Problems Of Recruiting Faculty and Developing Programs

Maintaining an adequate teaching staff became a greater problem in 1955. The College needed hire six faculty (four to replace faculty who had resigned, and two as additions to the staff). To maintain overall quality, the College withdrew several courses from its offerings. Regardless of problems relating to faculty retention, the remaining faculty established a new curriculum: Business Administration and Law. This new program permitted students to complete their fourth year at an accredited law school. This new program resulted from interest from accounting students who wished to combine accounting and law for tax work.

To assist students in preparing for more effective job interviews, the Gamma Eta chapter of the International Fraternity of Delta Sigma Pi, a professional business fraternity installed on campus in 1949, sponsored a series of lecture series, "Preparing for A Job Interview." About forty students attended. This professional fraternity was founded in 1907 at New York University, School of Commerce, Accounts and Finance. During 1970, the UNO chapter established a scholarship in honor of Dr. Wayne Higley, a professor of accounting and advisor to the fraternity. By the close of the 1970s a lack of student interest caused the chapter to cease its active status. However, a decision by the national fraternity to make the group coeducational brought about renewed student interest by UNO students in a professional fraternity In 1993, the UNO chapter applied to the national headquarters of the fraternity to resume its active status.

Secretarial Science became a department and Leta Holley was named Head of Department. To encourage women to enroll in either the secretarial science program, or the retailing program, women high school students received two promotional mailings during the year. The goal for the College was to increase the enrollment of women in the College of Business Administration. Phi Chi Theta is the women's business honorary. Its programs feature speakers and discussions to enhance members' knowledge of the business world. One program, "Today's Secretary" was especially popular and received strong support from the business community that sponsored attendance by their respective secretaries.

During the 1955-56 academic year, the College underwent several organizational changes that were approved by the Board of Regents. Dean Lucas reported that "The organization of an Accounting Department...was an excellent move for the functioning and prestige of our accounting area. Effective next semester, Miss Holley becomes head of the Secretarial Department.... As was true with Accounting, the establishment of a Secretarial Department gives recognition and prestige to the secretary and her work in business."