All the Best — UNL ORCA Awardees Tell Their Stories | Podcast on RSS.com

All the Best — UNL ORCA Awardees Tell Their Stories

All the Best — UNL ORCA Awardees Tell Their Stories

by Mark Griep

Science Society & Culture

Season 1

Fred Luthans, Positive Organizational Behavior

Fred Luthans was awarded the ORCA in 2008. He was born in Clinton, Iowa, in 1939. He earned three degrees from the University of Iowa in Iowa City: a bachelor’s in mathematics in 1961, a Master of Business Administration in 1962, and a PhD in management & psychology in 1965. After serving two years as a captain in the Army at West Point where he taught psychology and leadership, he joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as an associate professor of management. He’s had a remarkable career, but I’ll only mention three major distinctions. His pioneering textbook "Organizational Behavior" is now in its 14th edition, and another of his numerous books, "International Management" is going into its 12th edition. Second, in 1986, he was elected by the over 21,000 members across the world and served as President of the Academy of Management. Third, in 2017, he was ranked in the top 1% for all fields with now, according to Google Scholar, over 190,000 citations of his theory and research articles. He retired in 2015 and still lives in Lincoln with his wife of 63 years.

Stephen Baenziger, Breeding New Wheat Varieties

Dr. Stephen Baenziger was awarded the ORCA in 2011. He was born in 1951 in Toronto, Canada. When he was an infant, his family immigrated to the US where he grew up in Des Plaines, Illinois. He earned a bachelor’s in biological chemistry magna cum laude from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Next, he earned a master’s and doctorate in plant breeding and genetics at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Over the next decade, he worked for the USDA at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center Maryland and then at Monsanto Corporation in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1986, he joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as an associate professor of agronomy (later agronomy and horticulture) and rose quickly through the ranks while studying the genetics and breeding of small grains such as wheat, barley, and triticale. He retired in 2021 and still lives in Lincoln.

Ross Thompson, Childhood Emotional Development

Ross Thompson was born in 1954 in Madison, Wisconsin. He traveled nearly 2000 miles west to earn a bachelor’s in psychology magna cum laude from Occidental College in Los Angeles. Then, he traveled east over 2200 miles to earn a master’s and doctorate in psychology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In 1981, he joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as an assistant professor of psychology and rose quickly through the ranks while studying childhood emotional development. In 2003, three years after earning the ORCA, Ross left UNL to join the psychology department at the University of California, Davis. He retired in 2023 and still lives in California.

John Hibbing, Political Attitudes Correlate with Physiological Traits

Dr. John Hibbing was awarded the ORCA in 1993. He was born in 1953 in Paullina, Iowa. He earned a bachelor’s in secondary education from Dana College in Blair, Nebraska, but then realized that teaching high school wasn’t his thing. Instead, he attended the University of Iowa where he earned a master’s and doctorate in political science. In 1981, he joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as an assistant professor of political science and rose quickly through the ranks. Initially, he studied the reasons that members of the US congress retire. This led to a long-term collaboration with Kevin Smith and John Alford to study the genetic and psychological correlates of political ideology. This hot-button topic brought him a great deal of prominence in our increasingly polarized times.

Xiao Cheng Zeng, Theoretical/Computational; Nebraska ice & Gold nanocages

Dr. Xiao Cheng Zeng became a chemistry professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1993, quickly rose through the ranks, and was in the department for 29 years. In 2022, he left to become head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the City University of Hong Kong. Xiao was born in Beijing and earned a bachelor’s in physics at the University of Beijing in 1984. Next, he traveled 6800 miles east to Ohio State University in Columbus where he earned his doctorate in condensed matter physics. He followed that up with two postdoctoral experiences, first at the University of Chicago and the second at the University of California Los Angeles. At UNL, Xiao’s lab carried out theoretical/ computational studies on a wide range of interesting solids, liquids, and gases.

Paul Olson, English Literature & Curricular Reform; Great Plains Studies

Prof. Paul Olson was born in 1932 in Washburn, Wisconsin. During his youth, his family also farmed in Nebraska and South Dakota. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. Next, he earned a master’s in English from the University of Nebraska, a Fulbright fellowship to spend a year at London University in England, and his doctorate in medieval and Renaissance studies from Princeton University in New Jersey. In 1957, he joined UNL as an assistant professor of English and was soon promoted to full professor. One of his earliest projects was to help English teachers across the state to reform their curricula. As a literary historian, he eventually published twelve books and many book chapters and articles on topics such as medieval literature, Plains and Indian literature, and English education reform. In 1976, Paul became founding director of the Center for Great Plains Studies, which is now celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Paul retired in 2006 and still lives in Lincoln, Nebraska.

David Forsythe, International Human Rights

Prof. David Forsythe was awarded the ORCA in 1982. He was born in North Carolina and earned a bachelor’s in political science from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem. Next, he earned a master’s and doctorate in Politics from Princeton University in New Jersey. In 1973, he joined UNL as an associate professor of political science and was soon promoted to full professor. In 1993, he became chair of his department and received the Charles J. Mach Distinguished Professorship of Political Science. He has authored, co-authored, or edited about 30 books on was International Human Rights, Law, and Politics, and has authored or co-authored dozens of journal articles in those same areas. He has been a visiting professor or lecturer at universities and organizations around the world. Dave was very active in the International Studies Association, in which he held several elected positions. Dave retired in 2010 and still lives in Lincoln, Nebraska.

David Hage, Drug-Protein Interactions

Prof. David Hage.was awarded the ORCA in 2018. He was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and earned a bachelor’s in chemistry at the University of Wisconsin in La Crosse. Next, he earned a doctorate from Iowa State University and did postdoctoral work at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. In 1989, he joined UNL as an assistant professor of chemistry and quickly rose through the ranks. He has won many awards and, for the past 13 years, has been the James Hewet University Professor of Chemistry. Allow me to share some remarkable facts about Dave before we get into the interview. One is that his lab found a way to make very small chromatography columns that could withstand very high pressures, which allows rapid analysis of a wide range of molecules. Another fact is that he has published over 365 peer-reviewed publications and that 10% of those papers have been cited more than 100 times. My third fact is that he has mentored over 77 graduate students who have received M.S. or PhD degrees, which places him among the most productive advisors in the department’s history. Since more than half his graduate students have been women, it also means he has mentored more women than any other.

Margaret Jacobs, History of Indigenous Child Removal

Dr. Margaret Jacobs was awarded the ORCA in 2021. She was born in San Pedro, California, but grew up in Colorado. Something in her youth must have sparked an interest in history because she earned a bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate in that subject with a focus on the interactions between Indigenous peoples and settlers. Her bachelor’s was from Stanford University in California, while her master’s and doctorate were from the University of California, Davis. After teaching history at New Mexico State University, she joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2004 as professor of history and director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program. She has been very successful. In 2019, she was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Also in 2019, she received a three-year grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to gather materials related to the Genoa Indian Industrial School and then partner with two others make the materials available in a culturally sensitive way. In 2020, she became the Director of the UNL Center for Great Plains Studies where she has found ways to explore Great Plains culture, and to develop meaningful relationships with Nebraska’s current and former American Indian populations.

Michael James, Quilted Fabric Construction Artist

Prof. Michael James was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Something in his youth must have sparked an interest in the arts because he earned a bachelor and master of fine arts, both with an emphasis on painting and printmaking. His bachelor’s was from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and his master’s was from the Rochester Institute of Technology. After graduation, he embarked on a 26-year career as an independent studio quilt designer and maker. His career took a new direction in Spring 2000 when he was a Visiting Lecturer in Textiles at his Dartmouth Alma Mater. In Fall 2000, he arrived at the UNL campus as a senior lecturer in the Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design. He quickly jumped to the tenure-track as a full professor and, soon thereafter, chair of his department. He’s had a remarkable career with dozens of solo exhibitions, with work in over 20 public collections including the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery. He retired in 2020 and has begun writing books.

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