2014 Alan R. Moeller

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a great honor and privilege for me to make a few comments this evening as a tribute to my good friend and colleague of 37 years- Alan Moeller. We are here this evening to celebrate and recognize his being selected as one of two Nebraska Hall of Agriculture Achievement Honorees for 2014.

Throughout his career, Alan has been known for many excellent attributes, but some of these that really stand out for most of us are his work ethic, integrity, dedication, cooperative attitude and outstanding service for those whom he served within both the University and the agricultural industry. These traits along with his numerous important contributions make him a most deserving recipient of this high honor.

On a personal note, I would indicate that other than my family, there are only a few individual colleagues, friends or associates that I have known and/or worked with over the years that have had as much impact on me as has Alan Moeller. Alan, for all of the assistance, advice and counsel that you have given me through the years, I am most grateful. Thank you. And to you, Lana, we know that behind every high performing person, like Alan, there is another outstanding support person who helps and is very important to their success. Thank you very much for being that person.

I am happy to say that I had the good fortune of hiring Alan for his first position in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR) at the University. As I have indicated to some of you before, when Alan was hired, he was working for the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the Nebraska Legislature- Senator Jerry Warner. I have to admit that I was a little nervous when it came time for me to call his references. What would be the reaction of Senator Warner when he learned that we were considering hiring his primary aide when he was the one who held the purse strings for the University's appropriation? Finally, I gained the courage to call the Senator. He was very professional about it, gave Alan a high recommendation and was quite helpful as we continued to negotiate with Alan.

Perhaps, many of you in the audience know Alan personally and about his great work for the University, but others of you may not. Therefore, I shall share some of those accomplishments with you at this time. I could take the remainder of the entire evening lamenting on Alan's contributions, but Dr. Nelson informed me that we needed to share the time with the recognition of Dr. Taylor.

I can emphatically state that Alan Moeller is one of a kind. He is a Nebraskan through and through- born, reared and educated in this state. He has also worked in Nebraska during his entire professional career. After completing his Master's Degree in Agricultural Economics here at the University, he worked for Cargill, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the Nebraska Legislature before returning to the University.

Alan began working for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources in July of 1977 and completed his professional career here in June of 2013. He served five of the first six vice chancellors of the Institute. I can report that each and every one of these individuals had nothing but the highest respect and admiration for Alan and his performance. When you can please and win high praise from five independent, hardworking, and busy individuals who were serving as vice chancellors and your supervisors that is no small accomplishment within itself. None of these individuals ever had reason to question his thoughtful analysis of any financial, budgetary or personnel issue when he made a recommendation. IANR has an outstanding reputation for responsible financial and budgetary matters, and Alan is primarily responsible for that fact. He clearly won the respect and trust of others because of his unwavering integrity and objective analysis.

Alan has been the continuity and memory bank for the Institute during his three and one­ half decades of service, as well as a significant player in the many enhancements and achievements. He was instrumental in establishing many of the business and personnel policies that are still in effect in the Institute today. For example, he provided the leadership and direction for the creation of the business centers within IANR which serve the various units with specialized teams. These talented and skilled people who work in these centers provide some of the best support services found anywhere in the University of Nebraska. Also, he promoted Total Quality and Performance Management fundamentals for the business and management offices of IANR.

Alan had such an excellent understanding of Nebraska agriculture and the University that he served as the University's primary contact person for state senators and other government officials for agriculture, natural resources and related areas. He was definitely the "go to" person and face of the Institute. If you needed or wanted information, you would contact Alan.

Alan was so trustworthy and dependable that he was able to convince the Nebraska Legislature to provide funding for a number of capital projects, some of which would probably not have happened without his friendly persuasion. These projects included the Beadle Center, Food Industry Complex, Great Plains Veterinary Education Center, Veterinary Diagnostic Center, greenhouse renovations, several projects on the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture campus, including the new Nebraska Agriculture Industry Education Center, student

housing and the expanded Veterinary Teaching Hospital and several other greater Nebraska Projects. Furthermore, he had a major role in developing the agreement with Iowa State University for a joint professional program in Veterinary Medicine. Alan also was instrumental in envisioning and developing the University's Rural Initiative program, which has since evolved into the Rural Futures Institute.

During Alan's illustrious career, he has received many awards and recognitions. These include the Public Service to Agriculture Award, Exemplary Service Award by the American Distance Education Consortium, Omtvedt Innovation Award, Distinguished Service Award from the Nebraska Veterinary Medical Association, membership in the Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement and Agricultural Builders of Nebraska, Carl A. Donaldson Award for Excellence in Management and he was recognized as one of the Outstanding Young Men of America. As an indication of the high regard in which Alan was held by the University, he was asked to serve as the interim administrator for senior level positions on three different occasions: Interim University Budget Director, Interim Vice Chancellor of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Interim Dean of University Extension.

I believe it is rather obvious to all that Alan has been a great asset to the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, to the University and to Nebraska agriculture. He truly is one of a kind. Alan, congratulations and thank you very, very much for a job well done.