ALEC in the News Archive

Matt Kreifels Receives the Dinsdale Family Faculty Award

Matt and Sarah Kreifels

Congratulations to Matt Kreifels, Associate Professor of Practice, in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication on receiving the Dinsdale Family Faculty Award at last week’s IANR Annual Awards Luncheon. Started in 1999, the Dinsdale Family Faculty Award recognizes a faculty member for outstanding teaching, research, and outreach in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 

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Dr. Lindsay Hastings studies that effective leaders inspire hope in rural Nebraska

Dr. Lindsay Hastings

“The United States is poised to experience one of the largest leadership transfers in its history,” Hastings said. “This is coupled in rural communities with a sizable wealth transfer. Between now and 2060, $75 trillion will be transferred from older generations to the younger.”

These transfers, she said, will “disproportionately impact rural communities.”

This impact prompted Dr. Lindsay Hastings to ask, “How can we help rural communities navigate both wealth and leadership transfers?”

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ALEC Professor, Dr. Heather Akin, gave insight on Metro Nebraskans more trusting of media, national institutions

Rural Metro Polls

“It’s critical to understand who the public trusts most for health information, particularly during a pandemic,” said Heather Akin, assistant professor of agricultural leadership, education and communication at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. “And it’s notable that our respondents were most trusting of medical doctors and local and state health authorities compared to other sources of health information.

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CANCELED - ALEC Graduate Student Recruitment Event

ALEC 2021 Fall Recruitment Event flyer

Due to low enrollment, this event has been canceled.

The Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication (ALEC) and Graduate Student Association are excited to host a fall recruitment and research event on Thursday, November 18, 2021. Click to view event flyer.

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ALEC senior, Miranda Hornung, and the 1st Annual Ag Ed Program Roadshow

UNL Students at the Ag Ed Roadshow

The idea for the 1st Annual Ag Ed Program Roadshow came from senior Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication student, Miranda Hornung. “Last year during COVID, there was a question floating around about how to create programming to provide more experiences for pre-service agricultural teachers in the Ag Education Teaching program (ALEC).

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Students Create Your Future with the Nebraska’s Rural Fellowship Program and earn $5000

Student Fellow Recruitment flyer

We are excited to continue the Rural Fellowship program during the summer of 2022!

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ALEC M.S. Alumni, Susie Owens, representing CASNR at the Multicultural Homecoming

City campus aerial

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s homecoming celebration features six distinguished alumni of color returning to campus to share expertise within their respective colleges and directly with students.

Organized by the Chancellor’s Commission on the Status of People of Color, the visits are part of Multicultural Homecoming events being offered through Oct. 1.

Participating alumni, year of graduation and respective college are:

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9/11 helped forge McElravy’s focus on leadership development

Dr. L.J. McElravy and leadership students

“For me, part of why I joined the military was because I wanted to serve and I wanted to meaningfully serve,” he said. “The attacks gave another purpose to serving. For me, it was the hope that we could prevent anything like that from ever happening again.”

While deployed in Iraq, McElravy took the first steps to furthering his career through education. On base, over satellite internet, he applied for admission to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

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‘Most Challenging was Most Rewarding:’ Rural Fellow Details Summer Projects

Rural Fellows students in Lexington

Tori Pedersen, a senior in Agricultural Leadership at the University of Lincoln–Nebraska, spent her summer as a Rural Fellow in Lexington—a town literally 50 times smaller than her hometown of Omaha. And she couldn’t have enjoyed it more.

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$4.3 million NSF Noyce grant will help Nebraska science teachers grow

NSF Noyce Grant project team

The National Science Foundation has awarded the University of Nebraska–Lincoln a grant totaling $4.3 million to recruit and develop secondary science teachers as leaders with a strong focus on aspects of equity and inclusive teaching and learning in Nebraska schools.

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Herb Thompson - ALEC Doctoral Oral Defense

dissertation defense logo

The Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication presents Herb Thompson's  Doctoral Oral Defense on Wednesday, July 21, 2021 at 12 p.m. via Zoom (Zoom invite is below).

Dissertation Title:  "Making Sense of Inclusive Leadership in Public Higher Education:  An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis"

Zoom information:

https://go.unl.edu/herbdefense

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Brooke Wells - Master's Thesis Presentation

Brooke Wells

The Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication presents Brooke Wells' Master's Thesis Presenation on Friday, July 23, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. in room 143 Filley Hall, UNL East Campus.

Thesis Title:  "A Quantitative Analysis of Transformative Experiences Which Have Led to Perceived Leader Identity Change"

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Eric Knoll Receives the ACTEN Post-Secondary Teacher of the Year!

Eric Knoll

Eric Knoll, an associate professor of practice in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s agricultural leadership, education and communications department, has been recognized as the Association for Career and Technical Education Post-Secondary Teacher of the Year during the Nebraska Career Education Conference held earlier this month.

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ALEC Department announces high school photography scholarship winner

Madison Kreifels

Lincoln, Neb. —Recent Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca graduate and incoming University of Nebraska-Lincoln student Madison Kreifels is the winner of the 2020-2021 Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Photography Competition. Kreifels will receive a scholarship to the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources’ Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication. IANR News

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Rural Fellows embark on summer of community development

Rural Fellows student
Working in pairs or trios, 35 University of Nebraska–Lincoln students will take part in the Rural Fellowship program while living and working in 17 communities across the state this summer.

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Fagan releases book on inclusive leadership

Helen Fagan
As the nation grapples with how to move forward a year after George Floyd was killed, a University of Nebraska–Lincoln professor and immigrant is releasing a book that a colleague calls “simply the right book at the right time.”

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Spotlight: Change Maker scholarship recipient, Emma Hoffschneider

Emma Hoffschneider

Meet CASNR Change Maker scholarship recipient, Emma Hoffschneider, a sophomore agricultural and environmental sciences communication and agricultural economics - public policy double major from Burwell, Nebraska. She is working to recycle used coffee grounds and create pellets to be used to fuel pellet grills. IANR News

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IANR Spotlight: ALEC's Christina Franklin

Christina Franklin

Meet Christina Franklin, office associate and assistant to the Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication Department head at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. IANR News

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ALEC Department announces high school photography scholarship competition

ALEC photography scholarship competition poster

Lincoln, Neb. —The Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication Department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is launching a photography competition for high school students with a chance to win scholarship money.

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Franklin Elected President Elect for UNOPA

Christina Franklin

Christina Franklin, ALEC Office Associate, was elected to be the President-Elect of UNOPA (University of Nebraska Office Professionals Association). Christina will serve in this role until June 2021 when she will then become the UNOPA President for 2021-2022.

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