UNO Welcomes New USSTRATCOM Fellows

OMAHA – The nation’s top civilian security specialists will be spending the next 13 weeks at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) as part of a special partnership between the University of Nebraska and United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM).

On Saturday, Jan. 31, the members of UNO’s second USSTRATCOM Strategic Leadership Fellows Program will be formally welcomed in a ceremony featuring remarks from USSTRATCOM Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. James Kowalski, University of Nebraska Interim President James Linder and UNO Chancellor John Christensen.

The introductions will take place at 1:30 p.m. at UNO’s Mammel Hall, 6708 Pine St., following a welcome reception. A tour of Mammel Hall, including the new Koraleski Commerce and Applied Behavioral Lab and the space that will be used by the new Fellows, will follow at 2 p.m.

UNO, The University of Nebraska and USSTRATCOM launched the Leadership Fellows Program in March 2014 as a first-of-its-kind initative under the University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) and housed in the University of Nebraska's National Strategic Research Institute (NSRI). The program includes classroom-based and hands-on learning opportunities to provide graduate-level leadership development to civilian leaders within USSTRATCOM.

“A selection board of the Senior Executive Service (SES), who are the highest ranking civilian leaders at USSTRATCOM, chose 10 individuals to be the 2015 Fellows,” said Doug Derrick, Ph.D., assistant professor of IT Innovation. “Quite simply, they are the best-of-the-best civilian leaders at USSTRATCOM, which is why the government is making a significant investment in their development.”.

Returning to oversee the program will be Derrick and Gina Ligon, Ph.D., assistant professor of Management and Collaboration Science. Ligon and Derrick have conducted numerous research projects on national security strategies for the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security.

In addition to coursework and capstone projects, Fellows will engage with other academic professionals from UNO, as well as the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, senior military leaders from USSSTRATCOM and private business leaders throughout Nebraska.

“We are excited to sharpen the Fellows’ leadership skills through enrichment activities at Union Pacific and First National Bank.” Ligon said. “During collaborative sessions, these high-performing leaders will interact with similar-level leaders from two of our state’s top employers. It is a great opportunity for public-private collaboration and mutual learning.”

From January through May, the Fellows will take classes in Mammel Hall’s Executive Decision Laboratory, housed in UNO’s College of Business Administration and administered by UNO’s Center for Collaboration Science, a multi-college effort that brings together subject matter experts to improve collaboration between organizations.

Through the USSTRATCOM Strategic Leadership Fellows Program, participants will learn problem-solving competencies such as team building, collaboration management, data‐driven decision making and project management combined with mission core competency development.

Following graduation, this year’s participants will return to their departments within STRATCOM. However, for those looking to continue their education, the graduate credits earned through the 13-week program will count toward a future UNO graduate degree.

For more information or media inquiries, please contact Charley Reed, UNO media relations coordinator at unonews@unomaha.edu or 402.554.2129.

About NSRI
Founded in 2012, the National Strategic Research Institute (NSRI) at the University of Nebraska is the only University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) in the country dedicated to delivering solutions for Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) to U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) and across other federal agencies. NSRI provides research and development for the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and other governmental agencies in multiple mission-critical competency areas — including development of medical countermeasures to WMD; nuclear detection and forensics; consequence management; chemical and biological weapons detection; and space, cyber, and telecom law. Learn more at nsri.nebraska.edu.

About the University of Nebraska at Omaha

Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community.

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