Nebraska Alumni Association announces Red Gala awards

A U.S. Senator, an Omaha educator, The Gallup Organization and several students will be honored by the Nebraska Alumni Association at the third annual RED Gala Jan. 19 in Omaha.

The formal dinner and auction event, developed by the Nebraska Alumni Association with the assistance of university administrators, alumni and friends, generates additional scholarship dollars to help high school scholars realize their educational dreams. Honorary chairs of the 2007 RED Gala are Lincoln attorneys Bill Mueller and Kim Robak.

Awards to be presented include the Founder's Medallion, for bringing great recognition to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; the Educational Achievement Award, for a Nebraska-trained educator who has been integral in encouraging Nebraska's youth to work hard and focus on their future; the Educational Service Award, for a Nebraska-based business or businessperson who has provided support, time and dedication to alumni programs and activities at UNL; and the Undergraduate Achievement Award, for a student who has excelled in the classroom as well as in their involvement on campus. The three newest recipients of the RED Scholars Fund scholarship will also be recognized.

The Founder's Medallion goes to U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson. He obtained three degrees from UNL -- an undergraduate degree in 1963, a master's degree in 1965 and a juris doctorate in 1970 -- and went on to serve as CEO of the Central National Insurance Group, as chief of staff and executive vice president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and as director of the Nebraska Department of Insurance. Nelson, a native of McCook, was governor of Nebraska for eight years and was elected to the Senate in 2000 and 2006. He has served on various committees, including the Senate Agricultural Committee, and has been named the co-chair of numerous committees including the High Tech Working Group. He was named the co-vice chair of the Senate Centrist Coalition in 2005.

Don Benning, part-time coordinator of urban education and senior lecturer in educational administration in the College of Education and Human Sciences, is the recipient of the Educational Achievement Award. A UNL and University of Nebraska at Omaha graduate, Benning also has served as an assistant principal and assistant superintendent for the Omaha Public Schools and as UNO's first full-time African-American faculty member and as UNO's wresting coach was the nation's first black head coach at a predominately white university. Most recently, Benning was identified as "one of 700 famous Nebraskans" by the Nebraska State Education Association.

The Educational Service Award will be presented to The Gallup Organization and its chairman, Jim Clifton. The Gallup Organization has continued to grow and have an impact on the world and the state of Nebraska. A partnership between the University of Nebraska and Gallup led to the formation of the Gallup Leadership Institute at the College of Business Administration in 2004. Additionally, the UNL Gallup Research Center coordinates the UNL Survey Research and Methodology Program, with Gallup providing office space and graduate assistantships for promising applicants to the Survey Research and Methodology Program's master's degree program.

Jill Rosno, a senior from Lincoln majoring in biopsychology, will receive the Undergraduate Achievement Award. She is president of the Black Masque Chapter of Mortar Board and speaker of the senate for the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska. Last summer Rosno participated in a medical mission trip to Dumaguete City, Philippines. She is working on a Undergraduate Creative Activities and Research Experiences research grant project and tutoring students at Belmont Elementary School in Lincoln.

Recipients of the RED Scholars Fund scholarships are Adam Haynes, a senior at Papillion-LaVista High School; Brett Rudolph, a senior at Gothenburg High School; and Kelly Samson, a senior at V.J. and Angela Skutt Catholic High School in Omaha.

More information on the RED Gala is available on the Nebraska Alumni Association Web site, www.huskeralum.com.

CONTACT: Andrea Cranford, Chief Communications Officer, Nebraska Alumni Association, (402) 472-4229