��ý News

Three faculty-led trips take ��ý students around the world

Chris Basnett — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 18:56:28 +0000

Three faculty-led trips take ��ý students around the world

It’s a big world out there, and ��ý students are busy exploring it.

Three faculty-led study abroad experiences this summer — to Egypt, Italy, and Mexico — highlight the opportunities available to ��ý students with an interest in learning abroad.

This year marked the first time Nebraska Wesleyan has sponsored a faculty-led study trip to Egypt. It was an idea that came to fruition after two years of planning from ��ý Assistant Professor of Sociology/Criminology and native Egyptian Heba Khalil, and ��ý Director of Global Engagement Sarah Barr.

“I hope students learn to approach other cultures with humbleness and respect, and to question their preconceived notions of Muslims, Arabs, Africans, and Middle Easterners,” Khalil said of her goals for the trip. “And I hope they bring this experience back to ��ý and to their communities in Nebraska and become advocates for cultural respect and understanding.”

The group of 22 students and faculty didn’t waste a minute, traveling to Egypt just a few days after ��ý’s May 9 commencement. There were trips to the Giza and Saqqara Pyramids, numerous religious centers, a cruise on the Nile River, a swim in the Mediterranean Sea, and a day of service learning with an organization that works with refugee women and children.

It was one of three ��ý faculty-led study abroad programs Prairie Wolf students could take advantage of this summer, and another important way Nebraska Wesleyan supports its students while preparing them for the future.

“Accessing study abroad experiences is transformative for ��ý students because they develop critical thinking, adaptability, and cross-cultural communications. Those are all skills that employers want,” Barr said. “Study abroad students build lifelong friendships and come home with greater self-confidence, more independence and a better understanding of themselves and what they want to do in the world.”

While Egypt was a new destination for ��ý’s global engagement program, there was familiarity in other locations for Prairie Wolves wanting to travel the world.

Rachel Pokora, ��ý professor of communication studies, led a group of students to Florence, Italy, and the surrounding area to study the local culture. It was the seventh time Pokora has taken students on a short-term study abroad class to Italy.

“Being immersed in another culture is so different from reading about it and seeing pictures,” Pokora said. “It is so different to have an experience with all our senses and our brains. While we were there we ate the food, walked on the streets, shopped in the grocery stores, experienced the lower-powered air conditioning, saw the architecture; this is a powerful experience.”

The three-week experience, which saw the group return to the U.S. June 6, included an emotional moment in Florence’s Academia Gallery—��ý’s group was the first through the doors when the museum opened in the morning, and was able to spend a few quiet moments admiring Michelangelo’s David, one of the world’s most famous sculptures, before crowds of tourists arrived.

��ý’s final experience of the summer just began, with eight students taking a three-week trip to Mexico City where the group will immerse itself in the Mexican culture while staying with local families. Each student will earn three Nebraska Wesleyan language credits while exploring one of the world’s largest cities.

And those are just the faculty-led trips. ��ý students can also study abroad through exchange and non-exchange programs; pursue internships, student teaching, or research abroad; or participate in virtual international programs.

Interested in studying abroad in spring 2027? Start here. ��ý’s priority deadline for spring 2027 study abroad trips is September 8, 2026. Final deadline is October 1, 2026.

Chris Basnett Fri, 06/12/2026 - 1:56pm

New grant sustains artful collaboration between campus and community

Chris Basnett — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 21:44:15 +0000

New grant sustains artful collaboration between campus and community

Northeast Lincoln’s University Place Creative District (UPCD) received an impactful $97,000 economic development grant through the Nebraska Arts Council (NAC) this spring. The state grant program exists to revitalize Nebraska neighborhoods through cultural programs geared to attract visitors and retain young people, said Bailey Barnard, a UPCD board member and Nebraska Wesleyan art history professor.

Barnard said the strengths that drew this support to University Place happen to be the same ones that had attracted her to ��ý four years earlier. She recalled her job interview with Professor of Art Lisa Lockman.

“What impressed me about Lisa in our conversations was her involvement beyond campus—her service work in University Place,” Barnard said. “That helped show me this was where I wanted to be.”

Lockman’s community involvement proved to Barnard that Nebraska Wesleyan wasn’t walled off from its neighborhood—that the people here recognized the shared stakes between campus and community. They also appreciated the role the arts could play in benefiting both groups.

Art and artists don’t merely make communities prettier, Barnard said. “They make communities stronger—economically, socially and culturally.”

When Barnard joined ��ý’s faculty in 2022, she also joined a collaborative effort to secure University Place’s designation as a Nebraska Arts Council Creative District. In 2023, they succeeded. Uni Place became the first Lincoln neighborhood to receive that designation. Barnard joined UPCD’s board of directors and helped it secure this grant.

Part of the grant funds a new creative district coordinator position, Barnard said, which will help sustain UPCD’s otherwise volunteer-driven efforts. Filling that coordinator position is a soon-to-be ��ý graduate: Rebecca Ford (December ’26). The communication studies major began working for UPCD last year as part of her senior internship.

“I’ve been privileged to serve as the [district’s] first intern, working in marketing and web development to build our online presence, advertise events, and promote the district’s mission,” she told the Communication Studies Department blog.

“She’s been absolutely killing it,” Barnard confirmed.

Barnard called the creative district’s story another example of the ongoing symbiosis between ��ý and Uni Place, where both groups win by working together.

We collaborated to create UPCD, she said. That group went on to secure funds that created a job. That job was filled by a new ��ý graduate, who can now launch her career in the same neighborhood where she got her education. That work will help support the neighborhood’s artists and performers, many of whom will surely be ��ý students, faculty and alumni.

The benefits of these collaborations reverberate back and forth, Barnard said, in ways that help sustain the university and the neighborhood.

“That’s how the arts work,” she said.

Chris Basnett Thu, 06/04/2026 - 4:44pm

��ý junior Arabelle Horst awarded Phi Kappa Phi study abroad grant

Chris Basnett — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 21:24:02 +0000

��ý junior Arabelle Horst awarded Phi Kappa Phi study abroad grant

Nebraska Wesleyan junior Arabelle Horst was awarded a study abroad grant by The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi—the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.

Horst is one of just 75 students nationwide to receive the award. The grant is designed to support undergraduates, both members and nonmembers, from campuses that have Phi Kappa Phi chapters as they seek to study abroad.

A double major in political science and business administration, Horst will use the grant to study for three weeks in Mexico City.

Horst will stay with a local family and attend classes in Spanish, Mexican history, and Mexican culture. Horst and the other seven ��ý students on the trip will experience Mexican history and culture when they aren’t in the classroom.

With these courses, Horst will complete her Spanish minor.

“I always wanted to study abroad, but I wasn’t really sure if I’d be able to work a whole semester into my schedule,” Horst said. “So I felt like a nice three-week trip in the summer would be pretty awesome to still be able to fit everything in.”

While she’s in Lincoln, Horst has plenty at ��ý to keep her busy. She’s a member of Willard Sorority, the ��ý choir, Huge Society, and the Alpha Mu Gamma language honorary. She’s also a Prairie Wolves Welcome leader, works in the Cooper Center as a writing tutor, and was on the executive team of the ��ý dance club.

Horst has followed in the footsteps of her father, Justin, and her uncles as Nebraska Wesleyan students, and her younger sister will join her on campus this fall.

Wesleyan’s tight-knit campus community drew Horst in, she said, especially after conversations with Assistant Professor of Political Science Nathaniel Smith. She’s gotten as involved as she wants, while also getting personal attention from professors and working toward a quality degree.

“I just remember talking to Dr. Smith, and he was talking about what a small campus community can really do for you,” Horst said. “I really liked the idea of getting to know your professors a lot more, as well as being really involved.

“I feel like on bigger campuses it can be harder to be involved in lots of things, but on our smaller campus I get to be involved a lot.”

One of the longest-standing chapters of Phi Kappa Phi, Nebraska Wesleyan was the 11th college or university to join the honor society, doing so in 1914. Membership is by invitation only to the top 10% of seniors and graduate students, and 7.5% of juniors.

Chris Basnett Tue, 06/02/2026 - 4:24pm

From ��ý to Radio City Music Hall and back, Eoghan Hartley (’16) inspires next generation of P-Wolf theatre students

Chris Basnett — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 21:07:25 +0000

From ��ý to Radio City Music Hall and back, Eoghan Hartley (’16) inspires next generation of P-Wolf theatre students

In the heat of July, when Samantha Wellenbring is busy stage managing Pinewood Bowl’s production of Annie, she’ll be able to fall back on the knowledge she’s gained in Nebraska Wesleyan’s theatre department, and the experiences shared with her from a successful alumnus.

Wellenbring, who will be a senior this fall, is a double major in theatre design technology and history at ��ý. She was one of several ��ý theatre students who recently got an insider’s view of the work behind the scenes at one of the world’s largest and most complex productions. That insider was Eoghan Hartley (’16), who returned to his alma mater to share his experience as an assistant stage manager on The Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Hartley spoke and shared video from his work on the iconic holiday show for two hours, giving ��ý students a glimpse into the world of a professional stage manager.

“Beforehand, I would ask friends from other schools in the area about their experiences and tag along with them,” Willenbring said. “So getting that here and seeing that it’s one of our alums who was able to do this makes it even more inspiring.”

Hartley earned a BFA in directing from ��ý before taking on a variety of roles in regional theatres on the East Coast. His break with the Rockettes came in 2023, his first year as an assistant stage manager for the production, and he’ll return for his fourth season this fall.

“The one thing that Wesleyan really, really taught me was the importance of work ethic and just, when you are given a job to do, putting your whole energy to that,” Hartley said. “At Nebraska Wesleyan, we were putting our whole heart into it, and I think that’s something that’s really served me well. People in the theatre industry notice hard work.”

Wellenbring’s hard work will be on display this summer, when she leads a group of 41 actors as the stage manager for Annie at Lincoln’s Pinewood Bowl July 9-12 and 16-18. When August rolls around, she’ll bring that real-world experience back to ��ý for her senior year.

“I definitely want to pursue stage management post-college, whether that's touring, whether that's regional, or local,” Wellenbring said. “Seeing how someone from the Midwest was able to get to New York was just really inspiring, and it makes it seem more possible and less of a daunting task.”

Chris Basnett Tue, 06/02/2026 - 4:07pm

��ý earns Gilman recognition as three new scholars join prestigious group

Chris Basnett — Tue, 19 May 2026 19:15:52 +0000

��ý earns Gilman recognition as three new scholars join prestigious group

��ý’s three most recent Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship recipients have continued a trend for one of the top producers of Gilman Scholars in the country.

Ashton Barlow, Daniela Garcia, and Murslen Mudhafar, who were announced as Gilman recipients this month, bring Nebraska Wesleyan’s total number of Gilman scholars to 75 since the program began in 2001.

That number makes ��ý one of the top 25 producers of Gilman Scholars in the country for institutions of fewer than 5,000 students, as recognized by the Gilman program.

Nebraska Wesleyan is one of 103 colleges and universities recognized by the Gilman program among its 25th anniversary top producing institutions. Gilman recognizes the top producers by institution size and type: small, medium and large, and associate’s colleges. Gilman also recognized ��ý on the 20th anniversary of the program.

“It’s incredible for ��ý to be recognized as a Gilman Top Producing Institution for the second time,” said Sarah Barr, ��ý’s director of global engagement. “Helping more ��ý students apply for and win Gilman scholarships has been one of my top priorities since I came to ��ý in 2011, because the program makes studying abroad possible for students with high financial need.”

Part of the U.S. Department of State, the Gilman scholarship program supports study abroad opportunities for students to help them develop competitive career skills and global networks.

Here are the three ��ý students taking advantage of those opportunities in the coming months.

Ashton Barlow is a part of ��ý’s first faculty-led study abroad experience in Egypt. The double major in theatre and philosophy and religion is part of a group of 22 ��ý travelers who arrived in Cairo in mid-May and will return May 26.

“The Gilman is one of the only reasons I’m able to go on the trip to Egypt,” said Barlow, who committed to writing an essay after the trip comparing religious rituals in the U.S. and Cairo. “So I’m really excited about that. I’m ecstatic.”

Murslen Mudhafar, a triple major in biology, psychology and public health, will study global health in Accra, Ghana from late June through early August. Mudhafar will do pediatric rotations and will shadow pediatric doctors during her time in the African nation.

“I wasn't thinking like, oh, I'm going to get it. But Sarah kept telling me, keep your hopes high. You got this. I believe in you,” Mudhafar said. “So I feel like, without that support of faculty and professors on campus always pushing me to break those boundaries, I wouldn't have gotten it.”

Daniela Garcia will spend the full 2026-27 academic year at ��ý’s sister school, Mexico Tecnológico de Monterrey. Garcia majors in innovation & entrepreneurship with minors in communications studies and marketing.

“This means I’m one step closer to being able to fulfill my dream of getting to study in a different country,” Garcia said.

Barr noted that the three students will come away from their time abroad with more than just a cultural experience.

“The top skills gained from studying abroad—critical thinking, adaptability and cross-cultural communication—align with ��ý’s emphasis on preparing students for future-ready pathways by equipping them with the skills employers are looking for,” Barr said.

Chris Basnett Tue, 05/19/2026 - 2:15pm

Pitch contest caps successful ��ý Student Symposium

Chris Basnett — Tue, 12 May 2026 20:37:41 +0000

Pitch contest caps successful ��ý Student Symposium

Kelby Zimmerman and Maddox Lambert hit a home run at their home base.

The winners of the Nebraska Wesleyan pitch contest on April 29 — for their business Premier Umpires, took home $1,500, among other perks, for their business as part of the event that brought five teams showcasing their business ideas in front of a panel of local business leaders.

Zimmerman, a sport management major at ��ý, and Lambert, an accounting major, topped a talented field of finalists that advanced to the finals from a preliminary round in early March.

Beyond cash prizes, participants gained hands-on experience in business planning, public speaking and problem solving — skills that prepare ��ý students in all fields for success beyond the classroom.

“As an entrepreneur myself, I can recognize that you don't have to be my age to come up with a great idea. They have it in them. They see what's out there, and they experience problems themselves,” said Sarah Spitsen, director of ��ý’s Philip S. Mullin Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program. “So it's a really rewarding experience.”

Pitches focused on multiple areas: a calendar app for women, a platform to consolidate and organize communication apps for student organizations, a management app for small business contractors, and financial and psychological study abroad platform.

Zimmerman and Lambert won for Premier Umpires, a business that trains and provides umpires for youth baseball leagues.

“Wesleyan is a great place for entrepreneurs. Sarah (Spitzen) does a great job running the I & E department,” Zimmerman said. “We’ve had frequent meetings just to talk more about our business and how we can grow from here. She’s helped us with connections as well, and ideas that we’re using right now that have helped us grow.”

In addition to winning $1,500, Zimmerman and Lambert were awarded a one-hour consultation with Baird Holm law firm, and a one-hour meeting with Move Venture Capital.

Second-place finishers Gracey Smith and Ella Mahaffy won $750 for their app idea, Circa, and third-place finishers Bruce Archambault and Jake Rhodes won $500 for their app, High Country Trust.

The pitch contest put a cap on a day full of celebrating the ��ý community’s academic accomplishments during Nebraska Wesleyan’s Student Symposium.

More than 200 students gave presentations, discussed internships, presented gallery talks, and performed recitals all over campus April 29, and the day concluded with the pitch contest, the WESPYs, the Flintlock launch party, and the ��ý Theatre Film Festival.

There were four symposium award winners:

Social Impact: Tessa Hurlburt, for “K-12 Sex Education in Nebraska”

Human Experience: Grace Wendel for “Misuse of Scripture: Refuting LCMS Doctrine Regarding the Ordination of Women”

Most Creative: Adalynn O’Connor for “Identity: The Modification of Latin American Art”

Applied Research: Amarachi Chidi-Uneze for “Optimization of Natural Dye Extraction from Avocado Pits and Peels: Effects of Solid Solvent Ratio and Extraction Techniques”

Humanities Writing Contest winners were Anik Stephen, Ashton Barlow, Murslen Mudhafar, Shoko Litulumar and Jeremy Wallace.

Quinlyn Hunt won the Boatright Award in poetry, while Morrell Ellwood finished second. AJ Andrews was first in the Art category with Michele Zephier second, and Brennen Weidner finished first in Prose while Anika Stephen was second.

Weidner and Semhar Hailesellassie were awarded the Ruth Meyer Scholarship; Hailesellassie also won the Stanfield Scholar Award and the Carlos Camacho Humorous Writing Prize.

Chris Basnett Tue, 05/12/2026 - 3:37pm

Amy Stanek earns Stewart Award for Courage

Chris Basnett — Thu, 07 May 2026 19:52:45 +0000

Amy Stanek earns Stewart Award for Courage

Amy Stanek, custodial manager at Nebraska Wesleyan, is the 2026 winner of the Dean B. Stewart Award for Courage.

Established in 2011, the award recognizes an ��ý student, staff, or faculty member who has displayed remarkable courage in the face of overwhelming odds or barriers.

Stanek’s nominator wrote that Stanek has worked to overcome substantial emotional and economic barriers after the passing of her sister, Kathy Minicz, last year. The sisters worked together on the ��ý custodial staff before Minicz’s passing.

Minicz is survived by an adult son who requires 24-hour care. Stanek has continued in her role at ��ý supervising one of the largest staffs on campus and has taken on a significant role in seeing that her nephew has the daily care he needs.

“Amy’s work benefits students and employees every day… She just keeps working and says ‘we’ll find a way to get it done,’” wrote her nominator. “Amy may not say that it is courage that gets her here every day, but from the outside watching, it absolutely takes courage.”

This award is named for Dean Stewart (’62) in recognition of his work to reconnect members of Phi Kappa Tau in their post-college lives while he was suffering from a progressively disabling neurological disease.

Other award winners include:

Dr. Margaret Prouty Faculty Teaching Award: Professor of History Patrick Hayden-Roy.

Faculty Advisor of the Year: Assistant Professor of Psychology Kelsey Thiem.

Bill and Tami Wyman Award: Jody Navratil, administrative assistant for advancement; Todd Bouten, painter – The Wyman Award is presented to one custodian, grounds, or maintenance employee and one administrative assistant. Eligible employees are full or part-time with five or more years of service to ��ý.

White Award for Internationalization: Steve Pointon, assistant men’s soccer coach and adjunct professor – The White Award is named for late President John White and his wife Marty, for their commitment to global study and service to Nebraska Wesleyan.

Dr. Doris Yin Ming Hsu Biology Faculty Teaching Award: Angela McKinney.

Chris Basnett Thu, 05/07/2026 - 2:52pm

��ý pays tribute to nine distinguished retirees

Chris Basnett — Mon, 04 May 2026 19:41:44 +0000

��ý pays tribute to nine distinguished retirees

��ý recognized nine retiring faculty and staff members with a special reception at Great Hall in Smith-Curtis on April 30. Together, this distinguished group contributed 265 years of dedicated service to ��ý and its students.

The people honored included:

Professor of Theatre Jay Chipman (’77)
Professor of History Patrick Hayden-Roy
Professor of English Gerise Herndon
Professor of Biology Jeff Isaacson (’83)
Professor of Music Richard Jones
Head Football Coach Brian Keller (‘83)
Professor of Social Work Jeff Mohr
Director of Physical Plant James Ruzicka
Professor of Nursing Becke Voight

Friends and colleagues shared tributes to each.

“I owe my career in many ways, to Jeff (Mohr),” said Associate Professor of Social Work Toni Jensen. She lauded Mohr’s service as both a teacher and a medical social worker serving oncology and AIDS patients. “Thousands of Jeff’s students and clients have improved lives thanks to his good work.”

Professor of History Steven Wills called Hayden-Roy “a constant, reassuring presence, and an outstanding colleague, mentor and friend.”

Associate Professor of Theatre Ryan Kathman said, “I want to be Jay Chipman when I grow up.” He lauded Chipman as “a keen observer who habitually notices what needs noticing in his students.”

And Assistant Professor of Nursing Erin Putney (MSN ’18) recalled her experience as one of Voight’s students. “Becke met me with a smile and a calm curiosity, guiding me to find answers for myself.”

Putney also passed on congratulations from nursing alumni who couldn’t be there in person, one of whom said, “Make sure Becke gets extra hugs today on behalf of all her students.”

Do you have hugs, memories or tributes to share with any of these retirees? We’d love to be your messenger. Reach out at alumni [at] nebrwesleyan.edu (alumni[at]nebrwesleyan[dot]edu).

Chris Basnett Mon, 05/04/2026 - 2:41pm

��ý FBLA sending 17 qualifiers to national conference

Chris Basnett — Fri, 01 May 2026 20:39:12 +0000

��ý FBLA sending 17 qualifiers to national conference

��ý’s Future Business Leaders of America chapter will send 17 national qualifiers to next month’s FBLA National Leadership Conference in Las Vegas.

��ý’s 17 qualifiers came out of a successful weekend at the Nebraska Collegiate FBLA State Leadership Conference in Kearney, where more than half of the Prairie Wolves who competed qualified for the national conference by placing in the top four of their events.

Nebraska Wesleyan finished with four event champions: Kyle Finney, Mira Comstock, and Paige Comstock in Accounting Case Study; Conor Willeke in Finance Case Competition; Tavian Willsea in Foundations of Hospitality Management; and Mady Schoffstall in Management Case Competition.

In addition, Samee Kaus was named Advisor of the Year in her first year leading ��ý’s FBLA program.

Other ��ý students finishing in the top four of their competitions and qualifying for the national leadership conference are below. The national conference is scheduled for June 6-8.

Second place

Eva Fahrnbruch and Kennedy Hurt, Technology & Computer Science Case Competition

Eva Fahrnbruch and Kennedy Hurt, Business Ethics

Colton Schwien, Foundations of Selling

Kennedy Hurt, Business Law

Gracey Smith, Foundations of Marketing

Mady Schoffstall, Future Business Executive

Third place

Bruce Archambault and Mady Schoffstall, Entrepreneurship Pitch Competition

Corbin Horner and Joshua Phillips, Finance Case Competition

Tavian Willsea, Parliamentary Procedure

Kennedy Hurt, Hospitality Management Case Competition

Fourth place

Ellie Buban, Accounting Case Competition

Kate Bollinger, Community Service Project

Colton Schwien, Foundations of Entrepreneurship

Colton Schwien and Tavian Willsea, Entrepreneurship Pitch Competition

Kate Bollinger, Foundations of Digital Design

Corbin Horner, Parliamentary Procedure

Two ��ý students among top 100 Northwestern Mutual interns nationally

Jason Salas and Luke White, both business students at Nebraska Wesleyan, recently placed among the top 100 Northwestern Mutual College Financial Representatives across the nation and earned a trip to Northwestern Mutual's Top CFR Academy in Tucson, Ariz. Of the 100 interns nationwide who earned a trip to Tucson, nine came from Nebraska.

Chris Basnett Fri, 05/01/2026 - 3:39pm

Dr. Anne Curzan to present annual Holder Lecture

Chris Basnett — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 15:55:23 +0000

Dr. Anne Curzan to present annual Holder Lecture

The 35th annual Dr. Kenneth R. Holder Memorial Lecture will be presented by Dr. Anne Curzan, the Geneva Smitherman Collegiate Professor of English, Linguistics, and Education at the University of Michigan.

Dr. Curzan’s most recent book is Says Who? A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares about Words (2024). The title of her talk is “Between You and I: A Linguist’s Look at Language peeves.

Free and open to the public, the Holder Lecture is scheduled for 4 p.m. April 23, in ��ý’s Callen Conference Center in the lower level of Smith-Curtis Classroom/Administration building.

Dr. Curzan is an expert on English usage and the history of the English language, including changes in the language people see and hear all around them. She particularly enjoys sharing linguistic insights beyond the academic context, including on the weekly show “That's What They Say” on her local NPR affiliate Michigan Public. Her TED talk “What makes a word ‘real’?” has more than 2 million views on the national TED talk site.

The Holder Lecture honors the life and legacy of Dr. Kenneth R. Holder, who joined the ��ý English faculty in 1972 and served as University Provost from 1987 until his death 1991. His area of expertise and his passion as a teacher were in language theory and the teaching of English.

With support from the Holder family, the English Department established the Holder Lecture to bring to campus a scholar in linguistics, rhetoric, composition, or English pedagogy. This year’s lecture is also sponsored by the Wolf Fund for Diversity Education.

Chris Basnett Tue, 04/14/2026 - 10:55am

Tess McKinney to deliver Fetzer Lecture on immersive technology in healthcare education

Chris Basnett — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 20:37:26 +0000

Tess McKinney to deliver Fetzer Lecture on immersive technology in healthcare education

Healthcare education is evolving rapidly, as new technologies create opportunities to train students and professionals in safer, more interactive environments.

The 2026 Fetzer Lecture features Tess McKinney, CEO of Firework Media Studio, LLC, a Nebraska-based consulting studio specializing in immersive technologies including virtual reality, augmented reality, and extended reality.

McKinney will explore how these immersive technologies are transforming healthcare education and clinical education through her presentation, “Immersive Technology in Healthcare Education: Transforming How We Train the Next Generation” on April 14 from 7-8 p.m. in the Callen Conference Center.

In her work, McKinney has supported more than 100 institutions exploring and implementing immersive technology solutions, including the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Creighton University, and The Ohio State University. McKinney is also widely recognized for curating one of the largest publicly available lists of XR (extended reality) technologies used in healthcare and training.

In 2025, McKinney was named the Women in Tech Innovator of the Year and the Volunteer of the Year by the Aksarben Foundation, honoring her leadership in advancing immersive technology and her commitment to supporting education and communities across Nebraska.

Chris Basnett Thu, 04/02/2026 - 3:37pm

Ghaith Taha attacks ��ý experience at full speed

Chris Basnett — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 16:54:44 +0000

Ghaith Taha attacks ��ý experience at full speed

Ghaith Taha’s life has been about the journeys.

The long one he took from his home country of Jordan to the United States when he was young, traveling with his triplet younger siblings and mother in search of a brighter future.

“The best decision we ever made,” Taha said.

The one from Virginia to Lincoln to play sports and get an education at Nebraska Wesleyan, a place he didn’t know existed until he started excelling in track and football field as a teenager.

And the one he’s taken in his time at ��ý, culminating this spring in a data analytics degree.

“When people ask ‘Why here?’ I know why. It’s because there are great people here. It’s a great community. People care for you,” Taha said. “You’re not just a student-athlete or just an athlete. You’re a person here, and that’s something I really appreciate.”

To be certain, Taha is a standout athlete, in two sports. He’s excelled as a receiver and kick returner on ��ý’s football team and has hopes of playing at the Football Championship Subdivision level next season as a graduate transfer.

On the track he might be the fastest Prairie Wolf on campus, ranking second on ��ý’s all-time indoor charts in the 60 meters and earning all-region honors this spring.

But for Taha, who speaks Arabic and English fluently, a full college experience has always been the goal. And he’s made it a point to get invested in classes outside his major.

There have been sociology classes. Health classes. History of Art Museums. And last semester, perhaps the most impactful course: Give to Learn, in which Taha and his classmates researched and worked with local nonprofits before awarding a $10,000 grant to Lincoln’s Good Neighbor Community Center.

Taha served as the unofficial spokesperson for the class during the grant ceremony.

“I’ve just tried to get out of my shell. Put myself in a position where I’ve got to learn, and I’ve got to do more,” Taha said. “Maybe I’ve got to write 20-page papers. But the thing is, I’m going to find a way to get that done, and I’m going to find a way to do it well.”

The motivation to do as much as he can at ��ý comes from his mother, who raised him and his siblings on her own in the Washington, D.C., area while adjusting to a new country and a new way of life, and attending her own college classes.

“She managed so much, and that means there’s no excuse for me not to learn more; because seeing her do it makes me want to keep going,” Taha said. “She was getting up in the morning, making sure all of us were ready for school, coming back, having a meal cooked at night. Just so much.

“That means I can’t slack off one day. That’s just the respect I have for her, and the work ethic she instilled in me.”

The journey continues. Full speed ahead.

Chris Basnett Wed, 03/18/2026 - 11:54am

��ý students get stark look at real-life issues with poverty simulation

Chris Basnett — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 19:11:49 +0000

��ý students get stark look at real-life issues with poverty simulation

Unless you’ve lived in poverty, it’s nearly impossible to understand the day-to-day challenges that come with it.

And while a simulation inside ��ý’s Knight Fieldhouse can’t replicate what happens in real life, it still gives ��ý students a stark look at the issues many families in poverty face every day.

Nebraska Wesleyan’s second poverty simulation, brought together students from multiple disciplines. The collaborative event between the nursing and health and human performance departments also included students in public health, social work, and in the Master’s in Athletic Training program. Senior-level nursing students were able to count the exercise toward their clinical hours.

And while there were moments of laughter and smiles sprinkled throughout the more than two-hour exercise, the scenarios students faced brought real frustrations as groups of students simulated a month living in poverty.

“The students typically find that it’s a very challenging and frustrating experience,” said assistant professor of nursing Jennifer Eilts, one of the simulation’s organizers. “They don’t generally come away with many positive takeaways, just because it’s very difficult for them to manage one month in poverty, and experience what it’s like to not have transportation to get anywhere, and be evicted from their homes, and experience some of those real scenarios.”

Participating students were divided into “families” seated in the middle of the exercise, with each group taking on different circumstances — newly unemployed, single-parent household, homeless, and other scenarios.

Tables around the perimeter represented community resources and services the families might rely on, including an employer, grocery store, utility company, pawn broker, and a bank, among others.

There was also a jail, which saw its share of occupants during the exercise, as some of the participants played the role of criminals who stole money and other valuables from families.

Those tables were staffed by community volunteers to add another level of realism. The “month” consisted of four 15-minute “weeks” that required participants to go to work, get their kids to school or child care, and pay the mortgage and bills, while navigating unexpected obstacles.

“Our agencies are there to simulate real life, said Kristi McGuire, assistant professor of nursing and another one of the simulation’s organizers. “So if they want to shut down at any moment, they shut down. If (the pawn shop) doesn’t want to give you what your things are worth, or if they want to short you money, it’s supposed to be frustrating. We want students to understand what happens in the system.

“The whole goal of this is to be able to say, ‘I know what resources we have here in Lincoln, this is what we need to do. This is what I can do to help you.’ But until you’ve lived it, it’s hard to understand it on that level. So this is just a very small way for us to get them to understand that.”

Chris Basnett Mon, 03/09/2026 - 2:11pm

Micah Drewes honored with CORE Award

Chris Basnett — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 20:58:42 +0000

Micah Drewes honored with CORE Award

Micah Drewes, maintenance department supervisor, has been recognized with Nebraska Wesleyan University’s CORE Award, which celebrates staff whose efforts and contributions significantly exceed expectations in demonstrating Nebraska Wesleyan’s core values.

Drewes was recognized for his work as a leader in the maintenance department:

Leading his team in getting the many classrooms ready for the day, and making sure the various setups are completed.
Relocating hundreds of pieces of furniture throughout campus, and giving advice and direction to faculty and staff who have furniture requests. He was also a key player in clearing out Olin Hall of Science.

"Micah takes a personal interest in his work, from cleaning to setups to moving furniture, and even pest control," said his nominator, Jim Ruzicka. He takes the extra steps to make sure each task is completed, and he wants everyone to feel welcome and happy in our campus buildings."

Chris Basnett Thu, 03/05/2026 - 2:58pm

Communication scholar has relationship advice for you and AI

Chris Basnett — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 17:40:09 +0000

Communication scholar has relationship advice for you and AI

Are you and ChatGPT still getting to know each other? Have you gotten involved at work with a coder named Claude? Or do you need Alexa to respect your personal space?

As artificial intelligence advances, so will our working relationships with it. And whether we love or hate these new tools, those relationships beg an array of ethical questions, said Autumn Edwards, director of the Communication and Social Robotics Lab at Western Michigan University.

Edwards visited ��ý on February 27 to deliver ��ý’s 2026 Communication in the Modern World Lecture, “Talking to Machines: Communication, Ethics, and the Structure of Human-AI Relations.”

Are we obligated to treat robots with kindness? Does it matter if we use our manners with AI? “We don’t wonder whether we should be polite to a hammer,” Edwards said. “So why do we ask this about conversational systems or interactive machines?”

She showed ��ý students a short video where engineers from Boston Dynamics demonstrated their robot’s skill in maneuvering in unpredictable environments. The robot walked on four legs as engineers attempted to knock it off course with sharp kicks.

Students gasped at those kicks — not because they were impressed by the engineering — but because they empathized for the dog-like machine being kicked. Their wince was a common reaction, Edwards said. In fact, YouTube’s algorithm blocked the video, unable to distinguish it from footage of actual animal cruelty.

Our natural empathy “lays bare how relentlessly social we are,” Edwards said. “We’re fundamentally relational beings — creatures oriented toward encounter. Relation is our default mode. Anthropomorphism is a feature, not a bug, in who we are.”

Edwards pointed to different types of ethical standards that nudge us toward kindness with these systems.

Virtue ethics responds to kicking the robot or cursing the chatbot and says, “That behavior could cultivate cruelty in me. If I allow that in myself, what am I becoming?” And relational ethics might lead us to ask, “What kind of world are we creating together if our behavior normalizes abuse?”

Being polite to machines appears harmless, Edwards said. And defaulting toward kindness in our interactions with AI seems safe on most levels. But this warmth, too, has potential pitfalls.

Kindness brings with it an openness to relationships. And those relationships in turn may involve a growing trust in artificial intelligence that can spill into intimacy. “And a lot of these companies that leverage AI are coming for our intimacies,” Edwards said.

The age of AI is both promising and fraught. Edwards cautioned, “The invention of the airplane was also the invention of the plane crash.” And if we wish to avoid our own fiery collisions with AI, we must keep careful watch from our personal control towers.

“I’m not sure if these technologies deserve our full moral consideration,” Edwards said. “But they’ve got to be at least a blip on our moral radar.”

Chris Basnett Tue, 03/03/2026 - 11:40am

Advocate for Diversity awards recognize those uplifting others at ��ý

Chris Basnett — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 20:35:34 +0000

Advocate for Diversity awards recognize those uplifting others at ��ý

Four members of the Nebraska Wesleyan community received ��ý’s Advocate for Diversity award during the university’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration.

The university gives Advocate for Diversity awards to one faculty member, one staff member, and two students annually. The awards honor people who raise awareness about a need, problem, or opportunity regarding issues of diversity and inclusion on campus.

Student honoree: Murslen Mudhafar

Mudhafar founded ��ý’s Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Student Association last year and is a co-founder of ��ý’s Asian Student Union as well as an active member of ��ý’s International Relations Organization. With MENA in particular, Mudhafar created an organization dedicated to uplifting underrepresented voices and creating intentional spaces for cultural expression, dialogue, and belonging.

“What made this award especially meaningful to me was knowing that I was nominated by students and faculty I have worked closely with, particularly students who were able to access new opportunities, resources, or leadership roles through my advocacy and support,” Mudhafar said. “Being recognized by those individuals affirmed that the work I do has had a real and lasting impact.”

Student honoree: Ayanna Robinson

Robinson is the founding president of ��ý’s Black Student Union and serves as an international student mentor in ��ý’s I-Pal program, which pairs international students with an “International Pal” on campus to help them transition to their new home at ��ý.

“Through these various roles she’s made a significant impact on our campus as well as among the underrepresented student population,” wrote Robinson’s nominator. “Her ��ý experiences have moved her to partner with faculty, staff, and students to educate others, as well as seek and create solutions to issues that matter most to our diverse population.”

Faculty honoree: Heba Khalil

Khalil, an assistant professor of sociology and criminology, played a leading role in last semester’s World Spring Festival, which brought together students from diverse backgrounds to celebrate culture and community. She helped organize the re-entry simulation event that helped the ��ý community understand barriers people face after incarceration. An advisor for the Middle East North African student organization, Khalil is preparing for a summer 2026 study abroad trip to Egypt.

“Receiving this award at such a critical moment in U.S. and global history means more to me than I can express,” Khalil said. “It affirms that our community recognizes the strength we draw from our diversity, and the belief that we thrive when everyone belongs.”

Staff honoree: Laurelei Spilinek

��ý recognized Spilinek for her work with ��ý’s Transgender+ Inclusivity Committee, including organizing events to raise awareness of LBGTQIA+ efforts, giving insights to ��ý’s Career Closet to provide gender-affirming clothing and practices for students, helping create ��ý’s All Are Welcome lunches to build connections across campus. Spilinek also spoke at the Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil.

“I've had the esteemed pleasure of working with many parents of transgender kids, as well as directly with transgender students/young adults inside and out of Nebraska Wesleyan,” Spilinek said. “And to see them feel accepted and validated is one of the most rewarding experiences I could ever ask for. This award is just a benchmark for our committee, and I look forward to seeing what we can do together.”

Chris Basnett Wed, 02/11/2026 - 2:35pm

��ý students experience the realities of reentry during RISE simulation

Erin Wirth — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 20:10:27 +0000

��ý students experience the realities of reentry during RISE simulation

Fifty ��ý students and nearly 20 professors participated in a RISE Reentry Simulation, an interactive, empathy-building workshop that compresses the first month of life after incarceration into a single hour. Participants navigated challenges such as securing employment and housing and complying with parole requirements, revealing the systemic barriers faced by individuals returning to their communities.

The event, held in November 2025, was organized by the ��ý Sociology and Criminology Department and facilitated by RISE, the largest nonprofit organization in Nebraska dedicated exclusively to reentry support.

Throughout the simulation, participants encountered repeated roadblocks as they attempted to rebuild their lives, often lacking the money, transportation or services needed to move forward. While they leaned on one another for support, Nebraska parole rules frequently prohibit individuals with felony convictions from associating with each other.

After facing these challenges, participants took one of three paths: some continued on as best they could, some disengaged, and others sought help, mirroring what often happens in real life.

As the pressure of the simulation mounted, desperation set in, and some participants turned back to crime. That turning point created an opportunity to discuss why it happened and what it reveals about the real-world pressures faced by people navigating reentry.

Reflecting on the experience, Heba Khalil, PhD, assistant professor and department chair, shared:

“Even a month after the reentry simulation, students continue to return to conversations about the challenges of reentry and the ways the experience reshaped their understanding,” Khalil said. “One of my sociology students asked whether it could become an annual event, reflecting that even an hour of experiencing the discomfort of reentry was enough to fundamentally shift how they think about individuals returning to society after incarceration."

“Moments like this capture exactly what I hoped the simulation would accomplish: creating space for students, faculty and staff to learn through discomfort by intentionally stepping into the lived realities of those with far less privilege.”

In addition to RISE staff, 17 juniors and seniors in the SOC 3920 Social Theory class helped run the simulation, supporting transportation access, social service navigation, and other day-to-day reentry touchpoints.

Erin Wirth Mon, 02/02/2026 - 2:10pm

��ý students named to fall semester academic honors list

Erin Wirth — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 17:13:54 +0000

��ý students named to fall semester academic honors list

��ý has announced its 2025 fall semester academic honors list recognizing undergraduate students with superior academic performance.

Students earning at least a 3.75 semester grade point average while completing a full-time course load of as least 12 credit hours of graded work are eligible for consideration.

The following students were recognized with this honor for the fall semester:

Kaiden Aaronson - Lincoln, NE

Kenslee Aasen - Lincoln, NE

Matthew Abner - Fontana, CA

Lanae Aerts - David City, NE

Jian Aguilar - Canon City, CO

Sara Aguilar - Lincoln, NE

Alaa Al-Yasseri - Lincoln, NE

Zainab Al-Zuheri - Lincoln, NE

Chase Alberti - Lincoln, NE

Collin Allan - Grand Forks, ND

Jacklyn Alles - Lincoln, NE

O'Brasia Amos - Johnson Lake, NE

Chancellor Amundson - Lincoln, NE

Addison Andersen - Plattsmouth, NE

Jadyn Andersen - Mullen, NE

Charlie Anderson - Papillion, NE

Hailey Anderson - Storm Lake, IA

Amelia Andrews - Lincoln, NE

Emanuel Appleget - Lincoln, NE

Isabella Arbie - Lincoln, NE

Sophia Armstrong - Grand Island, NE

Broklyn Auten - Lincoln, NE

Alexa Back - Aurora, CO

Blake Baker - Denton, NE

Brandon Baker - Gering, NE

Chloe Baker - Lincoln, NE

Xander Baker - Waverly, NE

Caden Bales - De Witt, NE

Anisten Barnett - Columbus, NE

Abigail Barr - Lamar, CO

Jackson Barron - Fort Collins, CO

Brooke Barth - Kearney, NE

Elizabeth Bartlett - Omaha, NE

Zachary Bartsch - Lincoln, NE

Cole Baumgartner - Lawrence, KS

Vaughn Bausch - Lincoln, NE

Canaan Beason - Lincoln, NE

Jessica Behrends - Brandon, SD

Eleanor Beiser - Lavista, NE

Jack Bender - Omaha, NE

Gabriel Benischek - Meridian, ID

Ethan Berrier - Lincoln, NE

Jax Biehl - Fairbury, NE

Carney Black - Tilden, NE

Lillian Blackmon - Lincoln, NE

Haley Blackstone - Lincoln, NE

Morgan Boesiger - Roca, NE

Vincent Bonacci - Fort Calhoun, NE

Julia Bondarchuk - Lincoln, NE

Ella Bonness

Ryleigh Borg - Spring Branch, TX

Brayden Bouwens - Lincoln, NE

Jack Branecki - Elkhorn, NE

Jayce Brautigam - Lincoln, NE

Lilly Brennan - Grand Island, NE

Avery Bridgford - Lincoln, NE

Zachary Briggs - Yankton, SD

Simone Britt - Brady, NE

Evan Brown - Lincoln, NE

Parker Brown - Lincoln, NE

Sydney Brown - Lincoln, NE

Naw Bue - Lincoln, NE

Addyson Buhman - Ralston, NE

Rowan Burkey - Denton, NE

Isabel Buss - Lincoln, NE

Faith Butler - Superior, NE

Karl Butler - Firth, NE

Brooklynn Butterfield - Atkinson, NE

Hayden Byarlay - Lincoln, NE

Avary Byers - Lincoln, NE

Jackson Byers - Lincoln, NE

Jakob Cadwallader - Rapid City, SD

Zachary Cantorna - Monument, CO

John Carey - Lincoln, NE

Emily Carlson - N Sioux City, SD

Makena Carlson - Bozeman, MT

Mallory Carroll - Olathe, KS

Keyara Caspar - Grand Island, NE

Sophie Casper - Pittsburg, KS

Hailey Caughron - Cedar Creek, NE

Bree Chambers - Lincoln, NE

Erin Chambers - Adams, NE

Ella Clark - De Witt, NE

Mary Clarkson - Lincoln, NE

Teagan Cleveland - Norfolk, NE

Andrew Clough - Lincoln, NE

Clara Coltrane - Emporia, KS

Alexander Combs - Roca, NE

Mira Comstock - Ashland, NE

Paige Comstock - Ashland, NE

Shayla Cordova - Lincoln, NE

Annie Corkle - Oneill, NE

Kaitlyn Cornett - Lincoln, NE

Jacob Cosimano - Omaha, NE

Georgia Crandall - Overton, NE

Tate Crawford - Roca, NE

Caecilia Cronin - Carter Lake, IA

Rachel Cuciti - Walton, NE

Mackenzie Cuda - Lincoln, NE

Gabriel Culp - La Vista, NE

Benjamin Cumpston - Kearney, NE

Cammy Curtis - San Antonio, TX

Ava Cutinella - Bellevue, NE

Hannah D'Epagnier - Brighton, CO

Kaiden Dahmer - Grand Island, NE

Sophia Daigle - Colorado Springs, CO

Jake Danner - Sparks, NV

Alison Davis - Yuma, CO

Hunter Davis - Austin, TX

Kolbi Davis - Johnson, NE

Paden Dean - Lincoln, NE

Grace Dehmer - Norwalk, IA

Kailyn Deline - Colorado Spgs, CO

Madison Demke - Sioux City, IA

Audra Demory - Lavista, NE

Brooke Denton - Oakland, NE

Matthew Derry - Ashland, NE

Addison Dilley - Hallam, NE

Emma Dostal - Lincoln, NE

Jacquelyn Douglas - Lincoln, NE

Abbie Drewes - Plymouth, NE

Libby Driver - Lincoln, NE

Cole Duba - Chambers, NE

Addison Duensing - Lincoln, NE

Aubrey Duensing - Lincoln, NE

Dakota Durfee - Denver, CO

Abigail Dutton - Lincoln, NE

Elijah Dutton-Burtin - Omaha, NE

Caroline Eastman - Columbia, MO

Jaida Eastman - Giltner, NE

Faith Eberhardt - Lincoln, NE

Ariel Edgington - Lincoln, NE

Evangeline Elia - Bellevue, NE

Kylie Engelsman - Arvada, CO

Grace Ensrud - Lincoln, NE

Alyshia Ernesti - Seward, NE

Dominic Espinoza - Omaha, NE

Megan Essary - Lincoln, NE

Cohen Evans - Grand Island, NE

Samuel Evenson - North Las Vegas, NV

Eva Fahrnbruch - Aurora, NE

Taelynn Fangman - Lincoln, NE

Justin Fanton - Lincoln, NE

Peter Ferguson - Lincoln, NE

Yasmine Ferguson - Lincoln, NE

Brianna Fick - Kearney, NE

Kenna Fierstein-Montes - Lincoln, NE

Cooper Fink - Lincoln, NE

Logan Finley - Lincoln, NE

Kyle Finney - Mullen, NE

Willow Fischer - Lincoln, NE

Sophie Fitch - Doniphan, NE

Shamara Fondal - Lincoln, NE

Ella Foote - Scottsbluff, NE

Olivia Ford - Lindsborg, KS

Rebecca Ford - Lincoln, NE

Rhys Foster Figari - San Anselmo, CA

Samantha Fox - Lincoln, NE

Meeka Francis - Hastings, NE

Aubrey Franks - Lincoln, NE

Drew Fuller - Pella, IA

Ella Fundus - Lincoln, NE

Randi Furasek - Lincoln, NE

Alexandria Galavez - Lincoln, NE

Helen Galdamez Tobar - Lincoln, NE

Ainsley Galyen - Atkinson, NE

Luis Garcia - Lincoln, NE

Alaina Gardner - Lincoln, NE

Samson Gardner - Lincoln, NE

Willa Gardner - Lincoln, NE

Alahna Gares - Bellevue, NE

Kimberly Garman - Greeley, CO

Ella Gaskill - Lincoln, NE

Benjamin Geiger - Lincoln, NE

Katherine Gering - Omaha, NE

Owen Glogowski - Gretna, NE

Leslie Gomez Arroyo - Parks, NE

Carmin Gonzalez - Lincoln, NE

Citlalli Gonzalez - Lincoln, NE

Natalie Goodman - Malvern, IA

Isaac Goosey - Tryon, NE

Samantha Grabowski - Blair, NE

Jeremy Grayson - Reno, NV

Reagan Greer - Grand Island, NE

Randy Guerra - Mead, CO

Pamela Gutierrez Valadez - Mccool Jct, NE

Brinley Hager - Lincoln, NE

Semhar Hailesellassie - Lincoln, NE

Jakos Haithcock - Plattsmouth, NE

Trevis Halsey - Tilden, NE

Brenna Hand - Lincoln, NE

Subeda Handbo - Lincoln, NE

Sydney Hanke - Waverly, NE

Evan Hansen - Omaha, NE

Katelyn Hansen - Omaha, NE

Stevie Kay Hansen - Lincoln, NE

Preston Harms - Waverly, NE

Delaini Harper - Holland, NE

Brianna Hartman - Waverly, NE

Ansley Harvey - Aurora, NE

Taylor Hasebroock - Oakdale, NE

Lucy Hayes - Auburn, NE

Lauren Hays - Burlington, CO

Taylor Hays - Basalt, CO

Amber Hazen - Lincoln, NE

Logan Hede - Brookdale, CA

Haden Helgoth - Clarks, NE

Leni Henderson - Wichita, KS

Keira Hennessey - Lincoln, NE

Ella Herzberg - Lincoln, NE

Johanna Hidalgo-Ramirez - Lincoln, NE

Nicola Highsmith - Centennial, CO

Elizabeth Hightower - Strasburg, CO

Averie Hike - Papillion, NE

Lexus Hill - Columbus, NE

Wesley Hill - Omaha, NE

Shaylee Hobbs - Bellevue, NE

Brodie Hoesing - Lincoln, NE

Luke Hoff - Lincoln, NE

Hallie Hoins - Lincoln, NE

Raegan Holle - Lincoln, NE

Hannah Hollman - Lincoln, NE

Taylor Holter - Highlands Ranch, CO

Arabelle Horst - Gretna, NE

Braden Horst - Grand Island, NE

Kasten Horstman - Lincoln, NE

Rylee Hotopp - Lincoln, NE

Collin Howell - Lincoln, NE

Caitlin Hudson - Lincoln, NE

Quinlyn Hunt - Dallas, TX

Tessa Hurlburt - Gordon, NE

Breonna Hurry - Forest Lake, MN

Kennedy Hurt - Lincoln, NE

Rylee Iburg - Columbus, NE

Tanner In Den Bosch - Bennington, NE

Catherine Ingalls - Edmonds, WA

Piper Isham - Plattsmouth, NE

Paola Izaguirre - Lincoln, NE

Maddux Janecek - Gering, NE

Alexis Jantzen - Hickman, NE

Ava Jarrett - Lincoln, NE

Ansprasha Jayswal - Lincoln, NE

Barrett Jex - Lincoln, NE

Weston Jinks - Lincoln, NE

Quinlan Johnson - Fremont, NE

Braike Jones - Spring, TX

Tyler Kalinowski - Bellevue, NE

Ella Karrer - Topeka, KS

Caden Kaylor - Fort Worth, TX

Nevaeh Kee - Faulkton, SD

Gavin Kelch - Syracuse, NE

Ava Kempcke - Lincoln, NE

Izzabelle Kerr - Weeping Water, NE

Samar Khudidah - Lincoln, NE

Marissa Kibby - Fremont, NE

Jenna Kimberling - North Platte, NE

Maura Kimble - Lincoln, NE

Breeley King - Eagle, NE

Scarlett Kingery - Lincoln, NE

Brooke Kingston - Omaha, NE

Mai Kinugawa - Kakogawa,

Aubrey Kipper - Blue Springs, MO

Ava Knievel - Lincoln, NE

Apryl Knisley - Lincoln, NE

Joshua Knispel - Omaha, NE

Briaunna Knothe - Lincoln, NE

Bladen Kohl - Aurora, NE

Riley Kohles - Columbus, NE

Brody Koos - Lincoln, NE

Taylor Korecky - Lincoln, NE

Kiley Kotas - Lincoln, NE

Jersey Koza - Omaha, NE

Reese Kozisek - Brainard, NE

Baylie Krueger - Swink, CO

Harley Kuenning - North Platte, NE

Daniel Kuncl - Omaha, NE

Jenna Lake - Omaha, NE

Maddox Lambert - Lincoln, NE

Grace Langdon - Lincoln, NE

Jackson Lapour - Omaha, NE

Ava Larmon - Rising City, NE

Lily Larsen - Lincoln, NE

Isaac Larson - Sparta, WI

Tara Laudick - Gunnison, CO

Charles Lawrence - Springfield, NE

Linh Le - Ha Noi

Luan Le - Lincoln, NE

Phuong Minh Anh Le - Lincoln, NE

Gracia Lebesse - Lincoln, NE

Kate Leimbach - Lincoln, NE

Sydney Leslie - Portland, OR

Raegan Levi - Norwalk, IA

Olivia Leypoldt - Lincoln, NE

Jason Li - Waverly, NE

Luke Lindquist

Shoko Litulumar - Saipan, MP

Sadie Loehr - Ayr, NE

Isabella Longoria - Gering, NE

Kaylee Lovett - Lincoln, NE

Carter Lowe - Lincoln, NE

Emma Lowther - Seward, NE

Adam Lukert - Hebron, NE

Adrian Machado - Lincoln, NE

Rhyanne Mackling - Emerson, NE

Ja'dein Madison - Ankeny, IA

MacKaylee Madsen - Lincoln, NE

Claire Mahlum - Portland, OR

Donovan Mann - Berthoud, CO

Hailey Marolf - Lincoln, NE

Ally Marsh - Lincoln, NE

Eryn Marshall - Peyton, CO

Emma Martin - Sugar Land, TX

Beatrice Massa Micon

Kari Mathsen - Elkhorn, NE

Randon Matthews - Farmington, NM

Payton Mattox - Elkhorn, NE

Emily Maw - Lincoln, NE

Lauren Maw - Lincoln, NE

Addyson Maxell - Elkhorn, NE

Madelyn McBratney - Fremont, NE

Nolan McCormick - Bennington, NE

Christian McCullough - Howe, TX

Caden McCune - Lincoln, NE

Ezekiel McGuire - Lincoln, NE

Erin McLain - Peyton, CO

Joseph McLaughlin - Colorado Spgs, CO

Lauren Meduna - Lincoln, NE

Noah Meline - Fargo, ND

Elisibeth Meyer - Arlington, NE

Makenna Meyer - Fremont, NE

McClain Meyer - Roca, NE

Alison Miller - Ord, NE

Benjamin Miller - Sparks, NV

Landon Miller - Papillion, NE

Aung Thura Min - Unionville, IN

Haley Minner - Walton, NE

Madison Mlady - Ayr, NE

Emma Moran - Omaha, NE

Ella Moravec - David City, NE

Kyle Moss - Council Blfs, IA

Marlee Moss - Firth, NE

Charlie Mosser - Lincoln, NE

Logan Mroczek - Parker, CO

Madison Mueller - Lincoln, NE

Elite Mukumba

Stella Mumgaard - Omaha, NE

Mariah Muniz - Lincoln, NE

John Munro - Lincoln, NE

Hajar Musawi - Lincoln, NE

Alaina Naranjo - Lincoln, NE

Haylee Nebola - Thornton, CO

Joshua Neely - Arvada, CO

MacKenzie Nelsen - Hickman, NE

Catherine Newsom - Littleton, CO

Valdia Ngoutou - Lincoln, NE

Gavin Nichols - Platte City, MO

MaKenzie Nollette - Juniata, NE

Adalynn O'Connor - La Vista, NE

Lydianna O'Neil - Lincoln, NE

Caleb Ohlrich - Lincoln, NE

James Olds - Lincoln, NE

Amanda Olivas - Saint Peters, MO

Matthew Olson - Waverly, NE

Duncan Ortega - San Antonio, TX

William Ostrander - Lincoln, NE

Reanna Othling - Lincoln, NE

Lauren Ott - Lincoln, NE

Rilyn Otto - Adams, NE

Peyton Pack - Frederick, CO

Daniel Palmquist - Lincoln, NE

Alisha Parella - Brighton, CO

Brody Parks - Omaha, NE

Zackary Parra - Seward, NE

Swara Patel - Clarinda, IA

Kensington Paugh - Littleton, CO

Marvin Pepper - Cleburne, TX

Cy Petersen - Syracuse, NE

Dalton Pfenning - Waverly, NE

Catthi Pham - Lincoln, NE

Joshua Phillips - Colorado Spgs, CO

Grayson Piening - Lincoln, NE

Gannon Pisapia - El Cajon, CA

Thomas Pisasale - Omaha, NE

Connor Plahn - Lincoln, NE

Natalie Plautz - Malcolm, NE

Macy Plucker - Canton, SD

Carlos Porter - Dallas, TX

Winter Porto - Lincoln, NE

Jordan Prenosil - Lincoln, NE

Addison Priefert - Malcom, NE

Grace Pyle - Hay Springs, NE

Adam Qualset - Lincoln, NE

Samuel Rademacher - Kearney, NE

Yahmeleth Ramirez - Lincoln, NE

Claire Raszick - Lincoln, NE

Jaedyn Ratzlaff - Clarkson, NE

Rylee Rauner - Lincoln, NE

Pratima Rayamajhi - Chitwan

Natalie Reed - Blair, NE

Samantha Reed - Lincoln, NE

Garett Regier - York, NE

Matthew Reich - Modesto, CA

Natalie Reichert - Fort Calhoun, NE

Meagan Reimer - Meade, KS

Alena Reyes - Lansing, KS

Shelby Riedman

Claudia Riggert - Pierce, NE

Ayanna Robinson - Omaha, NE

Teresa Rodriguez - Lincoln, NE

Caiden Rose - Waverly, NE

Annelise Ross - Beverly Hills, MI

Elizabeth Routh - Englewood, CO

Andrew Rowley - Lincoln, NE

Ryan Ruggiero - North Newton, KS

Michelle Ruiz-Garcia - Lexington, NE

Carter Ruse

Caitlyn Rush - Blair, NE

Jacey Ryan - Lincoln, NE

Elecea Saathoff - Lincoln, NE

Jake Sailer - Lincoln, NE

Cesar Salas - Houston, TX

Jaquelin Salazar - Lincoln, NE

Andres Salinas - Lincoln, NE

Macy Santoni - Omaha, NE

Sam Schaefer - Lincoln, NE

Ian Scheele - Beatrice, NE

Sam Schernikau - Lincoln, NE

Emily Schmid - Lincoln, NE

Eden Schmit - Lincoln, NE

Madalyn Schoffstall - Colorado Spgs, CO

Brayden Schram - Hastings, NE

Ryleigh Schroeter - Blair, NE

Jera Schuerman - De Witt, NE

Kasey Schuster - Phillips, NE

Brinn Schwab - Aurora, CO

Mark Schwarting - Lincoln, NE

Hailey Schwebach - Arlington, TX

Mia Scott - Omaha, NE

Brynn Sebek - Lincoln, NE

Ella Seitner - Omaha, NE

Jackson Semrad - Lincoln, NE

Gannon Shafer - Lincoln, NE

Kaysha Shagavah - Potomac, MD

Katereina Shaw - Lincoln, NE

Mathew Siegel - Lincoln, NE

Mora Singsaas - Lincoln, NE

Tessa Skelton - Fort Calhoun, NE

Travis Skelton - Fort Calhoun, NE

Clare Skrdla - Walton, NE

Connor Smith - Macon, GA

Isaac Smith - Sioux Falls, SD

Jacen Smith - Lincoln, NE

Jordan Smith - Golden, CO

McKenna Smith - Ithaca, NE

Morgan Smith - Audubon, IA

Noah Smith - Omaha, NE

Payten Smith - Manitou Spgs, CO

Rachel Smith - Lincoln, NE

Logan Sobota - Greenwood, NE

Kiana Sorenson - Pacific Grove, CA

Fairlight Sorilla - Lincoln, NE

Matthew Sorrell - Lincoln, NE

Quincy Soto - Lincoln, NE

Savannah Spahr - Milford, NE

Henry Spethman - Lincoln, NE

Emily Spiegel - Lincoln, NE

Lauryn Spiegel - Lincoln, NE

Preslie Spurling - Lincoln, NE

Hannah Stanley - Hickman, NE

Tiernan Stanton - Newcastle, WY

Faith Steffen - Fremont, NE

Anika Stephen - Lincoln, NE

Lucas Steuter - Walton, NE

Arebel Stock - Gering, NE

Morgan Stokebrand - De Witt, NE

Ryan Stortenbecker - Hastings, IA

Juliana Stuhr - Springfield, NE

Reid Styskal - Lincoln, NE

Aurora Sulzle - Lincoln, NE

Elena Swinehart - Lincoln, NE

Karli Symonsbergen - Lincoln, NE

James Taras - Honolulu, HI

Kaylee Taylor - Fort Calhoun, NE

Gabriella Tederman - Yutan, NE

Anja Tejral - North Platte, NE

Addison Thomas, Waterloo, NE

Hayden Thomas - Neola, IA

Noah Thomas - Kennewick, WA

Logann Thompson - Burleson, TX

Sawyer Thompson - Elkhorn, NE

Jordan Tilford - Roca, NE

Travis Tilford - Roca, NE

Gabriella Timblin - Gering, NE

Brynn Tlamka - Lincoln, NE

Cole Toline - Lincoln, NE

Ava Tomlin - Lincoln, NE

Anecia Toussaint - Denver, CO

Cody Townsend - Lincoln, NE

Taylor Trauernicht - Wymore, NE

Peyton Tritz - Waverly, NE

Kai Trotman - Christ Church

Scotlyn Tufte - Omaha, NE

Delaney Vacek - Lincoln, NE

Bodie Vancleave - Lincoln, NE

Caden Vancleave - Lincoln, NE

Drake Venema - Omaha, NE

Maisy Viehl - Lincoln, NE

Aleah Vinkenberg - Aurora, NE

Graham Vinton - Lincoln, NE

Gavin Vlcan - Wilber, NE

Mia Vogel - Lincoln, NE

Brody Wadkins - Brighton, CO

Kevin Wagoner - Phillips, NE

Ryleigh Waldstein - Sioux Rapids, IA

Loghen Walk - Lincoln, NE

Alyssa Walker - Omaha, NE

Taylor Walker - Lincoln, NE

Ryker Wall - Littleton, CO

Jaxson Waller - Lincoln, NE

Jonas Waller - Lincoln, NE

Natalia Wals de la Cueva - Lincoln, NE

Wyatt Walters - Omaha, NE

Daisy Ward - Lincoln, NE

McKenzie Warren - Tucson, AZ

Linnea Wasko - Holland, NE

Kar'tajaah Watson - Lincoln, NE

Eliza Way - Centennial, CO

Mary Webber - Kearney, NE

Harrison Weddell - Omaha, NE

Brennen Weidner - Battle Creek, NE

Grace Wendel - Lincoln, NE

Mia Wendt - Lincoln, NE

Kenzie Wert - Hordville, NE

Jacob Wertz - Lincoln, NE

Cameron Wesche - Lincoln, NE

Kaitlyn Wessel - Lincoln, NE

Audrey West - Lincoln, NE

Alexis Whited - Lavista, NE

Ciara Whitley - Plattsmouth, NE

Hannah Whitson - Holbrook, NE

Sarah Wiese - O Neill, NE

Conor Willeke - Lincoln, NE

Cody Williams - Alamosa, CO

Jaden Williams - Columbus, NE

Noelle Williams - Gretna, NE

Wyatt Williams - Omaha, NE

Tenley Williamson - York, NE

Ethan Willits - Omaha, NE

Tavian Willsea - Aurora, CO

Marielle Wilson - Birch Run, MI

Riley Wilson - Murdock, NE

Jace Winkler - Littleton, CO

Brady Winterstein - Omaha, NE

Regan Wiseman - Alvo, NE

Ella Wolff - Omaha, NE

Ciara Wookey

Zachary Woosley - Lincoln, NE

Isabel Wortman - Lincoln, NE

Rebecca Wotipka - Wahoo, NE

Brandon Wright - Auburn, NE

Marek Wycoff - North Platte, NE

Madelyn Yocum - Wymore, NE

Annabel Zaruba - Lincoln, NE

Michele Zephier - Lincoln, NE

Lily Ziebarth - La Vista, NE

Conor Zobel-Stevens - Columbus, NE

Brenden Zuerlein - Lincoln, NE

Alia Zuheri - Lincoln, NE

Erin Wirth Fri, 01/23/2026 - 11:13am

��ý Master of Athletic Training program partners with Doane University

Chris Basnett — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 17:53:19 +0000

��ý Master of Athletic Training program partners with Doane University

��ý has signed a memorandum of understanding with Doane University to offer two Doane students guaranteed admission to ��ý’s Master of Athletic Training (MAT) Program.

Under the agreement, ��ý will reserve two seats annually in its MAT program for Doane students who meet specified criteria.

To qualify, students must hold a bachelor’s degree from Doane with at least a 3.0 GPA and have 50 documented hours of observation under a certified athletic trainer, among other requirements.

“This Memorandum of Understanding reflects Nebraska Wesleyan’s commitment to creating meaningful pathways into the athletic training profession,” said Samantha Wilson, director of ��ý’s athletic training program. “Doane has demonstrated a strong history of growing and developing phenomenal pre–athletic training students within its exercise science pre–athletic training track, and we are eager to be part of the postgraduate journey for many students in the years to come.”

��ý has been an accredited athletic training program since 2004, and continued as a master’s program in the summer of 2025. The Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) requires a Master of Athletic Training to be a certified athletic trainer.

��ý previously has formed similar agreements with Nebraska institutions including York University, Concordia University, Central Community College, Southeast Community College, and Western Nebraska Community College to enhance athletic training education across the state.

Chris Basnett Tue, 01/20/2026 - 11:53am

Prairie Wolf Pantry volunteers receive Golden Service Award

Chris Basnett — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 22:27:15 +0000

Prairie Wolf Pantry volunteers receive Golden Service Award

Nebraska Wesleyan employees who volunteer on the Prairie Wolf Pantry Board were awarded ��ý's Golden Service Award at the January 2026 staff meeting.

The group of Maddi Baugous, Adrian Gomez Ramos, Susy Miller, Jody Navratil, Rachel Pokora, and Lisa Borchardt work behind the scenes to provide food and supplies for students, staff, and faculty.

The Prairie Wolf Pantry's mission is to contribute to the overall health and wellness of the campus community by providing free access to nutritious food options. From managing the pantry to solidifying a partnership with the Food Bank of Lincoln to help sustain the Prairie Wolf Pantry with dairy and other staple products to attendance at the Nebraska Campus Pantry Coalition meetings, members of this board have gone above and beyond in demonstrating their care for the campus community.

The Golden Service Award promotes Nebraska Wesleyan’s core values by recognizing and awarding staff and faculty working as a group and demonstrating cross-departmental collaborations, whose efforts and contributions as a group significantly exceed expectations in demonstrating or promoting one or more of these values: excellence, liberal arts, and personal attention to students, diversity, community, and stewardship.

Congratulations to these individuals and thank you for your service and dedication to our community.

Chris Basnett Fri, 01/09/2026 - 4:27pm

Archway Seminars provide building blocks for successful ��ý experience

Chris Basnett — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 20:35:13 +0000

Archway Seminars provide building blocks for successful ��ý experience

Sarah Kelen had a message for the students in her “Shakespeare and the Movies” Archway Seminar at Nebraska Wesleyan.

The Professor of English at ��ý had watched her class gather at the beginning of the fall semester, break into groups, and develop proposals for modern Shakespeare adaptations ranging from features, to films, to reality shows that they pitched to a panel of “investors” at semester's end.

“You’ve come a long way since those first meetings in my office,” Kelen told her students.

While the first-year students still have a most of their Nebraska Wesleyan journey ahead of them, the base of knowledge they built in the Archway Seminars gives them the skills to start on the right foot.

The courses are designed to introduce first-year students to the skills they’ll need to make the most of a Nebraska Wesleyan education — critical and analytical thinking, ability to conduct and present research on a given topic, and ability to collaborate in solving problems.

“The Archway Seminar is one of those entry points for the whole scope of learning that they’re going to be doing,” said Patrick Hayden-Roy, professor of history at ��ý and instructor of the “From Sunflowers to Prairie Wolves” Archway Seminar that focused on the history of the theatre, physics, English, and psychology departments at ��ý.

“We talk about scaffolding the curriculum up, and these courses are that base within the scaffold that gets built.”

The courses cover nearly the entire educational gamut at ��ý, from sports to theater to music to history, and beyond.

In Eric Wyler’s “Pulse and Performance: Music’s Role in Fitness and Wellbeing” Archway Seminar, students presented projects on topics ranging from music therapy for youth with autism to using research-based strategies for creating the optimal workout playlist, to exploring the connection between music and the mental health of college students.

“I really had no clue what to expect, and at first I didn’t think I would really enjoy it,” said Emma Kruse, who was part of the class. “But honestly, I really did. It was cool to make a project out of it. I’ve always been interested in wellness, and I love music, and I never thought about tying the two together. But I really enjoyed it.”

Chris Basnett Wed, 01/07/2026 - 2:35pm

McKenna Weber’s love for language leads to ��ý study abroad experience

Chris Basnett — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 22:27:04 +0000

McKenna Weber’s love for language leads to ��ý study abroad experience

There’s spreading your wings at college, and then there’s what McKenna Weber (’26) is doing at ��ý.

The senior modern language studies and political science double major from Lincoln returns home over winter break after studying abroad for a semester in Tunis, the capital city of the Northern African country of Tunisia.

Studying abroad is nothing out of the ordinary in the college experience. But Weber wanted more, taking on the challenge of studying abroad for three semesters in two countries. This December marked the end of her journey.

“I’ve had this plan since high school,” Weber said. “I love language learning. I’ve been studying Spanish since I was pretty young, and French since I was in middle school, so I knew the value of study abroad.”

Weber’s mother, Catherine Nelson, is a professor of Spanish at ��ý, and a young McKenna often accompanied her on travels around the globe, frequently spending a month in Spain over the summer.

Weber’s affection for her modern language professors at ��ý doesn’t stop with her mother.

“I've had so many wonderful professors in that department, as well as in political science,” Weber said. “I think they all really understand the value of study abroad and encourage students to do that. My advisors have been really good about working with me on my schedule to make sure that I can make three semesters happen.”

During this semester, Weber completed a political science-focused internship with InnoPeace, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that focuses on civic engagement, human rights, and peace.

The Tunisia experience came after Weber spent the previous school year studying in Tarragona, Spain.

So committed was Weber about studying abroad for three semesters that she took college prep courses in high school, and once at ��ý, finished nearly all her undergraduate coursework in just two years. She will complete her senior projects and capstones in modern language studies and political science in the spring before graduating.

After that, Weber may well return to Europe. She applied for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship that, if she is selected, would send her back to Spain later in 2026.

Chris Basnett Tue, 12/30/2025 - 4:27pm

Two majors, two sports: Tessa Hurlburt maximizes her ��ý experience

Chris Basnett — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 22:09:36 +0000

Two majors, two sports: Tessa Hurlburt maximizes her ��ý experience

When English and gender studies major Tessa Hurlburt (’26) arrived at Nebraska Wesleyan in 2023, she believed success was about filling her resume. But she soon discovered she could accomplish something more by also focusing on “what fills my cup.”

Every decision Hurlburt has made at ��ý—from the courses she’s taken to the clubs she’s joined—has been about balancing academic achievement and personal fulfillment. A packed schedule positioned her to graduate a year early this May with both a full resume and a full heart.

She’s studied literature and criminology. She’s joined a bowling league and ��ý’s Knitting Club.

“I didn’t know how to knit. But it looked fun,” Hurlburt said. “And you don’t meet amazing people watching TV alone in your room. So I made a deal with myself: I’ll show up every single Wednesday. I’ll meet people. And they’ll teach me.”

She brought that same mentality to Assistant Professor of Sociology Heba Khalil’s “Women and Crime” course her first semester. “And she quickly stood out,” Khalil said. Her research on crime victims “exemplified what we hope ��ý students will do: use their education to uplift and work alongside affected communities.”

Another ��ý course on journalism and free speech sparked a yearlong internship as a Lincoln Journal Star reporter. Even then, Hurlburt felt she had room to pour in a little more.

“I left high school convinced I was done with sports,” she said. “But I missed being on a team.” So, she reached out to coaches and joined the golf and basketball teams her junior year.

“Do I get a lot of minutes?” Hurlburt said. “No. But I’m the hype girl. When the team needs that energy, I’m there. And I love it.”

Professor of English Sarah Kelen is Hurlburt’s advisor, and her fan. “In three short years, Tessa has fit just about everything you can reasonably—or even unreasonably—put inside a Nebraska Wesleyan experience,” Kelen said. “She’s fearless about trying new things.”

Next up: Hurlburt has applied for a Fulbright Scholarship to teach English in the Czech Republic. She’s also considering nonprofit work, graduate study or law school.

“Whatever it is,” she said, “it’ll be something that fills my cup.”

Chris Basnett Tue, 12/30/2025 - 4:09pm

“Elite” Hudl internship is game changer for ��ý senior

Chris Basnett — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 21:27:46 +0000

“Elite” Hudl internship is game changer for ��ý senior

At ��ý, senior Ella Mahaffy found the opportunity to explore her wide-ranging interests, including philosophy, religion, communication and marketing. She also found an exciting internship opportunity right in ��ý’s backyard at Hudl, one of the world’s top sports technology companies.

Mahaffy is Hudl’s first intern to earn an “elite marketing” title, which gave her the flexibility to customize her internship experience.

“That’s been really cool because I already have a foot in the door at the company,” Mahaffy said, “as well as this base of knowledge from Wesleyan that allows me to step in and thrive wherever I’m put.”

The end result, she said, has been an experience far beyond the stereotype of “an intern getting coffee for their boss.”

Mahaffy has experienced “a lot of the nitty-gritty” of Hudl’s marketing efforts. She’s helped manage Hudl’s partnerships with sports organizations like the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA); worked on campaigns to publicize Hudl’s collaborations; coordinated communications with thousands of NCAA coaches and staff; and helped formulate ideas for product campaigns.

Mahaffy credited ��ý’s resources for putting her on the road to a successful college experience, even if she didn’t realize it when she first arrived.

“Coming in as a freshman, I was homesick, I was alone, I really didn’t know my place at Wesleyan or the world,” Mahaffy said. “And now as a senior I feel so incredibly established with all the resources that Wesleyan has given me.”

Those resources allowed Mahaffy to thrive away from home. She is an athlete ��ý’s tennis team, a campus ambassador welcoming visiting students, vice president of ��ý’s chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, an a FBLA member.

Mahaffy’s experiences at ��ý and Hudl have the Colorado native rethinking her post-college plans.

“I originally thought I’d go home to Colorado right after college,” Mahaffy said. “But I’ve learned over the years that the people are amazing here, and if (a career at Hudl) is an opportunity I’m given, I would definitely be willing to stay for it.”

Chris Basnett Wed, 12/17/2025 - 3:27pm

��ý students and faculty transform lives through prison outreach

Erin Wirth — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 20:01:34 +0000

��ý students and faculty transform lives through prison outreach

One Professor’s Idea Changes Hundreds of Lives

Before he began teaching, James Perry, associate professor of professional studies, worked in prisoner rights in foreign countries, a passion that has shaped his work at ��ý.

In 2008, he took a group of ��ý students on a field trip to the Nebraska State Penitentiary.

“I was listening to the questions students were asking and realized they had no familiarity with this whole world,” Perry said. “And what better way to learn about the prison system than to volunteer inside it?”

Perry met with administrators and agreed to start a book club with 15 ��ý students and 15 individuals at the Lincoln Correctional Facility. Over the past 17 years, the initiative has expanded to include weekly classes focused on topics the incarcerated individuals want to learn about. ��ý students co-teach the classes, facilitating discussions, preparing readings, and leading sessions.

“There is a lack of programming in the correctional system across the United States, including Nebraska,” Perry said. “These individuals often have limited opportunities to fill their time. We want to help them develop the skills and confidence to successfully reintegrate into their communities.”

Helping Individuals Understand the Bigger Picture

Recent classes have included Sociology of the Family, Business Law, and Innovation and Leadership. One class focused on the sociological imagination — the ability to connect personal experiences with larger public issues.

“In sociology, we explore how much agency a person has versus how much societal pressures shape their choices,” said Heba Khalil, assistant professor of sociology and criminology, who helps teach the prison outreach classes. “Using real examples, such as being born into limited circumstances, helps participants understand how decisions are influenced.”

“Working with these individuals has shown me how powerful this perspective can be,” Khalil said. “It’s not about excusing poor choices — it’s about understanding them within societal constraints, which many of these individuals find empowering.”

In addition to weekly sessions, participants receive homework or discussion prompts — something new to think about, learn or read between classes.

A Powerful Experience for ��ý Students

The ��ý students who co-teach the classes are typically sophomores and must complete an introduction to criminal justice course. Students from any major may enroll in the one-credit class, and many choose to participate multiple times during their time at ��ý.

“We’ve had physics majors, French majors — students from all backgrounds — who say this is the most impactful class they’ve taken,” Perry said. “They’re engaging with important ideas, whether it’s sociology or leadership. Both groups — the ��ý students and their students — realize they can learn from each other, and that’s powerful.”

When the Walls Fade Away

Ella Fundus, a senior social work student who has taught for two semesters at the Lancaster County Jail, said the experience taught her how misinformed the public’s perception of the incarcerated population can be.

“These individuals are determined and motivated to turn their lives around. I’ve never been in a classroom where every single person was so eager to learn,” she said.

Perry noted that once class begins, the setting quickly fades into the background.

“Within the first five minutes of class, the ��ý students and their students are joking together and talking about their lives,” he said. “It’s very rewarding to see those relationships grow.”

The Transformative Power of Prison Outreach

Over 17 years, Perry and his ��ý students have impacted countless lives.

“I ran into a former student at a convenience store years later,” Perry said. “He told me the experience transformed his life because he was able to have thoughtful conversations with ��ý students and professors who took his ideas seriously. It helped build his confidence in his own potential.”

Perry credits correctional staff as essential partners in the program’s success.

“One staff member suggested we teach theater,” he said. “She wrote a one-page proposal outlining what a theater production could look like, and we’re working hard to make that happen this spring.”

Preparing ��ý Students for Purpose-Driven Careers

The program also exposes ��ý students to careers in criminal justice, while encouraging empathy and compassion toward people within the system.

Maria Ghanim, a senior pre-law student, shared that everything she's learned will strengthen her future legal career.

“What I’ve enjoyed most is seeing our students connect personal experiences to the social norms we’ve studied. We don’t judge — we listen, laugh, and even cry. There is no greater force than education and empathy," she said.

Building a Special Community

For Perry, the emotional impact remains profound.

“They’re amazed that Wesleyan students keep coming back,” he said. “They say, ‘Those are our Wesleyan students.’ They look forward to every visit.”

Erin Wirth Tue, 12/16/2025 - 2:01pm

������ý News

Three faculty-led trips take ������ý students around the world

New grant sustains artful collaboration between campus and community

������ý junior Arabelle Horst awarded Phi Kappa Phi study abroad grant

From ������ý to Radio City Music Hall and back, Eoghan Hartley (’16) inspires next generation of P-Wolf theatre students

������ý earns Gilman recognition as three new scholars join prestigious group

Pitch contest caps successful ������ý Student Symposium

Amy Stanek earns Stewart Award for Courage

������ý pays tribute to nine distinguished retirees

������ý FBLA sending 17 qualifiers to national conference

Dr. Anne Curzan to present annual Holder Lecture

Tess McKinney to deliver Fetzer Lecture on immersive technology in healthcare education

Ghaith Taha attacks ������ý experience at full speed

������ý students get stark look at real-life issues with poverty simulation

Micah Drewes honored with CORE Award

Communication scholar has relationship advice for you and AI

Advocate for Diversity awards recognize those uplifting others at ������ý

������ý students experience the realities of reentry during RISE simulation

������ý students named to fall semester academic honors list

������ý Master of Athletic Training program partners with Doane University

Prairie Wolf Pantry volunteers receive Golden Service Award

Archway Seminars provide building blocks for successful ������ý experience

McKenna Weber’s love for language leads to ������ý study abroad experience

Two majors, two sports: Tessa Hurlburt maximizes her ������ý experience

“Elite” Hudl internship is game changer for ������ý senior

������ý students and faculty transform lives through prison outreach

��ý News

Three faculty-led trips take ��ý students around the world

��ý junior Arabelle Horst awarded Phi Kappa Phi study abroad grant

From ��ý to Radio City Music Hall and back, Eoghan Hartley (’16) inspires next generation of P-Wolf theatre students

��ý earns Gilman recognition as three new scholars join prestigious group

Pitch contest caps successful ��ý Student Symposium

��ý pays tribute to nine distinguished retirees

��ý FBLA sending 17 qualifiers to national conference

Ghaith Taha attacks ��ý experience at full speed

��ý students get stark look at real-life issues with poverty simulation

Advocate for Diversity awards recognize those uplifting others at ��ý

��ý students experience the realities of reentry during RISE simulation

��ý students named to fall semester academic honors list

��ý Master of Athletic Training program partners with Doane University

Archway Seminars provide building blocks for successful ��ý experience

McKenna Weber’s love for language leads to ��ý study abroad experience

Two majors, two sports: Tessa Hurlburt maximizes her ��ý experience

“Elite” Hudl internship is game changer for ��ý senior

��ý students and faculty transform lives through prison outreach