Emeritus Faculty Provide College with a Solid Foundation

Professional Leaves Enhance Teaching
Often, it’s what happens outside the classroom that can have the biggest impact on
faculty and, in turn, their students. “Professional leaves” may take the form of faculty
working on research or in the community—or both. Faculty submit an application for
consideration; they also must be at UNO for at least seven years to be eligible.
“These experiences are as unique as the individual faculty member,” notes Dr.
John Langan. “The types of contributions our educators make are best described by the
questions faculty respond to when they apply for leave. They include, ‘How will this help
you professionally?’ ‘How will it help your area of study and your department?’ ‘How will
it help the University?’”
This academic year, several faculty are taking professional leave to pursue a variety of
interests. Here’s a look at what a few of our professors are doing:
Dr. Neal Topp
Professor, Teacher Education
Professional leave: 2005-2006, half time
A pioneer in the use of e-portfolios, Dr. Topp is spending a portion of the semester
researching the impact of this technology tool and sharing his knowledge with others.
He is participating in the Coalition for ePortfolio Research with nine other U.S.
universities and colleges. In this role, he is responsible for coordinating the research and
future dissemination of the information that will be gathered and serves as editor for the
coalition’s newsletter.
In addition, Dr. Topp is writing a guidebook for UNO departments that are planning
to implement student e-portfolios in their own curriculum. He has created and will
deliver a two-day faculty development workshop on the topic.
“The thoughtful implementation of e-portfolios,” he says, “can be an effective way
to improve teaching and learning. The more I learn about this process, the better able I’ll
be to help my students learn and understand the connections of the skills and knowledge
they’re acquiring.”
Dr. Jeannette Seaberry
Chair and associate professor,
Department of Counseling
Professional leave: Fall 2005
A professional leave that began with an intent to become fluent in Portuguese, work
with families in south Omaha and to write an article related to her experience changed in
a moment when Hurricane Katrina struck.
“I became all too aware that writing a check was much too easy,” says Dr. Seaberry,
“so I volunteered to work with the Red Cross in the hard-hit areas. This, to some degree,
really dramatically changed my course for professional leave study.”
The professor first went to Montgomery, Ala., then traveled on to Tylertown, Miss.
There, she worked 12-hour days at a Red Cross distribution center, handing out supplies
and monies to the evacuees. She and other volunteers served 500 to 600 families each day.
Returning home after the 11-day stint, the professor has continued her work on two
industry journal articles. Her experience in the Gulf Coast, she says, had a direct impact
on how she approached both works. She hopes to resume her study of the Portuguese
language and her mission to serve area families.
Dr. Kathy Danielson
Professor, Teacher Education Department
Professional leave: Spring 2006
In the spring, Dr. Danielson will be teaching in various classrooms in the
Metropolitan Omaha Educational Consortium schools, working with teachers and
students in writing instruction and the use of poetry in writing across the curriculum.
She also plans to study professional literature about writing and poetry writing, attend
industry conferences and write articles about these topics.
“Working with classroom teachers means I need to practice what I teach,” she notes.
“My experiences can serve as models for my students and will demonstrate to my students
how I value lifelong learning.”
“I believe my students ultimately will benefit from my own experiences working side
by side with classroom teachers,” she adds, “as we all strive to learn about effective writing
instruction in P-16 schools.”
4
Graduate Program
Receives
Re-Accreditation
It’s official—in July, the College’s
speech-language pathology graduate
program was notified that it received reaccreditation
from the American Speech-
Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).
The organization bestows
accreditation only on those institutions
that meet rigorous requirements in
coursework and practicum experiences.
“ASHA accreditation shows that
we hold the highest standards for our
graduates,” says Dr. Kelly Wanzenried,
program director, “and that we’re
prepared to meet the shortage of
professionals in speech-language
pathology by providing well-qualified
candidates.”
ASHA has granted re-accreditation
to the program through June 30, 2012.
College Receives
Award for
Conference
The College of Education was
awarded the 2005 Friend of Education
Award by the Region II Nebraska
Association of Elementary School
Principals (NAESP). The award
recognizes the College’s co-sponsorship
of the Student Leadership Conference,
an annual event that draws upper
elementary students who are leaders in
their schools.
Students whose principals are
members of the NAESP are eligible
to attend. Held at UNO in October,
this year’s conference featured breakout
sessions and keynote speakers from
Make-a-Wish Foundation and KM3
News.
The College’s Office of Student
Services was instrumental in helping
coordinate the event through facilities
and food arrangements as well as
participant schedules. This was the
fourth year the College has served as a
co-sponsor for the event.