A lot of good can happen in 24 hours.
In a true reflection of Husker spirit, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Glow Big Red campaign (which ran from noon Feb. 16 to noon Feb. 17) collected 4,935 gifts totaling $598,575. Both totals are records as Husker faithful representing every U.S. state and six nations gave to Dear Old Nebraska U.
The fourth annual crowdfunding event focused on a wide range of opportunities to “Glow All In” in support of students through scholarships and programs. There were ways to support students in each college as well as to support the university’s many organizations and affiliates.
Student Kabin Thomas said a college scholarship and graduate fellowship he received from the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts enabled him to continue his music performance studies. The student aid is made possible by Glow Big Red and other support throughout the year.
“It means everything to me — the fact that I can go back to school and not panic about bills,” Thomas said. “Without the scholarships, I wouldn’t be here right now.”
More than 100 campus-based student organizations and groups participated, the most ever during Glow Big Red.
Nebraska alumna Courtney Van Hoosen Makhmudzoda, who received a bachelor’s degree from the College of Business and a master’s degree from the College of Journalism and Mass Communications, made contributions to campus organizations that she cares about and that impacted her during her studies.
“I’m proud to Glow Big Red for areas at UNL that made a difference in my life and are carrying out missions I believe in,” said Van Hoosen Makhmudzoda, who serves as assistant director for the Office of Global Partnerships and Initiatives at UNL.
Gifts during the event were made at glowbigred.unl.edu where full results are available.
The event has garnered momentum and more philanthropic help for the university each year. Last year nearly 4,000 gifts were received with $436,000 in total support.
Largely driven by social media, supporters used #GlowBigRed to share their personal stories and why the university matters to them.
Glow Big Red started in 2019 in recognition of the university’s 150th anniversary and continues as an annual campus tradition.
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln invites its supporters to Glow All In during Glow Big Red — 24 Hours of Husker Giving on Feb. 16–17, 2022.
Glow Big Red is UNL’s annual giving event during which students, alumni, faculty, staff and the Husker community at large come together to raise needed support for scholarships, colleges and programs, student groups and activities, inclusion, wellness and other important causes.
The day starts at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 16 and lasts until noon on Thursday, Feb. 17. This year’s goal is 4,500 gifts to make a meaningful impact in the lives of thousands of Husker students.
Information about Glow Big Red, including a kickoff video, options for giving and tracking the event’s progress can be found at glowbigred.unl.edu.
Give, Glow and Share to get involved
Here are the top three ways everyone can get involved:
—GIVE: Find your favorite area to support and give. Those who contribute $60 or more will receive a Husker fleece blanket as a thank-you. (Blankets will be sent three to five weeks after the event.)
—GLOW: Make your room, home or business glow to let your Husker pride shine!
—SHARE: Use the hashtag #GlowBigRed to show your support on social media and follow this link to share your Glow Big Red story.
You can get a jumpstart on this involvement, including making your gift as early as Jan. 17, a month before Glow Big Red.
Last year was a Glowing success
Now an honored Husker tradition, this is the fourth year for Glow Big Red. Last year’s Glow Big Red encouraged the Husker community to come together and contribute more than $436,000 from close to 4,000 gifts. Gifts came from every U.S. state and nine other countries.
Glow Big Red started in 2019 in recognition of the university’s 150th anniversary.
Glow All In on social media
Join Husker Nation Feb. 16–17 at glowbigred.unl.edu. Help share the excitement online by using #GlowBigRed to share why you Glow All In and care. And follow along at these channels:
Hannah, originally from South Dakota, started out her college career like most college students by starting in one college then finishing in another. But her first exposure with NHRI was on her New Student Enrollment day, when her mother was with a guide who was in NHRI and told her all about it. She did receive a lot of encouragement from people within her circle on campus to officially pursue it (shocker … she did). From there she was with the program for three years, while her studies transitioned to the psychology discipline with minors in education and English. It seems she was primed for a career with NHRI with credentials like that. That experience she had with the program and the impact she saw it could have on students were driving factors for why she wanted to continue with NHRI in a leadership role while also continuing her education to fine-tune the skills she had as an amazing mentor. With her position as the program director, she works hands-on with the mentors to provide training and guidance for how they can be effective mentors to the students they work with.
NHRI, which stands for the Nebraska Human Resources Institute, was first established in 1988 (and became NHRI Leadership Mentoring in 2019). It was predated, though, by the Nebraska Human Resources Research Foundation that was founded by Dr. William Hall and Dr. Donald Clifton. Yes, that Clifton of Clifton Strengths. Pretty cool that a mentorship program has the history of being started by the guy who pioneered psychology within the world of professionalism and business. But what exactly is NHRI and what do they do? NHRI is a leadership development program in which outstanding college leaders are paired with outstanding young leaders in the Lincoln Public Schools system. The objective is to discover individuals with exceptional capacity to positively influence others and develop their leadership capacity through one-to-one investment relationships. Sounds pretty cool, right? Well, after talking with the NRHI program director, Hannah Sunderman, and NHRI staff adviser for Lincoln High, Victor Mpore, it was clear that there was something very special happening within this program.
On the other side of the table is Victor Mpore. Victor, who currently is a staff adviser for NHRI at Lincoln High, works directly on the relationships between the mentors and the mentees. Victor, like Hannah, had a path toward being with NHRI postgraduation due to the impact he saw he could have on students’ lives and through gaining multiple leadership positions through his collegiate career with NHRI. And also like Hannah, he found encouragement from people around him and noticed that his personal attributes lined up perfectly with what NHRI looks for in mentors. What he has seen, especially this year due to the pandemic, is the growth that mentees go through when they are faced with difficult situations and conversations that are encompassing the national spotlight and ones that directly affect them on a daily basis, considering how diverse the student population is at Lincoln High. Also, the relationships that he has seen the mentors develop with their mentees during this period of time has been amazing to watch, because it can be hard for the mentees to open up and be vulnerable with people who aren’t within their tight circle. But with some proper coaching from NHRI, the dialog between mentors and mentees has been extremely healthy for coming to common ground on differences of opinion. That is something that can’t be said everywhere else.
What can certainly be discerned from these two perspectives of NHRI is that the organization has a lasting impact on the people who become involved with it, whether that be as a mentee or a mentor. The relationships and the values that are instilled in the participants are something that can’t be taught in a classroom (even though mentors do take classes to prepare them for their interactions with mentees). That is why NHRI came to Nebraska Grow, to set up a crowdfunding campaign that would help support and fund the staff advisers and the yearly stipend they receive through the generous donations from the people that choose to support NHRI.
But what is Nebraska Grow? Well, you’ve more than likely heard of the University of Nebraska Foundation, but you might not have heard of our crowdfunding initiative that is Nebraska Grow. Basically, Nebraska Grow provides opportunities and tools to passionate supporters of the University of Nebraska, whether that be for UNL, UNK, UNO or UNMC. Are you a champion for a new scholarship fund? Are you looking to drum up support for a student group? Then Nebraska Grow and our crowdfunding platform might be a great option for you as it was certainly a great option for NHRI and their goals.
Want to learn more about Nebraska Grow and how you can get your organization involved? Then follow the link here!
The novel, “One of Ours,” won the Pulitzer Prize in 1923.
Assistant Director of Development Communications
Contact: [email protected]
UNL alumna Willa Cather survived a pandemic from 1918-1920
University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumna Willa Cather was not only a famous writer, she also survived a pandemic. The so-called Spanish flu ripped across the globe from 1918 to 1920, its spread accelerated by the troop movements and combat conditions of World War I. At that time, Cather was in her 40s and living in New York City, having left teaching and magazine editing behind to be a full-time writer.
Cather’s letters describe some things that sound familiar today. She wrote to her mother that she needed to spend some time in the hospital, but her doctors suggested waiting until the flu had died down (Letter No. 2414). In the same letter, she added that her friend Ethel Litchfield was exhausted from caring for her sick children, so Cather had her over for a respite, complete with a good meal and a little time to rest by the fire. In a note to her Aunt Frances Smith Cather in November 1919, Cather said that she couldn’t write too much, as she had so many letters of condolence to write “to friends who have been bereaved by this terrible scourge of Influenza” (Letter No. 440).
Cather knew how brutal the flu could be — she caught it herself in September 1919 and had a bad time of it. She wrote to a friend, “I have been in bed with Influenza for two weeks, and it has ended in a stubborn bronchitis which refuses to quit me and keeps hovering on the edge of pneumonia. … I am simply unable to make any plans at present — I’ve had to call off ever so many engagements on account of this stupid illness” (Letter No. 474).
In an odd twist of literary fate, Cather’s bout with the flu ended up strongly influencing the novel she was writing at the time, the story of a Nebraska farm boy serving in what was then called the Great War. The doctor who treated her during her illness had previously been a physician on a troop transport ship that was struck with influenza. Cather borrowed the doctor’s journal and used it extensively when writing her novel.
That novel, “One of Ours,” won the Pulitzer Prize in 1923.
Please visit the Willa Cather Archive at cather.unl.edu to explore more of Cather’s life and letters. Thanks to the support of donors and UNL’s Center for Digital Research in the Humanities and University Libraries, this free online archive shares a vast collection of Cather material with the world. The collection includes not only Cather’s writing but also photos, letters, interviews and biographies.
A UNL business professor studies pandemics, applying the science of data and supply chain management to difficult questions like school closings and the availability of ventilators.
Assistant Director of Development Communications
Contact: [email protected]
UNL Professor At the Center Of COVID-19 And Supply Chain Management
Most researchers love to see their work impact the real world. They are thrilled when their theories are tested or their papers widely read.
Özgür Araz, Ph.D., is not so thrilled. He is a business professor at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and he studies pandemics, applying the science of data and supply chain management to difficult questions like school closings and the availability of ventilators. While he is glad his research is useful, he never wanted to see it in action.
Araz’s background is in industrial engineering. However, he said he “finds the social side of technical problems very interesting,” an interest which led him to supply chain management. He first studied pandemics as a dissertation topic for his Ph.D. and taught complex systems thinking at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Public Health before being recruited to UNL’s College of Business to teach supply chain management and analytics.
Supply chain management education is a strength at the university, with programs at UNL, UNK and UNO. Supply Chain Management and Analytics is the newest department in the UNL College of Business. Araz describes the ultimate goal of SCM as creating systems which produce “the right quantity of items, in the right place, at the right time.” Students study logistics, production, procurement and distribution, leading to jobs in fields as diverse as manufacturing, health care, global sourcing and inventory control. Currently, around 140 students major or minor in SCM at UNL, in addition to about 45 graduate students in the department’s online master’s degree in business analytics.
The battle against COVID-19 rages on many fronts: hospitals, labs and even private homes as people carefully wash their hands and practice social distancing. But Araz argues that, in many ways, fighting the virus is fundamentally a supply chain and capacity management problem. Are there enough masks, ventilators, test kits, hospital beds and other supplies? Are there sufficient health care personnel? SCM is also about timing. It’s not only a question of whether the needed ventilators are available; they are needed at a certain time and in a certain place. Next week may mean they are too late to save lives. If they are in a warehouse three states away, that’s not much good either.
Araz’s most recent article, published in Decision Sciences in November, studies capacity optimization under resource shortages. Previously, he looked at the challenges of stockpiling ventilators for influenza pandemics and school closure policies for cost-effective pandemic decision-making.
A pandemic is also a living math problem, and Araz is a numbers guy. How many people does one infected person generally infect? How quickly does the disease spread? What are the fatality rates? Araz explained that economic impacts are taken into consideration when modeling effective decision-making.
“We want to answer whether school closings and social distancing policies are cost-effective,” Araz said. “Both questions, of when to close schools and when to reopen, are equally important. We take information about how fast the virus is spreading, using a basic reproductive number, and estimate the number of secondary cases generated in a completely susceptible population. In the case of the coronavirus, it’s spreading fast.”
We can solve complex systems problems using complex models, but it doesn't have to always be profit maximization. We also solve problems and design systems to improve the quality of life for everyone.
The data also shows a high fatality rate among older population groups, according to Araz. He sees health officials using predictive analytics to ensure that public safety is optimized through modeling tools developed through research like his own.
“People say closing schools costs a lot, but if we save more lives, it makes it cost-effective,” Araz said. “Optimizing social distancing intervention depends on this research modeling. We take a societal perspective regarding life lost, parents staying home with children impacting the workforce and all the other factors we are dealing with today. In severe cases, we might need prolonged closures, and even 24 weeks of closings can be still a cost-effective result.”
Jennifer Ryan, Ph.D., chair and Ron and Carol Cope Professor of Supply Chain Management and Analytics at UNL, explained that in addition to informing the social distancing response, Araz’s research helps Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials prepare for situations in which hospitals and clinics are overwhelmed.
“We’ve all heard the discussions of ‘flattening the curve,’” Ryan said. “The modeling tools Özgür developed can provide critical insights into how we best allocate scarce resources during a pandemic. If we don’t control the rate of infection, experts expect our hospitals and clinics to be overwhelmed and to lack the necessary beds and equipment to treat the influx of patients.”
This aspect of benefiting society is a key part of why Araz continues his research at the intersection of SCM and pandemics.
“We can solve complex systems problems using complex models, but it doesn’t have to always be profit maximization,” Araz said. “We also solve problems and design systems to improve the quality of life for everyone.”
Husker fans and supporters from across the United States and three continents demonstrated their pride for the University of Nebraska‒Lincoln during the second annual Glow Big Red – 24 Hours of Husker Giving on Feb.13-14.
The event concluded at noon on Feb. 14 with more than 2,300 gifts made and more than $175,000 in charitable support for all areas of the university.
With its theme Light It, Fly It, Wear It, Give It, Glow Big Red – 24 Hours of Husker Giving enables alumni, friends and fans to show their university pride however they choose. It was launched last year in recognition of the 150th anniversary of the university’s founding.
Huskers helped blow past the original goal to receive 1,869 gifts in recognition of the year the university was chartered in 1869. Last year, more than 1,500 contributions were made during the event.
The event focused on a wide range of opportunities to support students. More than 70 campus-based student organizations and groups participated. There were also opportunities to support students in each of the college’s as well as to support the museums, arts organizations and many other university organizations and affiliates.
Murtaza Nalwala, president of the UNL Indian Students Association, which helps provide a home away from home for students from India, said Glow Big Red was a great event and that his organization enjoyed participating.
“You have no idea how much happiness you all have spread across the world,” said Nalwala, about the more than 100 people who gave to the association during the event. “My office is celebrating!”
Largely driven by social media engagement around the world, Glow Big Red experienced more than 100,000 mentions and posts. Using the hashtag #GlowBigRed, people and organizations painted the social media landscape in Husker red, with posts that included campus buildings glowing in red, people wearing Husker apparel on top of snowy mountains, pets sporting Husker gear and much more.
For more information about results, including a leaderboard of information about the support provided to various areas of the university, go to glowbigred.unl.edu.
Cynthia Highland, co-founder and past president of the UNL Disability Club, said they were happy with the support their campus organization received during Glow Big Red to support students with disabilities.
“Our little club is so happy,” Highland said. “Thank you so much.”
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s longstanding tradition of supporting veterans and military service members is expanding.
University leaders are moving forward with a Veterans’ Tribute project that will create a reflection area from the steps of the Military and Naval Science Building to the Coliseum along Vine Street. The $3.75 million project is part of an ongoing, multi-phase upgrade of the mall immediately east of Memorial Stadium.
The university has launched fundraising for the project through the University of Nebraska Foundation. The project goal is $4.5 million, which will cover construction costs and create an endowment for ongoing maintenance of the space.
“The project design will be military neutral without specific names of service branches or individuals who have served,” said Michelle Waite, assistant to the chancellor for government and military relations. “It will treat the military branches as one family and illustrate multiple positive attributes of serving in the military.”
The tentative design will embody the concept of glass panels featured in the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, D.C. The campus panels will illustrate the multiple facets of a service member’s life, including the importance of family, faith and camaraderie, while also depicting the personal sacrifice that military service entails.
The entrance to the Military and Naval Science Building will be upgraded, reconfiguring steps and concrete to create a chevron-like design (when viewed from above) in a space that will allow for ROTC and other campus ceremonies. The steps will highlight engraved words that reflect what it means to serve in the military.
“There will also be trees, seating and landscaping that will create a serene place on campus for reflecting and remembering,” Waite said.
The tribute space will be used for education, reflection, rest and study. It will also be a highly-trafficked space as fans approach Memorial Stadium — which itself was built to honor veterans — on Husker football games.
“This is going to be a critical space in the heart of campus, showing the university’s values and its commitment to telling the story of our military-connected students, faculty, staff, alumni and public,” said Joe Brownell, director of the university’s Military and Veteran Success Center.
The project was developed to complement the addition of plaques honoring students of the university who served in World War I. The plaques were added to the interior of Memorial Stadium, at Gate 20, and unveiled during a 2019 celebration of the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day.
A committee that featured more than 20 stakeholders representing university students, campus ROTC programs, military organizations and veterans developed the plans for the veterans’ tribute on the Memorial Stadium mall.
Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in spring 2020.
Donations for the Veterans’ Tribute project can be made through the University of Nebraska Foundation.
The chairman and chief executive officer of Peter Kiewit Sons’, Inc., joined with the chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Sept. 16 to announce the Omaha corporation’s support of a significant expansion of Nebraska engineering.
The company’s $20 million commitment is a substantial contribution to an estimated $85 million engineering facility planned for Lincoln. To be named Kiewit Hall, the building will serve as engineering’s academic hub and will house Lincoln-based construction management programs.
“As stewards of our community and the construction and engineering industry, Kiewit is happy to not only support the College of Engineering’s physical expansion, but also the strategic efforts to grow UNL’s engineering program into one of the best in the country,” said Bruce Grewcock, Kiewit’s chairman and chief executive officer.
Chancellor Ronnie Green said Kiewit’s support is emblematic of the partnership between Nebraska’s Big Ten College of Engineering and one of North America’s largest and most respected construction and engineering companies. Kiewit and its executives have had a long history of support for Nebraska engineering, which offers programs in both Omaha and Lincoln.
“The powerful combination of Kiewit and UNL will significantly grow the impact of Nebraska Engineering,” Green said. “That is a top priority for the University of Nebraska. We are making great strides under the strong leadership of Dean Pérez, and I am so excited about the trajectory of this program.”
The Big Ten has many of the best engineering programs in the country. Nebraska’s partnership with Kiewit will boost its presence in that highly competitive field.
By 2026, Nebraska will need nearly 15,000 new workers in the engineering and computer science fields.
College of Engineering Dean Lance C. Pérez expects engineering enrollment at Nebraska to reach about 5,000 students within the decade, a 50 percent increase that would make it UNL’s second-largest college in terms of enrollment.
“The college is extremely grateful to Kiewit for this generous gift and continued partnership as we make critical investments to provide Nebraskans with world-class construction, computing and engineering education and research,” Pérez said. “We are truly gratified for the support from the state of Nebraska, the business community, and others.”
The Abel family of Lincoln is a second major contributor to the project. Jim Abel, chairman and CEO of NEBCO, and his wife, Mary, are longtime civic leaders and their family’s support for the university goes back three generations. Abel Residence Hall, located adjacent to the site, is named in honor of Abel’s grandfather, George P. Abel Sr. Jim Abel also spearheaded the development of Haymarket Park, where Husker softball and baseball teams play. Most recently, Abel was a lead donor for Hawks Hall, the College of Business building that opened in 2017.
Construction starts in October on the first phase of the expansion project, which was approved by the Nebraska Board of Regents in August 2018. Funded largely by a deferred maintenance package passed by the Legislature in 2016, the $75 million renovation of the Walter Scott Engineering Center and Nebraska Hall, plus a 91,000-square-foot addition replacing a 1984 facility known as the Link, is to be completed in 2022.
If approved by the Board of Regents in October, Kiewit Hall will be built on the east side of the university’s existing engineering complex, east of Othmer Hall and across 17th Street, which would be closed. The building site includes the 17th and Vine streets parcel, currently a parking lot.
Other major donors have also responded to the university’s plans for a major investment in the engineering complex, including Robert and Joell Brightfelt; Hausmann Construction; Rick and Carol McNeel; Dan and Angie Muhleisen; Olsson; Union Pacific Foundation; and Don Voelte and Nancy Keegan.
Fundraising is actively continuing with engineering alumni and other donors so that all funds can be raised and this new building can meet its tentative completion date of 2023.
“We are grateful to Kiewit, Jim and Mary Abel and all the donors who are making this philanthropic investment in engineering,” said Brian Hastings, CEO of the University of Nebraska Foundation. “The university’s plans and commitment to engineering will help Nebraska address a critical workforce issue and we are grateful to the donor community for their partnership in making this investment in engineering possible.”
The partnership between Kiewit and the university represents a 285-year combined commitment to the state of Nebraska, building the infrastructure, growing the economy and educating the people of this great state.
Kiewit’s roots trace back to 1884, when brothers Peter and Andrew Kiewit started a small masonry contracting business in Omaha. It rose to national prominence under the leadership of one of Peter Kiewit’s sons, also named Peter, and has since grown to one of the largest construction and design engineering firms in North America. Kiewit delivers some of the industry’s most complex and challenging projects across seven different markets including transportation, oil, gas and chemical, power, building, industrial, mining and water/wastewater. The employee-owned company is home to over 11,000 staff, of which about 45% are degreed engineers.
Celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2019, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln is home to the sole College of Engineering in the state of Nebraska, supplying engineering education and leadership in technology-based economic development for the state, the nation and the world.
Nebraska’s first civil engineering classes were taught in 1877, with its first engineering student graduating in 1882. The Legislature approved a bill creating the College of Engineering in 1909. Now 110 years old, the Nebraska College of Engineering offers 12 nationally accredited undergraduate degree programs, 13 master’s programs and 11 doctoral programs. Nebraska Engineering programs are offered on City Campus and East Campus in Lincoln and Scott Campus in Omaha.
Information courtesy of: https://news.unl.edu/newsrooms/today/article/kiewit-partnership-powers-nebraska-engineering-forward/.
From July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019, more than 13,500 of you contributed to make an impact on the lives of University of Nebraska–Lincoln students. But the impact doesn’t stop there. Once our students graduate, they go on to lead in their communities, states and countries. They go on to change the world.
Without donors like you, maybe that student doesn’t walk into that classroom. Maybe that research isn’t conducted or that sonnet isn’t written. Maybe that education goes unobtained.
We cannot thank you enough for helping make a difference on the lives of so many.
Contributions poured in from every state in the U.S. and 11 countries across the globe. From first-time donors to those who have contributed consistently for a quarter-century, it all starts with you.
Making a difference in the lives of UNL students impacts the success of our state and the future of our planet.
Thank you for making that future better.
But don’t take it from us. Hear from students whose lives were elevated by you and your fellow contributors:
“Thank you so much to all the donors who have given back to the university. I am a scholarship recipient, and I know the impact that scholarships have. Your generous support has allowed me the ability to continue my education and further my passion for communication and advertising.”
“There are so many students here at UNL that are pursuing their passion. Donors create opportunities and really make college a more affordable option for people who want to make their dreams come true. If it wasn’t for UNL and the donors that support UNL, I wouldn’t be where I am at today, and I am truly grateful.”
Through the N Fund you may choose to support whatever area you think is most important:
Please visit nufoundation.org/NFund for more information.
Private donors with a desire to invest in the student learning experience have made it possible for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to move forward with a $22.5 million renovation and redevelopment of the C.Y. Thompson Library on East Campus.
Gifts to the University of Nebraska Foundation for this privately funded project include a leadership contribution from UNL alumni and philanthropists Ruth and Bill Scott of Omaha. Their gift was provided as a challenge to encourage others to contribute and to offer the option for someone to name the new student learning commons.
The Dinsdale family of Nebraska, in response to the Scotts’ lead challenge gift, made a major gift commitment to the project. The gift was made by Sid Dinsdale, Chris Dinsdale and Jane Dinsdale Rogers in honor of their father, Roy G. Dinsdale; and by Lynn Dinsdale Marchese and Tom Dinsdale in honor of their father, the late John “Jack” A. Dinsdale.
The new learning space will be named the Dinsdale Family Learning Commons in honor of the Dinsdale brothers, pending approval by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents.
Roy Dinsdale graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1948. Jack Dinsdale, who died in 2010, also attended the university, but his studies were interrupted by World War II and U.S. Army service from 1942 to 1946. As brothers and business partners, Roy and Jack Dinsdale grew the family agriculture and banking businesses into what is today Pinnacle Bancorp Inc., the holding company which includes Pinnacle Bank.
“Students are at the core of what we do, so we are especially grateful for the generosity of Ruth and Bill Scott and the Dinsdale family for recognizing and embracing the vision of a new student learning commons on our East Campus,” said UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green. “This reimagined space designed for 21st-century studying and learning will benefit thousands of students, and we foresee a busy and active area full of engaged students.”
Ruth and Bill Scott said they are pleased to help make attending UNL an even richer experience for students.
“We hope that this will be a place where students want to congregate to spend time together and that it will be a hub that encourages students, teachers and the broader community to explore, create, collaborate and have some fun,” Ruth Scott said. “We are delighted the Dinsdale family also understands the importance of this student initiative, and we certainly hope others choose to help now as well.”
About the Dinsdale family’s support for the project, Sid Dinsdale said, “With our family roots in agriculture, we think providing resources to upgrade the East Campus makes sense. We consider this a gift that will benefit our entire state, and it is a privilege to partner with the Scott family on this project.”
Few updates have been made to the C.Y. Thompson Library since it opened in 1966, but the way students study and learn has changed significantly. Increasingly, students are interactive learners who depend on having technology available at all times, communicate via social media and study collaboratively.
Construction will launch in August with completion in time for the 2021 spring semester. Renovation and redevelopment of the library will include the new student learning commons to incorporate academics, research and community into one central hub of resources there. Many fundamental concepts of the learning commons will be borrowed from the privately funded Adele Coryell Hall Learning Commons located on UNL’s City Campus at Love Library which opened in 2016 and is used by thousands of students each week for studying, peer collaboration and access to learning resources.
The Dinsdale Family Learning Commons will reflect students’ increasing use of online and digital information and research and will enhance interdisciplinary connections through spaces where students can gather to study and collaborate. Plans call for a technologically rich space that will facilitate both individual and group study with virtual access to thousands of e-books, e-journals and academic articles.
The printed word, however, will not go away. A power library will house a 25,000-volume collection of the most recent, unique and active parts of the print collection. Faculty and staff also will benefit from cutting-edge technologies and instruction resources.
The library division within the facility will continue to be named the C.Y. Thompson Library.
Additionally, the redeveloped space will provide a central location for the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program, the East Campus Visitors Center and the Student Testing Center.
The University of Nebraska Foundation is seeking additional contributions for the project.
About the lead donors
Ruth and Bill Scott
Bill and Ruth Scott
Ruth and Bill Scott are deeply rooted and invested in the community where they have lived most of their lives and the state they call home.
Over the years, the Scott family has made extraordinary and transformational private investments in the University of Nebraska. Examples of their philanthropy are found on each of the four main campuses of the University of Nebraska statewide system, and they have been instrumental leaders in making the University of Nebraska Medical Center a world-class academic health science center.
In 2009 the University of Nebraska Board of Regents presented Ruth and Bill Scott with its most prestigious award, the Regents Medal, for their extraordinary contributions to the university’s academic programs, scholarships and facilities.
Bill Scott is a 1953 graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Business. The Ashland, Nebraska, native joined Buffett Partnership in 1959 and Berkshire Hathaway in 1970 where he remained until the early 1990s.
Ruth Scott, also a native of Ashland, earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1951. She went on to teach school and later founded the Omaha Bridge Studio where she teaches “the game everyone should play.”
Jack and Roy Dinsdale
Roy Dinsdale (left) and Jack Dinsdale
Brothers John A. “Jack” and Roy G. Dinsdale were business partners for 63 years with primary interests in banking and agriculture. They were born in Palmer, Nebraska, to George and Rena Dinsdale and graduated from Palmer High School.
Jack Dinsdale attended the University of Nebraska for business administration when his college career was interrupted by World War II. He entered the U.S. Army in 1942 and was discharged in 1946. While in the Army, he met Gretchen Poggemeyer in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, and they married and raised two children in Nebraska: Tom and Lynn. Jack Dinsdale died in 2010 at age 92.
Roy Dinsdale met Gloria Stephens, who grew up in McCook and Grand Island, while they were studying at the University of Nebraska, where Roy studied business administration, graduating in 1948, and Gloria studied education, graduating in 1949. They married after graduating and raised three children: Sid, Chris and Jane.
In 1948, Roy and Jack Dinsdale joined their father, George Dinsdale, and their uncle, Tom Dinsdale, in helping lead the family’s businesses, which were founded in the late 1800s. Roy and Jack started expanding their banking business from State Bank in Palmer by purchasing the National Bank of Neligh in 1958. This was the forerunner of Pinnacle Bancorp, Inc., the holding company which includes Pinnacle Bank in Nebraska. Using a community bank model still in use today, Pinnacle Bank has 67 locations across the state.
The entire Dinsdale family and their primary business, Pinnacle Bank, are known for their generous contributions of time and philanthropic support to the University of Nebraska and various other organizations and community endeavors.
About the University of Nebraska Foundation
The University of Nebraska Foundation grows relationships and resources that enable the University of Nebraska to change lives and save lives. Among U.S. public universities, total annual gifts in support of the University of Nebraska and its affiliates rank in the top 15, and its $1.7 billion total endowment is in the top 25. Donors restrict 99 percent of all gifts and assets to a specific use by the university. The foundation was named to America’s Favorite Charities in 2018 by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. More information is at nufoundation.org.
