Hunter, Williams winners of Chancellor's 'Fulfilling the Dream' Awards

Amber Hunter, coordinator for multicultural student recruitment in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Office of Admissions, and Larry Williams, director of the Lincoln Commission on Human Rights and equal opportunity officer for the city of Lincoln, have been selected as the 2005 winners of the Chancellor's "Fulfilling the Dream" Awards at UNL.

The award was established in 1997 to honor individuals who have contributed to the UNL community or the wider Lincoln community by their exemplary action in promoting the goals and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Hunter and Williams will receive their awards from Chancellor Harvey Perlman in a Jan. 16 ceremony that kicks off the university's weeklong observation of the national holiday honoring King. The ceremony is free and open to the public and begins at 2 p.m. at the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center, 313 N. 13th St.

As coordinator for multicultural student recruitment the last two years, Hunter has had a dramatic impact upon the diversity of UNL's student body. The university experienced double-digit percentage increases in the number of new students of color enrolling each of the past three years and this year, for the first time ever, 10 percent of the of the entering freshman class were American students of color. Hunter's recruiting success is also reflected in the academic credentials of the students she has helped attract to UNL. In 2002, UNL had 47 African American, Hispanic and native American applicants with ACT scores of 25 and above. This year, more than 400 in that category applied. Hunter has also played a key leadership role in the Melvin Jones Scholars Learning Community, a unique residential learning community that has supported 67 students in its first two years. She is a 2001 graduate of the University of Kansas.

Williams oversees an enforcement agency charged with eliminating and preventing illegal discrimination and promoting opportunity. In that capacity, he has been credited with not only helping people who have faced discrimination, but has worked to help prevent discriminatory practices by hosting an annual conference that gives professionals an opportunity to learn more about how to prevent and confront different types of discrimination, educate themselves and others in areas of discrimination, and communicate with others regarding current situations and relevant issues. He is described by colleagues as a dedicated professional who had been instrumental in making Lincoln a better place to live. Williams, who has been in his present positions since 1999, graduated from Omaha Central High School, earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin and a law degree from UNL.

CONTACT: Tom Simons, University Communications, (402) 472-8514