[Husker] It is Done

[king, tom]

Kathy & Steve -

i certainly didn't intend to make anyone defensive about their own educational experience, nor did i seek to change anyone's opinion.  It was merely an observation based on my own.  i made the observation after Lynette mentioned her friend at Penn State and i stated it was consistent with the folks i knew there who have gone through the same thing.

i think it's a great thing that grads feel the way Kathy does about their alma maters and i hope that all profs at UNL feel the way Steve does.

The time to have this conversation will be in 5-7 years.  Given the way that Huskers love to rise to a challenge, i have no doubt that the University will make the very most of the opportunities that will now come their way.  That is what excites me.

tom 


On 12Jun2010, at 8:18 AM, Kathy Jackson wrote:

> Maybe I just want to make sure I am not still and idiot after getting  
> two degrees from UNL but I would have to say that depending on what  
> department you are in you will be working with some of the leading  
> researchers in their fields.  I know that in the late 90's when I was  
> getting a masters degree from the school of biological science they  
> were also interviewing for some faculty positions.  One of the things  
> the candidates did was have lunch with the graduate students where we  
> got to ask anything we wanted.  We then were able to express our  
> opinion to the committee - one factor among many but hey at least they  
> asked.  Anyway one of the questions we would always ask was how was  
> UNL's biology department viewed out in the big world.  The general  
> answer was that lots of universities had one "big gun" who was very  
> good and very famous.  UNL had quality across the department with  
> researchers who were known and respected in their field across the  
> country.   I know when I got my BS the animal science department was  
> top notch and the food science department is one of the top 3 in the  
> nation.  I am sure there are other departments that are equally  
> respected, so it sounds like we won't have to be the poor relation  
> joining the big 10.
> 
> Student attitude has lots to do with their success and overall  
> experience in any University.  I am sure plenty of kids party/drink  
> their way out of big 10 schools just as they do at UNL.
> 
> Kathy Jackson
> On Jun 11, 2010, at 7:51 PM, Steve Reichenbach wrote:
> 
>>> Granted it was in the 80s, but i received two degrees from Nebraska
>>> and a Ph.D. from Illinois.  It was night and day; academically the  
>>> Big
>>> 10 fully deserves its reputation.  From that standpoint alone, i am
>>> ecstatic about NU joining the Big 10.
>> 
>> I think that the differences between national PhD-granting research
>> universities is greatly exaggerated.  I earned a BA from Nebraska in
>> the 1970s, earned an MS from Washington University (St. Louis) and a
>> PhD from William and Mary in the 1980s, and currently am on the  
>> faculty
>> at UNL.  Washington University is a "top" research university and
>> William and Mary is a "top" national university.
>> 
>> In my experience and opinion, there is more variation within a  
>> department
>> of a university than there is between departments of different
>> universities.  Many of UNL's faculty are better than most faculty at
>> the "top" research universities.  For example, see this link ranking
>> UNL faculty members among the world's top 50 software engineering
>> scholars (G. Rothermel #2, M. Dwyer #29, S. Elbaum #50):
>> http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=1247001.1247010
>> 
>> So, I believe that "night and day" is an inaccurate characterization
>> of the academics at UNL versus the Big 10 schools.  A student's
>> experience has far more to do with who they work with and what they
>> do than in which university they are enrolled.
>> 
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