Dean's Message

"I Am Because We Are"
_{- The African Philosophy of Ubuntu}

In August, we celebrated an enthusiastic start to Fall. UNO kicked off the new semester with Durango Days, an annual tradition of welcoming students back to campus during a week of food, music, and socializing.

The energy of people returning to UNO, enjoying the fun and festivities, reminded me of a core reason we gather together on this campus—to connect with one another. Like the quote above expresses so simply, we need community. It's the key to success, growth, and well-being. It’s The Power of Connection.

The Power of Connection was at work throughout our entire college over the last year, and we have many uplifting stories to share. I know you will enjoy learning more about the people and activities featured in our 21-22 Annual Report, and I hope they inspire your journey as a student in our college, or, as an alumni, make you proud. I also hope these stories give you a sneak peek into some of the incredible experiential learning and research opportunities that await you at UNO.

Doctoral students in the Department of Educational Leadership — with help from scholars across campus — are exploring trends and issues in education through the Nebraska Education Policy Research Lab (NEPRL). Chair Tami Williams, Ed.D., helped launch NEPRL in 2020 with NU Collaboration Initiative grant funding, and the research findings will be distributed through various channels to inform policy decision-makers and the broader public.

For the second year in a row, the Speech-Language Clinic in Roskens Hall received grant funding from The Parkinson Voice Project, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the voices of individuals with Parkinson's. The grant provides a highly effective speech therapy program at no cost, helping Parkinson's clients improve their functional communication skills and enhance their quality of life, while UNO graduate student clinicians receive experiential learning opportunities to boost their knowledge and soft skills.

Omaha-area classroom teachers are being supported by the Teacher Education Department in the rollout of Science of Reading (SoR), a science-based, interdisciplinary approach to literacy instruction. A team of Teacher Education and Library Science faculty, led by Assistant Professor Jennifer Lemke, Ed.D., work to incorporate SoR into UNO’s Educator Prep Program curriculum and graduate coursework. The team also provides customized support for school districts.

The UNO Pitching Lab, a partnership between UNO Biomechanics and H&K’s Athletic Training Program, recently expanded to support sports such as golf, volleyball, and soccer, and the team is now providing evaluations to UNO student-athletes.

We also have a new Chair of the Department of Counseling: Tina Chasek, Ph.D., LIMHP, LADC, recently joined UNO after a 17-year career at UNK. She holds an appointment with UNMC's BHECN and was recently named the Julie Hefflinger Professor in Counseling. Dr. Chasek has strong roots in mental health and addictions counseling with experience in behavioral health care administration. She is currently focused on developing the behavioral health care workforce in rural Nebraska.

Finally, I have very exciting news to share. In Spring 2023, the School of Health and Kinesiology (H&K) will begin renovation of approximately 20,000 square feet of underutilized space within the H&K Building to build the Research, Engagement, and Community Hub, or REACH Lab. The REACH Lab will provide a collaborative, hands-on learning environment, accelerate research, expand community engagement, and advance external partnerships in public health, human performance, sports medicine, disability research, and biomedical research.

I hope these stories help you reflect on your own connection to campus and to the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences. Thank you for supporting our college and for being part of our story!