FINANCES
Each accepted participant will receive a stipend in the amount of $2200. This stipend is taxable as income. Participants are expected to use this stipend to pay for their own travel to and from Lincoln, their lodging in Lincoln and Red Cloud, and their food. The institute will provide transportation from Lincoln to Beatrice and Red Cloud, transportation to remote sites outside of Red Cloud, and program fees at the National Willa Cather Center.
ACCOMMODATIONS IN LINCOLN
Participants may book inexpensive, air-conditioned suite-style dormitory rooms on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln City Campus, a few minutes’ walk from the academic buildings and the library where institute activities will take place. These rooms cost @$44 per night double and @$66 per night single, including complimentary parking in a nearby garage. The kitchenettes in the suites come equipped with a full-sized refrigerator and microwave but are not equipped with dishes or utensils. For more about the accommodations at University Suites, click here.
Several hotels are within walking distance of campus in downtown Lincoln for those who prefer this option. Discounted university rates range from about $100 to $200 a night. AirBnB options may also be available.
Participants can purchase reasonably priced meals at a centrally located dining commons (fittingly enough named the Willa Cather Dining Center), which offers vegetarian and vegan options, and at the campus union. The City Campus is also adjacent to downtown Lincoln, where there are many restaurants.
ACCOMMODATIONS IN RED CLOUD
There is no hotel of sufficient size in Red Cloud, a rural town of 1,000 people, to accommodate participants and the project team. Nevertheless, the National Willa Cather Center has at its disposal a variety of lodging options, ranging in price from $75 to $150 per night per room, with some rooms having two beds and thus costing less per person. One of these lodging options, the Cather Second Home, will be entirely occupied by institute participants. The NWCC will coordinate bookings. Because restaurant dining options are limited and not able to accommodate a large number of people who are trying to keep to a schedule, most meals will be catered and participants billed for the cost.
TRAVEL
For those traveling by car, Lincoln is located off Interstate 80. Service on Amtrak is infrequent, with trains arriving and departing in the early morning hours. For those choosing to fly, the Lincoln Airport (LNK) is served by United Airlines, which provides daily service to Chicago, Denver, and Houston. Omaha’s Eppley Airfield (OMA), which is an hour’s drive from Lincoln, is served by American, Alaska Airlines, Delta, and Southwest, and offers more destinations. OmaLink offers van shuttle service between Lincoln and Eppley by advance reservation.