Riedesel Fellows

The generosity of Dr. Charles Riedesel, or as his friends know him, Chuck and his wife, Laureen Riedesel is legend to those who know them. They not only raised a family in Beatrice, NE, but they also helped raise local, state-wide, national, and international communities through their professional work and consummate participation in the life of the public. 

Chuck worked as Chief Undergraduate Advisor for Computer Science and Engineering and taught courses in the School of Computing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Laureen worked in the Beatrice Public Library and retired as its director. 

Beyond their impressive professional careers, Chuck and Laureen serve their communities by volunteering their time where they can, when they can. Laureen, for instance, serves on the board of the Friends of Homestead Historical National Park, the board of the Gage County Historical Society and Museum, and as president of the Nebraska Center for the Book. She was added to the prestigious National Advocacy Honor Roll in 2020. In 2022, Laureen was appointed Grand Marshal of the Homestead Days Parade due to her steadfast commitment to ensuring that the history of Nebraska is preserved, shared, and understood. Laureen also finds time to support scholars working on manuscripts, as she did for Jonathan Fairchild's, Planted in the Soil: The Homested Act, Nebraska Homesteaders, and the 19th Century. If you're lucky you may even catch Laureen giving talks on Nebraska history at venues like Humanities Nebraska or the Neihardt Center in Bancroft, NE.

Some of Chuck's volunteer work, like Laureen's, aims to primarily support education in the state and beyond. For example, Chuck has served on several working groups of the Association of Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group for Computer Science Education (ACM-SIGSCE) in addition to ACM-SIGCE's Algorithms and Computational Theory group and ACM-SIGCE's Computer Science and Teachers Association. He has also served the Computer Society of IEEE and the American Society for Engineering Education. Chuck has served as the site administrator of the ACM Regional Programming Contests since 1998 in addition to coaching eight teams in various computer programming competitions. , ... His efforts at the university have not gone unnoticed. Chuck is the 5 time recipient of Certificate of Recognition for Contributions to Students and 6 time recipient of Certificate of Achievement for his coaching. In addition, Chuck has received the Students Choice Outstanding Teaching Award (2006 - 2007), Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Department (2005 - 2006), , 2005 Chancellor's Award for Exemplary Service to Students (2005), and in 2008 and 2009 his efforts were recognized with the University's James V. Griesen Exemplary Service to Students Award. Beyond his clearly stellar teaching and learning work, Chuck has contributed to computer science scholarship--you can see a list of his publications here. In Outside of academia, formally Chuck serves on the board for Beatrice Public Schools - informally, Chuck is never far from a town hall meeting, organizing a local program, or arranging and playing organ music at his local church.

Always paying it forward, Chuck and Laureen established awards like the Riedesel Excellence in Advising Award and continue to contribute the foundations that maintain a steady drive toward the success of Nebraska and the people who call the state home. We are very grateful for Chuck and Laureen's support without which our work at the Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility would have likely ended in 2022. Through the Riedesel Fellows program we are able to continue their mission to strengthen the many communities that compose Nebraska through programming that brings individuals from all walks of life together to think about, discuss, and advocate for policies that positively effect our lives as Nebraskans and recognize our dignity as persons.  This page is dedicated to highlighting the fellows and our work.