The University of Nebraska Medical Center has named Dean Flechs
director of the Office of Student Equity and Multicultural Affairs (OSEMA),
which was established last May within the UNMC Division of Student Services
to create and maintain a broadly diverse student body.
Flechs, who began his duties Oct. 1, is an enrolled member of the Cherokee
Nation of Oklahoma.
He received his bachelors degree in anthropology with a minor in American
Indian Studies from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln in 1983, and
his masters degree in modern languages and literatures from UNL in 1991.
He was a Fulbright Scholar in the Federal Republic of Germany during
1987-88 and taught conversational English to students in a German college
preparatory school.
Flechs has eight years of admissions experience in higher education
and recently completed an administrative fellowship with the Native American
Program at Harvard University.
As OSEMA director, Flechs said his unit will be responsible for serving
a host of targeted populations equally, including racial and ethnic minorities,
rural students and nontraditional students. The unit has established a
five-point strategy to achieve its mission:
– Designing and monitoring student recruitment strategies in collaboration
with all UNMC educational programs.
– Interacting with a wide array of campus, university, educational
and community-based programs.
– Maintaining a highly visible and mobile operation.
– Providing proactive advocacy and serving as a resource for its constituencies.
– Working in harmony with all individuals and groups who desire true
equity for all.
For more information about OSEMA, contact Flechs at (402) 559-7269.
UNMC is the only public academic health science center in the state.
Through its commitment to research, education and patient care, UNMC has
established itself as one of the country’s leading centers for cancer research
and treatment and solid organ transplantation. More than $34 million in
research grants and contracts are awarded to UNMC scientists annually.
In addition, UNMC’s educational programs are responsible for training more
health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution.