University of Nebraska Kearney - Blue and Gold Yearbook (Kearney, NE)

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grow Blankenship, Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce president, said. “They were interested in employing students because they said they are intelligent and speak well.” KSC had influence on the WATTS decision through the offering of a telecommunications major and the placement office was enlisted to help students gain employment with the firm, according to Blank- enship. In the first ecomonic impact study much of the research was done by students in the split level Mar- keting Research 400-500 class. When the study is revised in 1990, Nelson said much of the tabulating and research will have to be done again by students because of the “thousands of person hours” involved. “The research work won’t probably land a stu- dent a specific job,” Nelson said. “It will give them an advantage over others because employers are very impressed with things done outside of the classroom.” Student consultants impress businesses 5ome 71 communities in 31 counties within 75 miles of Kearney were assisted by consul- tantship classes and the KSC Ne- braska Business Development Center last year according to Kay Payne, director of the center and instructor of the consultantship class. In Payne’s Consultantship 489-589 class, students analyze businesses and make suggestions for improvements for certain areas. “There are no answers in the back of the book for this class,” she said. Some community response on the students’ consulting work through the class resulted in full-ride scholarships for two students in the program given by the RAM company. The former client was impressed with consulting work two former stu- dents had done for the Big Apple, ac- cording to Payne. “The first part of the report is a his- tory of the company and its owners with objectives for the study,” Payne said. “The last part gives solutions.” “The real-life experience has opened opportunities for me. I learned what I hadn’t even realized possible,” Cindy Wenninghoff, 1988 MBA gradu- ate from North Platte, said. “Students have to make decisions, but that’s what a consultant is for,” Payne said. “They already know the problem.” Wenninghoff said she later was able to do more consulting work for the Nebraska Business Development Cen- ter, a larger program. Undergraduates work in teams of three and Payne assigns a professor in the area of their report to guide them. “Consulting is confidential,” Payne said. Businesses are aided by students in the consultant program free of charge and their identity is not advertised, ac- cording to Payne. By Angie Steffen ‘Good Morning’ films ROTC 5ome morning this year KSC students may hear familiar voices wishing them — and America — “good morning.” The KSC Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) was filmed bringing this greeting by the ABC show, Good Morning America. The impact of the broadcast, according 2nd Lt. Greg Downey, a 1988 graduate, will be the attention it brings to Kearney’s community on a national level. Downey said he initiated the idea for the video seg- ment featuring ROTC. “The broadcast is important as a recruitment tool,” Battalion Commander Dennis Zink, Kearney sophomore, said. “The big turn out for the taping seemed to show how important it was to the enrolled students. “At the time we had 180 enrolled students and 75 percent of them showed up at 7 a.m. That showed me it was important to those involved, especially when we are dealing with mainly freshmen and soph- omore members,” Zink said. “It’s going to help students involved in the pro- gram look at themselves with pride,” Downey said. “It’s not everybody that can be on national television and the ROTC will also be doing service to veterans.” Two segments were filmed, Downey said. One was filmed in memory of U. S. veterans. The other version was simply “Hello from KSC.” The memorial involved a rifle salute rehearsed by the rifle team in advance, according to team member Leaf. “It took longer to set up than the actual taping,” Zink, the narrator for the video segment, said. “The quickness of it surprised me.” By Angie Steffen Dennis Zink, Kearney soph- omore, acted as announc- er in a video segment sent to ABC’s “Good Morning America ” Photo by Kevin Methe

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Student spending affects business unicipal bonds Student spending means an increase in late-night like Jennie Roesener, Bertrand freshman Photo by business for Amigos and creates jobs for students Michelle Thompson T r r here are businesses that wouldn’t be here if it wasn't for the college ’ said Jon Nel- son, associate professor of business, who di- rected a study to determine the actual eco- nomic impact of KSC employment and spending on Kearney's community. Last year students spent $52 million, generating $91 million of business activity in the community, ac- cording to the study. These figures are based on the assumption that every dollar spent by students en Student Spending 1$ I Impact on Kearney's Community million 06OO6O066666 ooooeoooooo®' 0000060000 0 ■ 000 ooo 00 . 0 6 . 00 oooo OoO . » ooooooooo ooooooooo oooooooooo «•666000 00600 oo oo- 06 060 oooooVoo 00600006 o0000600006 60 0 1 ♦♦ ♦♦♦♦ 6 ♦♦♦♦♦♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ooooo 060« 6« 60 6 ♦»J ♦♦♦ ♦ 01 loo ♦ ♦I 1 00 ♦ -t ■ ♦♦ o W I» ♦ 0O W o 0666060066' «6 6 666 6 6 600' . ♦♦♦♦♦♦ 6606 ♦00004 6 00 04 OO • BVOO' 66 4 6606 6060 .. . 00006 ■ ♦♦♦♦ © ♦ ooo oo o« jjgggggd) i ► 604 00000060 0 00« 000000 0600oo 00000060600004 6 000060600004 if • 06 • 60 06 •ooT 00 1 „ Oo Ol 606660 66 «606«6066 0000 060 0600 600’ ' ooooool »06 604 000 04 . ►0000001 »ofcft06l 0 1 looof |ooo 06000000004 10 006000 600 04 100000000000004 1987-1988 Direct Spending by KSC Students ’Figures tor graph taken from Jon Nelson's “The Economic Impact of Kearney State College | on the Area Economy Total Impact of Student Spending |...These numbers have been calculated with the assumption that every dollar spent causes another 75 cents to be spent- ables another 75 cents to be spent in the community. The four areas of KSC’s influence measured were “direct college employment and college related em- ployment, college and student cash outflows into the area economy, college visitor spending in the area, including alumni, visitors of students and campus ac- tivities, departments, and events. Nelson said he recalculated because he was sur- prised that the numbers were so high. “Community members were also surprised at the numbers,” Nelson said. “Their second reaction was gratitude to KSC.” Originally begun in 1983, the study was updated in 1985 and 1987. Nelson said in 1990 the report must be entirely revised. The impact of KSC on the Kearney area reaches far beyond economics. According to Nelson, there is no measurement for the cultural impactof KSC in sports quality or in the fine arts. The $10 million-coliseum renovation has had an effect on the community, according to Nelson, be- cause supplies and labor will be needed to complete the work. The new telemarketing corporation, WATTS Marketing of America Inc. decided to come to Kear- ney because of the labor pool of college students, ac- cording to Nelson. “The hours WATTS needs workers for will work in well with college students' schedules,” Bruce Graph by Angie Steffen

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Students find heat, drought of 88 living lecture on 'Dirty Thirties' ust on the Too little rain and too many dry, windy days last summer gave to- day’s generation a glimpse of the Dust Bowl days in the 1930s. While many students remember only the heat or the great suntans from last summer, students who who come from farms or families in agricultural-relat- ed businesses know how a drought affects the farm economy. Most of the 60 students in the agri-business pro- gram come from such backgrounds, according to Carl Lewis, department of economics chairman. “It is not uncommon for students to get such a degree to fall back on,” Lewis said. After a three to four year drop in agri-business majors, Lewis said the number has remained steady. Some graduates return to the farm, but some go to graduate school or to regular business positions, Lewis said. Rural banks hire agri-business graduates because of the farm background and business abili- (Reduced farm incomes meant more students became eligible for financial aid. f Armagost ties. However, very few ag-businesses conduct inter- views at KSC, according to Jackie Rosenlof, Career Services director. Dick Carlson, Kearney senior, plans to work for a bank or farm credit system after graduation because he has a strong agricultural background. He farmed near Harrisburg in the Panhandle for 21 years until financial problems forced him to quit. He entered KSC in the fall of 1987 as a business and finance major. “I've sat on the other side of the desk. I know what the farmers are feeling and I think I can serve them better because of that,” he said. The farm economy has also encouraged some students with farm backgrounds to prepare for futures in other fields. “I would go back to farming if it wasn’t such a big gamble,” Dan Placke, St. Libory junior, said. Instead he decided to attend college to major in ac- counting because it is too hard for young people to get started in farming. In his free time he still re- turns to the farm to help his parents. The farm situation did not cause Troy Casper, Kearney senior, to change his career plans from farming because he planned to attend college even before his family lost its farm near Hildreth during the farm crisis. Then he had his sights on an agri- business degree. Now he is an elementary educa- t I’ve sat on the other side of the desk. I know what the farmers are feeling and 1 think lean serve them better because of that, f Carlson tion major because he wants a career that is “safe and stable”. KSC has felt some impact from the farm econo- my in its swelling non-traditional student enroll- ment, according to Wayne Samuelson, associate vice president of student services and director of ad- missions. Farm wives are seeking degrees in order to obtain jobs to supplement their husbands’ farm income, he said. “Many farmers see retraining for another career as an opportunity.” In the past two summers and throughout this year, 28 30 percent of the non-traditional students consulting the Career Services Office came from failed farms and sought advice on other career op- tions, Rosenlof said. Nebraska’s sagging farm economy not only af- fected students’ career choices and opportunities, it also had immediate impact on their education in progress. Last summer’s drought affected farmers’