Alumni couple support western Kansas students in fine arts, law at KU

LAWRENCE -- Rachel Moses' calling came early: She began dancing at age 3 and knew almost from the beginning that dancing was what she loved most. But when growing up in Great Bend, the University of Kansas junior knew it would take more than a leap of faith to get the dancing education she craved.

Thanks to scholarships established in 1989 by Bernard "Bernie" and Barbara Nordling of Lawrence, Moses and about 30 other students from west of U.S. Highway 81 have been able to pursue dreams of studying dance, music, art or law at KU. The Bernard E. Nordling Law Scholarship is awarded to KU School of Law students, and the Barbara Nordling Fine Arts Scholarship is awarded to KU School of Fine Arts students, with a preference for those studying dance. The Nordlings recently pledged an additional $100,000 to the Kansas University Endowment Association, to be split between the two scholarship funds.

Why western Kansas? The Nordlings, who grew up in McPherson and lived in Hugoton for 50 years, said the scholarships were designed to attract young western Kansans to KU by providing them the financial means to do so.

"After World War II, not many of us would have gone to college if not for the GI Bill available to veterans," said Bernie. "We put our own five kids through KU. It's expensive, and we know it's tough without scholarships."

Janet Hamburg, KU professor of dance, said Barbara's fine arts scholarship enabled the university to recruit talented dance students from western Kansas. The students perform with the University Dance Company at the Lied Center of Kansas at KU and tour the state with KU's new dance touring company, On the Move.

"Without the generosity of Barbara Nordling, some talented high school students from western Kansas might not be able to attend KU, and KU and Kansas communities throughout the state would lose the opportunities her scholarship fund provides," Hamburg said.

At the same time, the scholarships have brought an unexpected reward for the Nordlings: Relationships with some of the students have blossomed into close friendships.

Bernie mentors law students through the School of Law mentoring program and has participated as a mentor in the Kansas Alumni Association's Hawk to Hawk program.

"I take the students to lunch or dinner, try to encourage them and try to show an interest in them," Bernie said. "It keeps me young."

One of the students he has mentored is Victoria native Troy Dinges, business administration '99 and law '02.

"When I first met Bernie Nordling while an undergraduate, we'd get together once a month," said Troy, now an associate attorney at Wallace, Saunders, Austin, Brown & Enochs in Wichita. "We'd share stories about work and school, and what was going on in Lawrence and at KU at the time. He definitely had an influence on me and helped solidify my plans to become an attorney."

Barbara said she meets the recipient of her scholarship each year at a School of Fine Arts reception that brings donors and students together. How the relationship progresses from there depends on the student.

"I want the students to know there's someone in town who cares about them," Barbara said of her scholarship recipients. "I know students are busy and we don't want to intrude, but we try to take them to lunch or dinner. We go to their performances and buy them tickets for the Lied Center. We want them to take advantage of things like that while they're here, because kids from small towns usually don't grow up with the opportunity to see that level of entertainment."

Moses, who is a dance and pre-medicine student at KU, said her relationship with the Nordlings extended far beyond the scholarship.

"I admire them and see them as role models," she said. "Even though we all lead very busy lives and don't spend lots of time together, I look to them for emotional support and consider them my surrogate parents. I feel fortunate and blessed to have a relationship with them."

Bernie, law '49, is semi-retired. Together with his son, Erick, he is a member of the Hugoton law firm of Kramer, Nordling & Nordling LLC. Bernie is recognized throughout the oil and gas industry for his work in protecting the rights of landowners in the Hugoton Gas Field in southwest Kansas. The recipient of the 1993 KU Law Society Distinguished Alumnus Award, he is a KU Endowment trustee and serves on the organization's agricultural and mineral committee. He also has served on the national board of the Alumni Association, which awarded him the Fred Ellsworth Medallion, an award given in recognition of service to humanity.

Barbara, who attended both McPherson College and KU, is a member of the School of Fine Arts Advisory Board and the KU First Fine Arts Committee. She received the Fred Ellsworth Medallion in 2001. Barbara served on the steering committee that founded the New Generation Society of Lawrence, an organization composed of retired KU alumni and faculty members, as well as local professional and business leaders and their spouses.

Bernie and Barbara are lifetime and Jayhawk Society members of the Alumni Association and members of the KU Endowment Chancellors Club. The couple has five children, all KU alumni: Karen L. Koehler, classical archaeology and history '73; Kristine Nordling Stepaniuk, personnel administration '75; Leslie K. Petz, personnel administration '78; Erick E. Nordling, personnel administration '79; and Julie Nordling Andrews, physical education '81.

The pledge from the Nordlings counts toward the $500 million goal of KU First: Invest in Excellence, the largest fund-raising campaign in KU history. KU Endowment is conducting KU First on behalf of KU through 2004 to raise funds for scholarships, fellowships, professorships, capital projects and program support. KU Endowment is an independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fund-raising and fund-management organization for KU.