1-Opening Welcome

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Mary Niemiec Author

06/11/2021 Added

18 Plays

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Welcome and opening remarks by Mary Niemiec, AVP Digital Education and Director, University of Nebraska Online and Susan Fritz, PhD, Provost

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[00:00:03.310]I'm just really, really happy to be able to
[00:00:05.750]welcome you to NU amplify 2021.
[00:00:09.790]It's been quite a year.
[00:00:12.520]And in response to the, you know
[00:00:15.210]global pandemic, administrators, faculty members
[00:00:19.900]and staff at our university and across the country
[00:00:25.260]focus their energies on continuing to provide students
[00:00:28.630]with high quality educational experiences.
[00:00:32.370]And this is in the face of monumental challenges.
[00:00:37.500]This year, the Digital Education Symposium and
[00:00:41.950]the Women in IT Conference joined together
[00:00:45.140]to amplify these voices
[00:00:47.350]to share what we've learned and achieved,
[00:00:50.080]as we continue to focus on student success,
[00:00:53.380]teaching excellence, grounded in our commitment
[00:00:56.620]to diversity and inclusion.
[00:00:59.131]The University of Nebraska
[00:01:01.430]and the Information Technology Services
[00:01:03.970]are pleased to bring you and NU Amplify 2021: A Symposium
[00:01:09.120]On Digital Teaching, Technology and Inclusion.
[00:01:12.940]Engagement in participation in this year's
[00:01:15.040]symposium has been terrific with nearly 600 registrants.
[00:01:19.830]This year's event promises to be one of the largest
[00:01:23.350]since we first began offering the symposium.
[00:01:27.340]Events like this are so greatly enhanced
[00:01:31.130]through the generous support of our sponsors.
[00:01:34.100]And we are very appreciative of these partners
[00:01:37.310]who ensure the university can continue to provide
[00:01:40.020]quality professional development events like this.
[00:01:45.130]I would like to take a few moments
[00:01:46.930]to recognize these sponsors
[00:01:50.190]Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company,
[00:01:54.360]Connection,
[00:01:55.740]Public Sector Solutions,
[00:01:58.470]Cox Business,
[00:02:00.600]DataVision,
[00:02:02.300]Dell Technologies,
[00:02:04.130]E & I Cooperative Services,
[00:02:07.000]Feedback Fruits,
[00:02:09.450]Guidepoint Security,
[00:02:11.975]iClicker,
[00:02:14.050]Microsoft,
[00:02:16.472]NU AV Design Build,
[00:02:19.510]NU Federal Credit Union,
[00:02:22.140]Office of Diversity and Inclusion,
[00:02:24.820]Tanium
[00:02:25.653]and Unizin.
[00:02:27.390]Sponsors, a sincere thank you.
[00:02:31.460]Now, you know, a couple of housekeeping items for today.
[00:02:35.560]Marcia already mentioned on the web page
[00:02:41.060]which is nebraska.edu.amplify/agenda
[00:02:46.020]where you can find the host schedule of events on ongoing
[00:02:51.330]and you can refer to the agenda email, too,
[00:02:53.680]if you'd like to access it directly.
[00:02:57.040]Sessions will be recorded
[00:02:58.640]and available for viewing after the symposium.
[00:03:01.640]And we will email all registrants
[00:03:04.200]with updates when the sessions are available.
[00:03:07.680]Now if you attend the sessions
[00:03:08.900]I encourage you to take a minute and give us your feedback.
[00:03:11.790]Links to online session evaluations will be included
[00:03:14.760]at the conclusion of each session.
[00:03:17.552]We read these responses and it helps us really plan
[00:03:21.480]and strategize for the future events.
[00:03:24.050]And also, as Marcia mentioned
[00:03:26.200]we have a conference hashtag #nuamplify21
[00:03:30.480]she put that in the chat, please use this to connect
[00:03:34.310]with others and share highlights of the day.
[00:03:37.575]This past year, many of us have attended virtual conferences
[00:03:42.890]and it has been an ongoing challenge
[00:03:48.370]and goal to stay connected and try to make sure
[00:03:53.330]that we have those networking opportunities.
[00:03:55.730]Hopefully this will allow that to happen.
[00:03:58.690]And now, it's my honor
[00:04:02.220]and my pleasure to introduce Provost, Susan Fritz
[00:04:07.200]with a special welcome address,
[00:04:09.720]Dr. Fritz is Executive Vice President and Provost,
[00:04:14.600]and as many of you know, she served as Interim President
[00:04:19.210]our first woman President at the University of Nebraska.
[00:04:24.310]But I don't know if many
[00:04:26.240]of you understand the impact that
[00:04:28.760]Dr. Fritz has had on what we do here today.
[00:04:34.220]She's been at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln
[00:04:37.721]for many years,
[00:04:40.290]and started here at the system in 2011.
[00:04:45.220]That and I've had the honor
[00:04:47.030]and pleasure to work with her during that entire time.
[00:04:50.880]She's an innovator, a visionary and an advisor
[00:04:57.080]and advocate for quality online instruction.
[00:05:02.320]Because of her encouragement, support online
[00:05:06.820]at the University of Nebraska has thrived.
[00:05:10.760]She's maintained a focus on an access agenda.
[00:05:16.090]How can we allow more students to get the credentials
[00:05:20.300]that they need here?
[00:05:23.200]And how many times have I walked into her office?
[00:05:27.180]And she looked at me and said, Mary, I have an idea.
[00:05:31.100]And that's like, all boy here we go again, Susan,
[00:05:34.790]it's wonderful.
[00:05:37.070]Without her, we would not be at the level we're at now.
[00:05:42.380]And I just want to thank her on behalf of all
[00:05:46.780]of us who are involved in digital education at
[00:05:49.270]the university and personally, Susan,
[00:05:54.730]my deep thanks, Mary.
[00:05:56.010]It's been quite a partnership.
[00:05:58.620]Well, good morning on behalf of NU
[00:06:00.160]President Carter and me, I wish to welcome you to the NU
[00:06:03.700]Amplify 2021 Symposium.
[00:06:08.470]Like the symposiums that have proceeded this one today
[00:06:11.380]you will have the opportunity to learn the latest
[00:06:14.060]in pedagogy, techniques, trends, and research
[00:06:18.130]from nationally and internationally renowned speakers
[00:06:21.156]as well as colleagues from across our NU campuses.
[00:06:25.760]And once again, the symposium will be online.
[00:06:29.010]Last year, 643 attendees registered for this Symposium.
[00:06:34.250]An increase of 25% of the previous year's registrants.
[00:06:39.940]At the time, I was struck
[00:06:41.470]by how fortunate we were to have the technology resources
[00:06:44.650]and talent to hold the Symposium online.
[00:06:47.760]Similarly, I was struck
[00:06:49.520]by how fortunate we were to be able to meet the learning
[00:06:52.440]and working needs of our students, faculty, and staff
[00:06:56.150]through leveraging technology
[00:06:58.050]throughout the spring semester and subsequent semesters.
[00:07:02.510]The shift to online was nothing short of miraculous.
[00:07:06.090]And in large part, I thank each of you for your commitment
[00:07:09.360]and perseverance to making that shift successful.
[00:07:14.530]Also, I am grateful for the continued emphasis
[00:07:17.360]of university leadership and investing
[00:07:19.340]in technology and talent, which enviably position
[00:07:23.400]NU to effectively make the transition.
[00:07:28.000]There will be a great deal
[00:07:29.250]which institutions will learn from these shifts
[00:07:31.550]and therefore some processes will likely be changed
[00:07:34.830]for the better. I am so pleased you'll gain insights
[00:07:38.520]about these potential innovations from your keynote today.
[00:07:41.850]And I challenge you to think
[00:07:43.360]about how these innovations can improve student faculty
[00:07:46.570]and staff experiences at NU.
[00:07:51.500]These symposiums and so many other capacity building
[00:07:54.000]efforts are some of the overarching strategy of NU Online.
[00:07:58.390]NU Online has been ably led for nearly
[00:08:00.500]10 years by Mary Niemiec.
[00:08:02.900]As Associate Vice President for Digital Education
[00:08:05.510]and Director of the University of Nebraska Online,
[00:08:08.186]Mary has expertly emphasized collaboration and efficiency,
[00:08:12.089]promoted relevant credentials for working adults
[00:08:15.790]and place-bound Nebraska residents
[00:08:17.601]and increased national and international awareness of NU.
[00:08:22.450]Through her leadership, your commitment,
[00:08:25.160]strategic investments and expert marketing,
[00:08:28.830]NU Online has grown dramatically
[00:08:30.650]and offering students, impacts and reputation
[00:08:35.040]during the ten year period.
[00:08:37.480]Because of Mary's steadfast leadership collaborations
[00:08:40.380]across our campuses and faculty commitment
[00:08:43.640]since 2011-2012
[00:08:46.420]fully online programs
[00:08:48.220]have grown 32% to 163 programs.
[00:08:52.920]And student credit hours have grown
[00:08:54.960]151% to 274,000
[00:08:59.800]Student credit hours offered during this last year.
[00:09:04.210]It is no wonder that nationally,
[00:09:06.060]the University of Nebraska is considered an exemplar online
[00:09:09.750]higher education collaboration effort.
[00:09:13.830]Mary not only is a respected NU leader,
[00:09:16.040]she also is a nationally
[00:09:17.410]and internationally respected leader in online education.
[00:09:20.910]For example, she currently serves
[00:09:23.410]as the President of the Board
[00:09:24.740]of Directors for the Online Learning Consortium
[00:09:27.120]a leading online national organization.
[00:09:32.040]Mary intends to retire
[00:09:33.390]from the University of Nebraska on June 30.
[00:09:35.910]And I thank her greatly for her partnership and commitment.
[00:09:39.580]She has helped NU increase access
[00:09:42.010]for learners and catalyzed NU efforts
[00:09:44.840]to expand our educational reach around the world.
[00:09:48.860]Here to say a few words about her as a collaborator
[00:09:51.460]and a leader, my friend former NU CIO, Mark Askren.
[00:10:02.020]Thank you, Susan.
[00:10:03.160]I'm honored to be with all of you this morning to
[00:10:05.040]mention my appreciation for Mary's contributions
[00:10:07.514]to both our university and our industry.
[00:10:11.290]There is leadership has been described as a force of nature
[00:10:14.220]in a very positive way, and that's not an overstatement.
[00:10:18.230]Mary is one of those rare leaders that is exceptional
[00:10:20.870]at developing and articulating a transformational vision.
[00:10:24.360]While at the same time, being able to build partnerships
[00:10:26.910]in order to get those results.
[00:10:29.634]In addition to being a great collaborator,
[00:10:32.120]Mary has also dedicated her time and energy
[00:10:34.220]to being a mentor.
[00:10:35.970]She helped me improve as a leader and she's done the same
[00:10:38.630]for many team members during her time here.
[00:10:41.490]On numerous occasions, I've seen her lift
[00:10:43.210]up others by giving them opportunities to shine
[00:10:46.590]and she always shares credits for accomplishments.
[00:10:49.420]There's no doubt that Mary brings net positive energy
[00:10:51.980]to the table and lots of it.
[00:10:54.840]And when she steps down from her position
[00:10:56.730]she leaves us much stronger than when she started
[00:10:59.640]which is the hallmark of a great leader.
[00:11:02.730]Thank you, Mary, for all you've done for our community.
[00:11:05.490]You've truly made a positive difference every day.
[00:11:08.920]And with that, I'll turn it over to Mary to
[00:11:10.830]introduce our keynote speaker for this morning.
[00:11:15.080]Well, okay.
[00:11:16.218]Thanks for setting me up to be able to do this.
[00:11:21.090]Susan and Mark, thank you so very much
[00:11:23.420]for your kind words as you know,
[00:11:27.450]no single individual ever does anything.
[00:11:31.300]NU Online has a massive team and it's the direct team
[00:11:38.050]of the University of Nebraska Online.
[00:11:40.450]It is also the team across the system in the campuses.
[00:11:44.390]I've been very lucky and fortunate to be here.
[00:11:48.110]So thank you.
[00:11:49.010]Thank you, both.
[00:11:51.400]And Susan, thank you for the wonderful welcome.

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