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Honors Colleges In The 21st Century, Richard Badenhausen

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction | Richard Badenhausen

Part I: Honors College Contexts: Past and Present

CHAPTER ONE Oxbridge and Core Curricula: Continuing Conversations with the Past in Honors Colleges | Christopher A. Snyder

CHAPTER TWO Characteristics of the 21st-Century Honors College | Andrew J. Cognard-Black and Patricia J. Smith

Part II: Transitioning to an Honors College

CHAPTER THREE Should We Start an Honors College? An Administrative Playbook for Working Through the Decision | Richard Badenhausen

CHAPTER FOUR Beyond the Letterhead: A Tactical Toolbox for Transitioning from Program to College | Sara Hottinger, Megan McIlreavy, Clay Motley, and Louis Keiner …

Advising For Today's Honor Students, Erin E. Edgington

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs

Introduction: The Elective System, Honors Degrees, and Academic Advising, Erin E. Edgington

Part I: Theoretical and Philosophical Approaches

Chapter 1: How Honors Advising Is Different, Philip L. Frana

Chapter 2: Advising with Purpose: Utilizing the Motivation for College Success Model, Stephanie Veltman Santarosa

Chapter 3: Motivation in Honors Advising, Matthew T. Best, Kenneth E. Barron, Jared Diener, and Philip L. Frana

Chapter 4: Advising Honors Students: Motivational Interviewing as a Tool for Identity Building and Development, Chelsea McKeirnan

Chapter 5: Intellectual Humility, Honors, and Appreciative Advising: Exploring with Students that Changing Their Mind Does Not End the World, Alan Sells …

The Impact Of The Belgian Colonization In The Democratic Republic Of Congo, Priscilla Lebesse

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The “Belgian Congo” is a country full of rich minerals, land, and agriculture. The same country that has never fully healed from the enslavement of its own people in their protected homes. The Belgian colonization of the Democratic Republic of Congo orchestrated by King Leopold II, has had a lasting impact on the country. Hindering its future advancements even after the departure of King Leopold II. This paper aims to analyze the lasting impact of the Belgian colonization in the DRC. In terms of the country’s economy, and overall culture. What is the DRC today? Through peer review articles and …

Gendered Leadership: Men And Women Governor’S Responses To Covid-19, Kate Gaulke

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

To alleviate a large-scale crisis, leaders have to choose mitigation strategies to best address the issue at hand while also avoiding the spread of panic among their constituents. This balancing act can be challenging and was especially demanding during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic was not only a global health crisis, but also caused worldwide social, economic, and political turmoil. For three years, the pandemic riddled the United States with disease, economic hardship, food insecurity, and unemployment. Since its rise, COVID-19 has been the foremost concern on policy agendas nationwide. Governors, in particular, played a significant part in leading …

Utilizing Markov Chains To Estimate Allele Progression Through Generations, Ronit Gandhi

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

All populations display patterns in allele frequencies over time. Some alleles cease to exist, while some grow to become the norm. These frequencies can shift or stay constant based on the conditions the population lives in. If in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the allele frequencies stay constant. Most populations, however, have bias from environmental factors, sexual preferences, other organisms, etc. We propose a stochastic Markov chain model to study allele progression across generations. In such a model, the allele frequencies in the next generation depend only on the frequencies in the current one.

We use this model to track a recessive allele …

Economic And Input-Use Efficiency Of Nitrogen Management Techniques In Non-Irrigated Maize Production, Katie J. Bathke

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The efficiency of nitrogen (N) management has become a main concern in agricultural cropping systems for understanding the optimal N rate to help producers improve economically and reduce the exhaustion of natural resources environmentally. Nitrogen rates vary both temporally and spatially by the interactions of the soil environment and rainfall through a growing season. Thus, a site-specific approach can further optimize this variability with the understanding of the role soil variability plays in the N rate applied to a non-irrigated field. The objective of this study was to evaluate the various nitrogen treatments for their nutrient use efficiency and economic …

Walt Disney Theme Park Strategic Audit, Joseph Peraino

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Walt Disney theme parks are a part of the Theme parks, Resorts, and Cruise line sector of The Walt Disney Company. Despite many world changes to its environment throughout the years, Disney has remained one of the leaders in the entertainment industry. This Strategic audit will use PESTEL and Porter’s Five Forces to analyze the industry as a framework to understand how Disney can remain a strong competitor in its changing environment and industry.

Airbnb Strategic Audit, Payton Hanson

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Airbnb is the global leader in online vacation rental marketplaces. The company works as an intermediary to connect travelers to property hosts for short-term stays. This strategic audit serves to evaluate the company’s internal and external environment, its recent financial performance, and its current strategy to understand its sustainable competitive advantages in the Bed and Breakfast and Hostel Accommodations industry and as a substitute to traditional hotels. This evaluation is conducted using the Porter’s Five Forces and PESTE analyses. Using the information from these tools, strategic recommendations are given for Airbnb.

Fedex Ground Strategic Audit, Samantha Gates

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

FedEx Ground is an operating segment of the parcel carrier giant FedEx Inc. The company, known for shipping products via delivery truck, has remained one of the largest parcel carriers in the country, despite drastic changes in its environment. This report seeks to understand the changing operating environment of FedEx Ground, its competitive advantages, and the future challenges it may face. The analysis uses PESTEL and Porter's Five Forces analyses to evaluate the changing external environment and industry FedEx Ground operates in. Additionally, challenges and recommendations are offered to navigate the future of this company.

Workiva Strategic Audit, Rose Pilakowski

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Workiva is a software development company that simplifies complex reports for companies in over 180 countries around the world. Within a controlled, secure, audit-ready platform, Workiva customers connect critical business data directly with their source systems. This paper will analyze Workiva to help understand how it utilizes its platform to gain and sustain competitive advantages in the software and accounting environments. After completing an analysis of Workiva and its industry, I found that Workiva currently sits at an advantageous position in relation to its competitors, but still has room to grow in holding the lead above them.

Northwestern Mutual Strategic Audit, Eleazar Oceguera

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Northwestern Mutual is one of the largest financial advising firms in the US. It provides holistic financial advising, which includes life insurance, investments, and retirement planning. It is the largest life insurance provider and is top ten in investment planning. This report investigates the internal and external analysis of Northwestern Mutual business models and the strategies it has incorporated to sustain a competitive advantage in the constantly evolving wealth management sector. This report explicitly focuses on the life insurance sector of the business. There are two main tools used to analyze the external environment are Porter's Five Forces and the …

Launching An Online Boutique And Analyzing Digital Marketing Strategies Used, Kayla Weyers

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Digital marketing is becoming more relevant and widely used in the marketing industry. In order to use the marketing skills that I have learned through my marketing major in a real-world scenario, I launched an online women’s clothing store called Ash + Grae. This paper examines the start-up process and legal obstacles of opening a small business. It also analyzes the different marketing techniques by comparing digital marketing strategies such as social media, influencer, email, and SEO marketing.

Exploring Mortgage Loan Opportunities For Native 360, Donald Nam, Brooks Douglass, Michael Buehre Stackpole, Broderick Diez

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Native 360 is a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that aims to provide affordable capital, credit, and assistance to develop strong and self-sufficient Native Americans. Native 360 currently accomplishes this by specializing in providing personal and business loans. However, Native 360 would like to expand into home mortgages as an additional offering. Native 360 has reached out to us to have us develop a strategy to raise capital for their ambitious new business line in an attempt to strengthen the Native American community through home ownership.

Northern Natural Gas Company Strategic Audit, Morgan Reinecke

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Northern Natural Gas Company is a natural gas interstate pipeline company owned by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. A strategic audit of the company was conducted by analyzing external and internal factors affecting the future of the company. The transportation industry macro environment was assessed using PESTEL analysis. The competitive environment of the industry was evaluated using Porter’s Five Forces. Northern Natural Gas Company differentiates itself from competitors by its position in the market and its competitive advantages of having an extensive pipeline network, a reputation for reliability, and high-quality customer service. To maintain a sustainable competitive advantage, Northern Natural Gas Company …

Takeda Pharmaceutical Rare Hematology Strategic Audit, Brian Duval

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company is a large Japanese-based multinational pharmaceutical company that manufactures treatments for many different diseases. It is the largest pharmaceutical company in Asia and has a significant share in markets across the world. This report focuses specifically on Takeda’s treatments for rare bleeding disorders under its Rare Diseases & Hematology division. Using internal and external analysis tools, this report seeks to understand how Takeda has created and sustained competitive advantages in the complex environment of the pharmaceutical industry. Specific tools used to highlight this include Porter’s Five Forces and PESTEL analyses. This report also examines the environment surrounding …

Who Fears Strangers And Spiders: Political Ideology And Feeling Threatened, Thomas Lukaszewicz

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

In this study, I evaluated the correlations between threat sensitivities and political ideology. Two hypotheses were tested. First, I hypothesized that conservatives would have higher social threat sensitivity than liberals, with social threat defined as a threat dependent on outgroup or social actions (Barclay & Benard, 2020). Second, I hypothesized that conservatives would have higher disgust sensitivity than liberals. To test these and related hypotheses I used a 2018 Qualtrics national demographically representative sample that included 1031 participants. To operationalize threat sensitivity, I used items asking participants to rate how threatened they felt by various fears. These individual items were …

Safety In Policy: An Assessment Of The Utilization And Perceived Efficacy Of Sex Offender Legislation, Morgan Graham

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Current sex offender legislation in the United States is the result of a number of laws passed during the 1980-1990s. This study evaluates the efficacy and perception of these laws in Nebraska, including registration, community notification, and housing restriction policies. Using data from the Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey (NASIS), 1,814 people from 2008 and 1,232 people from 2017 were examined to determine the efficacy and popularity of sex offender legislation and how the data has changed over time. Results showed that only a minority of Nebraskans have accessed the registry. Of those who checked, women and individuals with children …

The Impact Of The Inclusion Of Grains In A Canine Diet On The Animal's Overall Health, Rachel Bruner

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The objective of this senior project was to examine the impacts that grains in a canine diet have on the overall health of the animal. Specifically, there was a focus on the nutritional attributes of grains, potential concerns regarding their inclusion in foods, misconceptions from consumers about grains in pet food, and alternatives to grains used in some diet formulations. The method of research for this project was a literature review. Scholarly articles focused on the various subtopics which helped to answer the research question were reviewed and included throughout the following discussion. Ultimately, the review of various literature resulted …

A Strategic Audit Of Hasbro, William Weiner, Amanda Fuechtmann, Avery Smith, Michaela Webb, Zach Buhman

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This strategic audit dives into ten components of Hasbro’s strategic management. The first component discusses Hasbro’s history and current strategic leadership. This is followed by an analysis of the impacts of its external and internal environment. Next, the audit examines Hasbro’s recent performance and competition it faces in the Toy Wholesaling industry. The sixth, seventh, and eighth components consider different levels of strategy that Hasbro pursues. Lastly, the strategic audit considers Hasbro’s corporate governance and its organizational structure and controls.

Overall, we conclude that Hasbro is a mature company in a slow-growing industry. Its ability to translate its iconic and …

Executive Functioning In Language Learning Disabilities: Defining Executive Functioning, Executive Functioning Deficits, And Clinical Intervention Strategies To Support Children, Kaylie Trumble

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This thesis aims to select a working definition of executive functioning (EF) to identify possible EF deficits and clinical interventions strategies to support children. Included are EF deficits, ways of assessing EF components, and intervention strategies for executive dysfunction in LLD. Scenarios are provided to demonstrate both matching strategies to a child and strength/deficit in EF, along with a sample intervention script.

Stress Arising From The Covid-19 Pandemic: Impacts On Coparenting Quality And Child Internalizing And Externalizing Problems, Michelle R. Ebrahim

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Since emerging in late 2019, the highly contagious coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has caused worldwide disruptions, with major shutdowns in school, work, and other aspects of life. These stressors uniquely impacted families with young children. The present study investigated the impact of the pandemic on family functioning and risk for child internalizing and externalizing problems during the first year after the pandemic. The study included three waves of data collection from a larger longitudinal study aimed at understanding how couples navigate the prenatal-postpartum transition and the impacts of the family on early child development. We found that family pandemic-related stress was …

Intestinal Parasite Prevalence In Fecal Samples In Nebraska Dog Parks, Kristianna Muller

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

From February to April 2022, fecal samples were collected from eight dog parks in the Omaha and Lincoln, NE areas. A total of 160 samples were collected and assessed for the presence of intestinal parasites. The zinc sulfate double centrifugal flotation technique was used to determine infection. Out of the 160 samples, ten were positive for parasite contamination (6.25% prevalence). The most observed parasites were hookworms, found in 3.75% of all samples (6/160). Cystoisospora, Giardia, Toxocara canis, and Toxascaris leonina were all found only once, for a prevalence of 0.625% each. Compared to other studies, our infection …

Real Time Call-Flagging System To Respond To Suicidal Ideation In Call Centers, Vishnu Menon, Joseph Carrigan, Charles Floeder, Thomas Walton, Devin Mcguire

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The 2021-2022 Signature Performance Design Studio team developed a live audio call-flagging system that enables faster responses and new response pathways to veteran crises by call service representatives and their management team. Using a custom made deep learning model, live audio streaming server, and Teams broadcasting add-on, the system empowers Signature Performance call service representatives to make quicker and more well informed decisions to provide veteran’s the best care possible.

Analysis Of The Effectiveness Of Different Techniques For Creating Cross-Platform Compatible Software, Michael Westberg

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Creating cross-platform compatible software is a major issue in a world where users utilize a variety of devices and platforms. To ensure that a piece of software is accessible to as many users as possible, software must be cross-platform compatible. There are four main approaches that can be done to achieve this state of being cross-platform compatible, each with both advantages and disadvantages. These methods are: creating the software as separate binaries, using a scripting language with a cross-platform interpreter, compiling to an intermediate language, and creating the software as a web application. This paper will discuss how each of …

Evaluation Of Selected Computer Software For Concussion Recovery And Diagnosis, J.P. Jensen

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Acquired traumatic brain injuries, such as concussions, impact many athletes participating in sports, particularly at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. The risks posed by concussions – particularly when an athlete suffers repeated injuries – demands that protocols and tools be developed to maximize athlete health and safety. Computer technology can perform critical roles in the analysis and management of concussions. While specialized devices in the areas of imaging and impact sensing, are most associated with concussion management, researchers within the last two decades have increasingly explored the incorporation of various consumer technologies into the identification and treatment of …

A Strategic Audit Of Seaworld, Jaden Capaldi, Rachel Jendro, Jacob Mir, Sophie Newman, Tommy Wolfe

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

No abstract provided.

Nelnet: Potential Entrance Into An Emerging Market Nelnet: Potential Entrance Into An Emerging Market, Gage Randall, Landon Kennedy, Marcus Kennedy, Alex Botkin, Ben Samway

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Nelnet, Inc. (Nelnet) approached the Nebraska Business Honors Academy seeking assistance researching a potential new business venture. Our group explored opportunities in the market Nelnet is considering entering, examined various types of innovation, and engaged in the creative design thinking process. To form the basis of our recommendation, we met with professionals in the related industry, Nelnet employees, and faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Our final task involved recording a presentation on our recommendation to Nelnet concerning this new business opportunity, accompanied by a final report summarizing our proposal. Through this project, we learned how to develop innovative ideas …

The Impact Of China's Environmental And Trade Policies On U.S. Plastic And Paper Waste Exports, Savant Nzayiramya, John C. Beghin

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This article documents major environmental and trade policy changes in China and their impact on plastic and paper waste trade between the U.S. and China and other trade partners. The article explains how U.S. plastic waste exports have been nearly annihilated by these policies. Paper waste trade is more resilient and has survived the policy shifts in China, although quite diminished.

Redfin Strategic Analysis, Steffanie Hitz

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

No abstract provided.