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Come Meet our New Chancellor!

Come Meet our New Chancellor!

by | Apr 9, 2021 | Regent Firsts, School Uniqueness

Come Meet our New Chancellor!

Who would have guessed that UNO would wait four years for an independent chancellor? Don’t get me wrong, the campus was fortunate to have Dr. Jeff Gold to cover UNMC and UNO. But there is definitely something to be said about the benefits of being able to focus on UNMC and UNO individually.

It’s not terribly surprising that it took so long, especially given the uncertainty with changing the university President and facing the ongoing pandemic. The university’s own process of careful selection and extensive vetting also plays a significant role in the amount of time it takes to reach a decision, admittedly.

Now, as we are slowly emerging from these difficult months for so many Nebraskans, it feels good to be able to share that of the four qualified candidates recommended to President Carter, a priority candidate has been selected.

Allow me to introduce Dr. Joanne Li.

A first-generation college graduate who immigrated to the United States from Hong Kong, she borrowed $600 from a friend and from there earned scholarships to cover her all the way to her Ph.D. She comes to us from Florida International University (the 4th largest public university in the country), where she was dean and professor of Business. 

One thing that she made clear throughout the process: Dr. Li is all about students. 

When she arrived at FIU she found four-year graduation rates at a low 29% and managed to raise them to 70% as of last year. Her commitment to student success has led to new programs in mentoring and student support, and she is also working to increase the diversity of her faculty. 

Of the forty new faculty she hired, 25 were minorities and 12 were women. Her work demonstrates that she believes in collaboration to create community.

Now she starts a thirty-day period where she’ll meet with as many different constituencies as possible at UNO and our community. At the end of thirty days, President Carter will present her for the Board of Regents endorsement, and beginning July 1, 2021, she will become our new chancellor.

If you would like to meet her, she will be in the Thompson Alumni Center on:

Wednesday, April 7 at 5 pm
Thursday, April 8 at 10:30 am & 2:00 pm
Friday, April 9 at 9:30 am

Everyone in the community is warmly invited to attend. You’ll gain a first-hand understanding of why we are all thrilled at this prospect.

 

*Barbara’s thoughts as written by Kate based on weekly (fascinating) conversations.
*Photo credibility: University of Nebraska, Omaha

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You Spoke, We Listened

You Spoke, We Listened

by | Apr 2, 2021 | Education Budget

You Spoke, We Listened

It’s that time for everyone’s favorite topic: divestiture!

If you recall, I wrote a blog (a while ago) about how a number of our passionate, eco-minded students wanted the University of Nebraska to eliminate investment in fossil fuel stocks. They voiced their concerns and shared their thoughtful reasoning during the time allotted for public discussion at Board meetings.

They spoke. We heard them.

I am happy to tell you that President Carter and Chris Kabourek – the Vice President of Nebraska University who staffs the Business and Finance Committee – have completed a fifteen-month process to address students’ concerns.

The question was whether we had invested in the fossil fuel industry, and particularly the two hundred companies in the carbon underground. In a series of meetings, the issue was discussed with different constituency groups, university partners and students.

They did what we human beings find incredibly difficult: they listened to each other.

I honestly believe that sometimes this is the hardest thing to do. But that’s exactly what they did, they really listened.  There were meaningful dialogues and tireless work to find common ground. Together they created a vision of sustainability that reflects the common-sense beliefs and values of Nebraskans. The new policy will be presented at our Board of Regents meeting on April 9th.

While divestiture may not be your go-to Jeopardy category, this policy is definitely worth a read.

The new policy will apply to Fund N, which is the fund that contains all gifts made directly to the university. This fund is managed by the Board of Regents and University Endowments Committee. The policy will require that University Fund N will have no investments in energy companies that do not have clean energy plans in place. Plus, Fund N will not make any new investments in energy companies that do not have a sustainability plan.

It will also require consideration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in any new investments.

You can be sure that this is not the last discussion we will have about this. It’s important that as a university we live and operate ethically, and with a mind toward the future. This new policy would not have been possible without the leadership of the students and the process that has led to important change. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

 

 

*Barbara’s thoughts as written by Kate based on weekly (fascinating) conversations.

 

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