Wenberg Preceptor Award

The UND Department of Nutrition & Dietetics appreciates the voluntary commitment of preceptors who offer students invaluable experiences that prepare them for nutrition and dietetics careers or advancement in their careers.

About the Award

The purpose of the Wenberg Preceptor Award is to provide professional level support to valued preceptors who work with nutrition and dietetics students. The award may be used in a variety of ways including, but not limited to:
professional meetings, workshops or specialty certification,

Eligibility Criteria

• Past experience as a preceptor for UND Nutrition & Dietetics students.
• The professional development must relate to the preceptor’s needs with potential to benefit N&D
  students’ practicum experiences and training.
• Applicants will be eligible for this award every three years. Priority will be given to first-time applicants.
• Preference will be given for preceptors who accept N&D students for rotations.
• N&D faculty members are not eligible for the award

Application Process

• The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics will accept applications for the award throughout the academic
  year (August 1-May 1).
• The applicant submits the Award Application Form, budget and copy of the educational program to the
  Department of Nutrition and Dietetics.
• The department will notify the applicant regarding the award status no later than 3 weeks after the application
  submission.

Application Reimbursement and Dissemination

•  The recipient will submit the required documentation to the Department administrative assistant
  within one month of the professional development activity.
• The award may not be transferred to anyone else nor may it be used other than its intended purpose.
• Recipient names may be included in the department promotional materials

Amount of award, availability, and covered expenses

Award recipients will receive up to $500 to cover registration, travel, lodging and food expenses. If total costs exceed the $500 award, the recipient agrees to cover the additional costs. The department administrative assistant will correspond with the award recipient regarding required documentation for reimbursement.

Reimbursement for the covered expenses will be provided once the award recipient submits expenses to the
administrative assistant of the Department of Nutrition & Dietetics.

Applications for the award may be submitted for consideration at any time from August 1 – May 1. If the professional development activity occurs in the summer, please submit your application materials by May 1 for consideration. This award is subject to the availability of funds within the budget.

Apply

Who was Burness Wenberg?

Early Years

Burness Gene Wenberg grew up on a farm with her siblings in Beach, ND. In 1945, she graduated from high school in Beach and enrolled at the University of North Dakota, where she earned a bachelor of science degree in home economics education in 1949. In 1950, she completed a dietetic internship at Veterans Hospital in Hines, Illinois. She also received a master’s degree in nutrition education at Ohio State University in 1957.

A Prestigious Career

In the early days of her career, Burness was a high school teacher. She also served as a staff member and later the head dietitian for the Veterans Administration Hospital in Los Angeles. Her responsibilities included patient and nutritional care, teaching dietetic interns, and supervising all of the clinical dietitians.

Burness has held faculty positions at several universities, including South Dakota State University, Ohio State University, and the University of Washington. At Ohio State University, Burness developed the first United States American Dietetics Association-approved coordinated study plan. She was also a key leader in establishing the School of Allied Medical Professions at Ohio State University. Burness began her association with Michigan State University in 1974. She was the director of dietetic internship programs and coordinated the undergraduate dietetic curriculum and her regular teaching responsibilities.

In the fall of 1984, she taught at Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan, for the Air Force-Michigan State University College of Human Ecology master’s program. Burness took a break from teaching in 1985 and joined a team at the United States Army Research and Development Center in Natick, Maine.

Burness’ career was enriched by her authorship of numerous articles. She co-authored several books, including Introduction to Health Professions and Dynamics of Clinical Dieticians, and helped produce many nutrition videotapes.

Burness was awarded the Distinguished Professional Service Award from the Michigan Dietetic Association for her hard work. In 1990, the American Dietetic Association named her the 28th Lenna Frances Cooper Memorial Lecturer. Her topic was “Dietetic Educator as Mentor.”

After retirement in 1993, she remained active at Michigan State University. Burness was a member of countless professional organizations, many of which she held offices in. She completed consultancy work for various universities and worked on numerous special projects. She resided in East Lansing, Michigan, and passed away in 2003.

From left, UND President Kendall Baker (1992 to 1999), Toby Baker, Burness Wenberg, and Executive Vice President of the UND Alumni Association Earl Strinden, in 1993.

The Endowment

In deep appreciation of the education she received at the University of North Dakota, Burness G. Wenberg established The Burness G. Wenberg Endowment within the University of North Dakota Foundation.

Allocations from this endowment support priority projects within the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at the UND College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines. Such projects may include scholarships, faculty development, research, or other activities that will better academically and clinically prepare students desiring to become registered dietitians.

Contributions to the Burness G. Wenberg Endowment may be made via UND Alumni Association & Foundation.