KRVN Chat with the Chancellor

Ronnie Green Author

06/24/2019 Added

2 Plays

Description

Ronnie Green chats about the economic impact that UNL brings to the state; an $11.85 million grant from the National Institute of Health to establish a Center of Biomedical Research Excellence; a discussion of “first generation” college Students; and the top 2-3 things on his agenda this summer.

Searchable Transcript

Search:

[00:00:00.220]Brandon Bennetts with the Rural Radio Network,
[00:00:01.970]and our weekly Chat with the Chancellor here
[00:00:03.350]in the Summer 2019 semester.
[00:00:05.360]Once again, joined by a special guest,
[00:00:06.930]Dr. Ronnie Green, the Chancellor at the
[00:00:08.350]University of Nebraska at Lincoln.
[00:00:10.290]Chancellor, back in 2016 Trip Umbach
[00:00:13.200]a national leading consultant with expertise
[00:00:15.140]in economic impact studies
[00:00:16.630]showed the University of Nebraska system's
[00:00:18.600]annual economic impact for the state
[00:00:20.270]was 3.6 billion dollars and since then
[00:00:23.190]the NU system has said that for every one dollar invested
[00:00:25.790]it returns six dollars for the state.
[00:00:28.180]Back at the March Board of Regents meeting,
[00:00:29.880]Umbach upped those figures
[00:00:32.220]to an economic impact statewide of 4.5 billion dollars
[00:00:35.680]and seven dollars for every one dollar invested.
[00:00:38.910]What specific numbers can you share with us
[00:00:40.880]about UNL's increase on its economic impact as well?
[00:00:44.570]Well Brandon you had mentioned that back three years
[00:00:47.240]ago wheen this original study was done
[00:00:49.820]to look at economic impact of the university
[00:00:52.270]at the system level across all of the state,
[00:00:54.860]at that time, in that study,
[00:00:56.536]the University of Nebraska at Lincoln
[00:00:58.760]was just under two billion of that total,
[00:01:02.195]1.9 billion at that point in time,
[00:01:04.569]and as you mentioned, that has been
[00:01:07.330]updated here recently this spring,
[00:01:10.340]to look at the data now in 2019 for the university.
[00:01:14.880]And that total now is 4.5 billion at the system level.
[00:01:18.433]2.2 billion of that coming directly
[00:01:20.966]from and through the University of Nebraska Lincoln
[00:01:23.700]supporting 18,500 jobs that are direct employment
[00:01:28.180]of both our faculty and our staff,
[00:01:30.430]plus employment that's created in the economy
[00:01:32.880]as a operation of UNL across the state
[00:01:36.090]on the campuses in Lincoln, as well as across the state.
[00:01:39.500]The flagship land-grant research intensive campus
[00:01:42.670]is a key driver for the state's economy.
[00:01:45.660]We've known that for a long time.
[00:01:48.250]You know we've celebrated our 150th anniversary this year
[00:01:50.973]that we talked about previously on your program,
[00:01:54.170]and have continued to create that talent and expertise
[00:01:57.260]for all sectors of Nebraska's economy
[00:01:59.570]as well as sparking innovation through the research,
[00:02:02.170]and the dividends from that research that we do
[00:02:04.490]out in the economy in the state.
[00:02:07.060]So very, very happy about that
[00:02:08.890]to know that now today in 2019
[00:02:11.655]on our own numbers at UNL, about $7.8 returned
[00:02:16.840]for every dollar if state dollars invested
[00:02:19.660]in the university on an annual basis
[00:02:21.730]in these Trip Umbach data.
[00:02:23.820]Dr. Green, last month UNL announced
[00:02:25.840]an 11.85 million dollar grant
[00:02:28.890]from the National Institute of Health to establish
[00:02:31.130]a center of biomedical research excellence on campus,
[00:02:34.440]and then just earlier this week
[00:02:35.780]the campus also announced a major gift
[00:02:37.610]to build a brand new student learning commons on campus.
[00:02:41.240]Tell us about the new center
[00:02:43.130]for biomedical research excellence
[00:02:44.610]and the new student learning commons coming to the campus.
[00:02:48.300]We, as a major research institution,
[00:02:52.380]at the university, have about 320 million dollars a year
[00:02:57.420]in research activity that we conduct
[00:03:00.030]and carry out through the UNL system.
[00:03:02.470]And we were very pleased here just recently
[00:03:05.350]to announce a new major grant
[00:03:07.270]that came in to the university.
[00:03:09.770]11.85 million dollar grant that is establishing a new center
[00:03:14.480]for biomedical research excellence.
[00:03:16.390]We refer to these as COBREs, that is,
[00:03:19.090]part of the National Institutes of Health
[00:03:20.999]in the Federal Government.
[00:03:23.070]And then this particular one,
[00:03:24.720]it's to establish a new COBRE in rural drug addiction,
[00:03:29.420]so a center for rural drug addiction research.
[00:03:33.260]It's a five year grant.
[00:03:35.000]It'll support cutting edge research
[00:03:36.800]and understanding the extent and nature of rural addiction.
[00:03:41.010]It'll work to develop evidence-based
[00:03:42.880]treatment methods for rural addiction,
[00:03:45.250]and it'll also do outreach and policy efforts
[00:03:47.870]to help reduce addiction to drugs in rural regions
[00:03:51.310]and overdoses that occur from those.
[00:03:53.970]It's important that it's being done here,
[00:03:56.350]because the patterns of drug use addiction in the Midwest
[00:03:59.760]are different from those that we observe on the coasts
[00:04:02.860]or the previous rural drug addiction center
[00:04:05.610]that was developed in Appalachia,
[00:04:07.320]in particular on the East Coast.
[00:04:09.500]And this will be the only major research center
[00:04:12.400]that focuses specifically on rural drug addiction
[00:04:15.670]in the Midwest, and the unique aspects of that
[00:04:18.766]in this part of the country.
[00:04:21.000]Brings together researchers from psychology,
[00:04:23.810]from sociology, from biology,
[00:04:26.220]all of the social and behavioral research sciences
[00:04:29.770]across our campus, being led by Kirk Dombrowski,
[00:04:33.060]who is a world leading sociologist
[00:04:35.060]in our department of sociology.
[00:04:36.680]So very, very happy about that.
[00:04:38.470]It's the fifth of these COBRE centers.
[00:04:41.630]It has been established at UNL over the last 15 years.
[00:04:46.210]We have a COBRE center,
[00:04:47.500]it's Nebraska Center for Virology.
[00:04:49.480]We have a Redox biology center.
[00:04:51.960]We have an obesity diseases research center.
[00:04:54.640]We have a biomolecular communications and signaling center
[00:04:58.350]that were previously established under
[00:05:00.400]the same network of NIH,
[00:05:01.960]so we're excited about and pleased
[00:05:04.160]that we're going to be bringing research results
[00:05:06.360]in this important area for the Midwest,
[00:05:09.050]moving forward through this new COBRE.
[00:05:10.770]And then you also mentioned
[00:05:12.004]that just in the last few days
[00:05:14.320]we made the announcement that the work has begun
[00:05:17.850]on the new East Campus Learning Commons
[00:05:20.510]on East Campus of UNL at Lincoln,
[00:05:23.360]in what's been our C.Y. Thompson Library,
[00:05:26.110]one of the main buildings on East Campus
[00:05:28.010]that was built in the 1960s,
[00:05:30.320]and we have been successful in raising funding
[00:05:33.270]to support a complete renovation of that facility
[00:05:36.730]into a new student learning commons
[00:05:38.770]for all of East Campus,
[00:05:40.460]for the ag and natural resources programs,
[00:05:43.190]the human sciences programs,
[00:05:44.860]the College of Law, College of Dentistry,
[00:05:47.430]the vet med programs that all
[00:05:49.320]are located on our East Campus.
[00:05:51.650]Exciting about that.
[00:05:52.960]Supported by major donations
[00:05:55.340]from the Bill and Ruth Scott Foundation in Omaha,
[00:05:58.870]as a lead gift in that effort,
[00:06:01.060]as well as the Dinsdale Family
[00:06:03.990]who have been strong supporters
[00:06:05.970]of the University's Strong Leaders in Agriculture
[00:06:08.730]and the banking, the Pinnacle Bank
[00:06:10.410]is part of the Dinsdale Families.
[00:06:12.870]And so we're very excited that this will be named
[00:06:15.420]the Dinsdale Family Learning commons,
[00:06:17.930]and that work is underway.
[00:06:19.844]It started just this past week.
[00:06:22.060]It'll be playing out now over the next 18 months
[00:06:25.000]for our students to have a new facility on our campus
[00:06:28.270]here in the next couple of years.
[00:06:30.160]Chancellor Ralph in here about the number of
[00:06:32.000]first generation college students on a campus
[00:06:34.870]and since you and I are both
[00:06:36.520]first generation college students,
[00:06:38.180]I know it's a topic that's near and dear to both our hearts
[00:06:40.860]so let's dig into that idea a little bit.
[00:06:43.170]So first, how many students on the Lincoln campus
[00:06:46.510]are considered first generation,
[00:06:48.490]and what are some of those innovative ways
[00:06:50.290]the university is working to help
[00:06:51.510]those first generation students be successful?
[00:06:54.720]Well Brandon, it is near and dear to my heart
[00:06:56.750]and I know it is to yours as well, as you mentioned.
[00:06:59.100]I'm very fortunate to have been a first gen student myself.
[00:07:03.190]In my own family, my father
[00:07:04.630]had an eighth grade school education.
[00:07:07.080]My mother had a high school education,
[00:07:09.130]and I was very, very fortunate to have been able
[00:07:12.680]to attend the land-grant university
[00:07:14.450]in my home state in Virginia, at Virginia Tech.
[00:07:17.530]And as part of our land-grant heritage
[00:07:20.430]we take very, very seriously as part of our mission,
[00:07:23.810]the access to the highest quality education
[00:07:26.500]for the University of Nebraska.
[00:07:28.220]So when this past year for us at UNL,
[00:07:33.030]I'm very proud of the fact that we
[00:07:34.900]continue to see increasing numbers of students
[00:07:37.570]who are the first in their families
[00:07:39.360]to be able to pursue a four year degree.
[00:07:42.740]This past year in fall of 2018,
[00:07:45.370]we had 5,471 of our 20,800 roughly
[00:07:50.630]undergraduate students who were in that first gen
[00:07:53.870]in their families, to attend a university
[00:07:56.910]and pursue that education.
[00:07:58.500]It's about 26% of our undergrads that are first gen.
[00:08:02.960]And that number, as we've seen
[00:08:04.620]over the last several years has continued to go up.
[00:08:08.210]It's gone up couple of percentage points
[00:08:10.350]every year in our freshman class.
[00:08:12.870]So excited to see that,
[00:08:14.043]that we have the access to a Big 10 education
[00:08:17.380]for students who are the first in their families.
[00:08:20.560]And we believe and know from our own data
[00:08:22.825]that that is more possible and we're seeing
[00:08:25.830]a larger share of that in our student population
[00:08:29.240]than what we see in our Big 10 peers.
[00:08:31.280]We're very proud of that.
[00:08:32.930]We continued to build our support
[00:08:35.740]for our first gen students.
[00:08:37.310]You know I remember very well when I went to college
[00:08:40.540]not knowing as much about that experience,
[00:08:43.290]or having that experience in my family,
[00:08:45.960]needed to learn things that others already knew so to speak.
[00:08:50.180]So we have worked hard, and continued to build
[00:08:53.440]programs to support students success
[00:08:55.600]of our first gen students through things
[00:08:57.420]like our First Huskers Program
[00:08:59.430]where those students commit
[00:09:01.117]in that program to coming in early,
[00:09:03.730]ahead of their first semester their freshman year.
[00:09:07.230]And in that week prior as a group,
[00:09:10.310]they're supported, they're guided in their transition.
[00:09:13.060]And they take a course together
[00:09:14.860]then together following that during that fall term.
[00:09:18.280]And they become a cohort together
[00:09:20.360]to help them get that first leg up in their studies.
[00:09:24.330]We have weekly lunches with faculty
[00:09:26.620]and staff with our first gen students.
[00:09:28.263]I often attend those myself.
[00:09:30.610]And we also have what's called an I'm First symposium.
[00:09:34.560]It's held on campus in April.
[00:09:36.510]It brings together first generation high school students
[00:09:39.790]who are coming to our campus and learning
[00:09:42.000]about what it will be like for them
[00:09:44.460]to explore and come into higher
[00:09:46.620]education here on the campus.
[00:09:48.950]Very, very proud of the fact that just recently,
[00:09:51.780]this last month we were named at UNL
[00:09:54.900]to the inaugural cohort of what's known
[00:09:57.070]as First Ford Institutions that excel
[00:10:00.030]at first gen instruction in education.
[00:10:03.520]That put together by the Center
[00:10:05.500]for First Generation Student Success.
[00:10:07.700]And it recognizes this commitment that we have
[00:10:10.540]to improving the experiences and the outcomes,
[00:10:12.980]and the ultimate graduation success
[00:10:15.200]of our first gen students.
[00:10:16.470]So very near and dear to my heart just like you said.
[00:10:19.550]The priority for us that we are extending that access.
[00:10:24.180]And in growing ways, extending that access
[00:10:27.200]for students who are the first people
[00:10:29.020]in their families to be able to pursue,
[00:10:31.710]and be successful with a higher education.
[00:10:34.660]Brandon Bennetts with the Rural Radio Network
[00:10:36.190]in our weekly chat with the Chancellor
[00:10:37.750]here in the summer 2019 semester,
[00:10:39.840]this week once again joined by a special guest,
[00:10:41.735]Dr. Ronnie Green, the Chancellor
[00:10:43.440]at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
[00:10:45.100]Dr. Green summer is a time when things
[00:10:46.710]slow down on the college campus,
[00:10:48.150]but they certainly don't stop.
[00:10:49.300]As you and your administrative assess
[00:10:50.889]the year that was and look forward to the upcoming
[00:10:53.380]school year what are the top two or three
[00:10:55.320]things on your agenda for the UNL campus this summer.
[00:10:58.260]And will that include a barnstorming trip
[00:11:00.630]around the state much like you did last summer?
[00:11:03.280]Well Brandon, you know this summer,
[00:11:04.447]first and foremost we're getting ready for the fall right.
[00:11:07.650]So we've got another school year coming here soon.
[00:11:10.630]And our students will be back in force
[00:11:13.010]in August before we know it.
[00:11:14.570]And so there's always the continual
[00:11:16.720]turn and planning, and getting ready
[00:11:18.390]for the next cycle that's occurring on a regular basis.
[00:11:21.480]But we have a number of other big things
[00:11:23.040]that are happening too at the same time.
[00:11:24.830]We are in the midst of finishing
[00:11:26.113]a five year strategic plan for UNL
[00:11:29.120]that will be rolling out this coming year.
[00:11:32.190]So we're putting the finishing touches, if you will,
[00:11:34.860]on that process this summer.
[00:11:37.040]We're working on refining our budget this summer.
[00:11:40.030]And so all of those kind of things are happening.
[00:11:42.760]But then also as you mentioned,
[00:11:44.340]I do have the opportunity to get out
[00:11:46.055]across the state a lot throughout the year,
[00:11:49.030]but especially in the summer.
[00:11:50.590]And so I've already had a chance to do
[00:11:52.780]that several times even going into fields like,
[00:11:56.250]summer is officially starting this week,
[00:11:58.551]you know in this past few days.
[00:12:00.810]But I've already been able to be out
[00:12:03.300]in Scott's Bluff in May.
[00:12:05.190]We had a, just after school, finished the session
[00:12:08.230]and graduation, we had a 150th anniversary
[00:12:11.260]of the university event with our colleagues
[00:12:13.480]and friends out in the panhandle.
[00:12:15.110]And that was a special celebration.
[00:12:17.190]Was out with athletics, and a number of our coaches
[00:12:20.260]here at the end of May in North Fork, Fremont and Ashland,
[00:12:23.800]with that team and seeing a lot of our supporters
[00:12:26.390]of the university through the Big Red Blitz that week.
[00:12:29.640]Earlier this month the Cattleman's Ball
[00:12:31.830]for the Cure for Cancer that supports
[00:12:34.000]the University of Nebraska Medical Center's
[00:12:35.890]Cancer Research Center, and the Buffet Research
[00:12:38.270]Center for Cancer out in Wauneta in southeast Nebraska.
[00:12:42.750]And was very privileged to be able to attend
[00:12:45.070]that and be involved in that as we do every year
[00:12:47.290]to help that effort move forward.
[00:12:49.460]Just a little over a week ago was out
[00:12:52.460]in North Platte for Nebraska Land Days,
[00:12:55.050]again as part of our 150 celebration,
[00:12:57.460]and being able to visit with colleagues there.
[00:13:00.150]Then I'll be in Columbus coming up
[00:13:01.580]here in August for a similar event.
[00:13:03.900]Then of course, state fair's coming up very rapidly.
[00:13:06.490]It'll be here before we know it
[00:13:08.040]in late August and September.
[00:13:09.570]So always interested to be out in the state,
[00:13:12.610]and to be able to visit not just
[00:13:14.300]with alumni of the university,
[00:13:16.140]but with the citizens of Nebraska as well.
[00:13:19.680]I'm always reminded on those trips
[00:13:21.950]about how much Nebraskans care deeply about education,
[00:13:25.180]care deeply about higher education,
[00:13:27.330]about how interested in, and deeply invested
[00:13:29.760]they are in our university.
[00:13:31.620]So it's been an exciting summer already.
[00:13:33.650]And have more exciting summer to come up.
[00:13:36.000]Dr. Green, the last word is yours.
[00:13:38.330]What else is goin on on the campus at UNL
[00:13:40.560]here midway through the month of June.
[00:13:42.900]You know Brandon in talking about
[00:13:44.400]being out in the state, I also have been
[00:13:47.410]like many of us, just impressed
[00:13:50.240]with the tremendous resilience that the people
[00:13:54.040]of our state have had in the face
[00:13:56.080]of what's been a pretty trying spring
[00:13:57.775]with the flooding that we had
[00:14:00.460]back earlier in the spring in March,
[00:14:02.740]and the response to that, and the canal, the recovery
[00:14:06.560]that is going on in so many areas of the state.
[00:14:09.240]That we've just seen amazing resiliency and grit
[00:14:12.880]of our people in the state.
[00:14:14.597]And I just have to kinda pause
[00:14:16.580]and say something about that.
[00:14:18.560]The Nebraska extension in the university
[00:14:22.120]has certainly been heavily involved
[00:14:24.380]in many of the community's most hard hit
[00:14:27.770]by the flooding and the bomb cyclone earlier in the year,
[00:14:30.990]and that continuing recovery is ongoing.
[00:14:34.540]And the generosity that we've seen as well.
[00:14:37.137]I mentioned the Cattleman's Ball,
[00:14:39.146]that is always an awesome event,
[00:14:42.820]to see that even in the face of the kind of year
[00:14:45.720]that we've had in this state.
[00:14:47.300]And I know a lot of your listeners,
[00:14:49.300]just the weather conditions of being
[00:14:51.160]in the fields this year, and getting crop in,
[00:14:54.320]and being able to move forward
[00:14:56.010]with the weather that we've had,
[00:14:58.200]to see the generosity that people have.
[00:15:00.790]To be able to step away from their own adversity
[00:15:04.970]and to see the success the Cattleman's Ball
[00:15:07.530]had in the midst of that is pretty amazing.
[00:15:10.140]It's pretty awesome.
[00:15:11.580]Just a phenomenal example of Nebraskan's
[00:15:13.830]givin' of themselves in the pursuit
[00:15:16.370]of something like research to combat cancer.
[00:15:19.550]So just heartwarming in those ways.
[00:15:22.720]And it's just an indication of Nebraskan's,
[00:15:25.210]see what's possible, and we can work
[00:15:27.130]together to do big things.
[00:15:28.730]They see our university as a way of leading
[00:15:31.930]research and education, and it's just a privilege
[00:15:34.810]for me to serve in the role that I have
[00:15:37.380]in leading UNL in knowing that.
[00:15:39.530]So couldn't stop without sayin' kudos
[00:15:42.220]to the people of Nebraska for the grit
[00:15:44.660]and resilience that we see being shown every day.
[00:15:48.120]That was Dr. Ronnie Green,
[00:15:49.220]the Chancellor at the University of Nebraska Lincoln,
[00:15:51.110]once again joining us as a special guest
[00:15:52.730]here on our chat with the Chancellor
[00:15:54.360]in the summer 2019 semester.
[00:15:56.465]With the Rural Radio Network this is Brandon Bennetts.

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.

Comments

0 Comments

KRVN Chat with the Chancellor

Description

Searchable Transcript

Comments icon comment

Related Channels

Comments