Picking up where I left off – my 2019 “wow I can’t believe it I’ve just become a regent” reality check.

Following the glow of the swearing-in ceremony was several days of orientation with the great staff at Varner Hall, which started the process of thinking like a regent.

I loved this process of learning and meeting the people I would be working with over the next six years.

Then, the reading began to pile up… including a whole section in the regent notebook on NCAA rules and regulations – basically I cannot talk to any youth past elementary school as it can be viewed as recruiting. Fortunately, family members do not count. 

Then there were the bylaws, contracts, standing rules, and of course the support reading for items on the agenda of my first Board meeting. Needless to say, speed-reading and time management are two very useful skills.

There was also a lot of joy.

I spent 2019 meeting as many people as I could and I loved meeting the people that make Nebraska such a great place.

They were all welcoming and offered help any time I might need it. I also had the pleasure of attending graduations, greeting all the graduates, family, faculty, and friends on such an exciting day.

Look, I knew the university was a large system. I had worked at UNO long enough to see at least a piece of the organization. But over the past year I’ve come to realize how little I knew about the extent, size, and reach of the entire university.

Being on the Business Affairs Committee was a way to truly experience the big picture, and in the course of this year we moved to a system that will save the university millions with a new way to do our bond work.

In the Audit and Risk Management Committee I learned the interesting ways the university tracks the risks on a large scale.

Communication has been an ongoing struggle. This complex system has so many partners, donors, employees, students, and citizens all needing to communicate and collaborate. We need to strive to simplify and make things as transparent as possible both inside and outside the system. I am planning to continue my blog and do streaming office hours (I have a number of exciting guests willing to come sit with me) and I hope you will send me your ideas and/or questions.

There’s a lot to look forward to in 2020.

So with all that in mind, catch my intentions in the next blog – and maybe you’ll share some of your own!

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

Well so far this year has kicked off with some major congestion, several rounds of medicine, and a lovely lingering sense of fatigue. Great start, huh? Unpleasant as that has been, I’ve had some real time to think.

Typically in January I like to spend time reviewing the old year and planning for the next.

I gave up on making official resolutions because my resolve to keep to them rarely made it past January 31^st (or January 7^th if I’m being totally honest). Instead I like to think of these new ideas as intentions. For whatever reason, framing them this way gives me the psychological wiggle room I need to adjust, amend, or even sometimes start over.

So now I find myself at the beginning of 2020, sorting through the past, present, and future.

Our first Board of Regents meeting is on February 7^th – coming up fast. This is an important one for a number of reasons. Not only will our new University of Nebraska President Ted Carter be officially present and participating, but we will also be electing new board leadership and receiving our committee assignments for the year. I truly do not know what is in store, but I’m excited about it.

Hang in there with me because this blog is going to be a two-parter. And since our experience of time is that it flows just one way, let’s go ahead and start with the past.

Last year, I was absolutely honored and overwhelmed to be sworn in as Regent at the state capital.

It was a solemn, moving moment that I was proud to be able to share with my husband and children. I wished my parents could have seen it. Carmen Maurer – Corporate Secretary for the Regent Board – captured some wonderful pictures that I could look at later to prove to myself that it wasn’t all a dream. But it was a dream, is a dream, a wonderful dream that so many of you made come true. For that I am eternally grateful.

And inevitably, as with any dream, reality hits.

Check back in part II for more reflections and – importantly – intentions for 2020.

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

So here it is, the end of my first year as a Regent. It actually reminds me of how I felt at a certain point when I got older. When I was young I believed adults were wise and knew everything that they were about. Turns out, that’s not true in a lot of cases. And I had a strong reaction to learning that most adults were just – well, people trying to figure life out, sometimes stumbling and regrouping along the way.

After a year I thought I would have a solid sense of how the university operated, how ideas and projects came to be realized – who did what, when, and why. Turns out, that’s not how it works either. The systems are tremendously complex. The politics are subtle and I still have so much left to learn. 

I’ve been feeling quite a lot like my younger self lately. 

Learning not only takes time, it takes listening. One of the reasons I ran for Regent was to push for greater communication between the university and Nebraskans. Wanting to hear more from all of you is why I joined a town hall in Bennington. 

It was the reason we created Weitz Up, a place to talk about current issues facing the university. As part of this process I sit down with Kate or send her my scribbles about what’s on my mind, but one thing I’m trying to get better about is taking pictures.

Turns out I am not someone who takes pictures. Admittedly, I prefer writing notes. But as I was thinking, it also occurred to me that a hundred lenses are better than one. I know this blog has my name on it but it’s really about you. Your questions. Your experiences. Your ideas.

That’s why I’m asking you to send me your photos!

I would love for you to send me pictures as you encounter the University of Nebraska – at games, at lectures, with friends. Take pictures of things on campus that catch your eye, especially if you have questions about one thing or another.

Whether through the blog, pictures, scribbles, the office hours, or in person, I look forward to introducing you to all sorts of incredible people at the university. Moreover, I look forward to everything that you have to teach me.

Because as it turns out, we never stop learning.

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

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.

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.