by Molly Chapple
Rick Alloway, broadcasting professor at the College of Journalism and Mass Communications, was recently awarded his 25th Parents’ Recognition Award. Professor Donald Lee, from the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, also received his 25th award. They set a record for the number of times a University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty members has won that recognition.
The Parents' Recognition Award annually recognizes faculty and staff who have made a significant difference in students' lives. The Parents Association solicits nominations through an annual mailing, asking parents to nominate a faculty or staff member. Nominations include a short explanation of why this person was nominated.
The award was founded 30 years ago, just one year after Alloway began teaching at the CoJMC. Alloway said it feels humbling to receive so many awards over his span of teaching.
“Faculty and staff have no way to lobby for the awards,” he said. “They can only do a good job teaching. It’s humbling because those efforts have resonated with somebody.”
A full-time faculty member since 1986, Alloway began his teaching career at University of Nebraska–Lincoln as an adjunct professor in broadcasting courses in the late 1970s. He taught the college’s sports broadcasting course for 30 years, manages the student sports staff and student play-by-play broadcasts for 90.3 KRNU, coordinates student announcing positions for the Big Ten Network’s “BTN Student U” webcasts and was a member of the steering committee that developed the college’s new major in Sports Media and Communication. In addition, he is the general manager for the university's 90.3 KRNU FM radio station and KRNU2 webstream.
The best piece of teaching advice Alloway says he has ever received is to focus on serving your students first.
“Make your time spent with students the most important part of your day,” Alloway said. “Administrative work is important, and that will get done. But first and foremost, we’re here for our clients. And our clients are our students.”
Recipients of the Parents’ Recognition Awards were recognized during a ceremony on Friday, Feb. 2, 2018, at the Nebraska Union.
