Lookin’ at U – Linda M. Love

Each Thursday, we randomly feature a medical center employee. This week, we learn more about:

• Name: Linda M. Love (one of two Linda Loves on campus)
• Hometown: Lincoln
• No. of years at UNMC: 11

Tell us about what you do at UNMC.

I work with an awesome team in coordinating the professional development activities for UNMC’s approximately 1,200 faculty members in all colleges and institutes.

Working together is one of UNMC’s brand values. Tell us of an experience you’ve had at UNMC that demonstrates this value.
Working together is an essential function at UNMC. I could cite countless indicators of our success in this area. Our professional development activities are planned and delivered by diverse teams, and we intentionally create a space for dialogue across colleges and roles. When at national meetings, people from other organizations are often fascinated by this, and ask me how this interprofessional development “actually works.” I am thankful for the early work of Drs. Myrna and Jim Newland, Diana Lough, Jim Linder and many others who established this mode of learning over 15 years ago. Still, we are living in transformational times, and at UNMC, faculty, staff, students, and leaders are working to develop a new Interprofessional Academy of Educators, and an Interprofessional Experiential Center for Enduring Learning (iEXCEL). Both these efforts require engaged collegial discussions, innovative thinking, and collaborative planning from many, many invested people, both inside and outside the organization.

What is your favorite spring activity?
My birthday is the first day of spring! I am an avid gardener, so one of my favorite spring activities is to get my hands dirty and see what has survived over the Nebraska winter.

List three things people may not know about you.

• I have no free time! I am nearing completion of a doctoral program and in 2016 hope to be a full-fledged Ed.D. in adult learning and higher education administration.
• As a distraction, my husband and I have become involved with a local non-profit organization which partners with Nebraska’s Department of Corrections to raise and train service dogs to be placed with children and adults in Nebraska and across the U.S. We are having a lot of fun being “puppy raisers” and seeing the positive impact for both those who are incarcerated, and those who can enrich their lives by a unique relationship with a really smart and dedicated dog!
• I love to paint and am a fan of contemporary art.