State of the University 2019
University Communication
Author
01/15/2019
Added
960
Plays
Description
Chancellor Ronnie Green delivers the State of the University address at the Lied Center for Performing Arts on Jan. 15, 2019. In the speech, Green outlined university goals through 2025 and beyond.
Searchable Transcript
Toggle between list and paragraph view.
- [00:00:06.299]Welcome to the Lied Center for Performing--
- [00:00:09.751]♪ In the heartland ♪
- [00:00:11.732]♪ Where the spirit will seek within ♪
- [00:00:15.370]♪ The noble few and the noble who ♪
- [00:00:19.045]♪ Strive to live with integrity ♪
- [00:00:23.484]♪ My pride lies in the heartland ♪
- [00:00:27.428]♪ Where the honor stirs deep within ♪
- [00:00:31.477]♪ The chosen few and the chosen who ♪
- [00:00:35.492]♪ Heed the call of their destiny ♪
- [00:00:39.569]♪ Nebraska ♪
- [00:00:41.641]♪ Nebraska ♪
- [00:00:43.636]♪ Where the future will always be ♪
- [00:00:47.816]♪ In the hallowed halls of the ivy walls ♪
- [00:00:51.538]♪ That will stand through eternity ♪
- [00:00:55.436]♪ Nebraska ♪
- [00:00:57.411]♪ Nebraska ♪
- [00:00:59.238]♪ Yea, the scarlet and cream shall be ♪
- [00:01:04.474]♪ The heart of the heartland ♪
- [00:01:06.642]♪ Heart of my heartland ♪
- [00:01:08.270]♪ And always home to me ♪
- [00:01:12.060]♪ Nebraska ♪
- [00:01:13.963]♪ Nebraska ♪
- [00:01:15.643]♪ Where the future will always be ♪
- [00:01:19.602]♪ In the hallowed halls of the ivy walls ♪
- [00:01:23.255]♪ That will stand through eternity ♪
- [00:01:27.186]♪ Nebraska ♪
- [00:01:29.069]♪ Nebraska ♪
- [00:01:30.968]♪ Yea, the scarlet and cream shall be ♪
- [00:01:35.760]♪ The heart of the heartland ♪
- [00:01:38.280]♪ Heart of my heartland ♪
- [00:01:39.832]♪ And always home to me ♪
- [00:01:47.676]♪ Nebraska ♪
- [00:01:51.622]♪ Alma mater ♪
- [00:01:56.731]♪ Nebraska U ♪
- [00:02:07.417](audience cheering and applauding)
- [00:02:23.900]Please join me in giving a big round of applause
- [00:02:26.980]to the Big Red Singers for that great rendition
- [00:02:29.300]of the Nebraska hymn.
- [00:02:30.772](audience cheering and applauding)
- [00:02:36.728]Can you believe it?
- [00:02:38.800]2019, the kickoff of what we have been dreaming about
- [00:02:42.810]as the year of the N150 has finally arrived.
- [00:02:48.080]A defining moment in the history of our university,
- [00:02:51.970]and what will undoubtedly be looked back upon
- [00:02:55.140]as a watershed inflection point for generations to come.
- [00:03:00.650]Welcome, and warmest Husker greetings to each of you
- [00:03:03.670]gathered here in the Lied Center, and to all joining us
- [00:03:07.190]virtually across our statewide campus of Nebraska,
- [00:03:11.510]the nation, and abroad.
- [00:03:14.450]Together, with our faculty, staff, students and alumni,
- [00:03:18.890]I've been eagerly looking forward to the kickoff
- [00:03:21.700]of what is sure to be a phenomenal
- [00:03:25.160]sesquicentennial year ahead for us.
- [00:03:28.652]As you know, we departed from our traditional annual address
- [00:03:32.550]in September, because we intentionally wanted this
- [00:03:36.116]to be a defining moment, an opportunity to reflect
- [00:03:41.470]on the historic accomplishments of the past 15 decades,
- [00:03:45.530]and to take stock of the palpable momentum
- [00:03:48.451]of our current status.
- [00:03:51.550]Today, I will ask each of you to take up the N150 challenge,
- [00:03:57.020]to reach for greater heights in UNL's future
- [00:04:00.800]through a doubled down, transformative,
- [00:04:03.730]integrated three part mission,
- [00:04:06.260]as a world leading, 21st century land grant university,
- [00:04:10.880]a university truly without walls.
- [00:04:15.068]150 years, by any measure of the imagination is a long time.
- [00:04:21.140]It spans six generations, and I know it's hard for us
- [00:04:25.564]to put into our heads and ourselves into the context
- [00:04:29.513]of our great, great, great grandparents' time.
- [00:04:35.000]Putting back to the time that was at the end
- [00:04:37.852]of the Civil War.
- [00:04:40.164]Imagine the bravado, the courage, the creativity,
- [00:04:45.010]and the outright grit that our founders had to have
- [00:04:48.330]to establish a university in 1869,
- [00:04:52.410]in a new state, in a new town named for a late,
- [00:04:56.330]great president, with very few people,
- [00:05:00.100]and even fewer resources.
- [00:05:02.820]We can only imagine that the era,
- [00:05:05.220]sparked with the sense of opportunity,
- [00:05:07.450]new land, new rail linking east to west,
- [00:05:11.200]and the opening up of an advanced education to the public.
- [00:05:16.170]Our founders and our national leaders of that time
- [00:05:18.640]were big thinkers, especially in bringing to the idea here
- [00:05:23.062]of having publicly accessible higher learning
- [00:05:26.530]for the masses.
- [00:05:28.850]The Morrill Act, or the Land Grant Act,
- [00:05:31.210]as it would come to be commonly known,
- [00:05:33.510]was truly revolutionary, designed to promote the liberal
- [00:05:38.160]and practical education of the industrial classes
- [00:05:41.270]into several pursuits and professions of life.
- [00:05:44.690]It challenged all of the conventional thinking,
- [00:05:47.740]leading up to that time.
- [00:05:49.960]It was bold, it was audacious, it was risky,
- [00:05:53.930]and it was visionary, and it imagined more prosperity
- [00:05:57.350]and inclusivity for all through the diffusion of knowledge,
- [00:06:03.830]and Nebraska's leaders knew then that this new state
- [00:06:08.540]would be visionary if the university grew up alongside it,
- [00:06:12.900]and that it would be an investment, not a cost,
- [00:06:15.824]for generations to come in the future,
- [00:06:18.910]not just them or their children,
- [00:06:21.600]but generations to come across time.
- [00:06:25.390]Robert Knoll captured the essence of this
- [00:06:27.870]in his 1995 book that we're familiar with,
- [00:06:30.240]The Prairie University, where he wrote,
- [00:06:33.480]The original charter deserves close examination,
- [00:06:36.700]for it broadened the provisions
- [00:06:38.670]of The Morrill Act.
- [00:06:40.430]It specifies that the object of the University of Nebraska
- [00:06:43.825]shall be to afford the inhabitants of the state
- [00:06:47.530]the means of acquiring a thorough knowledge
- [00:06:50.280]of the various branches of literature, the sciences,
- [00:06:53.385]and the arts.
- [00:06:55.730]This institution was established
- [00:06:57.580]for the inhabitants of Nebraska.
- [00:07:00.080]It was to reach out to all people, not just youth,
- [00:07:03.140]or the privileged class.
- [00:07:06.030]It was explicitly inclusive.
- [00:07:09.284]Section 18 of the original charter reads,
- [00:07:12.740]No person shall, because of age, sex, color or nationality,
- [00:07:17.780]be deprived of the privileges of this institution.
- [00:07:22.125]It was left to pioneering chancellors,
- [00:07:24.230]Benton and Fairfield to chart the unconventional course
- [00:07:27.550]of a new three part or three legged mission
- [00:07:31.350]of teaching, research, and outreach.
- [00:07:35.100]Classes were first offered in 1871 by five faculty
- [00:07:40.210]for 130 students, 110 of whom
- [00:07:44.560]were in Latin preparatory school,
- [00:07:46.720]only 20 who were pursuing collegiate work,
- [00:07:50.300]seven of whom were women.
- [00:07:52.870]All enrolled in the College of Literature, Arts and Science,
- [00:07:56.460]the original of the first of six colleges
- [00:07:59.330]called for in the charter.
- [00:08:02.110]Campus consisted of a single building,
- [00:08:04.810]the original University Hall,
- [00:08:06.410]which was the center of the early life of the university,
- [00:08:10.690]and fortunately, for us, to be overviewed
- [00:08:13.420]in our Charter Week in February,
- [00:08:15.020]by our own Kay Logan Peters, of University Libraries,
- [00:08:18.730]in virtual reality with NET.
- [00:08:22.940]From these humble and meager beginnings,
- [00:08:25.370]in each of the subsequent six generations,
- [00:08:27.740]up to the current day, our predecessors confronted
- [00:08:31.390]pressures, they confronted challenges from outside forces,
- [00:08:35.950]by employing vision and courage,
- [00:08:38.090]furthering the ongoing transformation of the university
- [00:08:41.430]to meet the emerging needs of our state, nation and world.
- [00:08:47.260]Now, we'll certainly take a deeper dive
- [00:08:49.158]into the history of the university over these 15 decades,
- [00:08:53.420]through a video we'll release
- [00:08:54.850]during Charter Week in February, but for now,
- [00:08:58.500]I'd just like you to quickly walk through,
- [00:09:01.210]generationally, the history of the university
- [00:09:04.240]with me, if you will.
- [00:09:06.349]Imagine, the silver 25th anniversary of the university,
- [00:09:11.180]celebrated in 1894.
- [00:09:13.810]Nebraska had emerged as one
- [00:09:15.630]of the Big Four state universities,
- [00:09:18.350]along with California, Wisconsin and Michigan.
- [00:09:23.190]Chancellor Canfield oversaw a growth spurt,
- [00:09:25.380]with 40 faculty, nearly 1500 students,
- [00:09:29.140]and the addition of the Culver farm on Holdrege Street.
- [00:09:33.800]Walking to campus at this time were Nebraska luminaries,
- [00:09:36.850]such as Louise Pound, Willa Cather,
- [00:09:40.310]future governor George Sheldon,
- [00:09:42.450]future dean of Harvard Law, Roscoe Pound,
- [00:09:45.230]founding botanist, Charles Bessey,
- [00:09:47.950]future Chancellor Samuel Avery,
- [00:09:50.420]and the future president of Purdue University,
- [00:09:52.700]William Westerman, amongst others.
- [00:09:56.420]The medical college had taken off in the 1880s,
- [00:09:59.410]the Agricultural Experiment Station
- [00:10:01.100]had been founded in 1887,
- [00:10:03.470]with the implementation of The Hatch Act,
- [00:10:06.130]and Nebraska football had officially arrived in 1890.
- [00:10:10.910](audience laughing)
- [00:10:12.420]Dorothy Canfield, precocious daughter of Chancellor Canfield
- [00:10:16.080]at the time, and a future novelist,
- [00:10:18.420]tried to capture the vibe of the time when she wrote,
- [00:10:21.870]Above all, it was new, it was crude because it was new,
- [00:10:27.636]and because it was new, both town and university
- [00:10:30.980]had the iridescent glamour of life beginning,
- [00:10:34.850]for which almost anything is possible because little
- [00:10:37.450]has yet been tried.
- [00:10:39.560]The very air over the campus was glittering bright
- [00:10:43.023]with what might be.
- [00:10:45.463]Imagine both the golden anniversary in 1919
- [00:10:49.064]and the 75th anniversary in 1944,
- [00:10:51.810]celebrated during very difficult times in the world.
- [00:10:55.970]Two world wars, an economic depression,
- [00:10:58.400]and a struggling farm economy saw declines in state support
- [00:11:02.810]for the university.
- [00:11:04.770]Buildings were decrepit.
- [00:11:07.670]Chancellors Avery and Burnett rightly realized
- [00:11:10.856]that the university could no longer support itself
- [00:11:13.770]solely on state funds, and they took measures
- [00:11:16.760]to preserve the financial integrity
- [00:11:18.874]of the land grant institution.
- [00:11:22.210]Tuition and fees began for the first time in 1923,
- [00:11:26.563]at one dollar per credit hour.
- [00:11:29.660](audience laughing)
- [00:11:30.760]And the University of Nebraska Foundation was established
- [00:11:33.490]in 1936, to seek private and philanthropic support.
- [00:11:39.410]We also saw our reach extend during this period,
- [00:11:42.250]with the establishment of Nebraska Extension,
- [00:11:44.320]under the Smith-Lever Act of 1914.
- [00:11:47.800]In 1902, the Omaha Medical College
- [00:11:50.950]was added to the university.
- [00:11:53.900]In other education news in Nebraska during this period,
- [00:11:57.390]voters in Omaha approved taking over
- [00:12:00.640]the private Omaha University in 1930,
- [00:12:04.190]creating the city's first municipal university.
- [00:12:08.840]And in 1903, the legislature established
- [00:12:12.040]the State Normal College in Kearney,
- [00:12:14.410]which became the Nebraska State Teachers' College in 1921.
- [00:12:20.010]Back in Lincoln, a year after World War II ended,
- [00:12:23.970]enrollment doubled, with over two-thirds
- [00:12:26.610]of the new students arriving under the GI Bill.
- [00:12:31.230]New opportunities clearly appeared to be on the horizon.
- [00:12:36.380]Imagine the centennial mark in 1969,
- [00:12:39.050]under the leadership of Chancellor Cliff Harden.
- [00:12:42.400]No other 25 year period parallels the expansion experience
- [00:12:46.960]in this generation of the university's history.
- [00:12:50.550]Exponential growth and funding became available
- [00:12:53.140]from the federal government, for research.
- [00:12:55.990]A booming post-war economy, a significant increase
- [00:12:59.040]in college attainment under the GI Bill,
- [00:13:02.050]and substantial increases in support from the state
- [00:13:04.600]of Nebraska, primarily under Governor Frank Morrison,
- [00:13:08.440]drove the enrollment of the university
- [00:13:10.930]up to 19,000 students.
- [00:13:14.730]In 1961, and I'll tell my age here,
- [00:13:17.420]the year I was born, believe it or not,
- [00:13:20.130]the retirement benefits were offered to faculty
- [00:13:23.410]for the first time.
- [00:13:25.542]Major expansion of the physical campus occurred
- [00:13:28.820]during this period, both in Lincoln and across the state
- [00:13:32.470]in the Agricultural Experiment Station.
- [00:13:35.240]The iconic Sheldon Art Museum next door here
- [00:13:38.040]was constructed.
- [00:13:39.850]It also was the period where Husker Athletics
- [00:13:42.752]emerged as a preeminent force,
- [00:13:45.580]with Devaney's period of dominance soon to lead
- [00:13:48.580]to the 1970-71 National Football titles,
- [00:13:52.840]and an arrival of a person named Tom Osborne on the scene
- [00:13:56.972]and just as this generation was ending,
- [00:14:00.612]the University of Nebraska system was created,
- [00:14:04.130]as Omaha University was brought in
- [00:14:06.110]to the University of Nebraska,
- [00:14:08.190]to join the flagship campus in Lincoln,
- [00:14:10.660]and the medical college in Omaha.
- [00:14:13.932]Many of you were here as the university reached
- [00:14:17.290]its 125 year milestone in 1994,
- [00:14:21.096]which was a time of rapid change and growth
- [00:14:23.890]for the university, extending its reach globally.
- [00:14:28.377]The University system had added the UNK campus,
- [00:14:34.160]the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources
- [00:14:36.740]at UNL was consolidated across the state in 1972.
- [00:14:42.700]UNL's enrollment peaked in 1981,
- [00:14:45.620]at just over 25,000 students,
- [00:14:48.630]and the graduate program had grown substantially,
- [00:14:50.990]from an influx of students from all over the world.
- [00:14:54.170]New research areas were developed,
- [00:14:57.390]particularly in agricultural life sciences,
- [00:15:00.000]and biotechnology arenas.
- [00:15:02.760]This beautiful facility,
- [00:15:03.980]The Lied Center for the Performing Arts,
- [00:15:06.220]was opened as a venue for the campus,
- [00:15:08.330]the city and the region.
- [00:15:10.890]Two of our senior academic leaders of the campus,
- [00:15:14.484]were, for the first time, accomplishment women's scholars.
- [00:15:19.291]Joanne Leitzel, leading Academic Affairs,
- [00:15:22.250]and Priscilla Grew, leading Research.
- [00:15:26.110]To the dismay of UNL faculty,
- [00:15:28.640]salaries experienced a period of significant loss,
- [00:15:31.130]relative to peers.
- [00:15:33.270]As the budget challenges in the 1980s were due
- [00:15:37.490]to what was one of the worst, in modern times,
- [00:15:41.484]agricultural economies.
- [00:15:44.740]Continuing its dominance, Husker Athletics
- [00:15:47.570]was now truly a dynasty, uniting the state with pride,
- [00:15:51.800]with major national success in football and volleyball,
- [00:15:55.380]track and field, bowling and gymnastics,
- [00:15:58.180]amongst others, which brings us to the present,
- [00:16:02.460]to 2019, and the close of now, this latest generation
- [00:16:06.434]in our history, led for 16 of those 25 years,
- [00:16:11.340]by Chancellor Harvey Perlman,
- [00:16:13.530]it was a time marked in remarkable growth
- [00:16:16.081]in creative activity across all nine, now,
- [00:16:19.650]of our academic colleges at UNL.
- [00:16:23.450]Research expenditures tripled during this time,
- [00:16:26.760]which led to being ranked as one of the fastest growing,
- [00:16:29.450]comprehensive public research universities in the country.
- [00:16:34.150]Significant physical expansion the campuses occurred.
- [00:16:37.070]I got here toward the end of this time,
- [00:16:39.060]and used to call it the time of cranes,
- [00:16:41.100]it seemed like, in Lincoln.
- [00:16:43.810]Too many construction projects, really, to list.
- [00:16:46.840]Joining the Big Ten Athletic Conference
- [00:16:49.120]and Academic Alliance in 2011,
- [00:16:51.690]was a major step forward,
- [00:16:53.990]bringing us into a league with the most prestigious group
- [00:16:57.500]of primarily public universities in the country.
- [00:17:01.039]And the university brought to life
- [00:17:03.450]Nebraska Innovation Campus,
- [00:17:05.430]on the former state fairgrounds for the first time,
- [00:17:08.800]to foster new public/private partnerships.
- [00:17:13.041]Now I know this has been a quick kind of walk
- [00:17:15.550]through those six generations, a snapshot,
- [00:17:18.180]if you will, review, but I hope that it describes for you,
- [00:17:23.160]and helps you wrap your head around how intertwined
- [00:17:26.268]the university and the development of our state
- [00:17:29.591]has been over these last 150 years,
- [00:17:33.910]and as I've said on every opportunity I've had the occasion
- [00:17:36.500]the last couple of years,
- [00:17:38.053]the University of Nebraska has been and will continue
- [00:17:42.080]to be the DNA of Nebraska and beyond,
- [00:17:47.310]and yes, that is something, truly, to celebrate.
- [00:17:54.610]Now, I can only imagine that our predecessors,
- [00:17:57.760]who built this great institution would be amazed,
- [00:18:01.020]maybe more likely blown away,
- [00:18:03.530]at the state of the university in 2019.
- [00:18:07.530]Out of one institution founded in 1869,
- [00:18:10.920]an amazing world leading four campus system has grown,
- [00:18:16.160]and while we don't lack for challenges,
- [00:18:18.460]certainly, like our predecessors did in their generations,
- [00:18:22.150]our university is, by all means,
- [00:18:24.401]exceeding our genetic potential, or said another way,
- [00:18:28.627]you're lifting or punching well above our weight.
- [00:18:33.360]UNL in 2019 is a large and complex enterprise
- [00:18:36.870]with a total annual operating budget of $1.3 billion,
- [00:18:43.039]and an estimated direct economic impact annually
- [00:18:46.030]on Nebraska of $2 billion.
- [00:18:49.980]Three campuses in Lincoln, more than 43,000 acres
- [00:18:54.250]of campus state-wide, and programming in all 93 counties
- [00:18:59.126]across our great state.
- [00:19:02.450]Our more than 6300 world leading faculty and staff
- [00:19:05.451]support our nine academic colleges
- [00:19:08.340]that offer 175 undergraduate majors,
- [00:19:12.500]and 168 graduate degree programs.
- [00:19:16.810]Our students continue to excel in international
- [00:19:20.150]and national competition.
- [00:19:21.710]Our faculty are respected across the world,
- [00:19:24.650]in a variety of fields.
- [00:19:27.060]Our amazing staff provide incredible service,
- [00:19:30.082]and our over 200,000 living alumni in Nebraska
- [00:19:33.990]and around the world, are leaders in every sector.
- [00:19:38.667]Our belief in, and principle core value of access
- [00:19:44.020]to the highest quality education, as originally envisioned
- [00:19:48.170]by those founders we talked about,
- [00:19:50.680]has never been stronger.
- [00:19:53.405]In a time where the number of high school graduates
- [00:19:56.500]is lagging nationally, our enrollment
- [00:19:59.090]in the past three years has been
- [00:20:00.610]at historically record levels.
- [00:20:04.140]This academic year, we enrolled 25,820 undergraduate,
- [00:20:09.870]graduate and professional students.
- [00:20:12.850]This growth is even more significant when you consider
- [00:20:15.700]that in calendar year 2018,
- [00:20:18.420]we added more to the new ranks of our alumni
- [00:20:21.914]from 5,529 graduates than ever in our history,
- [00:20:29.340]including 422 doctorates, an almost 10% increase
- [00:20:35.240]in total degrees over the last two year period.
- [00:20:39.931]It brings our total number of graduates,
- [00:20:42.220]over that 150 year history now
- [00:20:45.170]to 290,102 Nebraska degree holders.
- [00:20:52.330]A quick review of our student body reflects our continued
- [00:20:55.220]land grant commitment to affordable access
- [00:20:58.010]to the highest quality public education.
- [00:21:01.460]Our student body is the most diverse in our history,
- [00:21:04.560]with our student scholars coming to us from 136 countries
- [00:21:08.300]around the world, nearly every state
- [00:21:11.010]in the United States, and all 93 counties
- [00:21:14.690]in the state of Nebraska.
- [00:21:17.430]We enrolled the largest number of non-resident students
- [00:21:20.270]in our history, now with 33% of our student body
- [00:21:24.136]coming from outside of the state of Nebraska.
- [00:21:27.910]We continue to increase the numbers of minority students,
- [00:21:31.030]now at upwards of 15% of our student body,
- [00:21:35.410]and we continue to see high levels of enrollment
- [00:21:38.359]of first generation students to our campus.
- [00:21:42.130]This year, welcoming and supporting as First Huskers,
- [00:21:45.580]a total of 1,091 new first-gen students,
- [00:21:50.390]nearly 23% of our first year class.
- [00:21:55.100]And lastly, I'm immensely proud that UNL ranks
- [00:21:59.000]among the best universities in the country
- [00:22:01.520]for veteran and military student success.
- [00:22:05.275]And led by, and I would do a shoutout,
- [00:22:09.080]impressively, by our colleagues at UNO.
- [00:22:13.660]I'm very pleased that we are participating
- [00:22:15.980]in the American Public and Land Grant Universities,
- [00:22:19.850]Center for Public University Transformation,
- [00:22:22.610]together with seven of our Big Ten colleague institutions,
- [00:22:26.320]to share and to scale best practices
- [00:22:28.990]to improve graduation success.
- [00:22:32.640]As you've heard me say before,
- [00:22:34.030]every non-completed degree is a lack of a fulfilled promise
- [00:22:39.055]and it's a true economic cost,
- [00:22:42.114]and we must keep razor-sharp focus on working to reach
- [00:22:46.890]our stated graduation rate goal of 80%.
- [00:22:52.253]I'd like to point out several points
- [00:22:54.260]of shining light to you.
- [00:22:56.010]In our efforts to grow and strengthen our student body,
- [00:22:59.090]and our partnerships across Nebraska, first,
- [00:23:03.240]we continue to expand our reach to access
- [00:23:06.490]through the very successful
- [00:23:07.890]Nebraska College Preparatory Academy,
- [00:23:10.520]and the results there speak volumes,
- [00:23:13.250]with the current graduation rate in that program at 89%.
- [00:23:18.660]This fall, we announced the significant new partnership
- [00:23:21.790]with Grand Island Public Schools,
- [00:23:23.780]through a $13.6 million Department of Education
- [00:23:27.213]Gear Up Promise Grant,
- [00:23:29.210]together with 15 partners, working with the complete cohort
- [00:23:32.970]of 6th and 7th graders in that school district,
- [00:23:35.910]to prepare them for a university education.
- [00:23:40.040]You may have seen 14 buses of students from Grand Island
- [00:23:43.770]converge on our campus just before the holidays,
- [00:23:47.340]for them to get their first taste
- [00:23:49.670]of that opportunity ahead of them.
- [00:23:52.720]We're proud to be the primary partner in this effort
- [00:23:55.370]and I can hardly wait to see the firstfruits of it
- [00:23:58.800]with the incoming freshman class of 2024.
- [00:24:03.720]Secondly, we should be very rightfully proud of our efforts
- [00:24:07.523]to keep a Nebraska education affordable.
- [00:24:11.226]Our Board of Regents and our university administration
- [00:24:14.430]have worked hard over the past six years
- [00:24:16.870]to keep our annual tuition increases well below
- [00:24:19.946]the national norm.
- [00:24:22.510]We remain, together with the University of Iowa,
- [00:24:25.168]the best tuition value in the Big Ten,
- [00:24:29.450]and our students, upon graduation,
- [00:24:31.700]have 23% less student debt than the national average.
- [00:24:37.530]A significant step to increasing access
- [00:24:40.220]to the university is the new Husker Scholars program,
- [00:24:43.795]enabled by $5 million in annual scholarship support
- [00:24:47.900]from Husker Athletics, for students not competing
- [00:24:52.930]in intercollegiate athletics.
- [00:24:55.970]I can't begin to tell you how transformative
- [00:24:59.090]and totally unique this program is.
- [00:25:02.870]In its first year, 3,068 of our students are supported
- [00:25:08.259]on Husker Scholars, under five new scholarship programs.
- [00:25:13.410]93% of these students are from Nebraska,
- [00:25:16.530]40% of them are the first generation in their families
- [00:25:19.890]to attend a university, and 65% of them have high identified
- [00:25:25.810]financial need.
- [00:25:27.866]We should also be very proud that Husker Athletics,
- [00:25:32.190]due to the best fanbase in America,
- [00:25:34.090]and the strong leadership of athletic director Bill Moos
- [00:25:37.330]and his team is one of very few
- [00:25:40.560]select NCAA Division I programs nationally that pays
- [00:25:45.820]the full cost of attendance for all scholarship athletes
- [00:25:49.560]without any financial support from the institution,
- [00:25:53.570]the state, or the student body.
- [00:25:56.954]And while on this subject,
- [00:25:59.100]we certainly have something celebrate.
- [00:26:00.840]I'd also like to salute our amazing Husker volleyball team,
- [00:26:05.010]who, as you know, has been in the Final Four of the NCAAs
- [00:26:09.480]in three of the last four years,
- [00:26:11.900]being the national champion in two of those last four years,
- [00:26:16.210]an amazing accomplishment and one of the best examples
- [00:26:20.250]of grit and glory that I can certainly imagine.
- [00:26:23.300]Give them a big round of applause.
- [00:26:24.895](audience cheering and applauding)
- [00:26:35.280]I'm also very pleased that University of Nebraska
- [00:26:37.760]President Bounds is leading exploration of new ways
- [00:26:42.210]to bring together public/private partnerships
- [00:26:45.057]between the private sector of philanthropy
- [00:26:48.080]of the state and the university,
- [00:26:51.000]to enhance our monetized student support,
- [00:26:53.900]particularly for high academic achieving students
- [00:26:57.550]in Nebraska.
- [00:26:59.306]A recent example of this is the establishment
- [00:27:02.020]of the NU Teacher Scholars,
- [00:27:03.920]completely funded in its first cohort
- [00:27:06.650]by the Bill and Ruth Scott Foundation of Omaha
- [00:27:09.226]enabling 40 full four year scholarships
- [00:27:14.550]for outstanding students to pursue degrees
- [00:27:17.110]in elementary and secondary education.
- [00:27:20.330]This program and parallel programs at UNK and UNO
- [00:27:24.890]is intended to encourage some of the very best
- [00:27:27.370]and brightest young people from Nebraska
- [00:27:30.520]to pursue teaching degrees.
- [00:27:32.970]What a win/win for our students, for our state,
- [00:27:37.150]and for the university.
- [00:27:39.610]I'm also very excited that the University Honors Program
- [00:27:42.188]will be relocating this coming academic year,
- [00:27:45.179]to the Knoll Residential Center Complex,
- [00:27:48.080]to allow needed expansion and growth
- [00:27:50.383]in that signature program, and it's particularly fitting,
- [00:27:54.786]in that Professor Knoll, who we talked about a moment ago,
- [00:27:58.890]was instrumental in the predecessor
- [00:28:01.470]to the University Honors Program, Centennial College,
- [00:28:04.820]that some of you will remember,
- [00:28:06.440]that was established in 1969,
- [00:28:08.830]and the demand for our world-renowned
- [00:28:12.975]Raikes School of Computer Science and Management
- [00:28:16.190]continues to grow.
- [00:28:18.480]We plan to increase to 60 students per cohort,
- [00:28:21.330]from the roughly 40 we're at today, in the years ahead.
- [00:28:26.100]Since its inception, the Raikes School has produced
- [00:28:29.764]172 real-world software solutions through its design studio,
- [00:28:35.379]including the amazing success story
- [00:28:38.360]of the state's most significant new startup venture
- [00:28:40.810]in recent times, the impressive Huddle Enterprise,
- [00:28:44.330]based here in Lincoln.
- [00:28:47.190]And before leaving the teaching mission,
- [00:28:49.110]I would like to specifically applaud the establishment
- [00:28:52.420]of The Center for Transformative Teaching
- [00:28:54.310]by Academic Affairs.
- [00:28:56.443]This center will collaborate with educators
- [00:28:59.470]across programs and departments in the university,
- [00:29:02.670]to promote instructional strategies,
- [00:29:04.890]and pedagogical practices that will enhance
- [00:29:08.550]our students' learning outcomes and success.
- [00:29:13.067]I also would like to applaud the work of Academic Services
- [00:29:15.510]and Enrollment Management, who are bringing together
- [00:29:18.730]services later this year in Canfield,
- [00:29:21.950]to provide our students with more
- [00:29:23.820]of a one stop shopping experience in terms
- [00:29:26.670]of registration and scheduling and financial services.
- [00:29:31.190]And lastly, congratulations to two
- [00:29:33.980]of our outstanding faculty, Professors Erin Blankenship
- [00:29:37.360]from Statistics, and Professor of Chemistry, Jason Kautz,
- [00:29:41.421]for being recognized by the University of Nebraska
- [00:29:44.450]this past year as recipients of the Outstanding Teaching
- [00:29:47.850]and Instructional Creativity Award.
- [00:29:49.980]Please give them a big round of applause.
- [00:29:51.989](audience cheering and applauding)
- [00:30:01.000]As one of America's Carnegie Highest Research Intensive
- [00:30:04.810]public universities, the generation of knowledge
- [00:30:08.910]through research, discovery and creative activity
- [00:30:11.550]is a key fundamental priority of our education mission.
- [00:30:16.848]Following a competitive national search,
- [00:30:19.570]we were very fortunate to welcome Bob Wilhelm this past year
- [00:30:23.590]as our new Vice Chancellor
- [00:30:24.920]of Research and Economic Development,
- [00:30:26.770]and Bob hit the ground running.
- [00:30:28.500]I saw him out here earlier, sitting in the front row,
- [00:30:30.826]by hiring Deb Hamernik and appointing her
- [00:30:33.850]as Associate Vice Chancellor,
- [00:30:35.738]and implementing the strategic planning process
- [00:30:38.760]for the Office of Research and Economic Development
- [00:30:41.410]this spring.
- [00:30:43.275]While federal research funding in recent years
- [00:30:46.370]has certainly been stagnant, at best,
- [00:30:49.282]and consequently, I should say, very hyper-competitive,
- [00:30:52.840]our faculty have been successful in continuing
- [00:30:56.440]to lead cutting-edge research and discovery
- [00:30:59.520]across a wide array of disciplines.
- [00:31:03.530]This past year, we passed $308 million
- [00:31:06.670]in total research expenditures across the campus,
- [00:31:10.640]reflecting a 25% increase over the last decade.
- [00:31:15.730]In 2018, UNL sponsored researched managed $265 million
- [00:31:21.110]in sponsored programs, including a record $171 million
- [00:31:25.970]in federal funding, a 75% increase over the last decade,
- [00:31:32.020]with the strongest leadership coming from our faculty
- [00:31:34.410]across all areas of agriculture, food and water security,
- [00:31:37.770]early childhood education and development,
- [00:31:40.070]physics, nano and material sciences,
- [00:31:42.830]and social and behavioral sciences.
- [00:31:46.290]And the significantly growing
- [00:31:48.350]University of Nebraska National Strategic Research Institute
- [00:31:51.870]portfolio draws upon our research and creativity
- [00:31:55.850]in chemistry, as we saw today, in the press,
- [00:31:59.157]physics, engineering, social sciences, and space law,
- [00:32:04.290]in partnership with various agencies throughout
- [00:32:07.300]the Department of Defense.
- [00:32:09.702]And even though it's unlikely that we will see increased
- [00:32:13.600]funding availability at the federal level
- [00:32:15.920]in the near term, I do believe that there are
- [00:32:18.740]considerable opportunities for us to broaden
- [00:32:21.730]our research base of funding through the advancement
- [00:32:24.500]of P4 partnerships, bringing together public
- [00:32:28.010]and private and philanthropic partnerships.
- [00:32:31.390]And we certainly have initiated a number of these
- [00:32:34.210]in recent years, as you see on the screen behind me,
- [00:32:38.060]and they're poised by much success,
- [00:32:40.790]including many of these that are cross-campus initiatives
- [00:32:45.400]and cross-institution initiatives, even outside,
- [00:32:49.003]with partners outside and across the country,
- [00:32:52.810]like the Nebraska Food for Health Center,
- [00:32:54.910]anchored at Innovation Campus, with full partners
- [00:32:57.980]at UNO and UNMC.
- [00:33:00.797]Several innovation additional efforts are being led
- [00:33:05.000]by Vice Chancellors Boehm and Wilhelm, with Microsoft.
- [00:33:09.450]In the areas of precision agriculture,
- [00:33:11.340]education and health, and by NSRI,
- [00:33:14.840]we just mentioned a moment ago, with Boeing and others.
- [00:33:19.136]We continue to see successful commercialization
- [00:33:21.969]of our research through InuTeq ventures,
- [00:33:24.780]which together with UNeMed, was named
- [00:33:27.370]in the top 100 entities globally for patents in 2017.
- [00:33:33.340]Last year, UNL's licensing income passed 5.1 million,
- [00:33:38.010]with five new startup companies formed,
- [00:33:40.510]and 31 new technology licensing agreements executed
- [00:33:43.960]upon our research portfolio.
- [00:33:47.740]Nebraska Innovation Campus, designed to provide
- [00:33:50.250]a new environment, as you know,
- [00:33:51.780]for collaborative research,
- [00:33:53.430]experiential learning and economic development
- [00:33:57.450]is now seven years into its 25 year development timeline.
- [00:34:02.950]I'm very pleased, if you've been there,
- [00:34:04.490]you'll see the new Rise Building is about to open,
- [00:34:07.630]anchored by Virtual Incision, a startup company,
- [00:34:12.590]emanating out of Nebraska Engineering, Shane Farritor
- [00:34:15.830]with partners from UNMC, and one of 15 startup companies
- [00:34:20.417]that have been at NIC.
- [00:34:23.840]This facility now brings our total footprint
- [00:34:26.300]at Innovation Campus to 454,000 square feet,
- [00:34:30.140]and is home to 30 partners, 16 university affiliates,
- [00:34:35.060]and 551 employees and student interns.
- [00:34:40.310]And we are also very excited, I should say,
- [00:34:42.730]about the plans of the U.S. Department of Agriculture
- [00:34:45.700]to relocate their two major research agencies
- [00:34:49.780]outside of the D.C. Capital region,
- [00:34:52.670]and we're working very aggressively with partners
- [00:34:55.420]across Nebraska to try to make Innovation Campus
- [00:34:59.870]the home for one or both of those agencies.
- [00:35:04.897]Now I could certainly cite numerous examples
- [00:35:07.453]of individual excellence for the research
- [00:35:10.430]and creative activity of our faculty
- [00:35:12.250]across all nine of our academic colleges,
- [00:35:15.510]but there are a few that deserve special mention
- [00:35:18.820]this afternoon.
- [00:35:21.160]Biological Systems Engineer professor, Angie Paneer,
- [00:35:24.660]was awarded a National Institutes of Health
- [00:35:26.980]Directors New Innovator award,
- [00:35:29.400]the first UNL faculty member to receive this honor.
- [00:35:34.220]Professor Margaret Jacobs, Chancellors Professor of History
- [00:35:37.350]and Direct of Women's and Gender Studies
- [00:35:39.200]in the College of Arts and Sciences is one of 31 scholars
- [00:35:42.787]and whether selected for a very prestigious
- [00:35:46.130]Carnegie Fellowship, the first ever from Nebraska.
- [00:35:51.210]Professor Yongfeng Lu,
- [00:35:52.470]of Electrical and Computer Engineering was awarded
- [00:35:55.150]the Outstanding Research and Creative Activity award
- [00:35:57.570]by the University of Nebraska this past year,
- [00:36:00.590]for his outstanding and prolific work in laser-based,
- [00:36:04.380]material processing characterization and imaging.
- [00:36:08.940]Professors Paul Black of Biochemistry,
- [00:36:10.980]Roger Bruning of Educational Psychology,
- [00:36:13.448]David Hage of Chemistry, Jim Lewis of Mathematics,
- [00:36:17.110]and Jay Storz of Biological Sciences,
- [00:36:19.789]all were named to the prestigious
- [00:36:22.330]American Association for the Advancement of Science
- [00:36:25.510]fellow award.
- [00:36:27.560]Biochemistry Professor Emeritus Don Weeks,
- [00:36:30.020]and his collaborators were recognized
- [00:36:32.140]by Nature Biotechnology,
- [00:36:33.600]leading journal in the field internationally,
- [00:36:36.170]for their Herbicide Resistance patent
- [00:36:39.030]being the most cited gene patent in the world in 2018.
- [00:36:45.341]The university's outreach and engagement mission,
- [00:36:48.460]that third leg of the three mission stool
- [00:36:51.566]also continues to be a national leader,
- [00:36:55.790]with Nebraska Extension engaged in all 93 counties
- [00:36:58.980]across the state, in areas ranging from agriculture
- [00:37:02.610]and agribusiness to natural resource conservation,
- [00:37:06.410]to youth development, STEM education,
- [00:37:08.570]community development and vitality,
- [00:37:10.750]human nutrition and wellbeing and manufacturing.
- [00:37:15.450]Nebraska 4H continues to lead the nation,
- [00:37:18.940]wherein more than 3/4ths of the counties in Nebraska,
- [00:37:22.453]one in every two age eligible youth are members of 4H.
- [00:37:29.216]Additionally, each of the academic colleges
- [00:37:32.070]across the university have elevated their engagement with
- [00:37:35.180]and across the state,
- [00:37:36.570]in everything from community architecture projects
- [00:37:39.190]to Arts Across Nebraska,
- [00:37:41.150]from the Nebraska Center for Children, Families and the Law,
- [00:37:44.206]to the Rural Futures Institute's
- [00:37:46.440]Community Serviceship program.
- [00:37:49.710]Numerous specialized clinical and entrepreneurship
- [00:37:53.040]partnerships are offered through all
- [00:37:55.240]of our nine academic colleges,
- [00:37:57.320]for the citizens of the state.
- [00:38:00.800]And turning to our physical infrastructure,
- [00:38:03.640]we celebrated this past year the completion
- [00:38:05.880]of several facilities projects,
- [00:38:08.029]highlighted by the Memorial Mall Loop Phase I project
- [00:38:13.800]here on campus, several Outstate projects
- [00:38:17.410]in the Experiment Station,
- [00:38:19.610]and the long-planned, and now celebrated
- [00:38:22.290]Student Health Center UNMC Nursing Complex,
- [00:38:25.940]a beautiful partnership between UNL,
- [00:38:29.089]UNMC and Nebraska Medicine.
- [00:38:32.720]The stunning new exhibits from the 4th floor renovation
- [00:38:35.960]of Morrill Hall, will open next month
- [00:38:38.340]as part of Charter Week,
- [00:38:40.008]and renovations to what we often called,
- [00:38:42.310]on campus, and we've just about gotten rid of it now,
- [00:38:45.400]Old CBA, now Pound Hall,
- [00:38:48.459](audience laughing)
- [00:38:49.292]are nearly complete, with additional space and expansion
- [00:38:54.200]badly needed for our College of Arts and Sciences.
- [00:38:57.990]We have a number of major construction projects
- [00:39:00.290]currently underway, included the new
- [00:39:02.220]gymnastics training facility addition to the Devaney Center,
- [00:39:05.620]complete renovation of the Nebraska East Union,
- [00:39:09.050]green space recreation on the former Cather Pound site,
- [00:39:12.930]and relocation of the UNL Dairy Store in Philly Hall,
- [00:39:17.475]the renovation of the former Nebraska Bookstore
- [00:39:20.310]into the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts,
- [00:39:23.660]and the dance program of the Hixon-Leed College
- [00:39:26.790]is scheduled to be completed by August,
- [00:39:28.780]just in time for the arrival of the inaugural class
- [00:39:32.452]of the new Carson Center.
- [00:39:36.120]By the end of our N150 year,
- [00:39:38.500]several major facilities projects will be underway,
- [00:39:42.000]including the conversion of the C.Y. Thompson Library
- [00:39:44.520]into the East Campus Student Learning Commons.
- [00:39:47.470]Phase I of Nebraska Engineering Facilities planned rebuild
- [00:39:51.510]of the Scott Link and renovation
- [00:39:53.070]of the Scott Engineering Center.
- [00:39:55.330]Construction of a completely new Mabel Lee Hall,
- [00:39:58.180]for our College of Education and Human Sciences,
- [00:40:00.890]construction of a new Nebraska Food for Health Center
- [00:40:03.370]Gnotobiotics Mouse Facility, on East Campus,
- [00:40:06.891]and renovation of Organic Chemistry labs
- [00:40:09.650]in an ongoing rolling wave of facilities in that building,
- [00:40:14.603]and we are actively fundraising for the $85 million
- [00:40:18.900]Phase II expansion of the Nebraska Engineering Initiative,
- [00:40:23.650]which will build a new wing to the East of Othmer Hall,
- [00:40:26.940]across 17th Street, and I'm very pleased to note
- [00:40:30.730]that our conversations have been very well received
- [00:40:33.406]up to this point.
- [00:40:36.040]It's our goal to complete the fundraising for that effort
- [00:40:38.630]during 2019, so that these two phases can be done
- [00:40:42.227]somewhat in parallel to one another.
- [00:40:46.510]These two facilities projects,
- [00:40:48.250]along with building of faculty in the college,
- [00:40:50.960]are a major part of the University of Nebraska
- [00:40:53.740]system's number one prioritized effort
- [00:40:57.010]in building Nebraska Engineering
- [00:40:58.840]to a new Big Ten level of impact,
- [00:41:02.020]all carefully partnered with private industry,
- [00:41:05.270]and exceptionally led by Dean Lance Perez,
- [00:41:08.850]who I see over here in the audience.
- [00:41:12.310]No institution can be successful without high performing,
- [00:41:15.850]committed people, and I've had the opportunity
- [00:41:18.670]over the last several months, as the campus knows,
- [00:41:21.318]to visit with each college in every major unit
- [00:41:24.990]across the campus, so I've seen that depth
- [00:41:27.390]and that breadth of excellence on our campus.
- [00:41:30.160]I'm so proud of our hardworking
- [00:41:32.650]and committed faculty and staff,
- [00:41:34.840]the best anywhere, in my mind in higher education,
- [00:41:38.433]and I'm equally proud of our exceptional
- [00:41:41.320]UNL Senior Leadership Team,
- [00:41:43.212]led by Executive Vice Chancellor Donde Plowman,
- [00:41:46.650]and Vice Chancellor of the Institute of Ag
- [00:41:48.470]and Natural Resources and Vice President
- [00:41:50.150]of the system for the same, Mike Boehm,
- [00:41:53.186]and with a host of recent high impact
- [00:41:56.370]senior leadership appointments across this last 18 months,
- [00:42:00.340]and across the university,
- [00:42:02.580]combined with the current important searches for our deans
- [00:42:05.570]of the College of Arts and Sciences,
- [00:42:07.690]the College of Education and Human Sciences
- [00:42:09.930]and University Libraries, we will enter
- [00:42:13.080]this next academic year
- [00:42:14.856]in a very strong leadership position.
- [00:42:19.500]It's particularly gratifying to see several years
- [00:42:22.840]of work and planning coming to fruition
- [00:42:25.154]in elevating inclusive excellence as a priority
- [00:42:28.970]at the university.
- [00:42:31.180]We are eagerly looking forward to Marco Barker,
- [00:42:34.170]joining us on April 1st at the university's first
- [00:42:36.822]Vice Chancellor of Diversity and Inclusion.
- [00:42:41.670]And I can't stress how critically important
- [00:42:44.490]this position is for our university,
- [00:42:46.450]as we move forward, nor how pleased we are
- [00:42:49.281]to have attracted someone of Dr. Barker's caliber to it,
- [00:42:54.420]much due to the efforts and commitment
- [00:42:57.500]of an exceptional search advisory committee in that search,
- [00:43:01.500]led by Professor Kwame Dawes.
- [00:43:04.660]Marco will join our team on April 1st
- [00:43:08.000]that includes Gwendolyn Combs in Academic Affairs,
- [00:43:11.280]Charlie Foster in Student Affairs,
- [00:43:13.520]and Karen Kassebaum in Business and Finance,
- [00:43:16.320]to aggressively lead our efforts forward across all aspects
- [00:43:19.650]of UNL, to enhance diversity and inclusive excellence.
- [00:43:25.180]Additionally, I've charged the Chancellors Commissions
- [00:43:28.341]on the status of people of color,
- [00:43:30.581]on sustainability, and on the status of women,
- [00:43:34.940]to elevate their work in 2019.
- [00:43:37.860]I'm also pleased to announce
- [00:43:40.090]that a 4th Chancellors Commission has been added
- [00:43:42.730]to this group on the status of Sexual and Gender Identities,
- [00:43:46.588]with overall leadership facilitation
- [00:43:49.510]being provided by Dr. Combs.
- [00:43:53.500]Now while we certainly have much to celebrate
- [00:43:55.480]in the momentum of the university as we've outlined
- [00:43:58.160]across our missions here,
- [00:44:00.440]we must also be conscious of the larger environment
- [00:44:03.720]around us, and the considerable, what I would call headwinds
- [00:44:07.460]for higher education.
- [00:44:09.170]This is kind of timely, isn't it?
- [00:44:11.259](audience laughing)
- [00:44:12.300]Both nationally and locally,
- [00:44:14.583]funding and budget pressures,
- [00:44:17.650]political, or potential federal policies, excuse me,
- [00:44:21.080]changes, related to immigration status and Title IX.
- [00:44:25.160]Declining international enrollments in higher ed
- [00:44:27.990]across the U.S., increased racist behavior,
- [00:44:32.620]and additional concerns about mental health issues
- [00:44:35.737]on campuses all present challenges,
- [00:44:39.849]and while these headwinds have, indeed, been stiff at times,
- [00:44:43.710]we have been and continue to be steadfast
- [00:44:46.700]in our efforts to confront them,
- [00:44:48.950]and to prevent any interruption of our momentum.
- [00:44:53.650]While making budget reductions
- [00:44:55.090]from constrained state appropriations,
- [00:44:58.200]we have been very fortunate to have prevented
- [00:45:00.690]significant elimination of any core academic programs.
- [00:45:05.329]We are well into our implement at the university system
- [00:45:09.590]of streamlining services across informational technology,
- [00:45:13.000]human resources, facilities management and planning,
- [00:45:15.900]travel, and procurement, and I want to especially thank
- [00:45:20.220]our staff and leadership in these areas for what is hard
- [00:45:23.670]and difficult work, as we have reorganized
- [00:45:27.040]and significantly reduced FTE.
- [00:45:30.787]As the state legislature has gotten to work,
- [00:45:33.180]and I see a number of our legislative senators here today,
- [00:45:36.270]appreciate you being here,
- [00:45:38.540]as they've gone to work this past week,
- [00:45:40.690]and hearing from the governor earlier today
- [00:45:42.530]in the State of the State address,
- [00:45:44.307]I'm optimistic going into this current and next
- [00:45:48.350]upcoming budget biennium setting cycle.
- [00:45:52.430]The university has forwarded
- [00:45:54.994]a modest budget increase request
- [00:45:57.500]that will hold spending flat, but will allow us
- [00:46:00.170]to address faculty and staff salary increases,
- [00:46:03.820]and it's been encouraging to see the support
- [00:46:06.010]of Governor Ricketts and legislative leadership
- [00:46:09.070]to the budget proposal thus far.
- [00:46:12.241]We do remain mindful of the economic impact
- [00:46:15.760]of decline in trade of agricultural commodities,
- [00:46:19.270]and other commodities that are important
- [00:46:21.060]to manufacturing in our state,
- [00:46:23.680]as well as the state's need to address voter approved
- [00:46:27.790]Medicaid expansion in the future.
- [00:46:31.592]I'm certainly eager to see us moving forward as a campus
- [00:46:35.560]into the final planning for implementation
- [00:46:37.650]of a new budget resource allocation model.
- [00:46:40.932]As many on the campus know, a university committee
- [00:46:44.180]reviewed this in depth in 2017,
- [00:46:47.720]and recommended that we move toward
- [00:46:49.570]a hybrid responsibility center management approach
- [00:46:53.380]to budget allocation.
- [00:46:56.250]RCM based budgeting allows increased transparency
- [00:47:00.210]in the budget decisions,
- [00:47:01.630]enhanced stewardship of decentralized resources,
- [00:47:04.945]incentives for academic entrepreneurship
- [00:47:08.390]and a database foundation for resource allocation.
- [00:47:13.150]The campus will be engaged as the model is developed
- [00:47:16.100]this year and the campus leadership will be vetting it
- [00:47:20.070]during the first half of the coming academic year.
- [00:47:23.930]With our current incremental model being shadowed
- [00:47:27.430]by this model during the next fiscal year,
- [00:47:30.290]to allow us beginning in fiscal year '21,
- [00:47:33.410]to implement this moving forward.
- [00:47:36.740]I thank Interim Vice Chancellor Nunez
- [00:47:38.660]and the Executive Leadership Team,
- [00:47:40.300]in advance for bringing this to fruition,
- [00:47:43.210]because I consider it to be amongst our very highest
- [00:47:46.677]short term priorities.
- [00:47:50.203]As well documented by the press,
- [00:47:52.624]this past year, the university administration
- [00:47:55.350]was placed on the censure list of the AAUP.
- [00:47:59.280]And while we have clearly stated that we do not agree
- [00:48:02.230]with this assessment or the process used to reach it,
- [00:48:05.807]I'm encouraged by and support the leadership
- [00:48:08.680]in joint engagement of the Faculty Senate,
- [00:48:11.370]the local AAUP chapter, and the administration
- [00:48:14.870]in working through an ad hoc committee
- [00:48:17.140]to review our policies and procedures,
- [00:48:19.480]and recommend any helpful changes in moving forward.
- [00:48:24.780]Even in societal times of division,
- [00:48:28.210]and seemingly declining civility and decorum,
- [00:48:31.946]we will strongly adhere to our stated core values
- [00:48:36.310]regarding academic excellence, rigor and freedom,
- [00:48:40.930]with dignity, respect, civility, inclusion,
- [00:48:44.812]and freedom of expression, and we will live those values.
- [00:48:51.240]We will not accept harassment, intimidation, racism
- [00:48:56.090]or hate-filled behavior or actions.
- [00:48:58.826](audience applauding)
- [00:48:59.660]Our students said it best.
- [00:49:11.340]Our students said it best this past year,
- [00:49:13.792]when they said, last spring, hate will never win here.
- [00:49:18.920]And I'm very proud that we are taking
- [00:49:21.200]a national leadership role through the creation
- [00:49:23.530]of the Big Red Resilience Program
- [00:49:26.240]and our enhanced counseling
- [00:49:27.920]and psychological services programming under the leadership
- [00:49:31.474]of interim Vice Chancellor Laurie Bellows,
- [00:49:34.310]and the team in Student Affairs,
- [00:49:36.410]coupled with very strong leadership
- [00:49:38.449]from our student government in ASUM.
- [00:49:43.002]Now as part of N150 year, and the desire to enhance
- [00:49:46.990]our national reputation, we're also significantly
- [00:49:49.960]escalating our efforts to share our university's story.
- [00:49:53.971]Front and center to this will be helping Nebraskans
- [00:49:57.100]understand our commitment to and impact on this great state
- [00:50:01.050]through the more than six to one return on investment
- [00:50:04.400]that we routinely deliver from state investment.
- [00:50:08.960]We'll also be working diligently to bring national awareness
- [00:50:13.600]to the plethora of amazing things that happen
- [00:50:16.930]across this campus.
- [00:50:19.366]Celebrating the 150th anniversary, entering this year,
- [00:50:23.915]can and certainly should be a wonderful opportunity
- [00:50:27.140]for all of us, as faculty, staff, students, and alumni
- [00:50:31.240]to reengage with our mission.
- [00:50:33.860]Charter Week, beginning on February the 11th
- [00:50:36.240]will provide many opportunities for our students,
- [00:50:38.904]our faculty and our staff and I strongly encourage you all
- [00:50:43.970]to take advantage of those and to participate.
- [00:50:46.990]Those of you here in the Lied Center today will receive
- [00:50:49.700]a copy of all of the activities spanning that Charter Week
- [00:50:52.740]which is just around the corner, incidentally,
- [00:50:54.950]starting on February 11th.
- [00:50:56.830]Those of you that are not here,
- [00:50:58.570]I would encourage you to be able to go to the website
- [00:51:01.020]at N150.unl.edu to see that full range of activities
- [00:51:06.740]for Charter Week and the year.
- [00:51:09.490]I hope you will each read Dear Old Nebraska U,
- [00:51:13.230]the wonderful new book just recently published
- [00:51:15.980]by the University of Nebraska Press, now available,
- [00:51:18.813]in honor of our sesquicentennial,
- [00:51:21.280]and I'd like to just do a quick shoutout
- [00:51:23.170]to Kim Hachiya, Craig Chandler, and Ted Kooser,
- [00:51:26.880]for their efforts on this wonderful book.
- [00:51:28.780]Please give them a big round of applause.
- [00:51:30.452](audience cheering and applauding)
- [00:51:37.721]Looking back over the past 150 years,
- [00:51:40.010]and taking stock of where we are today, as we've done,
- [00:51:43.360]we can confidently say that UNL is in a period
- [00:51:46.750]of sustained momentum, and we are poised
- [00:51:50.320]for a tremendous future ahead.
- [00:51:53.150]That sentiment is the basis for our new branding efforts,
- [00:51:56.200]culminating in our new tagline, as you have seen,
- [00:51:58.930]In Our Grit, Our Glory.
- [00:52:01.340]Simple words that hearken to the grit of our founders,
- [00:52:05.125]the generations of work and achievement
- [00:52:07.550]within our university community that have led us
- [00:52:10.210]to this tremendous place that we enjoy today,
- [00:52:13.297]and combined with that, there's the roll up our sleeves
- [00:52:16.980]and get it done attitude that will propel us
- [00:52:20.007]to greater glory in the future.
- [00:52:23.438]So now, I'd like to shift the focus a bit,
- [00:52:27.280]and talk with a little bit about that vision
- [00:52:30.040]for the future.
- [00:52:32.420]On the occasion of the Chancellor Investiture
- [00:52:34.370]a couple of years ago, I made this statement.
- [00:52:37.193]Nebraska and the world demands that we must be a bold,
- [00:52:40.776]engaged, audacious, accessible and vibrant
- [00:52:44.470]people's university, student centered,
- [00:52:47.289]continually research innovating and developing,
- [00:52:51.190]and never more outward reaching in our impacts
- [00:52:54.330]to be Nebraska's 21st century people's university.
- [00:52:59.250]We must be open to change, and evolution,
- [00:53:02.380]as the world around us continues to change so rapidly.
- [00:53:06.280]We need to consider unconventional ideas
- [00:53:08.530]and not constrain ourselves by being tied
- [00:53:11.760]or wedded to the traditional norms.
- [00:53:15.040]We must challenge ourselves in our thinking.
- [00:53:17.320]If we can't invent, innovate and create
- [00:53:20.750]at a university, where can we?
- [00:53:24.480]With this is a charge.
- [00:53:26.460]We formed the Nebraska 150 Commission this past year,
- [00:53:29.860]to envision UNL's boldest aspirations,
- [00:53:32.890]and to broadly determine what must happen to achieve them.
- [00:53:37.197]I specifically charged the commission
- [00:53:39.662]to take a 25 year, like we've done today,
- [00:53:43.140]generational view in their visioning,
- [00:53:46.130]recognizing that strategy and implementation would follow.
- [00:53:50.770]It was understood, at the outset,
- [00:53:52.620]that this certainly was not the first time
- [00:53:54.480]that the university had engaged in visioning,
- [00:53:57.570]but it is the first time in over 20 years
- [00:54:01.083]that this has happened across the full breadth of UNL.
- [00:54:06.430]I asked Executive Vice Chancellor Donde Plowman
- [00:54:09.190]and Professor of History Will Thomas to co-chair
- [00:54:11.810]the commission, made up of more than 150 faculty,
- [00:54:15.330]staff, students, alumni and stakeholders of the university,
- [00:54:19.880]facilitated with leadership
- [00:54:21.330]from academic leadership associates and I might add,
- [00:54:25.350]they were given a relatively short timeframe
- [00:54:27.430]to complete their work, to submit their final report
- [00:54:30.517]by the end of calendar year 2018.
- [00:54:34.257]The commission quickly organized itself into a series
- [00:54:37.630]of seven working committees, as well as a mission
- [00:54:41.110]and steering committee, to study and to debate
- [00:54:44.170]a broad range of issues.
- [00:54:46.510]Throughout the nearly year-long journey,
- [00:54:48.280]the commission held numerous listening sessions
- [00:54:50.450]for the larger university and the state-wide community
- [00:54:53.447]to participate and to offer feedback,
- [00:54:56.188]hearing about values and capacities,
- [00:54:59.300]talents and opportunities and dreams and aspirations.
- [00:55:03.750]And I'm pleased to report to you that the commission,
- [00:55:06.200]through exceptional hard work and commitment,
- [00:55:08.340]delivered on their charge, and have now submitted
- [00:55:11.680]their final report to the campus,
- [00:55:13.470]that's being released for the first time
- [00:55:15.698]to the campus today.
- [00:55:18.470]At this time, I would like for Donde and Will,
- [00:55:21.400]all of the members of the N150 commission,
- [00:55:24.201]the staff who worked hard to support their work,
- [00:55:27.493]to please stand, and accept our gratitude
- [00:55:30.530]on behalf of all of the university.
- [00:55:32.910]Please stand. (audience applauding)
- [00:55:46.640]Now I could only begin to impart a brief overview
- [00:55:49.390]of the framework for the vision that is articulated
- [00:55:52.370]in the report, so I certainly will encourage you
- [00:55:54.820]to go online and study it at your leisure in full.
- [00:55:59.362]The commission sets forth a vision where UNL
- [00:56:03.160]is unparalleled among public research universities,
- [00:56:06.680]in access, in opportunity, in innovation,
- [00:56:10.700]and in lifelong experiential learning.
- [00:56:15.410]A future where we attract bold thinkers,
- [00:56:17.440]in the quest for knowledge and the search for truths
- [00:56:20.290]greater than ourselves.
- [00:56:22.568]The vision is framed around four core aspirations.
- [00:56:26.387]The first, that Nebraska students will co-create
- [00:56:29.888]their experience.
- [00:56:31.904]Common transformative learning experiences that equip
- [00:56:35.010]each student for their future,
- [00:56:37.400]will distinguish a Nebraska education.
- [00:56:41.300]Working together with faculty, staff and community members,
- [00:56:44.400]our students will co-create experiences
- [00:56:47.020]that spark curiosity, lead to demonstrated achievement,
- [00:56:50.820]and deepen the capacity for analysis and reflection.
- [00:56:55.550]Secondly, our research and creativity will transform
- [00:56:58.470]lives and learning, by advancing knowledge,
- [00:57:01.580]solving the world's challenges and deepening
- [00:57:03.610]our understanding of humanity.
- [00:57:06.190]We will enhance quality of life
- [00:57:08.304]in the state of Nebraska and beyond.
- [00:57:12.460]These innovations will shape the education
- [00:57:14.660]that we provide to undergraduate, graduate,
- [00:57:17.240]and professional students.
- [00:57:19.990]Thirdly, every person and every interaction will matter.
- [00:57:25.840]UNL will lead U.S. public universities in affordability
- [00:57:29.550]and accessibility to a world-class education.
- [00:57:33.540]Our university community will have a deep appreciation
- [00:57:36.700]for diversity, inclusive excellence,
- [00:57:38.630]and the contributions of each individual,
- [00:57:40.750]faculty, staff and student to the greater good.
- [00:57:45.698]We will attract, we will educate and support students
- [00:57:49.050]whose talent and work ethic will shape their communities
- [00:57:52.040]for decades to come.
- [00:57:54.241]And fourthly, we will build communities,
- [00:57:57.572]by serving as a catalyst for growth,
- [00:57:59.930]prosperity and cultural enrichment.
- [00:58:02.730]UNL will redefine partnerships between research communities
- [00:58:06.950]and their communities.
- [00:58:09.428]Now I know that's just a very quick overview,
- [00:58:11.370]but I'm gonna try to translate it for you, if I will.
- [00:58:15.289]To me, this vision is really a clarion call,
- [00:58:19.252]for us to be, as you heard me say earlier,
- [00:58:22.465]a transformative, world-leading, 21st century,
- [00:58:27.000]mission-integrated land grant university without walls.
- [00:58:33.710]Can you imagine having in place, as we approach
- [00:58:37.070]the quarter century mark, experiential,
- [00:58:40.280]cohort-based interdisciplinary learning,
- [00:58:43.350]from nearly 29,000 undergraduate,
- [00:58:46.038]graduate and professional students,
- [00:58:49.100]with an incoming first year class of 6500 eager students,
- [00:58:53.297]unimpeded by financial accessibility
- [00:58:56.930]under a new tuition model, with dedicated,
- [00:59:00.770]longterm research experiences,
- [00:59:02.650]focused on the big, wicked research problems,
- [00:59:05.650]a priority across the state and the university,
- [00:59:10.050]with community-based research across all colleges,
- [00:59:13.570]connecting every student
- [00:59:14.966]to real world challenges in Nebraska,
- [00:59:19.000]with connected, public/private partnership
- [00:59:21.920]internship opportunities outside the university
- [00:59:25.670]for every student,
- [00:59:28.000]with design thinking and coding fundamentally a part
- [00:59:31.360]of the experience, emphasizing imagination,
- [00:59:33.910]creative expression, and the convergence of disciplinary
- [00:59:37.914]and design thinking,
- [00:59:40.520]with integrated internationalization as the norm,
- [00:59:44.092]where inclusive excellence is inherent in community,
- [00:59:49.010]not aspirational, where students and faculty
- [00:59:52.850]challenge each other at equal levels
- [00:59:55.430]of rigor and excellence,
- [00:59:57.886]where students co-create their education,
- [01:00:00.850]but without barriers to being able to complete
- [01:00:03.960]their high value, Nebraska education
- [01:00:06.450]as undergrads in four years or less,
- [01:00:09.920]and where we are the first comprehensive
- [01:00:11.910]public research university to be fully developing
- [01:00:15.220]and integrating simulated experiential learning,
- [01:00:18.645]perhaps developed in partnership with IXL at UNMC?
- [01:00:25.080]A research and creative activity enterprise,
- [01:00:27.440]approaching $450 million, prioritized and resource-enhanced
- [01:00:32.840]around deepening commitment to solve wicked problems
- [01:00:36.550]and challenges important to Nebraska,
- [01:00:39.830]like feeding and growing a hungry world,
- [01:00:42.750]sustainably under a climate change with less water,
- [01:00:46.730]or understanding and enhancing early childhood development
- [01:00:49.960]for success or novelly combating infectious disease
- [01:00:55.080]and weapons of mass destruction,
- [01:00:57.530]or social and behavioral science,
- [01:00:59.690]to reduced income and health disparities,
- [01:01:03.560]or engineering the future enabled
- [01:01:06.250]with artificial intelligence and data analytics?
- [01:01:11.160]All seamlessly and directly tied to every student
- [01:01:14.607]in their educational experience on the campus,
- [01:01:19.320]with significantly higher levels
- [01:01:21.190]of public/private philanthropic partners
- [01:01:23.340]that we talked about earlier,
- [01:01:24.880]with strategic investment to interdisciplinary research
- [01:01:28.410]directed to hiring and competitive support
- [01:01:31.560]of doctoral students, with all aspects
- [01:01:34.382]of academic student and business affairs,
- [01:01:37.690]aligned in support of our priority research,
- [01:01:41.660]scholarship and creative activity, and with compensation,
- [01:01:47.240]career development and research opportunities
- [01:01:49.380]for graduate students and post-docs that surpass the norms
- [01:01:53.676]of the top 50 research universities,
- [01:01:57.706]with a completely integrated engagement mission
- [01:02:01.180]as a Carnegie Community Engagement designated
- [01:02:03.850]leading university, where every community
- [01:02:07.620]across Nebraska is viewed as a key part
- [01:02:10.350]of the university's extended campus for learning
- [01:02:13.369]and for research opportunities,
- [01:02:15.500]where engagement is a fundamental part
- [01:02:17.567]of every UNL community member's ethos,
- [01:02:21.399]where the capstone experience of every student
- [01:02:24.190]is aligned to a community partner and problem in the state,
- [01:02:28.840]where engagement is also defined with partnership
- [01:02:31.390]with private industry, and where Nebraska students
- [01:02:34.920]define engagement with their university
- [01:02:37.385]through a plugged in lifetime of continual learning,
- [01:02:43.320]and can we all imagine internally and dream of a 2025,
- [01:02:48.050]when the operations and the infrastructure
- [01:02:49.870]of the university are dynamically aligned and optimized
- [01:02:53.406]without walls, in support of the transformative,
- [01:02:57.146]integrated three part, land grant mission?
- [01:03:02.120]With a transparent budget research allocation model,
- [01:03:05.280]and process that incentivizes excellence,
- [01:03:08.040]smart growth, interdisciplinary work,
- [01:03:11.200]empowered to deliver on that three part mission,
- [01:03:14.820]with empowered decision making, and shared governance,
- [01:03:17.730]through an enhanced university faculty
- [01:03:20.140]and staff council, with family-friendly policies
- [01:03:23.800]and programs to ensure that UNL continues to be
- [01:03:27.050]a best place to work in higher ed,
- [01:03:30.320]and with a culture that builds a more sustainable
- [01:03:33.260]and resilient community for all citizens,
- [01:03:36.823]and then, lastly, with a highly-respected
- [01:03:39.960]talent management program for professional development
- [01:03:43.340]and engagement of our staff that leads the Big Ten.
- [01:03:49.130]Now while this future may seem bold,
- [01:03:51.610]perhaps audacious in some spots,
- [01:03:54.960]and stretch beyond 2025 in some others,
- [01:03:58.155]now is our time to lead to new heights,
- [01:04:02.600]and I sense that the UNL community is extraordinarily eager
- [01:04:07.398]for this challenge.
- [01:04:10.070]In early February, I will be drawing together
- [01:04:12.610]an N150 strategy team, to roll up their sleeves
- [01:04:15.990]and to develop the initial five year implementation plan
- [01:04:20.220]for the vision.
- [01:04:22.070]I'll ask that team to complete their work by October 15th,
- [01:04:25.570]to enable it to be vetted across the campus,
- [01:04:28.200]and in place prior to our next
- [01:04:29.890]State of the University address during Charter Week in 2020.
- [01:04:36.730]Now I'm gonna ask you to put on your creative hat,
- [01:04:39.150]if you will, in closing here today.
- [01:04:42.402]Imagine, two children born tomorrow.
- [01:04:47.699]A baby girl in rural Nebraska,
- [01:04:50.704]a baby boy, perhaps, in urban Mumbai.
- [01:04:54.700]Both are able to access powerful early childhood education,
- [01:04:59.190]shaped by methods, utilizing the discoveries
- [01:05:02.350]and learnings of UNL,
- [01:05:05.130]sparking their early curiosity and their inquisitiveness.
- [01:05:09.290]As the girl grows, her farming family begins
- [01:05:11.760]to utilize drones to plant precise crops
- [01:05:14.338]for each inch of their land, and where diverse plants
- [01:05:18.430]invigorate each other for their maximum potential,
- [01:05:22.450]all enabled and facilitated by UNL.
- [01:05:27.436]Her 4H club works with UNL's College of Business,
- [01:05:29.410]to create a startup company,
- [01:05:30.860]which ultimately takes root and employs 10 people
- [01:05:34.320]in her rural community.
- [01:05:36.800]The young boy grows up in a world free from the worry
- [01:05:39.950]of mosquito born diseases, such as Zika and dengue fever,
- [01:05:44.790]aided by the research of UNL and UNMC microbiologists
- [01:05:50.140]and scientists.
- [01:05:51.810]His school utilizes programming on food science
- [01:05:54.540]and nutrition from UNL's global extension network,
- [01:05:59.090]which has been tailored to reflect Indian diets
- [01:06:02.104]and food staples.
- [01:06:04.207]Imagine when they come to UNL,
- [01:06:06.374]the young man pursues studies with a core emphasis
- [01:06:10.210]in music, robotics and food science.
- [01:06:13.600]Through the application of principles of harmony,
- [01:06:16.060]he works with a global team of UNL researchers
- [01:06:19.470]to advance artificial intelligence,
- [01:06:21.660]with application to food manufacturing.
- [01:06:24.600]He interns for a company that's developing systems
- [01:06:27.700]to deliver infant nutrition derived from fresh produce
- [01:06:31.783]into the heart of urban megacities.
- [01:06:35.634]The young woman seeks to be an advocate for human rights
- [01:06:40.150]and through a global partnership initiated
- [01:06:42.070]by UNL's College of Law,
- [01:06:44.120]she takes virtual undergraduate courses
- [01:06:46.350]with students around the world, from judicial clerks
- [01:06:49.630]at The Hague.
- [01:06:51.239]What began as the Drone Journalism Lab here at UNL
- [01:06:55.270]has grown into the use of artificial intelligence
- [01:06:57.940]and our young woman, from rural Nebraska
- [01:07:00.860]is part of a cohort students who will unearth
- [01:07:03.740]the rich history of a Native Amazonian tribe
- [01:07:07.110]for the first time.
- [01:07:09.580]In January of 2044, when they are 25,
- [01:07:14.390]and when our university celebrates its 175th anniversary,
- [01:07:20.110]and maybe our football team has just added
- [01:07:22.310]yet another national championship
- [01:07:24.200]to Coach Frost's long list of accomplishments,
- [01:07:26.878]our young people will be back on campus
- [01:07:30.110]to receive honors for their great efforts here at UNL.
- [01:07:35.070]Perhaps, the young man is part of a group of UNL researchers
- [01:07:38.380]awarded the Nobel Prize,
- [01:07:40.520]the first time an undergraduate student is recognized
- [01:07:42.910]for this glorious, scientific achievement.
- [01:07:46.300]Perhaps our young woman and her cohort of fellow students
- [01:07:49.610]is awarded a Pulitzer Prize.
- [01:07:52.820]Both continue to engage with their university
- [01:07:55.970]through microclasses, one or two a year
- [01:07:58.390]through the university, as they will throughout their lives
- [01:08:02.063]to access the latest discoveries or satiating
- [01:08:05.971]their curiosity on a new topic.
- [01:08:10.180]And perhaps, in 2069, one of them will stand
- [01:08:15.560]on this stage as Chancellor,
- [01:08:17.880]projected out to a global university,
- [01:08:22.360]and speak about the vision set in 2019,
- [01:08:25.250]and how that propelled the continued glory
- [01:08:28.150]of the university, uttering words similar to these,
- [01:08:31.622]in describing our time.
- [01:08:34.610]The university had the iridescent glamor of life beginning,
- [01:08:40.060]for which almost anything is possible,
- [01:08:42.690]the very air over the campus was glittering bright
- [01:08:46.725]with what might be,
- [01:08:48.220]and I know you're all familiar with the inscribed quote
- [01:08:53.354]on Memorial Stadium, attributed to one of the most famous
- [01:08:57.190]of all Nebraskans, William Jennings Bryan,
- [01:08:59.700]from over a hundred years ago,
- [01:09:02.087]and you're familiar with that quote.
- [01:09:04.600]It says that destiny is not a matter of chance.
- [01:09:07.710]It is a matter of choice.
- [01:09:09.705]The choices we make today are not just for us,
- [01:09:12.820]for the generations in this room,
- [01:09:14.990]or for the generations of our students in our classrooms,
- [01:09:18.160]in our recital halls, in our studios, in our labs,
- [01:09:20.850]in the field today.
- [01:09:22.890]It's for the generations that are yet to come,
- [01:09:25.688]and just as we stand on the shoulders of those
- [01:09:28.960]who came before in these 15 amazing decades,
- [01:09:32.383]they will stand on ours.
- [01:09:34.910]What an awesome responsibility and opportunity.
- [01:09:39.640]I hope to be fortunate enough
- [01:09:40.960]to be around 25 years from now.
- [01:09:42.840]You can, and for those of you that
- [01:09:44.240]that just made really nervous, relax.
- [01:09:47.356]I mean, probably, as the grandparent of a gaggle
- [01:09:50.100]of Husker students, hopefully, and a cheering alum.
- [01:09:55.610]At that time, I hope that our successors,
- [01:09:58.310]upon our quarto-centennial,
- [01:10:00.420]and I'll try to say that one, will look back
- [01:10:03.100]on this inflection point, and they'll say,
- [01:10:05.850]wow, they were not only thinking,
- [01:10:09.030]they were truly imagining the future.
- [01:10:12.990]There truly is no place like dear old Nebraska U,
- [01:10:16.410]thanks for everything that you have done in the past,
- [01:10:19.360]are doing in the present, and will do in the future
- [01:10:21.900]to enable its bold future.
- [01:10:23.630]Thank you very much.
- [01:10:24.866](audience cheering and applauding)
- [01:10:58.279](bright piano music)
- [01:11:07.503]♪ There is no place like Nebraska ♪
- [01:11:15.270]♪ Dear old Nebraska U ♪
- [01:11:25.157]♪ We'll all sing together ♪
- [01:11:29.675]♪ In all types of weather ♪
- [01:11:33.810]♪ For dear old Nebraska U ♪
- [01:11:45.221]♪ Hail to the team ♪
- [01:11:49.595]♪ The Scarlet and Cream ♪
- [01:11:51.708]♪ Cheers for a victory, echo our loyalty ♪
- [01:11:58.263]♪ So, on, mighty men ♪
- [01:12:01.446]♪ Run, triumph again ♪
- [01:12:05.144]♪ Fight on for victory ♪
- [01:12:08.017]♪ Hail the men of Nebraska U ♪
- [01:12:12.908]♪ I see this land of ours ♪
- [01:12:14.437]♪ From high on Chimney Rock ♪
- [01:12:17.255]♪ I see this from the roads below ♪
- [01:12:22.511]♪ I traveled east and west ♪
- [01:12:24.506]♪ I traveled north and south ♪
- [01:12:27.227]♪ And from all that I've seen ♪
- [01:12:29.038]♪ I've come to know ♪
- [01:12:34.484]♪ I'm glad to say that I am from Nebraska ♪
- [01:12:40.128]♪ I'm glad to say I'm from the Husker state ♪
- [01:12:43.513]♪ Where the air's so clean ♪
- [01:12:44.774]♪ The sky's so blue ♪
- [01:12:45.730]♪ You'll know it when you're passing through ♪
- [01:12:47.571]♪ Nebraska, that's my home state ♪
- [01:12:51.352]♪ From the rolling place of valleys ♪
- [01:12:53.220]♪ Ah ♪
- [01:12:54.854](Ah's drowning out main melody)
- [01:13:06.674]♪ Don't mind the good life here in Nebraska ♪
- [01:13:09.402]♪ In Nebraska ♪
- [01:13:10.945]♪ Ah, ah ♪
- [01:13:14.284]♪ From the sandhills to the mining hall ♪
- [01:13:15.732]♪ There's lots of room to live and grow ♪
- [01:13:17.299]♪ Nebraska ♪
- [01:13:19.283]♪ Nebraska ♪
- [01:13:21.156]♪ Nebraska, that's my home state ♪
- [01:13:28.411]♪ There is no place like Nebraska ♪
- [01:13:32.940](audience applauding)
The screen size you are trying to search captions on is too small!
You can always jump over to MediaHub and check it out there.
Log in to post comments
Embed
Copy the following code into your page
HTML
<div style="padding-top: 56.25%; overflow: hidden; position:relative; -webkit-box-flex: 1; flex-grow: 1;"> <iframe style="bottom: 0; left: 0; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; border: 0; height: 100%; width: 100%;" src="https://mediahub.unl.edu/media/10502?format=iframe&autoplay=0" title="Video Player: State of the University 2019" allowfullscreen ></iframe> </div>
Comments
0 Comments