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Regent vs. Regent: Office Hours Round 2

Regent vs. Regent: Office Hours Round 2

by | Dec 12, 2019 | Regent Firsts, School Uniqueness

Regent vs. Regent: Office Hours Round 2

On December 3rd I had the pleasure of sitting down with UNO Student Regent Aya Yousuf for a candid conversation during my second-ever Office Hours livestream. And wow, was it enlightening.

Even though we can both claim the title of Regent at University of Nebraska – her as a student, myself as, well, not a student – we’ve had very different paths to this point. For one thing, Aya’s remarkable story starts in Iraq.

During our Office Hours session Aya shared her story of coming to the United States with her family when she was just a child and how she came to be a Student Regent at UNO. We also talked a lot about the differences and similarities between the Regent and Student Regent systems and came to the conclusion that time management is probably one of the biggest challenges for both of us.

We also had a frank discussion about the university’s new presidential candidate Ted Carter including our first impressions, professional opinions, and what we’ve heard from colleagues and constituents in terms of how they’re feeling.

A couple of great questions came in, one in particular focusing on social work and mental health disparities in Omaha in connection to recidivism, which prompted a broader conversation about mental health and education in general.

There was a lot of ground we covered in our session, I highly encourage you to take some time, have a listen, and let us know what you think.

To watch it, click here.

Thanks again to all who tuned in for the livestream, check out the link above if you’d like to dive into the discussion, and I’ll see you on the next round of Office Hours – seriously, keep those questions coming!

I wish you all many curious conversations.

 

 

 

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

 

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The Constant of Change

The Constant of Change

by | Dec 3, 2019 | Uncategorized

The Constant of Change

I’ve talked a lot about the direct impact of the University of Nebraska presidential search as well as my own impressions. Today I’d like to take a bit of a side road. Something that has been on my mind that relates to the search in a sort of roundabout way but isn’t about the process itself. What I’d like to talk about is change.

In the process of meeting a lot of really outstanding candidates for the university’s next president, there has been one major recurring theme.

Higher education is being forced to change in many different ways.

Now don’t get me wrong, that’s not inherently bad. In fact I see change as an inevitable (it really is the only constant in the universe) but also as an opportunity to learn from where we’ve been and conscientiously, intentionally shape where we’re going.

Speaking with these outstanding higher education candidates reinforced how we have to make the next big step up as a university and look at how the structures serve students and how they don’t. 

Let’s face the changes that are coming head-on. For example, I recall hearing about a company that desperately needed engineers on the west coast and how the regional engineers they were getting straight out of school were not trained in what they needed to be trained in. Engineering, like so many other tech-related fields, was developing faster than the syllabus. So one of the local schools made a decision to adapt.

They had a couple people from the engineering field sit down with the university and analyze the engineering curriculum.

Then, they adapted those changes to meet the urgent growing need for qualified engineers. Funny how something as simple as a conversation can feel so revolutionary at times. I often think about the 13,000 jobs in the greater Omaha area that aren’t being filled, and how there are lots of institutions that can help fill them, but we need to work in sync with each other.

Everything from IT to welding to med center technology changes so quickly that to keep up and really serve students and the broader community we need to be looking forward, not in the rearview mirror.

When money is hard to get it’s tempting to keep doing what you’re doing but it’s not okay now and as a state we can’t afford to be doing that if we want a really solid future.

We have an opportunity to create centers of excellence that would fill some of the gaps and yield serious results for students and state. And as I listened to the brilliant presidential candidates we had the good fortune of interviewing, amidst the fascinating perspectives and stimulating ideas, I felt like I needed to speak up.

 

 

 

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

 

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Everyone’s Favorite Topic: Finances

Everyone’s Favorite Topic: Finances

by | Nov 27, 2019 | Education Budget, Regent Firsts

Everyone’s Favorite Topic: Finances

I won’t pretend to know everything there is about the University of Nebraska’s finances. There are a lot of highly intelligent people for whom this is their focus and I’m grateful for their dedication and insight.

My stint on the Business Affairs and Audit Committee has shed light on the complicated economics of higher education.

The committees have wrestled with a number of urgent issues, not the least of which is the issue of health insurance in the whole university system. The big question is how do we provide the best plans to meet the need?

Graduate and international students are required to have insurance.

It is critical to their ability to continue their studies that we offer the most reasonable plan we can. However the recent double digit increases in policy buy-ins and growing deductibles puts them between a rock and a hard place. This is simply not sustainable, not healthy, not working. We need to find a way to ensure the kind of access to education that brings diversity and talent to our community instead of driving students away through the many-faced specter of debt.

Capital expenses are another problem – how does the university use its borrowing/bond process? We have been using the same system for a number of years, but to evolve and adapt is to survive.

Finance staff have fortunately focused their efforts on some of these questions.

They developed a plan, for example, that would allow a better use of borrowed funds and how we present bonds. Instead of separate, smaller bonds, it was suggested we borrow more to take advantage of current interest rates. That may sound odd and the mechanism for buying bonds is too complex to explain here in a few short paragraphs, but suffice it to say that a new process would actually free up more capital and save significant resources.

Trust me, I understand why finances are not usually top of the list for cocktail party banter. It’s confronting, complicated, and honestly kind of stressful. But the more we talk it out, the more ideas we can generate, the better the future can look for everyone.

 

 

 

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

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A (Healthy) Shock to the System

A (Healthy) Shock to the System

by | Nov 21, 2019 | Regent Firsts

A (Healthy) Shock to the System

I get the sense some people were kind of surprised by the Regents’ nomination of Ted Carter as the priority candidate for the University of Nebraska’s next president. After the announcement, here’s what happened:

We watched closely. Not just the Regents, but the staff, the faculty, and all kinds of stakeholders and community members across the state of Nebraska. This was the next official step – observing the priority candidate as he had meetings with all sorts of people.

One thing I noticed about him time and time again is that he’s incredibly candid – he answered all questions posed to him, didn’t back away from the difficult ones, and sometimes even simply agreed to disagree.

It’s a bit of a shock to the system.

Admittedly, my first reaction when he came up as a candidate was somewhat doubtful. There’s a certain air of strict hierarchy associated with military leadership structure that I wasn’t sure would blend well with academia. I’m more than happy to say that a series of extensive, deep, thoughtful discussions moved me from a place of doubt to a place of support.

We were considering many exceptional candidates, but his thoughts and actions truly set him apart.

I know people will need more time to digest this – many probably had some of the same initial doubts as I did – but I would encourage you to keep an open mind. Focus on the person, not the preconceived notions we have about leaders from the military ranks.

One thing I admire about him is his attention to detail and ability to see (and factor in) complexity or nuance of any given situation. He really seems to have a genuine focus on and care for people. Especially in a system as large as ours, I think that’s pretty critical. Okay, three things, you got me.

We have a lot of hard questions that need answers. In order to even begin to have those conversations in a productive manner we need to develop a sense of trust in our governance. Constituents from across the University of Nebraska’s system and Nebraska at large have experienced disappointments. I understand that completely.

However we cannot keep looking in the rearview mirror.

My ongoing commitment is to be as transparent as we can be and to work off of the belief that we have people who only want the best for the University of Nebraska, for the community, for the state.

 

 

 

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

 

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Sharing (your knowledge) is Caring

Sharing (your knowledge) is Caring

by | Nov 13, 2019 | Regent Firsts

Sharing (your knowledge) is Caring

One of the great things about being a Regent is the opportunity to meet so many different Nebraskans.

It’s a new and somewhat strange experience to be recognized publicly, to have people I’ve never personally met approach me at the supermarket or in the parking lot to talk ideas and opinions. I love that people are comfortable sharing their thoughts with me, it means people trust me to listen, to be open, and that’s exactly what I’m about.

As a member of the Search Advisory Committee I have had the chance to meet a variety of people including farmers and ranchers.

One of the committee members who ranches in Cherry County and serves as a Cherry County Commissioner has great stories to tell. Those stories help illustrate the nuances of rural life I’m not very familiar with. The speaker of the Unicameral sat next to me at one of our meetings and offered all kinds of insight into the potential impact different candidates might have on that particular work. Between the different committee members, there is a wealth of knowledge on a whole range of topics that are critical to understanding the full picture of what it means to be a President of the University of Nebraska.

It was a pleasure to see that the diversity of Nebraska was sat around our very large table.

Sometimes amidst such an interesting group it’s easy to lose sight of the variety of constituencies brought to the table within each one of us. But it’s worth keeping in mind. I have the privilege and the responsibility of speaking from my experience, from the point of view of a faculty member, an alumna, as a fundraiser and as a donor. And last but not least, as a student.

At that table as we talked through the many ins and outs of considerations when it comes to recommending a candidate, people were candid, thoughtful, and respectful of different viewpoints.

This is a challenging experience.

And like anything worth doing, it’s one I am grateful for, one that I use to be a better Regent and a better person.

 

 

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

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