KEARNEY – Three University of Nebraska at Kearney faculty members were recognized Wednesday for their excellence in teaching, service and scholarship and research.
Anthony Donofrio, Amy Nebesniak and David Vail accepted the prestigious Pratt-Heins Faculty Awards during the annual Faculty/Staff Convocation in the Fine Arts Recital Hall on campus. Each honoree received a plaque and $2,000.
The Pratt-Heins Awards were established to memorialize the exemplary life and public service of Warren Pratt and his daughter Ruth E. Heins. Pratt was a businessman, civic leader and attorney in the Pratt, Hamer and Tye law firm in Kearney. Heins graduated from the Nebraska State Normal School at Kearney in 1914 and taught at Kearney Public Schools.
The Pratt-Heins Foundation has sponsored the awards for the past 44 years. They were presented by foundation trustee Tom Tye.
Anthony Donofrio
Pratt-Heins Award for Scholarship and Research
A UNK faculty member since 2014, Donofrio currently serves as a professor and chair in the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance. They also direct the UNK New Music Series and Festival, which brings contemporary music specialists to central Nebraska for performances and workshops.
Donofrio’s record of scholarship and creative activity has been astounding, including 39 commissioned works, 10 commercial recordings, 59 highlighted performances and 27 juried and peer-reviewed acceptances of their compositions. They have been selected for 12 grants and awards for both their work as a composer and for the UNK New Music Series.
Donofrio’s music has performed throughout the United States and internationally, including at the acclaimed Prague Quiet Music Festival. Their music invites audiences to listen to their compositions not passively, but as a focused, intentional act.
Amy Nebesniak
Pratt-Heins Award for Service
Nebesniak joined the UNK faculty in 2013 and currently serves as a professor in the Department of Math and Statistics.
In addition to her teaching accolades, she has dedicated countless hours to a variety of UNK initiatives, most notably the Loper Launch Enrichment Camp. As director of the curriculum-based summer program, she ensures area elementary and middle school students have access to workshops and academies that are both fun and educational. Loper Launch provided programming for more than 400 youths this summer.
Nebesniak also serves on the UNK Advisory Council for Teacher Education, and she was twice elected to the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Advisory Council.
A former associate director of the UNK Honors Program, she taught math at Lincoln Public Schools and Grand Island Public Schools before joining UNK.
“She is never just present; she is a force of nature,” her nomination stated.
David Vail
Pratt-Heins Award for Teaching
A UNK faculty member since 2016, Vail currently serves as a professor in the Department of History, where he teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in areas such as environmental and agricultural history, U.S. history, public history and the history of science and medicine.
Vail was recognized by UNK undergraduate students as the Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year in 2020-21, and he received the prestigious James C. Giesen Teaching Excellence Award in Agricultural and Rural History from the Agricultural History Society in 2022. He won the inaugural UNK Excellence in Teaching General Studies Award in 2023.
A first-generation college graduate, Vail is a member of the UNK First Generation Leadership Team and chair of the Humanities Nebraska Council. He has published articles in academic journals such as Agricultural History, Endeavour, Great Plains Quarterly, Great Plains Research, Middle West Review and Kansas History and authored, co-authored or co-edited multiple books, including “Chemical Lands: Pesticides, Aerial Spraying, and Health in North America’s Grasslands Since 1945.”
“Students thrive in his classes, and he is highly respected for his energy and commitment to their lifelong success,” his nomination stated.
Whitney Schneider-Cline
R.I.S.E. Award for Institutional Engagement
Whitney Schneider-Cline, an associate professor and chair of the UNK Department of Communication Disorders, received the R.I.S.E. Award for Institutional Engagement.
Presented by Associate Vice Chancellor for Institutional Engagement Maha Younes, that award recognizes a faculty member whose leadership and commitment foster a more vibrant, connected and student-centered university community. Honorees receive a plaque and $1,000 for professional development.
A dedicated educator and visionary leader, Schneider-Cline “exemplifies what it means to lead with vision, advocacy and innovation.”
As a member of both the General Studies Council and Graduate Studies Council, she works to align curriculum with student-centered values. Within her department, she led the early implementation of a universal course template ensuring consistent, accessible and user-friendly learning environments for all students. Schneider-Cline was also instrumental in developing an online leveling program that has opened doors to graduate study for students in rural and underserved communities, and she helped design and launch a fully asynchronous online graduate program to create a virtual learning space where students feel supported.
Described as someone who is “continually seeking innovative ways to improve the educational experience and institutional practices,” Schneider-Cline has forged collaborations with UNK Health Sciences and the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
She was selected for the 2023 Lisa Scott Leadership Academy and is currently a member of the University of Nebraska’s “Developing Excellence in Academic Leaders” program.
College of Education Dean Mark Reid calls her a “catalyst for expanding educational access” and “forward-thinking faculty leader.”