KRVN Chat with the Chancellor

Ronnie Green Author

09/21/2020 Added

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Ronnie Green talks about the fall enrollment numbers, how the process unfolded where the Big Ten Conference reversed course and restarted football this fall, the visit a few weeks ago by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, and the recent budget announcement.

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[00:00:00.230]Brandon Bennet's with a Rural Radio Network
[00:00:02.210]at our weekly chat
[00:00:03.160]with the chancellor here in the fall 2020 semester
[00:00:06.000]this week, once again joined by a special guest,
[00:00:08.260]Dr. Ronnie Green,
[00:00:09.490]the chancellor at the university of Nebraska-Lincoln.
[00:00:11.950]Dr. Green, the enrollment numbers for the new system
[00:00:14.030]were released last week
[00:00:15.070]and showed a total enrollment at UNL of 25,108 students,
[00:00:20.200]that's a decrease of 1.1% from last year.
[00:00:23.630]Break down those enrollment numbers for us at UNL.
[00:00:27.520]Well Brandon, we both are very, very pleased
[00:00:30.370]that even in the midst of the global pandemic
[00:00:33.580]that we've been living with for the last six months,
[00:00:36.430]that UNL's enrollment was very solid for this year
[00:00:40.700]and we had a huge amount of work that went into this
[00:00:43.670]across our campus, across all of our colleges
[00:00:46.650]and our faculty
[00:00:47.500]and working with students to bring back
[00:00:49.450]our students to campus now five weeks ago,
[00:00:52.225]and to bring in a very good incoming freshmen class.
[00:00:56.830]So as you said,
[00:00:58.600]our enrollment is over 25,000 students
[00:01:02.510]for the sixth time in our history.
[00:01:05.091]We are very, very pleased about that,
[00:01:07.678]and even though we saw a slight decline
[00:01:10.460]in total number of students,
[00:01:12.920]we did see an increase in Nebraska students
[00:01:16.050]an increase in domestic students from other States in the US
[00:01:19.950]non-resident domestic students across our colleges.
[00:01:23.830]We did see some decline in our international enrollment,
[00:01:27.640]which we anticipated with the travel restrictions,
[00:01:30.840]and visa restrictions for international students
[00:01:33.670]in the pandemic,
[00:01:35.190]but it was considerably less than what we anticipated.
[00:01:38.750]We actually had modeled in our projections expecting
[00:01:41.950]up to a 40% decrease in our international students
[00:01:45.140]it was less than half that,
[00:01:47.270]and so we're very pleased
[00:01:48.970]that we're able to get
[00:01:50.530]most of our international students back.
[00:01:52.920]It was primarily in our incoming class where we saw the
[00:01:56.530]decrease in our incoming undergraduate class,
[00:01:59.290]where we lost all over 400 incoming students
[00:02:02.276]who would have been with us
[00:02:04.110]otherwise from COVID-19.
[00:02:06.089]So very robust enrollment,
[00:02:08.450]we have the most diverse student body that we've ever had
[00:02:11.960]in our freshmen class this year,
[00:02:14.630]our underrepresented minority students were up 11%
[00:02:18.940]from previous freshmen classes
[00:02:20.980]last year we had the largest enrollment
[00:02:23.230]of underrepresented minority students in our history.
[00:02:26.810]And so that 11% increase in that freshman class
[00:02:30.003]we're very happy about.
[00:02:32.430]And then our first-gen students,
[00:02:34.360]the first in their families to be able to attend
[00:02:37.380]a four years universities also up by 3.2% this year.
[00:02:43.370]So that access mission that we have is land-grant university
[00:02:47.490]for the state of Nebraska is alive and well.
[00:02:50.750]And we're very pleased with that enrollment
[00:02:53.440]I can't tell you I think last time we talked Brandon,
[00:02:55.980]we were talking about preparing for students to return
[00:02:59.690]to campus for the fall term,
[00:03:02.520]and now we five weeks into that semester with our students
[00:03:06.460]back on campus and learning here together,
[00:03:09.540]with us is a really special thing.
[00:03:12.470]Especially in this time that we're in
[00:03:15.150]to be able to do that and do that safely,
[00:03:17.490]so excited about our enrollment here at UNL.
[00:03:21.430]Chancellor Green, speaking of excitement
[00:03:23.311]on Wednesday earlier this week,
[00:03:25.170]the Big 10 announced that it was reversing course
[00:03:27.280]and there would be football in Lincoln
[00:03:29.490]and the other conference schools this fall,
[00:03:31.530]we've all,
[00:03:32.363]heard about the announcement regarding this reversal,
[00:03:34.210]but take us inside the locker room,
[00:03:36.610]so to speak and tell us how this reversal came about
[00:03:40.540]and the process behind it.
[00:03:42.830]Well, it was an exciting week
[00:03:44.610]about to be able to announce earlier this week
[00:03:47.630]that we're returning to competition for our
[00:03:50.550]football programs across the Big 10 on October 23rd, 24th,
[00:03:55.190]that weekend now a little more than a month away,
[00:03:57.879]like all of your listeners will remember very well
[00:04:00.886]back in the summer as we're planning toward
[00:04:04.090]what a competition season could look like.
[00:04:06.920]But, originally there had been some initial plans
[00:04:10.980]to move forward with a season of 10 conference,
[00:04:14.531]only Big 10 games that would have started on September 5th,
[00:04:18.820]so we would have already been in that season
[00:04:20.860]under that earlier plan,
[00:04:22.751]that was postponed initially the thought was
[00:04:27.020]it would be postponed to after the first of the year,
[00:04:29.960]so pushing into 2021 for potential season for football
[00:04:35.230]and other fall sports.
[00:04:36.951]But after that decision was made,
[00:04:40.030]which was made on the basis of feeling prepared
[00:04:43.230]to be able to have safety protocols
[00:04:45.580]around our student athletes
[00:04:47.270]and staff and coaches and game management,
[00:04:50.232]I just did not feel across the conference
[00:04:53.500]that we were able to have that in place
[00:04:55.920]to be able to move forward with the season.
[00:04:58.750]We went to work,
[00:04:59.980]we went to work with our medical teams,
[00:05:02.030]with our athletic directors,
[00:05:03.550]with our coaches to study how we could move forward and
[00:05:07.900]whether we could do that sooner
[00:05:09.840]to be able to return to competition.
[00:05:12.221]So that process culminated over this last week
[00:05:16.490]with medical recommendations that came forward
[00:05:19.560]to provide a safe and clean field
[00:05:22.250]for competition for our 14 institutions
[00:05:25.300]to be able to move forward with that season
[00:05:27.420]with the most extensive testing protocol
[00:05:30.060]and safety protocol around our teams,
[00:05:32.710]and their support staff to be able to do that.
[00:05:35.590]So we're very pleased to be able to be in that position
[00:05:39.080]And you know what,
[00:05:39.913]I know our folks here in Nebraska
[00:05:41.990]have known and heard us say,
[00:05:43.720]but as coach Frost said that we were prepared
[00:05:46.900]and ready to move forward with the season
[00:05:49.200]on the original proposed schedule,
[00:05:51.795]not everyone was in the conference.
[00:05:55.090]And so we now are at that position
[00:05:57.820]and I'm excited for our student athletes
[00:06:00.190]and for our football program at particular
[00:06:02.450]to be able to move forward pure and just,
[00:06:05.240]you know, literally a little more than a month time,
[00:06:09.180]or that opening weekend of Big 10 competition.
[00:06:13.210]So excited about it,
[00:06:14.437]we have a lot of work to do now to be ready and be prepared
[00:06:18.820]for those first games,
[00:06:20.080]we're looking forward to the schedules being out
[00:06:22.730]that we know what we'll be doing
[00:06:24.460]with a six divisional games and two crossover games
[00:06:28.830]that will make up that regular season plus
[00:06:31.380]the new addition of a sort of a playoff game
[00:06:35.340]that will be at the end of the season
[00:06:37.330]where the match-ups across divisions
[00:06:39.398]two-two, three-three, four-four, five-five, six-six teams
[00:06:43.560]will play each other in a new kind of twist
[00:06:46.030]for the season for that ninth game of the season.
[00:06:49.370]So excited for our players
[00:06:50.870]I know that it's been a long road to get here
[00:06:53.620]and all of the uncertainty of COVID-19
[00:06:56.240]of would we be able to play,
[00:06:58.200]or how might we be able to play?
[00:07:00.780]And what would that look like
[00:07:02.167]to have that now laid out
[00:07:04.490]and a path forward is just a very good place to be
[00:07:08.670]and I'm happy for them and really anticipating
[00:07:11.870]being able to move forward here very shortly.
[00:07:15.620]Brandon Bennett with the Real Radio Network
[00:07:17.500]on our weekly chat with the chancellor here
[00:07:19.680]on the fall of 2020 semester.
[00:07:21.600]This week, once again joined by a special guest,
[00:07:23.800]Dr. Ronnie Green,
[00:07:25.030]chancellor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
[00:07:27.840]Chancellor Green back on September 4th,
[00:07:29.810]you along with NU system president,
[00:07:31.460]Ted Carter hosted US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Purdue,
[00:07:34.920]Governor Ricketts, Representative Fortenberry and others,
[00:07:37.740]for a panel discussion on the future of agriculture
[00:07:40.990]and the role of universities like UNL,
[00:07:43.610]that will play in that.
[00:07:44.700]Tell us about that panel discussion
[00:07:46.610]and that very special day in Lincoln.
[00:07:49.000]Brandon, we were very, very pleased
[00:07:50.910]to Secretary Perdue contacted us
[00:07:53.748]back in the late part of the summer,
[00:07:56.620]but for me late part of the summer means August timeframe.
[00:08:00.869]And you might remember he had planned
[00:08:04.340]to be in Nebraska last year during the Nebraska state fair,
[00:08:08.930]and there had been a planned a town hall,
[00:08:11.130]kind of a session at the state fair
[00:08:13.780]that he and I were going to do together,
[00:08:15.940]around Ag research and innovation.
[00:08:18.480]And unfortunately last year,
[00:08:20.270]he wasn't able to get here
[00:08:22.050]due to weather problems on his travel
[00:08:24.320]and that had to be canceled at the last minute.
[00:08:27.180]So, he wanted to get here and wanted to be able
[00:08:30.560]to have that conversation even with the parameters,
[00:08:33.527]we're operating in around COVID-19.
[00:08:36.770]So, we did host him here on September 4th
[00:08:40.800]at Nebraska Innovation Campus
[00:08:42.840]for that kind of town hall session.
[00:08:45.170]So we had a very good and robust conversation with leaders
[00:08:49.440]from across agriculture who were both present in person
[00:08:52.610]as well as live streamed across the state
[00:08:55.310]about the USDA Ag innovation agenda,
[00:08:58.802]that was put out just earlier this year in February,
[00:09:02.710]there was a report called
[00:09:04.260]science breakthroughs for agriculture
[00:09:05.967]by the National Academies of Science,
[00:09:07.900]Engineering and Medicine
[00:09:09.340]that was published last year.
[00:09:11.582]It's kind of a recommended roadmap
[00:09:14.370]for agricultural research and innovation
[00:09:17.530]I was part of the process that formed that report
[00:09:20.076]for the academies earlier.
[00:09:22.605]And in it, it calls for emphasis
[00:09:26.040]on important areas of research and innovation
[00:09:29.620]that will allow us
[00:09:31.150]to continue to increase agricultural production by 40%,
[00:09:35.778]all cutting the environmental footprint of agriculture
[00:09:38.990]in half by the year 2050,
[00:09:41.650]by now, about 30 years out from where we are today.
[00:09:45.300]So we had a great conversation with the secretary
[00:09:47.870]on the fourth, our Congressman Fortenberry as you mentioned
[00:09:51.210]and that Governor Ricketts
[00:09:52.300]were also part of that panel discussion,
[00:09:54.896]and it was really heartening to hear Secretary Perdue
[00:09:59.760]directly refer to the University of Nebraska
[00:10:02.870]as a long time international leader
[00:10:05.870]in agricultural research and you can imagine
[00:10:08.690]I was helping him also understand and see
[00:10:11.553]how we are aligned with that Ag innovation agenda
[00:10:15.523]of USDA hand in glove,
[00:10:18.740]through our research programs
[00:10:19.846]in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources,
[00:10:23.005]the leading part of our research enterprise
[00:10:26.300]at UNL last year, I and R,
[00:10:29.840]the Institute of Ag and Natural Resources,
[00:10:32.090]I had $62 million in research expenditures for the year
[00:10:36.210]which is almost 45% of our research portfolio across
[00:10:41.420]the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
[00:10:43.270]So, funny it's not lost on him
[00:10:46.790]while he was here the important impact
[00:10:48.998]that Nebraska has had for decades
[00:10:51.535]on Ag innovation worldwide and that we continue to have,
[00:10:56.050]and it was a great conversation with him here,
[00:10:58.770]and he got a chance up close and personal
[00:11:00.700]to see a lot of that as well on the campus.
[00:11:04.640]Chancellor back in mid June,
[00:11:06.285]NU system president Ted Carter announced NU systems
[00:11:09.520]2020, 2021 budget,
[00:11:11.930]which included a $43 million reduction
[00:11:14.110]over the next three years
[00:11:15.360]and then just about a month ago UNL announced
[00:11:17.810]an $18.9 million cut including faculty and staff positions,
[00:11:21.810]and the textiles, dance and hospitality programs.
[00:11:24.930]Talk about those cuts at UNL and the process behind
[00:11:28.210]that decision of what to cut and where.
[00:11:31.740]Well, as you mentioned Brandon,
[00:11:33.405]you are aware in a longterm planning horizon for our budget.
[00:11:37.940]So not only in response to the economic conditions
[00:11:42.910]of the COVID-19 dilemma that we have,
[00:11:46.139]but also longer term over the next biennium
[00:11:49.880]of the State of Nebraska.
[00:11:51.250]So, this year the current year that we're in 2021
[00:11:56.668]after this year will be the next biennium
[00:11:59.530]in fiscal year 22 and fiscal year 23
[00:12:02.580]for the state of Nebraska,
[00:12:03.940]so we are planning for through those three years
[00:12:07.090]in our budget planning currently,
[00:12:09.620]and as you mentioned the University of Nebraska system,
[00:12:13.407]announced this summer that they anticipated a $43 million
[00:12:17.810]reduction over that three year period of time
[00:12:20.820]based on expectations for enrollment of students,
[00:12:24.070]based on expectations around the state budget
[00:12:27.000]and what we expect will be the case there,
[00:12:30.240]of that total of $43 million at the system level,
[00:12:34.270]UNL is a significant part of that,
[00:12:36.530]given our size and scope within the university system.
[00:12:40.370]And so we actually at UNL have projected a $38 million
[00:12:46.290]reduction over those next three years
[00:12:49.010]that we're planning toward,
[00:12:50.820]in order to be in the right fiscal position
[00:12:53.540]for what we believe that we should be
[00:12:55.830]to be strong moving forward.
[00:12:57.930]So, combination of enrollment
[00:13:00.090]and expectations around enrollment
[00:13:01.970]particularly international enrollment
[00:13:03.950]that we talked about earlier,
[00:13:05.840]that have a more disproportionate impact
[00:13:08.650]on UNL than the rest of the system campuses
[00:13:11.520]because of our global nature of our campus,
[00:13:14.480]about 11% of our enrollment is international in nature.
[00:13:18.533]So we have implemented the process of looking
[00:13:21.850]at those budget proposals for how to implement
[00:13:24.930]that kind of change in our approach
[00:13:26.810]it over time, that represents about 8%, little under 9%
[00:13:31.046]total reduction in our state aided budget
[00:13:34.920]over those three years,
[00:13:36.383]which is a combination of the state appropriated budget
[00:13:39.670]for the university as well as tuition revenue from students.
[00:13:43.756]Included in those budget proposals certainly is
[00:13:47.930]gains in efficiency
[00:13:49.620]that we can implement across the university as a whole,
[00:13:53.500]particularly around administrative and support positions
[00:13:58.195]across the university and that's the largest single share
[00:14:01.960]of those budget reductions,
[00:14:04.090]but we also are cutting faculty lines
[00:14:07.200]but vacant faculty lines,
[00:14:09.370]not ones that have people in them currently,
[00:14:12.230]but ones that are currently vacant from retirements,
[00:14:15.630]as well as we are recommending the closure of a few
[00:14:20.710]academic programs that went through a priority process
[00:14:24.650]to determine where they were in terms of function and need.
[00:14:28.890]So, we unfortunately are recommending the elimination
[00:14:33.380]of our dance program
[00:14:34.930]in the College of Fine and Performing Arts,
[00:14:37.210]the X and Lee college here on campus.
[00:14:39.920]That is an important program,
[00:14:42.610]but it's small in its nature,
[00:14:45.680]and unfortunately we're recommending
[00:14:47.450]that we close the dance program.
[00:14:50.070]We also recommending the go closure of our
[00:14:53.730]Department of Textiles, Fashion and Merchandising design
[00:14:56.700]and College of Education and Human Sciences.
[00:14:59.550]And, putting a pause for the next several years
[00:15:04.040]in the college of business's Master of Arts program
[00:15:07.520]in Intercollegiate Athletics Administration.
[00:15:10.260]That was the program that was implemented
[00:15:12.490]about six years ago,
[00:15:14.340]and is at a phase where we recommend pause
[00:15:17.530]and get moving forward.
[00:15:18.910]So those process for evaluating those proposals
[00:15:22.250]is now underway on campus,
[00:15:24.140]we have a very defined process for those to be reviewed
[00:15:28.700]across the university faculty.
[00:15:30.790]That process started in early August for those reviews,
[00:15:35.530]I expect it to be completed during the month of October
[00:15:39.530]to be able to move forward with those final recommendations
[00:15:44.370]or implementing those budget adjustments.
[00:15:47.260]I've said several times through this process
[00:15:49.690]it's never easy to adjust your budget,
[00:15:52.692]but it is what we should do,
[00:15:55.072]and we should continually evaluate
[00:15:58.450]the high strategic priorities
[00:16:00.700]for the institution and invest in those priorities.
[00:16:04.430]And this process has been decidedly done in that way
[00:16:09.000]and while we're not ever happy
[00:16:11.100]to have to eliminate programs,
[00:16:13.890]it is the right thing to do here,
[00:16:15.500]and we look forward to successfully concluding the process
[00:16:19.470]and moving forward.
[00:16:21.280]Dr. Green, the last word is yours.
[00:16:23.760]What else is going on on the campus there in Lincoln
[00:16:26.980]here mid late September?
[00:16:28.900]Well Brandon, as I mentioned earlier
[00:16:30.780]we just finished our fifth week of academic instruction
[00:16:34.370]so we're about a third of the way through our fall term,
[00:16:37.860]and it has been so wonderful
[00:16:40.430]to have our students back and are working with our faculty
[00:16:44.450]and working with our staff on campus,
[00:16:46.633]even though it's an unusual time
[00:16:49.100]and even though we've all had to work to up to
[00:16:52.020]being safe and about time,
[00:16:54.180]it has been so great to have students back on campus.
[00:16:56.891]I taught a class of freshmen here a few days ago
[00:17:00.750]It was the best thing that I can remember doing
[00:17:04.200]in the last six months
[00:17:05.510]to be able to be back in that environment,
[00:17:08.640]with students and to have them here as a great thing,
[00:17:12.270]and to be able to be doing it successfully
[00:17:15.200]and be able to be doing it even in a time
[00:17:17.750]of great challenge like COVID-19.
[00:17:20.751]So, exciting time for us,
[00:17:23.800]even though it's an unusual exciting time
[00:17:26.080]I'm excited to be thinking about
[00:17:28.614]this COVID version of Husker football,
[00:17:31.700]and looking forward to that course for the fall.
[00:17:35.510]Even, you know I have to admit
[00:17:37.650]it was a little weird doing this,
[00:17:39.650]I think we can all relate to how it feels a little odd to do
[00:17:43.650]all of the things we're doing and the ways we're doing them.
[00:17:46.200]Currently a Husker harvest days was this week.
[00:17:48.860]You know and been a important part of my life
[00:17:51.630]for years and years,
[00:17:53.470]and while I wasn't able to be on the grounds
[00:17:56.126]and be working with leaders across agriculture
[00:18:00.090]the Husker harvest days, there was a virtual version of it.
[00:18:02.273]You know, and we're still able to interact in that way,
[00:18:05.905]so unusual times but exciting times
[00:18:10.170]to be able to be back in session here at
[00:18:13.190]the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
[00:18:15.830]That was Dr. Ronnie Green,
[00:18:17.010]the chancellor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
[00:18:19.140]Joining us once again,
[00:18:20.030]as a special guest on our chat with the chancellor,
[00:18:22.480]here in the fall 2020 semester.
[00:18:25.170]With the Rural Radio Network,
[00:18:26.790]this is Brandon Bennet's.

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