“Most Health Care Grads Stay in State”

Norfolk Daily News

Oct. 26, 2007

A 15-year study of the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Rural Health Opportunities Program (RHOP) released in October indicates that 57 percent of graduates are practicing in Nebraska rural communities and 10 percent are practicing in rural communities in other states.

The RHOP program is a collaborative effort among Wayne State College, Chadron State College and UNMC. Students applying for RHOP are considered on three criteria: academic potential, residency in a rural Nebraska community and commitment to practice in a rural community upon graduation.

Unique to this program in comparison to other programs across the U.S. is that it pre-admits students to one of nine health professions at UNMC upon enrollment in their undergraduate studies.

“WSC Students Work with Elementary Students to Develop New Leaders”

Stanton Register

Oct. 17, 2007

Wayne State College students spent a day teaching more than 230 elementary students through group activities, songs and projects during the Elementary Leadership Conference on Oct. 10 in the Student Center on the Wayne State campus.

Fourth, fifth and sixth graders from Area III schools attended the conference. This year’s theme was “Service to Self, Others, Community and Country.” Students tied blankets to donate to Omaha Project Linus to be given to seriously ill and traumatized children. Participants also put together care packages with hundreds of items to send to National Guard members and made friendship bracelets to take home.

“‘Art mom’ also learns lessons”

Lansing Current

Oct. 23, 2007

Elizabeth Lyons has been teaching art to children for 20 years and she still loves going to work.

Lyons teaches art to kindergarten through sixth-grade students at Underwood Elementary School and to kindergartners through fifth-graders at Tri-Center Elementary School in Neola.

Teaching art at the elementary school level is rewarding, she said, because “they all have something to offer. I just ask that they try. Art is from the heart, and kids have no problem giving to you. They’re unpretentious.

A 1987 summa cum laude graduate of Wayne State, Lyons picked up a reward Oct. 13 at a state conference in Boone. The Art Educators of Iowa recognized her as Outstanding Elementary Art Educator for 2007-08.

“Hobza is Named Researcher of the Year”

Columbus Telegram

Oct. 3, 2007

Cody Hobza was awarded Outstanding Student Researcher of the Year by Division 51 of the American Psychological Association at its annual conference in August.

Hobza is a doctoral student studying counseling psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. He received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wayne State College and his master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

He was awarded for his research and community outreach contributions that focus on men’s issues He has been published in “Psychology of Men and Masculinity” was instrumental in implementing the “Real Men, Real Depression Campaign” at UNL.

“State Colleges Also See Enrollment Boost”

Lincoln Journal-Star

Sept. 11, 2007

The University of Nebraska isn’t the only institution enjoying an enrollment increase this year: The Nebraska State College System also announced in September its campuses are growing, with fall 2007 enrollment surging about 3.5 percent over last year.

About 8,000 students are currently enrolled at Wayne, Peru and Chadron State Colleges – and a whopping 70 percent of them are the first in their family to attend college, State College System Chancellor Stan Carpenter said.

“ Nebraska Projects Helped By Federal Funds”

Omaha World-Herald

June 5, 2007

Nebraska institutions received a total of $63 million through 2006 under the National Institute of Health’s Institutional Development Award Program, which targets funding to schools in smaller states. The 1993 pilot program became a national program about seven years ago. Nebraska funds have been used to fund 24 projects at Nebraska colleges and community colleges. James Turpen, vice chairman of the University of Nebraska Medical Center has characterized the research funding as a key way to foster scientific work at institutions and cites Wayne State College as one of the success stories for the program.

Before federal research funds were available, the WSC budget for lab equipment and supplies ranged from $2,000 to $3,000. Money was so tight that one faculty member took experiments home to bake overnight in the family oven. Federal funds have purchased new equipment, enabled the school’s faculty members to present their work at national meetings and sharply increased the research done by students. In the words of one faculty member, Turpen said, “It has so dramatically improved the educational experience of science students at our college that it is nearly impossible to overemphasize its impact on our campus.”

“ Wayne State Alumni Honored Upon Retirement from NECC Faculty”

Norfolk Daily News

May 15, 2007

Wayne State College alumni Lon Behmer (BAE `62, MSE `71) of Norfolk and Sue Voss (BAE `66, MAE `78) of McLean were among Northeast Community College faculty honored at a retirement/recognition reception on the campus in Norfolk.

Behmer, a business/accounting instructor, and Voss, a Spanish instructor, retired at the end of June. Behmer holds bachelor and master of arts degrees from Wayne State College. He taught bookkeeping and typing at Norfolk High School. After earning his master’s degree, he joined the college faculty in Norfolk in 1971.

Voss earned her bachelor and master of arts degrees in education from Wayne State College. She joined the NECC faculty in 1990 as a part-time instructor teaching English, speech and Spanish. In 1997, she accepted a full-time Spanish instructor position at Northeast Community College.

“Poldberg Spent Internship Working for Grassley in Washington, D.C.”

Atlantic News-Telegraph

May 12, 2007

Seth Poldberg (`06) of Kimballton finished a five-month internship with Senator Chuck Grassley. Poldberg served as a press intern. He aided Grassley’s press department in tracking press coverage, assisted with weekly news conferences and helped with writing and distributing news releases, advisories, columns and statements to reporters. Poldberg had the opportunity to aid Grassley with a speech for delivery on the Senate floor that aired on C-SPAN2.

Poldberg began teaching social studies at PC-M Community High School in Monroe in August.

“WSC Just Another Stop On Journey From Sudan”

Associated Press

(Condensed from a story by Jerry Guenther of the Norfolk Daily News)

This story also appeared in the Holdrege Citizen, Lincoln Journal Star and the Omaha World-Herald.

Khor Pal (`07), a native of southern Sudan, immigrated to the United States in 2000 when he was 17. He lost both his parents to the Sudan civil war that began in 1983 and has taken almost 2.5 million lives. His mother was killed in 1991. His father was killed in 1994.

Pal learned English and studied to become a U.S. citizen. He took his oath as a citizen in December. He hopes eventually to go to graduate school and become a lawyer or another profession where he can help others, including Sudanese friends and family. He plans to work for a year and attend graduate school in the fall of 2008.

His stepmother and a stepbrother live in Sudan, but many of his relatives, including some cousins, live in the United States.

He and other Sudanese moved to Ethiopia to escape the war, however the war broke out in Ethiopia before he eventually was able to come to the United States. When he first arrived in the United States, he was sent to Nashville, Tenn. He ended up in Nebraska with other Sudanese through an agency that helped the refugees.

He learned that Wayne State College was open to Sudanese and his efforts at WSC also helped him pass the U.S. citizenship test after years of study. He maintained a 3.9 GPA and earned a bachelor of science in speech communication and corporate, community and public relations with a minor in criminal justice. He belonged to criminal justice and international clubs, as well as the Alliance for Africans Club.

When Pal first came to Wayne State, he went by “Andrew” Makouch Luot, but he petitioned the court after becoming a citizen to change his legal name to Khor Wal Pal.

“ One-Room School Opens For Tours”

Fremont Tribune

May 23, 2007

Norfolk Daily News

May 11, 2007

Wayne State College students of strategic communications, managerial communications and labor law from the School of Business and Technology completed a project for the McCorkindale School, an authentic one-room schoolhouse on the WSC campus. The school is available for tours and living history school days for area fourth graders.

Wayne State business students met with officials of the School of Education and Counseling to develop a publicity and communication plan for the reopening of the schoolhouse. Students produced a scrapbook, a DVD, a brochure, a newsletter and 15 fundraising campaign ideas to be used to fund museum activities. The project was supported by the Wayne State College Service-Learning project.

“Future Hispanic Educators Trained Through WSC, NECC”

Norfolk Daily News

May 9, 2007

Nebraska Journal Leader, Ponca

May 10, 2007

Dakota County Star, South Sioux City

May 10, 2007

Wayne State College and Northeast Community College (NECC) are providing academic advising and financial assistance for a pre-kindergarten to grade six paraprofessional educators cohort that began in the fall.

This opportunity is available to the cohort through a $99,993 Improving Teacher Quality: State Grants Program award from the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education (CCPE).

Practicing or prospective elementary education Hispanic paraprofessionals who are fluent in English and Spanish pass a criminal background check and have a high school diploma or GED are eligible for financial assistance to attend college.

Individuals participating will include Dr. Anthony A. Koyzis, Dean of the Wayne State College School of Education and Counseling; Donna Niermeyer, Dean of the Northeast Community College Division of Humanities, Arts and Sciences with Madison, Norfolk, South Sioux City and Winside Public Schools. Dr. Frank Adams of Wayne State College is the grant author.

Students in the program will be encouraged upon completion of the associate degree to continue at Wayne State College to complete their bachelor's degree.

Twenty-five participants, special advisors and participating elementary schools will form a group to study for an associate of arts degree from NECC with an emphasis as a paraprofessional.

“Gottsch Awarded As Outstanding Secondary Teacher”

Creighton News

April 11, 2007

Karen Gottsch (’74), Cambridge secondary science teacher, received the Outstanding Secondary Teacher Award at the Nebraska Rural Community Schools Association’s Spring Conference in Kearney.

Gottsch has taught secondary science at Cambridge since 1990. She graduated from Wayne State College with a bachelor of science degree and received her master’s degree in science education from the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

She has been recognized for her excellence in teaching prior to this award. Gottsch was honored as a 2006 Teacher of the Year finalist from the Nebraska Department of Education.

“Coleridge Grad Hired As Lab Manager At Jackson’s New Ethanol Plant”

Coleridge Blade

April 11, 2007

Lori (Nordby) Laible, a 1999 Coleridge High School graduate, began training to be the laboratory manager at Siouxland Ethanol near Jackson. Laible was a student at WSC before working in a number of science-related positions across the Midwest. She will oversee testing of ethanol and distillers grains during processing and at completion, as well as testing for water quality and tracking fermentation. She will also be in charge of completing daily environmental checks and reporting back to the state and federal environmental departments about the plant’s water and air quality monitoring efforts.

Prior to the Jackson plant, she served as the senior lab technician for the U.S. BioPlatte Valley ethanol plant in Central City for three years.

“ Wayne State College Represented At Annual Governor’s Day”

Dakota County Star, South Sioux City

April 5, 2007

Dr. Richard Collings, Wayne State College president, was a speaker at the 29th Annual Governor’s Day in Lincoln. Governor’s Day is sponsored by the South Sioux City Area Chamber of Commerce, the City of South Sioux City, South Sioux City Community Schools, Dakota County and the City of Dakota City.