Inaugural Public Service award issued
The UNO Alumni Association issued the inaugural Public Service Award to Senator Rick Kolowski during the fifth annual UNO Alumni Night of Honor at the Thompson Alumni Center Oct. 23, 2018.
Sponsored by First Data Resources, Alumni Night of Honor celebrates achievements by members of the worldwide UNO alumni network, now numbering more than 110,000 living graduates. Other award recipients also were honored during the evening.
The inaugural Alumni Public Service Award recognizes UNO alumni who have a record of outstanding public service benefiting the advancement of the university and higher education in general.
Senator Rick Kolowski
Senator Kolowski was elected to the Nebraska Legislature in 2012 and re-elected in 2016 representing District 31 in southwest Omaha. He serves on the Education, Natural Resources and State Retirement Systems Legislative Committees. He was elected vice chairman of the Education Committee in 2015 and again in 2017. In 2013, he was appointed to a six-year term with the Midwestern Higher Education Compact and a four-year term with the Council of State Government’s Education Public Policy Committee.
Kolowski was the founding principal of Millard West High School in 1993, serving until his retirement in 2008 after 41 years in public education. His community service includes leadership positions with the Phi Delta Kappa Education Foundation and the Learning Community Coordinating Council of Douglas and Sarpy Counties. Kolowski served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve from 1964-1967. He earned his MS in history/secondary education from UNO (1970) and his Ph.D. in secondary education from UNL (1978).