As I prepared to welcome University of Nebraska at Kearney faculty and students this fall, the theme that dominated my thoughts and greetings was “Momentum” – momentum in terms of faculty research, scholarship, and creative activity; momentum in terms of brick and mortar building (literally) throughout the campus.
Our new Wellness Center, for example, will provide a state-of-the-art home base for UNK’s nationally recognized Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Leisure Studies (soon to be renamed the Department of Kinesiology and Sports Sciences). It is great news for students and faculty, and for the Kearney community as well. Kearney has been recognized on the national level in recent years for programs such as Building Healthy Families and UNKids. Watch for more great things as our researchers continue their work.
Momentum for health science education is also increasing as plans for a new $19 million Health Science Education Complex take shape.
This project is a collaborative effort with the University of Nebraska Medical Center that will provide facilities for expanded programs in nursing and allied health. We are excited about its tremendous potential for keeping our talented health career students here in central and western Nebraska, increasing opportunities for greater numbers of health science students, and contributing to both economic development and health care access to better meet the demands of rural Nebraska.
On behalf of the UNK community, I am proud to present this sixth issue of New Frontiers. The stories represent only a glimpse of the research and creative activity being conducted by our faculty, yet I hope it will convey our excitement, our productivity – and our momentum.
Through discovery, commitment, collaboration, and with progressive facilities, our scholar-teachers are crossing disciplines and producing work that benefits their students and all of us. As a university, we constantly endeavor to “look farthest into the future and prepare us for the challenges and opportunities ahead.”
Douglas A. Kristensen, J.D.
Chancellor
