On Stage
Spring semester included four main-stage productions: "Coram Boy"; "Well", which was nominated for Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Best Play of Region V; the "Book of Tink" directed by junior student Zach Kloppenborg; and a "Dream Play" directed by Assistant Professor and Director of Theatre Rob McKercher. Over 150 students were involved onstage and backstage.
Eyewitness Accounts of Occupied Palestine
Anna Baltzer, a 29-year-old Jewish American Columbia graduate, Fulbright scholar and granddaughter of Holocaust refugees, shared her presentation "Life in Occupied Palestine: Eyewitness Stories and Photos" in Whitcomb Lee Conservatory in April. She shared her experiences working as a volunteer with the International Women's Peace Service and living among Palestinians for eight months. A supporter of nonviolent resistance to occupation, Baltzer focused on the conflict in the West Bank and the joint Palestinian and Israeli nonviolent resistance efforts.
View Anna Baltzer's Video Presentation on Itunesu Paying Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Actor and speaker Barry Scott gave an inspiring tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in January. Scott's presentation, sponsored by Doane's SAC and MSS organizations, lent insight into one of America's most violent and challenging times. He not only discussed King and the Civil Rights Movement, but recreated some of Dr. King's most moving speeches.
Otis Young Lecturer James Carse
Can you be Religious without Belief? James Carse, author of "A Religious Case Against Belief," spoke on that topic at First-Plymouth Church in Lincoln and Doane College's Crete Campus in March.
 The Otis Young Lecture on Ethics and Religion, sponsored by Doane and First-Plymouth, brought the religious scholar and author to campus to share his opinions on the differences between religion and beliefs, and how they are too often falsely linked.
Crete Campus Certified as Wildlife Habitat
In March, the campus was certified as a Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. The designation recognizes the 300-acre campus for creating wildlife havens. Doane's student Wildlife and Conservation Organization chapter completed the application for the program. Doane is now included in the National Wildlife Federation's national registry of habitat sites.
Love Advice from The Dating Doctor
David Coleman, known nationwide as The Dating Doctor and "America's Real-life Hitch" gave honest and direct relationship advice in a February session in Common Grounds Coffee House, sponsored by the Student Activities Council. View his promo video at doane.edu/itunesu.
Bridging the Digital Divide
In 2009, the world is just a click away, right? But for those who don't know a right-click from a right turn or have no Internet access, a project of Doane College and Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal church helped to bridge that divide. A free I-café and a series of educational workshops were led by Doane students in March, April and May, followed by permanent free Internet access. Read more: doane.edu/News/iCafe-Quinn/
Endowed Fund to Support International Study
A new endowed fund at Doane College will help support international study next year. A grant of $250,000 for the endowment, from the Robert & Ardis James Foundation, has been combined with other funds to create the Ardis Butler James Fund. Proceeds from this permanent, unrestricted fund will annually support Doane's educational program, with the immediate focus on increasing student involvement in study abroad.
Thanks to the establishment of an Office for International Programs in January 2007, Doane students are better able to envision and plan for a semester-long, life-changing experience at a carefully-selected foreign institute or university. Students enrolled in the Honors Program at Doane are expected to undertake such an experience.
The History of Doane on Itunes
Spring 2009, a leadership development session was held on the "History of Doane College." The feedback received was overwhelmingly positive, and led to an all campus presentation.
The original presentation is available on Doane's itunesu site: doane.edu/itunesu.
Professor Featured in INBRE Newsletter
Kerry Lucas, chemistry post doctoral fellow, and Dr. Andrea Holmes, assistant professor of chemistry were featured in the February 2008 issue of INBRE Inroads, a newsletter of Nebraska's Institutional Development Awards (IDeA) Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE). The article "Partnership brings college level science to eighth-graders" talks about Barb Kuzma, a retired Crete Middle School enrichment teacher, and her work on a middle school outreach program funded by NSF-CAREER and Doane's service learning grant.
Doane Receives Mellon Grant to Find Links for Learning
Doane College has received a $50,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to foster innovative teaching in liberal arts fields at the heart of the College's curriculum.
Thanks to the grant, faculty from different departments will be able to develop new courses that emphasize contemporary links across topics. Working together, their goal is to break down artificial barriers between academic disciplines and bring new relevance to the coursework, thus forming a unique and important foundation for students regardless of their own academic focus. The new courses will be connected in ways that help students from one field interact with students from another, thus forming "learning communities" that approach problem-solving from varied perspectives.
"An ideal education helps students see connections across all disciplines. Our faculty members are excited about finding the common threads that make real learning happen for students," said Jonathan Brand, Doane College's president, in announcing the award. "Besides, interacting with people outside of your specialty is essential to the workplace. The real world is not organized into the categories printed in a college catalog."
Last year's preliminary work to link courses through learning communities was assisted by a grant from the Cooper Foundation in Lincoln.
"Earning support on a national level from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is a huge endorsement for our faculty's efforts," said Brand. The foundation is based in New York.
Doane Receives $50,000 Grant for Teacher Education
Based on its outstanding teacher education program , Doane College has been awarded a grant up to $50,000 from the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation. Doane was among the first institutions to be invited to apply for an award from the foundation earlier this year. Pending its continued eligibility, Doane College will receive $10,000 per year for five years to be used toward needs in the teacher education program.
For 2009, the funds will help provide for technology and equipment to enhance teacher education instruction in the Chab Weyers Education and Hixson Lied Art Building, completed in 2007 at Doane College's main campus in Crete. Approximately one-fourth of Doane students at Crete are preparing to become classroom teachers. At sites across Nebraska, current K-12 teachers enhance their professional skills by enrolling in Doane's program for the master of education degree .
New Hires & Promotions
Jeremy Carther, Safety Administrator
Andrew Chan, Assistant Professor for Finance
Douglas Christensen, Practicing Professor in Educational Leadership
Tessa Durham-Brooks, Assistant Professor of Biology
Carolyn Ersland, Director of Career Development
Kerry Fina, Student Advisor for the MAM program/Instrucational Technology Specialist
Sean Griffin, Resident Director/Assistant Director of the Hansen Leadership Program
Emily Heathcock, Student Coordinator Lincoln Undergraduate Program
Amber Henson, Assistant Coach Dance & Cheer
Dilia Hernandez, Visiting Lecturer - Modern Language
Greg Jarosik, Head Men's & Women's Soccer Coach/Assistant Athletic Director
Edan Jorgensen, Assistant Professor of Sociology
Jeremy Jorgensen, Head Baseball Coach/Coordinator of Athletic Field Maintenance
Vi Kerhoulas, Resident Director/Housing Coordinator
Chris Loos, Safety Office Supervisor
Lesley Nordhausen, Project Manager - OCM
Josh Oltmans, Transfer Coordinator of Student Admission
Jamie Ourecky-Sand, Head Coach Dance & Cheer
Carrie Petr, Director of the Hansen Leadership Program
Chris Poteet, Custodial Services
Katherine Randolph, Resident Director/Greek Life Coordinator
Heather Stark, Art - Assistant Professor
Patty Stehlik, Office Assistant - Registrar Office
Michaela Stevens, Resident Director/Peer Judicial Board Coordinator
Cody Vance, Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Outreach
Abby Vollmer, Admission Counselor
Joel Weyand, Vice President for Admission
Gerald Wood, Vice President for Institutional Advancement & Marketing