will be able to develop and conduct their own original research or creative projects. Each Fellow receives a $1,000 stipend each year. Students can apply for grants to support their projects, participate in a multi-disciplinary summer research program; apply for support to present their work at conferences; and have their findings published in journals.
Though the URF program is new, undergraduate research has been a distinctive mark of student experience at UNK for many years and has brought national recognition to the campus. For instance, UNK’s strong presence at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research (NCUR) has helped gain national attention for UNK as a premier undergraduate research university because UNK student researchers are usually amongst the top five school delegations in attendance, with 50 or more students presenting their research each year.
Over time, several other student research programs have contributed to the establishment of the URF program. Some examples: the Summer Student Research program; the annual publication of UNK’s Undergraduate Research Journal, the Mentoring Award program, and the burgeoning Student Research Day.
Undergraduate research at UNK was noted recently by Governor Dave Heineman in an op-ed piece published in newspapers across the state. Heineman stated, “During the past five years, UNK student-scholars have participated in the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in greater numbers than any other Nebraska college or university. The 13th edition of UNK’s Undergraduate Research Journal shows the wide range of student scholarship, with articles ranging from an in-depth market feasibility study for a proposed retail business to a detailed analysis of two Beethoven piano sonatas.”
Through the URF program, and only because of the student-supported fee, faculty mentors receive a $500 stipend each year for materials that are supportive of their mentoring effort. A dynamic potential in the faculty mentoring role in the URF program is that a faculty mentor can formally support up to three fellows per year. At UNK, faculty are particularly inspired about the kind of collaborative groups and learning these relationships will cultivate.
According to the URF program design, to be a faculty mentor, one must have been an active scholar—for instance, published a national article or activity—in the last two years. The program not only demonstrates that UNK faculty are engaged in their own discipline so that they can optimally model scholarship for their student-mentees, it supports and enhances the legendary strength of faculty-student relationships at UNK.

Profile of the University of Nebraska at Kearney

--5,478 undergraduate students
--1,006 graduate students
--Students from all 93 Nebraska counties, 47 states and 49 countries
--307 full-time, 67 part-time faculty
--More than 90 percent hold terminal (highest) degrees in their field
--Student-to-Faculty ratio -- 16 to 1
--Average class size -- Less than 25 students
--8 traditional-style residence halls
--2 Greek chapter house complexes (12 UNK fraternities and sororities)
--1 University-owned off-campus apartment complex
--3 suite-style residence halls—Nester North, Nester South and Antelope Halls
--170 undergraduate majors
--25 pre-professional programs
--34 graduate degrees
--Four-year Honors Program
--Largest percentage of international students among undergraduates (11 percent) of any other college or university in Nebraska or neighboring Midwest region
--30 percent of the state’s principals, and 47% of school superintendents are UNK grads
--235-acre campus in Central Nebraska’s educational, medical and cultural center
--30,000+ people reside in Kearney
--17 NCAA Division II sports within the Rocky Mountain, including women’s soccer new Fall, 2009
--Athletic Conference (RMAC).
--The U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges 2009” ranks UNK among the top 15 public universities at the Master’s level in the Midwest
--At 80 percent, UNK’s retention rate of freshmen-to-sophomores is well above the national average
--1905 Founded as Nebraska State Normal School
--1921 Became Nebraska State Teachers College
--1963 Renamed Kearney State College
--1991 Became University of Nebraska at Kearney