college briefs Norbert Mahnken 1915 – 2004 Norbert Mahnken, a native Nebraskan, made Oklahoma his home and became a student of the state’s history when he joined the OSU faculty in 1947. During his 36-year tenure as professor of history, Mahnken developed and coordinated OSU’s social sciences general course and served as director of general education courses and social sciences from 1954 to 1966. As a specialist in Oklahoma history, Mahnken authored numerous historical articles published in the Chronicles of Oklahoma. From his retirement in 1983 until his death in 2004, Mahnken remained an active public historian recording area history and documenting historical sites as well as teaching in the Elderhostel program. He also belonged to the Oklahoma State Historical Society, the Payne County Historical Society and the Pleasant Valley School Association. Mahnken attended St. John’s Lutheran College in Winfield and Concordia Theological Seminary in St. Louis and received a bachelor’s degree from Southwestern College. He earned his master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Nebraska. A World War II veteran, Mahnken served in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1945 and taught at Bethany College in Lindsborg from 1945 until he began his OSU career. Eileen mustain Alumnus Named President of William and Mary Gene R. Nichol, who became the 26th president of the College of William and Mary in July, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from OSU in 1972. His days at OSU, where he also played quarterback for the Cowboys in 1971-1972, are only the beginning of an illustrious career, according to the William and Mary News. Brief Courses Win Big Honor A popular Arts and Sciences program that helps students earn a few credit hours during the winter break is now garnering national attention. The Association for Continuing Higher Education named “December Short Courses” as an outstanding credit-course program. By earning the national award, Arts and Sciences Outreach will receive the Region VIII Exceptional Program Award. “December Short Courses” is a 10-day program offered between the fall and spring semesters during the winter intersession. The program features a variety of A&S courses. Beginning in 1997 with three courses and an enrollment of 84 students, the program has seen explosive growth with 429 students and 11 courses by December 2004. The program is in such demand that student inquiries begin four months in advance. Angie Kelly, program coordinator for A&S Outreach and author of the winning proposal, says the program is well-liked because it’s flexible and is successful because of motivated students and supportive faculty members. Alanna Bradley Norbert Mahnken Nichol graduated from the University of Texas Law School in 1976. He served at William and Mary from 1985 to 1988 as Cutler Professor of Constitutional Law and director of the Institute of Bill of Rights Law and was named law dean at Chapel Hill in 1999. Prior to that, he served as professor and dean at the University of Colorado Law School. He has taught courses on constitutional law, federal courts, political reform and civil rights. He has also taught at the universities of Oxford and Exeter in the United Kingdom, and at the law school of West Virginia University, where he was a threetime winner of the Posten Faculty Research Award. Nichol has served as a member of the Colorado Bar Association’s board of governors and the Colorado Reapportionment Commission, and as chair of the Governor’s Bipartisan Commission on Campaign Finance Reform (Colorado) and a task force on the quality of justice established by the Colorado Supreme Court. He also was named special master by a three-judge federal court in Martinez v. Romer to resolve a dispute between the governor and legislature over the drawing of federal congressional districts. www.wm.edu College of Arts and Sciences 26
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