2/14/01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Gerri Perreault, director, Leadership Studies Program, (319) 273-6898
Vicki Grimes, University Marketing and Public Relations, (319) 273-2761
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – “Environmental Leadership” will be the focus of Thursday's (Feb. 15) program on the University of Northern Iowa's Leaders on Leadership 2001 Series, from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. in the Schindler Education Center, Room 323. Sponsored by the Leadership Studies Program, the session is open to the public, free of charge.
The program will feature Catherine (Kate) Beadle, Student Environment Action Coalition; Chia-Chi Kua, EcoVision; Chris Peterson, vice president, Iowa Farmers Union and hog farmer; and David Larson, Iowa Green Party.
Gerri Perreault, director of the UNI Leadership Studies Program, said the series provides an opportunity to learn about leadership views and practices of leaders from a variety of society's sectors.
The Leaders on Leadership 2001 Series will continue Feb. 22 with “Media Leadership.” For further information, contact Gerri Perreault, (319) 273-6898
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Darryl Conway, head athletic trainer, (319) 273-6369
Gwenne Culpepper, University Marketing and Public Relations, (319) 273-2761
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa –- Medical experts say a cardiac arrest victim has, at most, about 10 minutes to receive vital care. After that, chances for survival are close to zero. To give victims access to immediate care, airports, malls and even private businesses have begun to buy portable defibrillators for use onsite. The University of Northern Iowa recently purchased four automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for its athletic trainers, and plans to buy more for its Department of Public Safety, Maucker Union, Department of Residence, and Wellness Recreation Center (WRC). The first four AEDs are for use at UNI-Dome and athletic events.
UNI is the first non-medical entity in the Cedar Falls area to have AEDs onsite, said Darryl Conway, head athletic trainer at UNI. He explained the university purchased the machines, at a cost of about $4,000 per unit, "because we're interested in saving lives."
According to Conway, the save rate for individuals experiencing cardiac arrest is only about 5 percent. "That's because cardiac arrest is caused by a quivering -- or fibrillation -- of the heart. CPR can help, but it won't save you. A defibrillator can save you."
Although Conway knows of no recent cardiac arrests occurring during university-sponsored events, he notes there were three suspected heart attacks during the Archdiocese of Dubuque's Pentecost Celebration held at the UNI-Dome last summer.
All UNI athletic trainers and student trainers have been taught to use the defibrillators, as have several staff members at the WRC. All of the Dome facilities/event management personnel have been taught to use the units as well, and will carry them at events for faster responses when necessary. Within a year, everyone trained in CPR at UNI will receive training on the defibrillators.
The machines have only two control buttons ("on" and "shock"), and will not administer a shock to an individual who is not in cardiac arrest. The defibrillators actually talk to users and provide onscreen messages as well, walking operators through the entire process. "They tell you where to put the pads, when to stand back, everything. You can't do it wrong."
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2/14/01 -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Jeff Bergman, First National Bank, Cedar Falls, (319) 266-4600
Vicki Grimes, University Marketing & Public Relations, (319) 273-2761
Note to editors/news directors: A 200 dpi JPEG photo of Nielsen is available via the Internet at: http://www.uni.edu/pubrel/newsroom/photos/nielsen.jpeg.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Ross A. Nielsen, emeritus head and professor of teaching at the University of Northern Iowa, and longtime director of UNI's Malcolm Price Laboratory School, has died.
Nielsen, 82, of 2523 Loma St., Cedar Falls, died Thursday, Feb. 8, in Corpus Christi, Texas, following a heart attack. His body was cremated. A memorial service will be held in Cedar Falls at a later date.
Nielsen was born May 12, 1918 in Wiota, Iowa and graduated from Plainfield High School in 1935. He attended Wartburg College in Waverly, from which he received a bachelor's degree in mathematics, physics and physical education in 1939. He received an M.A. degree in mathematics in 1948, and a Ph.D. in education and mathematics in 1955, both from the University of Iowa.
Nielsen taught and coached at Blairstown Consolidated High School for three years and taught one year at Hudson Community School, before spending three years in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He returned to Hudson following the war, and in 1947, became a supervisor of student teaching for UNI, then the Iowa State Teachers College, before joining the Lab School in 1955, as mathematics chair.
During his tenure as math chair, from 1955 to 1962, the department developed a reputation as a pioneer of the modern mathematics movement, with Nielsen and other Price Lab math faculty gaining national recognition.
In 1962, he was named the school's director and head of the Department of Teaching, serving in that role until his retirement in 1986. From 1962 to 1980, he also served as UNI's director of student teaching.
A consultant to laboratory schools across the nation, as well as to elementary and secondary schools in matters of curricula, instruction and administration, Nielsen was active in more than a dozen professional organizations. Following his active-duty Navy service, he continued as an officer with the U.S. Navy Reserve, retiring in 1968.
His numerous honors and awards include the Distinguished Service Awards of both the National Association of Laboratory Schools, in 1983, and the Associated Organizations for Professionals in Education, in 1984. He served both bodies as chair. In 1986, the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools honored him as a recipient of one of its first John Vaughn Excellence in Education Awards for his "exceptional service in education and direct contributions for enhancing the quality of education in the classroom."
In 1988, the field house at the laboratory school was named in his honor. He was elected to the Hall of Fame of the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association in 1991. While teaching and coaching in Blairstown and Hudson, his teams compiled an overall record of 360 wins and 86 losses. His teams won 13 sectional titles, four district titles and one sub-state title.
In 1993, Nielsen anonymously funded UNI's prestigious professional service award, a $2,000 award given annually to a faculty member for his or her "extraordinary record of meritorious service to both UNI and the individual's academic discipline." In 1998, the award became known as the Ross A. Nielsen Professional Service Award, and is one of the trio of UNI's top faculty awards that are granted for outstanding research and teaching.
Nielsen was a driving force behind the organization of UNI's emeritus faculty into the UNI Emeritus Association, whose members maintain an active role in support of the university. He also was instrumental in the organization of the Alumni and Friends of Price Laboratory School.
Nielsen is survived by a brother, Keith, of Arkansas, and three grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jeanne, who died last year, and their daughter, Sharon.
Memorials can be sent to the Ross A. Nielsen Endowment Funds in care of the UNI Foundation, or the Jeanne Nielsen Collection at the Plainfield (Iowa) Library. Information on a date and location for local memorial services will be announced at a later date.
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2/14/01 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Allen Hays, director, Graduate Program in Public Policy, (319) 273-2910
Vicki Grimes, University Marketing and Public Relations, (319) 273-2761
Note to Editors/News Directors: Linda Breen Pierce will be available to the media for questions immediately following her address, or during the noon hour.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — "Voluntary Simplicity: The Policy Dimensions of Personal Choices" is the topic for a conference at the University of Northern Iowa Wednesday, Feb. 28, in the Maucker Union Expansion. The conference, from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., is sponsored by the UNI Graduate Program in Public Policy, the Iowa Waste Reduction Center and the UNI Center for Energy and Environmental Education.
The conference keynote speaker will be Linda Breen Pierce. Linda Pierce, a former corporate lawyer, founded the Pierce Simplicity Study in 1990, a three-year study of 200 people who have simplified their lives. She also maintains The Simplicity Resource Guide, a Web site devoted to the exploration and process of simplification.
Workshop participants will include UNI scholars and environmental experts from around the state. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Iowa Waste Reduction Center will be two of the environmental organizations represented.
Panel and workshop topics will include "The Simplicity Movement and its Implications," "Environmental and Economic Consequences of Simplicity" and "Personal, Ethical and Spiritual Dimensions of Simplicity."
The keynote address is free and open to the public. The entire conference registration fee is $25 on or before Feb. 19 and $30 thereafter. Lunch is included in the price of registration.
For more information or for a registration form, contact Allen Hays, conference director, at (319) 273-2910. Information about keynote speaker Linda Breen Pierce and her message of voluntary simplicity can be found on her Web site, the Simplicity Resource Guide, at http://www.gallagherpress.com/pierce.
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2/14/01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Pam Schmidt, Scholarship Committee, UNI Connection, (319) 266-7871
Vicki Grimes, University Marketing and Public Relations, (319) 273-2761
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Non-traditional undergraduate students at the University of Northern Iowa may apply to win scholarships from UNI Connection.
UNI Connection is a campus-wide group open to all faculty and staff of UNI and their spouses. The group has been offering scholarships to students since 1971. Last year they awarded $3,200 to non-traditional students. Non-traditional students are defined as those students who have spent some time out of high school or college before returning to school.
Applications are available at the Financial Aid Office in 116 Gilchrist. The deadline for application submission is April 1, 2001.
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