The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's much-loved educational speaker program continued into its 12th year earlier this September.
The UNL Speakers Bureau is a program that brings in speakers to talk to high school students and civic members about certain topics.
Barbara Bowers, the coordinator of the bureau, said this past year alone the bureau has had 107 presentations across Nebraska, and those messages reached over 4,200 citizens.
"It all started 12 years ago … the chancellor at the time started it because there were so many on campus with expertise, and the chancellor believed it would be a good idea to share it with the rest of the state," Bowers said.
Giacomo Oliva, the dean of the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts at UNL, said the bureau has matured as it has gone along.
"It helps continue to promote the idea of service in the community," Oliva said. "It's more likely to be a successful operation with experience."
The bureau is reinforced thanks in part to Bowers, who said that many of the "veteran speakers" are back this year with new topics.
Oliva said the bureau is strongly encouraged to continue growing because of its popularity with Nebraskans.
A few of the speakers and their topics include Bob Diffendal, a UNL professor emeritus with the Conservation and Survey Division in the School of Natural Resources who will be presenting several lectures on the geological times of explorers Lewis and Clark.
Deanna Eversoll, the director of the Osher Learning Grant at the College of Education and Human Sciences, will be speaking at "Lifelong Learning: Create A Health Club for Your Mind" and "UNL's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute."
A full schedule can be found at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute homepage, http://manila.unl.edu/olli/.
"People want us to do it … they appreciate it, and they value it," Oliva said. "It's a big plus for the university because it puts us in a more positive light."
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