Back to Nebraska's Changing Population The Brochure (PDF) Scholars Books NHC Speakers NHC Videos NHC Exhibit NHC Reading	The Good Life: Rural-Urban-Suburban   March 2007 Humanities Council seeks proposals for new initiative   "The old pastureland was now being broken up into wheatfields and cornfields, the red grass was disappearing, and the whole face of the country was changing. There were wooden houses where the old sod dwellings used to be, and little orchards, and big red barns; all this meant happy children, contented women, and men who saw their lives coming to a fortunate issue…The changes seemed beautiful and harmonious to me; it was like watching the growth of a great man or of a great idea." – Willa Cather, My Ántonia   The face of Nebraska continues to change, and the Nebraska Humanities Council encourages our citizens to explore Nebraska’s demographic shift from rural to urban to suburban, and is making grants available for the purpose of understanding these changes through public programs involving the humanities.    Humanities disciplines include history and the social sciences, literature and languages, philosophy, ethics and jurisprudence, religious and artistic traditions. All of these are essential to our fuller understanding of change.   Change brings new challenges to our communities—challenges that could divide us or, with help from insightful public programs, bring us new understanding and appreciation. With understanding and appreciation comes the opportunity to embrace change and welcome the best possible future for all Nebraskans.   Non-profit organizations are invited to submit proposals for humanities events and projects that examine the past, assess the present, and explore the future of rural, urban and suburban Nebraska.   Identity and sense of place   What does it mean for a state’s identity to change—for a state whose symbols have been “Cornhuskers” and “Beef State” to also be the home of five Fortune 500 corporations and suburban sprawl? How do metropolitan dwellers perceive themselves in a state known for its agricultural heritage? Do they feel they have more in common with their metro peers in other states or countries than with rural Nebraskans? Do people moving from rural to metropolitan areas suffer an identity crisis? How do people moving here from outside the state (including immigrants and refugees) identify with Nebraska? As downtown residential areas are developed, will people who live, work and play downtown become isolated from the rest of the city? If suburbanites no longer have personal or professional reasons to go east of 72nd Street or north of Pioneers Boulevard, do they still identify with the city as a whole? Have people realigned their allegiances to their school district, their neighborhood association, their church parish, or some other unit of community? What role do these associations play in establishing a sense of place? How can the humanities enhance the quality of life and the connection among individual members in these new communities?    Rural culture   Some cities, or metro neighborhoods, are complimentarily described as having a “small town feel.” How are values we associate with rural culture—a connection to the land, appreciation for diligence and hard work, and a sense of community, friendliness and safety—portable to contemporary, urban society? How have small towns been successful at incorporating the best of contemporary, urban society without sacrificing their rural qualities? One exception to declining rural population has been in those communities that have seen a substantial influx of immigrants and refugees. How has encouraging or discouraging immigration affected rural communities? The NHC encourages programs that explore what rural, suburban and urban Nebraska have in common and how these common themes can be used to link the three and strengthen the state as a whole.    Technology and Nebraska   Just as rural electrification opened vast stretches of Nebraska to the world, so the rapid advances today in communications technology, including the Internet, may increase the flexibility of where we can live in relation to where we work and where we learn. Many young people leave rural areas and small towns for educational and professional opportunities, leaving a growing proportion of aging residents who may feel isolated. How can technology and other resources encourage young people to choose the option of rural/small town life and reduce the sense of isolation? Will technology mean that families can return to rural communities but do work associated with metropolitan environments? How will technology change educational opportunities for rural Nebraskans? What role can transportation play? How important is access to overnight delivery services and air transportation in determining where we live and work? The NHC is especially interested in programs that explore the impact that technology will have on the connection between rural, urban and suburban Nebraska.       Resources and conflict   All communities share the need for access to resources as diverse as water, transportation, telecommunications, education, law enforcement, and health care. The old-west observation that “Liquor is for drinkin’ and water is for fightin’” is true again today in battles over that precious resource. Many Nebraskans see the stakes equally high in school re-districting, highway funding, and broadband access. Elders with no access to transportation, especially in rural areas, find themselves isolated. Many feel they have to move to metropolitan areas to be near health care resources. Increasing suburban sprawl requires a serious look at land-use planning to encourage wise use of resources, preserve the environment, reduce conflict and best serve all Nebraskans. The council encourages proposals for projects that will enhance public understanding and discussion of the underlying ethical, economic, social and political values shaping decisions we make to determine allocation of resources.   Grant policies   The NHC funds only public educational programs such as conferences, exhibits, workshops, films, reading and discussion programs, and humanities-focused seminars for professionals that will have significant public impact.   Proposals will be strengthened by: Using creative methods to bring groups together to facilitate understanding. Encouraging productive civic discussion of issues facing communities that will, in turn, help shape informed public policy. Involving elected or appointed officials in public policy discussions.  Planning for sustainability of the project beyond the period of the grant.  Addressing an audience that has been underserved by humanities programming. Application deadlines   Major Grants: March 1 and Aug. 1 Mini Grants ($1,500 ceiling): Jan. 1, March 1, May 1, July 1, Sept. 1, Nov. 1 Media, Website and Digital Grants: Jan. 15 and June 15   Grant policies and applications are available at www.nebraskahumanities.org. The NHC encourages interested non-profit organizations to contact Program Officer Mary Yager for advice as they develop a proposal. An organization that is submitting its first proposal to the NHC is urged to consult with Mary early in its proposal planning. She can be reached at mary@nebraskahumanities.org or 402-474-2131 ext. 103.   Resources are available to help you plan your project.  Please ask the council for the following, or consult the NHC website:   Humanities Resource Center resources, including speakers, cultural encounter trunks, and books for reading and discussion groups Bibliography and filmography Directory of scholars interested in working with you   Between Fences, a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition that uses the fence as a metaphor to explore settlement, community, and relationships, will tour seven Nebraska communities in 2007 and 2008. See the schedule at www.nebraskahumanities.org/programs/fences.html.   For grant policies and applications, click here. The NHC encourages interested non-profit organizations to contact an NHC program officer for advice as you develop your proposal. Organizations submitting their first proposal to the NHC are urged to consult with NHC staff early in planning. Contact them at 402-474-2131. top   Scholar consultants   The following scholars will serve as consultants for potential grantees in "The Good Life: Rural-Urban-Suburban" initiative. Their areas of expertise are listed below. Joe Blankenau, associate professor of political science, Wayne State College, 402-375-7541, JoBlank1@wsc.edu public policy   environmental and health policy minority health rural health Sara B. Crook, professor of political science/history, Peru State College, 402-872-2279, scrook@oakmail.peru.edu Nebraska history rural issues Karen Falconer Al-Hindi, associate professor of geography & women’s studies, University of Nebraska at Omaha, 402-554-3834, kfalconeralhindi@mail.unomaha.edu  urban and social geography feminism technology & society women’s telecommuting gender and work urban schools and urban planning James A. Garza, assistant professor of history and ethnic studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 402-472-3256, jgarza2@unl.edu  Mexican-American immigration to the Midwest Mexican-American history urban history   Carrie Gottschalk, instructor of sociology, Peru State College, 402-872-2387, cgottschalk@oakmail.peru.edu public education rural culture, issues, and planning Dan Holtz, professor of English, Peru State College, 402-872-2267, dholtz@oakmail.peru.edu Nebraska literature and writers folk music of the sod-house and settlement years Nebraska history Judith Lee Kissell, director, Health Administration and Policy Program, Creighton University, 402-280-5706, jkissell@creighton.edu  health care in urban and rural areas health care for different populations health disparities James Knotwell, assistant professor of history, politics and geography, Wayne State College, 402-375-7299, jaknotw1@wsc.edu  human-environment economic and ecologic maturity rural-urban transformation, both cultural and physical how land use intentions affect cultural identities Jeremy Harris Lipschultz, director, School of Communications, University of Nebraska at Omaha, 402-554-2600, jlipschultz@mail.unomaha.edu urban sociology as it relates to media use cable news and neighborhood-level projects Mike Marek, Department of Communication Arts, Wayne State College, 402-375-7421, mimarek1@wsc.edu  technology developing relationships with constituents via the Internet distance learning Gary Marshall, associate professor of public administration, University of Nebraska at Omaha, 402-554-2962, gmarshal@mail.unomaha.edu  identity and culture David J. Peters, assistant professor of agricultural economics, University of Nebraska—Lincoln, 402-472-2336, dpeters2@unl.edu  sociology of agriculture economic sociology poverty globalization postmodernism/postindustrialism community change William G. Thomas III, John and Catherine Angle Professor in the Humanities University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 402-472-8318, wthomas4@unl.edu  railroads and railroad development in the 19th century race and segregation in the American South   top   Books    "Black Elk Speaks" as told by John G. Neihardt   "The Blizzard Voices" by Ted Kooser   "The Ceremony" by Weldon Kees   "Eventide" by Kent Haruf   "Giants in the Earth" by O.E. Rolvaag   "Government in the Countryside: Politics and Policy in Rural Areas," edited by Gary Aguiar   "Great Plains" by Ian Frazier   "The Home Place" by Wright Morris   "Impertinences: Selected Writings of Elia Peattie, a Journalist in the Gilded Age," edited and with a biography by Susanne George Bloomfield   "Local Wonders: Seasons in the Bohemian Alps" by Ted Kooser   "My Ántonia" by Willa Cather   "Nebraska: An Illustrated History" by Frederick Luebke   "O Pioneers" by Willa Cather   "Old Jules" by Mari Sandoz   "Once Upon a Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen" by Bob Greene   "Plainsong" by Kent Haruf   "Riding the White Horse Home: A Western Family Album" by Teresa Jordan   "Shingling the Fog and Other Plains Lies" by Roger Welsch   "Solomon D. Butcher: Photographing the American Dream" by John E. Carter   "This House of Sky" by Ivan Doig   "A Thousand Acres" by Jane Smiley   "The Tie That Binds" by Kent Haruf   "Uncommon Carriers" by John McPhee   "Weather Central" by Ted Kooser   "A White Bird Flying" by Bess Streeter Aldrich   top
Speakers Bureau	Speakers Bureau Programs   “Changing Attitudes in Nebraska’s Public Policy for Those in Need” by Senator Lowen Kruse   “Country Tales and Truths” by Richard Kimbrough   “Daniel Freeman:  America’s First Homesteader” by Darrel Draper   “Fencing, the Windmill and the Still Plow” by Warren Rodgers   “The Last Season” by John Wunder   “Lincoln’s Diverse Past” by Ed Zimmer   “Lincoln’s Historic Neighborhoods” by Ed Zimmer   “Nebraska Farm Families During the Depression” by Dorothy Rieke   “Nebraska History in Cemeteries” by Winfield Delle   “The Role of the Church and School in Rural Nebraska” by Paul V. Campbell   “Sandhills Song” by Otto Rosfeld   “Small-Town Life Through the Eyes of a Nebraska Writer” by Nancy Johnson   “Treading Lightly or Stomping” by Otto Rosfeld   top
Videos	NHC Video Collections    "Blue Train: Making History Dance," 29 minutes, a dance performance tells the story of the influence of the railroads on the development of Lincoln   "Farming in Western Nebraska: 1938-1945," 60 minutes, portrait of farming in western Nebraska   "The Fate of the Plains," 57 minutes, looks at the future of the Plains region and its people   "If These Walls Could Speak," 118 minutes, tells the story of Omaha’s first 100 years with a focus on its historic buildings and those who created them   "Last of the One Room Schools," 120 minutes, a year in the life of the children of Burr Oak School   "The Platte River Road," 60 minutes, explores historic and more recent issues affecting the Platte Valley including water use and rights, shifting populations and economic development   "The Politics of Water," 58 minutes, explores the ownership of America’s water and future implications, including Colorado’s Two Forks Dam Project and the Ogallala Aquifer   "Sandhills Album," 60 minutes, an exploration of the lives of northwest Nebraska residents from frontier times to the 1980s   "A Sandhills Story," 60 minutes, history and modern family ranch culture of the Sandhills, including quality of life issues in sparsely populated places   top
Exhibits	NHC Exhibit   "Diversity Endangered" explores biological diversity in an age of high technology, deforestation and pollution. 15 posters. Contact Pat Maas at 402-894-6056 or pmaas@mpsomaha.org.   top
Reading and Discussion	NHC Reading and Discussion   The American Plains series focuses on a sense of place and the challenges facing those who came to live on the Great Plains: Native Americans, European-American settlers, and those who followed. The books in this series explore our relationship to place, our expectations and our responsibilities.   "Black Elk Speaks" as told by John G. Neihardt   "The Ceremony" by Weldon Kees   "Giants in the Earth" by O.E. Rolvaag   "The Home Place" by Wright Morris   "My Antonia" by Willa Cather   "O Pioneers" by Willa Cather   "Old Jules" by Mari Sandoz   "Shingling the Fog and Other Plains Lies" by Roger Welsch   "This House of Sky" by Ivan Doig   "A White Bird Flying" by Bess Streeter Aldrich   top

For more information, contact the Nebraska Humanities Council. Phone 402-474-2131 or e-mail nhc@nebraskahumanities.org

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