ARD Dean Candidate - Dr. Derek McLean

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08/19/2022 Added

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Dr. Derek McLean, Senior Science Advisor, Office of AIDS Research, National Institutes of Health. Public Presentation — Aug. 18, 1:30 to 3 p.m. at Food Innovation Complex 277.

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[00:00:06.000]Well, good afternoon and welcome.
[00:00:09.090]I am Tiffany Thengmoss,
[00:00:10.830]and have the honor of serving as co-chair
[00:00:13.560]along with Dr. Ed Cahoun
[00:00:16.110]for the position of Dean of the AG Research Division
[00:00:19.260]and Director of the AG Experiment Station.
[00:00:21.930]And, Ed and I are pleased
[00:00:23.700]on behalf of the search advisory committee
[00:00:26.190]to welcome our fourth candidate, Dr. Derek McClain.
[00:00:30.390]Dr. McClain is an experienced scientist,
[00:00:33.090]leader in academic, industry, and government settings.
[00:00:37.440]He is currently a senior science advisor
[00:00:40.470]in the Office of AIDS Research
[00:00:42.420]at the National Institute of Health.
[00:00:44.610]His role is to guide and confirm research funding
[00:00:47.400]aligns with the priorities established by NIH.
[00:00:51.210]This effort requires expertise in building relationships,
[00:00:54.750]establishing groups to develop funding plans and policy,
[00:00:58.770]working across the more than 20 institutes
[00:01:01.560]and centers at NIH,
[00:01:03.570]and ensuring funding is invested strategically.
[00:01:06.750]In this role, he supports research
[00:01:08.760]that impacts the health and wellbeing of people,
[00:01:11.340]and enhances efforts to promote diversity, equity,
[00:01:14.580]inclusion, and accessibility.
[00:01:17.010]Prior to joining NIH, Dr. McClain was the senior director
[00:01:21.005]of collaborative research
[00:01:22.890]for Fibro Animal Health Corporation.
[00:01:25.560]In this role, he led a global research program
[00:01:28.140]to develop and demonstrate the value of products
[00:01:30.840]that improve animal health.
[00:01:32.850]Key aspects of the position
[00:01:34.470]including creating professional networks,
[00:01:37.650]scientists establishing mutually beneficial partnerships
[00:01:41.040]with key opinion leaders,
[00:01:42.720]and investing research and development activities
[00:01:45.750]at universities and contract research organizations.
[00:01:50.070]The international aspect of this position
[00:01:52.170]provided Dr. McClain with the opportunity
[00:01:54.750]to develop the flexibility necessary
[00:01:57.270]to adapt to unique environments
[00:01:59.220]and learn the complex challenges
[00:02:00.840]that face our global society.
[00:02:03.210]Dr. McClain was a faculty member in animal science
[00:02:06.210]at Washington State University for 10 years
[00:02:09.120]prior to joining Fibro Animal Health Corporation.
[00:02:12.960]In this position,
[00:02:13.950]he was able to fulfill the faculty role
[00:02:16.110]at a land grant university
[00:02:18.000]with responsibilities in research, teaching, and outreach.
[00:02:21.870]Highlights included mentoring graduate students
[00:02:24.570]that are now successful faculty members,
[00:02:27.060]extension agents, and scientists,
[00:02:29.700]teaching philosophy at all levels,
[00:02:31.590]including freshmen to graduate students,
[00:02:34.500]connecting with middle and high school students
[00:02:37.110]on outreach activities
[00:02:38.520]to encourage them to enter STEM fields.
[00:02:41.160]He directed a research program that focused on agriculture
[00:02:44.640]and biomedical applications and established collaborations
[00:02:48.270]with scientists throughout the world.
[00:02:50.400]The consistent theme of Dr McClain's career
[00:02:54.330]are a strong interest in research enterprise,
[00:02:57.180]providing opportunities,
[00:02:58.500]and support to others to be successful,
[00:03:01.260]and fostering collaboration to accomplish goals
[00:03:04.050]and achieve success.
[00:03:05.760]He engaged in outreach to increase science literacy
[00:03:08.580]and promote interest in STEM fields.
[00:03:11.460]Today's seminar has been streamed live.
[00:03:14.160]So, for those of you that are joining us,
[00:03:16.410]please feel free to send Tiffany Thengmoss,
[00:03:20.310]T H E N G, to @unl.edu, a question,
[00:03:25.860]and our team from UN...
[00:03:28.230]Or, INR communications,
[00:03:29.940]sorry about that, Jason,
[00:03:31.500]will be posting in the chat my email address.
[00:03:33.960]So, feel free to also engage with us
[00:03:36.510]and now please join me
[00:03:38.010]in welcoming Dr. McClain.
[00:03:40.299](attendees clapping)
[00:03:44.550]Thanks so much, Tiffany.
[00:03:45.420]Everybody hear me okay?
[00:03:46.560]Yep.
[00:03:47.393]Very good.
[00:03:48.245]Thank you so much.
[00:03:49.078]I just...
[00:03:49.911]Tiffany, that was great.
[00:03:50.744]Thank you so much for the introduction.
[00:03:51.577]It just makes me laugh,
[00:03:52.410]is that you said he taught philosophy at all levels
[00:03:54.810]from freshman all the way.
[00:03:56.130]You said philosophy, which is fine.
[00:03:57.840]I didn't teach...
[00:03:58.673]I taught physiology.
[00:03:59.506]I know it's an easy switch.
[00:04:00.728](attendees laughing)
[00:04:01.800]It just reminded me when I told my future father-in-law
[00:04:06.090]that I was going to graduate school in animal physiology,
[00:04:08.160]he goes philosophy?
[00:04:09.990]And, the relationship has just grown from there really.
[00:04:12.907](attendees laughing)
[00:04:13.740]So, thank you so much.
[00:04:14.573]I appreciate the time all of you've taken today
[00:04:17.070]to come see this talk I'm gonna give
[00:04:21.150]and everybody who's joining online wherever you are,
[00:04:23.340]so I appreciate that.
[00:04:24.420]So, I do know that a lot is going on.
[00:04:26.910]All of you are busy.
[00:04:27.780]I've sat in that chair that you're sitting at.
[00:04:29.850]You've got classes starting on Monday.
[00:04:31.410]You've got grants due.
[00:04:32.280]You've got papers you need to reply to.
[00:04:34.230]You've got animals that are coming
[00:04:35.970]into potentially research facilities.
[00:04:37.530]You've got plots you gotta deal with, all these things.
[00:04:39.540]So, I appreciate this time that you're all giving me today.
[00:04:43.710]And, I also want to just kind of start with, why, right?
[00:04:47.130]The question you're saying, why...
[00:04:48.360]Why is...
[00:04:49.380]Why would you be interested in this job?
[00:04:51.360]And, I think I just kinda come right to it is that say,
[00:04:54.180]I just like to pull things together.
[00:04:55.710]I like to pull people together.
[00:04:56.970]I like to help people create things,
[00:04:59.790]and hopefully you're gonna see that theme.
[00:05:01.350]I'm gonna come back to that why question throughout my talk
[00:05:04.320]as to why I moved through each step of my career
[00:05:08.460]and why this seems like a next really exciting
[00:05:11.940]and interesting opportunity.
[00:05:13.950]So, I'm gonna provide some vision opportunities,
[00:05:16.170]leadership discussion today.
[00:05:17.430]So, this is kind of an overview,
[00:05:18.510]just a real loose structure of what I'm gonna talk to about,
[00:05:21.789]provide that background, professional journey,
[00:05:24.360]how that leads to different expertise and experience,
[00:05:27.840]and leadership philosophy and approach to leadership.
[00:05:31.710]That's gonna be my leadership philosophy, not physiology,
[00:05:34.800]and I'll get that right.
[00:05:35.700]Vision of IANR research division
[00:05:37.440]and then commitment to strategic decision making,
[00:05:40.650]assessment, diversity, inclusion, equity, accessibility,
[00:05:43.560]and touch on excellence at the end.
[00:05:46.890]So, started as that, you got a good, nice, nice background
[00:05:52.230]about me right there started.
[00:05:53.565]I'm just gonna kind of give that a little bit of overview
[00:05:56.370]and touch on a few details of each step along the way.
[00:06:00.390]Took what would be probably considered now
[00:06:02.460]a pretty linear path into graduate school
[00:06:05.010]when I was in undergrad.
[00:06:05.843]Started working in a lab, washing dishes,
[00:06:07.980]started to help running gels,
[00:06:09.030]went out, helped with the animals, really liked research.
[00:06:12.150]I was amazed at a cell that I could look at
[00:06:16.020]under the microscope, and I could...
[00:06:18.510]We could take the cell and break it apart
[00:06:21.090]and it would still move.
[00:06:22.110]And, this was a sperm.
[00:06:22.950]I worked in a reproductive physiology lab
[00:06:24.720]in a poultry department,
[00:06:25.553]and we could get the sperm from the turkeys.
[00:06:27.840]And, then I could just deconstruct this cell
[00:06:30.205]and understand what was happening.
[00:06:32.490]We could take the mitochondria away from it,
[00:06:34.680]and it would still function,
[00:06:35.880]but we could also figure out
[00:06:36.780]what the mitochondria were doing.
[00:06:38.040]So, I was just fascinated with that.
[00:06:39.660]Pursued a master's degree in that lab at Clemson University
[00:06:43.200]and then went and got a PhD at Oregon State University,
[00:06:45.120]again, studying reproductive physiology.
[00:06:47.100]Did two post docs, one at Northwestern University,
[00:06:49.410]where I was in the med school
[00:06:50.745]and got that real intense experience
[00:06:53.280]as far as biomedical research,
[00:06:55.410]understanding the funding landscape of NIH,
[00:06:57.690]and then went to Washington State University
[00:06:58.887]and the School of Molecular Biosciences,
[00:07:00.600]and started doing research on adult STEM cells
[00:07:03.420]and reproductive biology.
[00:07:04.890]And, again, pursued that biomedical research.
[00:07:07.080]And, while I was a post doc,
[00:07:08.160]I had the opportunity to apply for a position
[00:07:10.110]in the Department of Animal Science
[00:07:12.000]at Washington State University,
[00:07:14.040]and got that position and served 10 years in that position
[00:07:18.480]at WSU in animal sciences,
[00:07:20.520]and did the full compliment of activity
[00:07:23.340]that a faculty member does, research, education, teaching,
[00:07:26.280]taught a lot,
[00:07:27.180]did a lot of outreach, really enjoyed that,
[00:07:28.920]getting out there,
[00:07:29.753]and then developed a research program
[00:07:31.110]and worked with all those students.
[00:07:33.000]Kind of near the end of that,
[00:07:34.020]I started have experience working with some companies
[00:07:36.180]for biomedical products,
[00:07:38.670]really liked that industry,
[00:07:39.900]seeing that industry aspect
[00:07:41.790]and seeing that opportunity to apply what we were doing
[00:07:43.980]with the animals and in the lab.
[00:07:45.960]And, that's when I pursued an opportunity
[00:07:47.730]with fibro animal health,
[00:07:48.930]a different company I wasn't working with at that time,
[00:07:51.150]but I went to become...
[00:07:53.820]They were purchasing a company, a small startup in Oregon,
[00:07:57.870]some people that I knew from graduate school,
[00:08:00.900]and they needed somebody to come in
[00:08:02.160]and transition that facility
[00:08:03.420]and get it into kind of this overall umbrella
[00:08:05.640]of fibro animal health.
[00:08:06.960]And, that was a great experience.
[00:08:08.250]And, as I was with fibro,
[00:08:09.780]I moved through that company
[00:08:11.460]and got into this position of senior director
[00:08:13.230]of collaborative research.
[00:08:14.250]And, the research programs we really focused on
[00:08:17.207]were associated with support marketing sales
[00:08:20.400]and product development.
[00:08:21.390]So, it gave me a real nice opportunity
[00:08:23.130]to see how these products then go out
[00:08:25.470]and meet with producers,
[00:08:26.303]go out and meet with clients.
[00:08:27.960]Partner with the sales team,
[00:08:29.130]provide technical support to the sales team,
[00:08:31.170]translate basic research we were doing
[00:08:33.450]to sales marketing materials.
[00:08:35.910]And, that was a great experience,
[00:08:36.960]got to do a lot of international travel with that,
[00:08:38.880]got to see a lot of different cultures,
[00:08:40.080]got to understand how those different areas
[00:08:43.350]approached research,
[00:08:44.550]and approached how they think about a product,
[00:08:47.430]and how they're gonna apply it to their system.
[00:08:49.980]So, that was always, always a great experience.
[00:08:52.620]And, then after working for fibro for about seven years,
[00:08:55.920]had the opportunity to go to work at NIH
[00:08:59.940]where I'm currently employed.
[00:09:02.430]And, that is that I kind of wanted to have this opportunity
[00:09:05.250]to do something a little bigger.
[00:09:06.960]And, I really liked research, this common thread, again,
[00:09:09.420]in what I'm talking about is research.
[00:09:11.610]And, I wanted to work at NIH,
[00:09:13.620]because that's where the funding
[00:09:16.080]for the majority of the biomedical research
[00:09:17.790]in the country comes from.
[00:09:19.470]And, I got a position here at the office of AIDS research.
[00:09:22.830]And, really what I liked about this opportunity
[00:09:26.100]is that we really work with our advocacy groups
[00:09:30.150]and the scientists to look at the research priority
[00:09:33.000]for the HIV AIDS funding.
[00:09:35.220]So, we're in constant communication with the public.
[00:09:37.770]We're in constant communication with scientists
[00:09:40.500]to develop those scientific and research priorities
[00:09:43.590]that we're gonna focus on.
[00:09:45.510]We assess that research project alignment
[00:09:47.550]with our priorities.
[00:09:48.510]We look at the projects that are coming in
[00:09:50.100]and determine if this fits with our priorities
[00:09:52.560]and the funding goes out in that direction
[00:09:54.990]to support HIV and AIDS research.
[00:09:57.360]And, we work collaborately to develop policy
[00:09:59.670]to meet the mission.
[00:10:01.350]And, that's across the US government.
[00:10:04.020]there's hiv.gov, there's the NIH, there's CDC.
[00:10:07.020]We work among all these groups
[00:10:09.480]to really be able to make sure it's a synchronized
[00:10:11.820]and coordinated effort.
[00:10:13.560]So, really, the bottom line there
[00:10:14.940]is ensure maximum return on investment.
[00:10:16.950]This is the public trust.
[00:10:18.810]This is your money, it's my money.
[00:10:20.430]We wanna make sure that
[00:10:22.320]we're taking care of that money correctly.
[00:10:25.140]And, it's going to the highest priorities for research.
[00:10:28.020]That's really the foundation way I think about it.
[00:10:30.300]And, I also think about you pull all this together
[00:10:32.697]and these professionals experiences
[00:10:34.530]provide me with this unique and comprehensive approach,
[00:10:38.040]when I think about the research enterprise,
[00:10:40.170]and that kind of comes back to this why question,
[00:10:42.540]is why interested in this position?
[00:10:44.670]Well, it's another opportunity
[00:10:45.900]to pull different groups together,
[00:10:47.850]to talk to groups, to talk to commodity, at stakeholders,
[00:10:50.911]advocates,
[00:10:52.021]to pull together and address research priorities,
[00:10:55.290]'cause there's some big challenges out here
[00:10:57.690]in just the...
[00:10:59.600]In animal agriculture...
[00:11:01.140]Well, in agriculture, natural resource sciences,
[00:11:03.630]plant sciences, animal sciences, human health science.
[00:11:08.940]There's some big challenges
[00:11:09.900]and we can pull all these things together to work on that.
[00:11:13.710]So, professional experience is kind of summing all this up,
[00:11:16.200]leadership and management and complex organizations,
[00:11:19.770]resource and personnel management skills.
[00:11:22.350]And, that comes through a lot of both,
[00:11:23.520]at the academic level and also in the industry level,
[00:11:26.640]developing broad collaborations
[00:11:28.860]with a broad range of constituencies.
[00:11:30.840]That started really as an academic,
[00:11:33.060]but really built that up
[00:11:34.320]through the professional industry experience,
[00:11:36.960]and then continued to add that at the NIH.
[00:11:40.950]Collaborations with marketing and sales teams
[00:11:42.900]to translate research,
[00:11:43.860]how to take this basic message that we were working on
[00:11:47.040]and make it make sense.
[00:11:48.930]So, again,
[00:11:49.763]that's a skill that we need to do more of,
[00:11:51.360]we really need.
[00:11:52.193]And, I love the programs and scientific literacy
[00:11:54.240]that you have here at University of Nebraska
[00:11:56.280]to build, how do...
[00:11:57.210]How are we doing and how is it gonna impact the public?
[00:12:01.410]And, having this detailed understanding
[00:12:03.540]of the policy and funding landscape through government work.
[00:12:09.060]So, really a demonstrated commitment to practices
[00:12:11.130]that are inclusive of diversity
[00:12:12.270]and diverse perspectives.
[00:12:13.380]And, that has really gained experience
[00:12:15.300]I have through work at NIH.
[00:12:17.023]I work with a broad spectrum of groups
[00:12:18.630]across a lot of different advocacy groups
[00:12:21.249]and also within NIH.
[00:12:23.430]We're working, strongly working on,
[00:12:25.200]increasing our commitment to practices
[00:12:26.940]that are inclusive to diversity.
[00:12:28.350]And, I'll touch on that in a bit.
[00:12:30.180]Really, it leads me to opportunity
[00:12:31.620]to have a strategic vision and mission development
[00:12:34.323]at a high level
[00:12:35.670]and be able to get down to a lower level as well.
[00:12:39.330]So, now I'm gonna transition
[00:12:40.830]to the leadership philosophy portion of the talk today.
[00:12:44.790]So, the quality of the leadership
[00:12:46.320]is reflected in the standards that the leader
[00:12:48.930]sets for themself.
[00:12:50.070]And, I firmly believe that.
[00:12:51.630]So, the quality of standards that I set for myself
[00:12:54.600]are high standards with the basis of achieving goals,
[00:12:57.013]to set a goal,
[00:12:58.230]and we're gonna work hard to achieve that.
[00:12:59.880]And, that's one of my core principles,
[00:13:02.850]getting results from the team.
[00:13:04.110]And, that's not in a demanding way.
[00:13:05.850]That's, let's give you the resources,
[00:13:07.860]let's get the team the resources they need
[00:13:09.750]to achieve our goals.
[00:13:10.830]Let's set the goals, let's make it realistic.
[00:13:12.870]Let's put in a plan and get there.
[00:13:15.210]And, then communicating the results to a broader audience
[00:13:17.400]while acknowledging all contributions.
[00:13:19.590]We have to remember we acknowledge
[00:13:20.910]everybody that was involved,
[00:13:22.020]but we also have to communicate what we do
[00:13:24.090]to a broader audience,
[00:13:25.020]so they know what we're doing.
[00:13:26.340]They know the outcomes of our research and our activity.
[00:13:31.080]The communication of leadership
[00:13:32.580]really is to translate ideas, approaches,
[00:13:35.370]and objective to the groups involved.
[00:13:37.170]So, why are we doing it?
[00:13:38.820]What are we doing?
[00:13:39.810]And, how are we doing it?
[00:13:40.890]But, we wanna start with why,
[00:13:42.060]because that's gonna give us that emotional connection.
[00:13:44.010]People are gonna understand why we're doing what we do.
[00:13:49.200]So, we also...
[00:13:50.033]I also feel it's very strongly about ensuring transparency
[00:13:53.220]by sharing the decision making process
[00:13:56.670]with the appropriate groups.
[00:13:58.260]So, we have complexity, all that we do,
[00:14:01.260]all that we work on.
[00:14:02.093]What I work on now is very complex.
[00:14:03.450]What the challenges that are in front of all of you
[00:14:05.760]and your academic fields are complex,
[00:14:08.070]and situational complexity requires thoughtful contribution.
[00:14:11.820]And, that's why the academic environment is so strong.
[00:14:14.880]It's 'cause you've got this great, basically,
[00:14:17.850]resource of all of you smart people here
[00:14:20.153]that you can bring together
[00:14:21.900]and help make thoughtful contributions to solve problems.
[00:14:25.740]So, not only does this bring us together,
[00:14:28.050]but it improves and refines an idea.
[00:14:30.990]It goes from an idea
[00:14:32.430]and we get these creative and practical input
[00:14:35.190]from all the groups.
[00:14:36.120]So, you wanna be transparent and bring all this together.
[00:14:40.530]Second, really important thing that I want to talk about
[00:14:42.930]as far as a leadership philosophy is accessibility.
[00:14:45.013]I wanna make sure that, in a position like this,
[00:14:48.450]I'd be accessible.
[00:14:49.530]If you don't understand a decision, call me.
[00:14:51.270]If you want to know more, call me,
[00:14:52.590]send me an email,
[00:14:53.423]I'll be accessible, I'd be available.
[00:14:56.190]And, I wanna make sure that we provide that confidence,
[00:14:59.460]that decisions are not based on mysterious logic.
[00:15:03.030]They're based on constraints, and research,
[00:15:05.700]and information that we have.
[00:15:08.460]So, really, what the philosophy comes to
[00:15:11.340]is develop partnerships with faculty, staff, students,
[00:15:13.920]and stakeholders,
[00:15:14.820]to improve research, to spark growth, creativity, teamwork,
[00:15:18.890]and ultimately output.
[00:15:20.640]It's gonna help.
[00:15:21.473]It's gonna fit with our mission as a land grant institution
[00:15:24.270]and help Nebraska the region, and actually the country,
[00:15:27.810]and the world.
[00:15:30.210]Okay, so philosophy, moving on philosophy,
[00:15:32.670]I'm gonna kind of branch over and now kind of transition
[00:15:34.740]to talking about kind of a leadership approach.
[00:15:37.560]So, culture, right?
[00:15:39.210]This is a map
[00:15:40.140]that I pulled from the USDA of all the land grant colleges
[00:15:42.990]and universities,
[00:15:43.823]and I have a pretty good understanding of the culture,
[00:15:46.260]it was great morning, had a lot of really good interactions,
[00:15:49.020]but I had a good understanding of the culture here
[00:15:50.370]at the University of Nebraska.
[00:15:51.330]Had done some collaborations here
[00:15:52.650]when I was a faculty member,
[00:15:53.550]came here when I was with fibro
[00:15:54.870]as potential research opportunities.
[00:15:57.750]Makes me think about what culture that I want to have.
[00:16:00.090]How do I translate that leadership philosophy
[00:16:02.040]into a culture?
[00:16:03.720]Well, the discoveries and ideas
[00:16:05.040]will have a public benefit
[00:16:06.210]and contribute to public service.
[00:16:07.650]That fits in with the--
[00:16:09.087](attendee sneezing) Culture for the land grant university.
[00:16:10.753]Bless you.
[00:16:12.300]Discoveries and ideas will be translated
[00:16:14.280]to the marketplace outside.
[00:16:15.930]So, we have to get those...
[00:16:18.540]Understanding that we're working for the public service,
[00:16:20.550]but that we're getting this information
[00:16:22.020]out to the marketplace.
[00:16:22.890]And, that translates into a question you have
[00:16:26.070]maybe is,
[00:16:26.903]are we gonna have open science
[00:16:29.430]or are we just gonna be working for companies?
[00:16:30.900]Well, we have to do both.
[00:16:31.950]We have to balance this.
[00:16:33.030]We have open science with service
[00:16:34.680]and entrepreneurial aspects.
[00:16:35.760]This came up in one of the sessions today.
[00:16:37.410]How do you balance that?
[00:16:38.430]How did I balance it when I was at industry?
[00:16:40.950]The ability that I had to come in and we had a very set goal
[00:16:44.160]that we needed a research project done,
[00:16:45.840]we needed the output from a research project,
[00:16:49.020]and maybe I couldn't...
[00:16:49.853]That scientist we were working at a university
[00:16:51.900]couldn't publish that.
[00:16:52.833]And, we had to tell them that upfront, again,
[00:16:54.720]that comes back to that transparency.
[00:16:56.550]But, we also wanted to have the opportunity
[00:16:59.122]for that research scientist
[00:17:01.140]to be able to contribute to this public service
[00:17:03.000]and have the opportunity to add creative aspects.
[00:17:05.640]And, it made our research better,
[00:17:06.930]it made the output better,
[00:17:08.160]and it really made it better for fibro.
[00:17:10.050]So, it's really gotta be this balance of open science
[00:17:12.317]with service and entrepreneurial aspects.
[00:17:14.850]And, that's really kind of comes back
[00:17:16.170]to this land grant mission.
[00:17:17.970]So, how to get to that point,
[00:17:20.010]how to go from the philosophy to the culture,
[00:17:23.100]to a leadership approach.
[00:17:24.270]Really, it becomes down to a design process.
[00:17:27.390]So, leadership is a design process
[00:17:29.190]is how to design the system,
[00:17:30.930]so the big ideas get broken down into pieces,
[00:17:34.050]so solutions can be created,
[00:17:36.480]'cause these are complex problems.
[00:17:39.393]If you've got a lot of expertise,
[00:17:40.380]you're already doing this in a lot of different venues
[00:17:42.840]and a lot of different collaborations,
[00:17:44.460]but we want to continue to move in that direction.
[00:17:47.940]Also, a solutions based approach.
[00:17:49.410]I don't know if anybody probably hasn't looked...
[00:17:51.180]You didn't look at what my bachelor's degree
[00:17:52.710]was in thankfully, right?
[00:17:53.880]Did anybody see what my bachelor's degree was in?
[00:17:57.210]I was in mathematical sciences.
[00:17:58.800]I have my bachelor's degree is in math.
[00:18:00.750]And, I think I wonder now what was I thinking?
[00:18:03.073]'Cause, I didn't realize until I was about a junior,
[00:18:05.940]I was strolling across campus at Clemson University
[00:18:09.300]thinking I did not want to be a mathematician.
[00:18:12.600]What can I do?
[00:18:13.433]And, that's when I went and found the lab
[00:18:14.790]in the animal physiology department there
[00:18:17.130]and started doing research.
[00:18:18.930]But, I look back now and I understand
[00:18:21.000]that I was interested in math,
[00:18:22.170]because of the solutions and I've continued
[00:18:23.880]to do that solutions based approach
[00:18:25.620]in these other things I've done.
[00:18:27.270]And, we really need to take that solutions based approach
[00:18:30.480]to recognize the experts and provide them the space
[00:18:33.030]and resources to succeed and develop this design.
[00:18:36.330]So, it's about design,
[00:18:37.860]leadership is a design process,
[00:18:39.540]and then putting in all the pieces,
[00:18:41.010]so that we can see, succeed, and develop the design.
[00:18:45.420]Okay, also leadership approach is avoid micromanaging,
[00:18:49.260]I'm not a micromanager.
[00:18:50.790]I'm also not gonna be involved in areas...
[00:18:53.640]Too involved in areas that are my background
[00:18:56.070]in animal sciences
[00:18:57.120]or my background in different academic fields,
[00:18:59.460]because if you're involved as a leader too much
[00:19:01.650]in those kind of areas,
[00:19:02.760]you may skew decisions.
[00:19:04.050]This needs to be an independent approach.
[00:19:05.670]This needs to bring in these objective creative scientists,
[00:19:09.570]and also must avoid decision debt as a depth,
[00:19:12.990]as a leader,
[00:19:14.580]taking too long to make a decision.
[00:19:16.020]We need to take in the facts,
[00:19:17.280]capture that information from the team,
[00:19:19.470]and then make a decision to move forward.
[00:19:21.960]So, the goal here in the leadership approach
[00:19:24.330]is really to build structures, process, and rhythms,
[00:19:28.650]so that we can continue to move forward.
[00:19:31.800]The outcome of all this should then result in empowerment
[00:19:35.880]to empower the individuals involved creates value
[00:19:39.300]in the participation in the process
[00:19:42.210]and also have a meaningful experience for everyone involved.
[00:19:45.150]So, they're gonna get a lot of value out of this,
[00:19:47.040]everybody on the team,
[00:19:48.120]and we're gonna move forward.
[00:19:50.340]It's investing in people and partnerships.
[00:19:52.140]We're gonna have quality over quick fixes.
[00:19:54.840]And, then also enable the individual level,
[00:19:57.000]so the organization benefits as a whole.
[00:20:01.860]So, therefore the leader, and what I would focus in,
[00:20:04.080]is on strategy,
[00:20:05.280]and that links back to the vision, the mission, the goals,
[00:20:07.500]and of the objectives of what we want to do.
[00:20:11.070]So, pull us all together
[00:20:12.690]as far as a leadership philosophy and approach,
[00:20:15.960]having a vision that is well communicated,
[00:20:18.480]building trust among colleagues,
[00:20:21.761]being ready to enable others,
[00:20:23.640]give them the tools to be successful,
[00:20:25.260]give them the resources,
[00:20:26.850]put them together with the right people
[00:20:28.887]and the right groups,
[00:20:30.150]have the right stakeholders, basically,
[00:20:32.820]at the table to discuss,
[00:20:34.710]and then taking effective action.
[00:20:36.480]I've had to make tough decisions
[00:20:37.890]in a lot of positions I'm in.
[00:20:39.030]I'd have to talk to applicants and say, I'm sorry,
[00:20:41.370]you're not gonna get funding.
[00:20:42.720]It's a great program. It's a great idea.
[00:20:44.970]There's just not...
[00:20:45.803]We're just constrained with our resources.
[00:20:48.360]I've had to cut research programs
[00:20:49.980]when I was working in industry,
[00:20:51.420]things that we were very passionate,
[00:20:52.860]we had passion about as a scientific group,
[00:20:55.230]but we had to cut 'em,
[00:20:56.063]because we were moving in a different direction.
[00:20:58.290]Have to be willing to make those decisions,
[00:21:00.000]have to optimize and take risks to make change at times.
[00:21:05.220]Also, have to use the emotional intelligence
[00:21:07.410]and be aware of impact of decisions.
[00:21:09.180]Try to bring empathy in there.
[00:21:10.710]Try to understand, sat in your seat,
[00:21:13.140]was a faculty member,
[00:21:14.730]went through the tenure process, got promoted,
[00:21:17.040]got up there,
[00:21:17.873]and understand the challenges that you're going through.
[00:21:20.730]Also, working with staff,
[00:21:22.260]understand the challenges that they're going to,
[00:21:24.270]making sure there's face time out there
[00:21:26.430]that they understands these decisions.
[00:21:28.020]They have a face who the ARA ARD Dean is,
[00:21:32.280]and they can connect that face with somebody who's come out
[00:21:34.950]and talk to them about their vision and strategy
[00:21:36.690]and how they fit in the overall goal
[00:21:39.360]for the unit and for IANR.
[00:21:41.850]And, also be efficient and embrace shared governance
[00:21:45.510]among all the participants.
[00:21:47.550]And, lastly, willing to be and prepared
[00:21:49.620]to support and offer assistance, basically, got your back.
[00:21:52.290]Here for you, what do you need?
[00:21:54.240]Let's work together.
[00:21:55.170]Invest in people so that we result
[00:21:57.630]in a positive leadership impact.
[00:22:01.080]Alright, so a lot of words, all these slides, man,
[00:22:03.150]a lot of words, a lot of words, right?
[00:22:04.500]I was looking at this, gosh, there's so many words, words.
[00:22:07.118]Man, I gotta have more pictures.
[00:22:08.310]So, need more pictures.
[00:22:10.457]So, then we transition to a vision for IANR.
[00:22:13.290]There'll be more pictures, I promise, so many words.
[00:22:15.360]Okay, there's a lot of words in this, but it is a picture.
[00:22:18.420]So, what I did,
[00:22:19.620]I wanted to get a sense of IANR.
[00:22:23.220]I wanted to get a sense of the research
[00:22:24.930]that's going on here.
[00:22:26.430]So, what I did is I downloaded all your hatch projects,
[00:22:31.170]I took all the titles, and I put 'em into a word cloud,
[00:22:35.280]and I created this word cloud.
[00:22:36.990]So, I was gonna do it for every department.
[00:22:38.779]If I had two more weeks,
[00:22:39.612]I would've done it for every department.
[00:22:40.445]Then, I would've given you a pop quiz.
[00:22:41.520]Alright, whose department is this?
[00:22:44.460]But, we didn't have time.
[00:22:45.293]So, what I did is I put it all together
[00:22:47.295]and this is the total IANR hatch project
[00:22:49.140]is taking all of this.
[00:22:50.040]So, I really looked at this.
[00:22:51.630]This helped me just visualize what is going on.
[00:22:54.330]And, everybody's really looking, where's my project?
[00:22:58.200]What am I doing?
[00:22:59.490]Some of it doesn't make sense to me,
[00:23:00.870]but a lot of it does make sense.
[00:23:02.040]Crop, water, develop, product, protect,
[00:23:06.420]I'm gonna come back to those two later,
[00:23:07.680]improve, science, maze, field, enhance, gut, control,
[00:23:13.170]innovation, agriculture, milk.
[00:23:15.450]Those are the bigger ones, right? There's a few others.
[00:23:17.370]There's, if you look hard,
[00:23:18.300]you can see disaster in there,
[00:23:19.590]which is interesting.
[00:23:21.210]Inflammation, poor sign, vaccine technology.
[00:23:26.850]It's all there, all of what you do,
[00:23:28.740]and this is really what helped me connect with, again,
[00:23:32.010]coming back to that why,
[00:23:33.919]all of these things I'm interested in,
[00:23:34.752]and all these things I want to connect to,
[00:23:36.150]and want to help build more connection around.
[00:23:40.230]So, when we think about...
[00:23:42.060]When I think about an ARD,
[00:23:43.800]the vision for ARD,
[00:23:45.510]I come to what you have from my knowledge
[00:23:50.130]of University of Nebraska,
[00:23:51.600]and also what I visualized in that word cloud,
[00:23:54.510]is to build upon the rich heritage of impact
[00:23:56.580]at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
[00:23:57.930]This is building upon what's going on here.
[00:24:00.720]So, a strategic and creative leadership to move forward.
[00:24:03.630]Here's kind of a vision statements.
[00:24:05.550]And, we'll talk more about these as we move through the...
[00:24:08.310]But, interdisciplinary research opportunity
[00:24:10.470]for crosscutting initiatives.
[00:24:11.790]Saw so many opportunities in that word cloud
[00:24:13.890]for crosscutting initiatives,
[00:24:16.770]resources, water, natural resource sciences, animals,
[00:24:20.700]vaccine, plants, food science, food, products,
[00:24:24.750]all those things can be crosscutting initiatives.
[00:24:27.480]Support, and service to faculty, staff,
[00:24:29.370]and students needed for success.
[00:24:30.720]Again, that's providing that service that you need
[00:24:33.000]through the ARD.
[00:24:34.620]Then, advance knowledge through creative research
[00:24:36.360]and scholarly activity,
[00:24:37.950]that just comes back to everybody's.
[00:24:39.270]Our mission is aligning, right?
[00:24:41.130]Extend knowledge with innovative programs,
[00:24:43.140]apply knowledge through local and global engagement,
[00:24:45.780]working with talented individuals and extension,
[00:24:49.410]and then the value of fundraising, development,
[00:24:52.080]and, of course, stakeholder engagement.
[00:24:53.880]How are we gonna know where we need to go
[00:24:55.440]if we don't have that connection
[00:24:57.030]and that close contact with our stakeholders?
[00:24:59.700]They're telling us what direction are things going.
[00:25:02.310]We need to have a sense of their vision as well.
[00:25:05.340]It all comes down to, you look at all this,
[00:25:07.110]how are we gonna do all this?
[00:25:07.943]Well, it's priority management and resource management.
[00:25:10.080]And, that's what I believe strongly in,
[00:25:11.730]is priority management, resource management.
[00:25:13.500]How am I gonna know that?
[00:25:15.000]Again, gotta talk to all of you, gotta talk to the faculty,
[00:25:18.210]staff, the stakeholders, the leaders,
[00:25:20.910]capture all that information.
[00:25:22.920]Just gaining that information.
[00:25:24.090]I'm in the sensing mode right now
[00:25:25.560]is what is going on at UNL,
[00:25:28.020]all that I've learned about,
[00:25:29.670]and I'm gonna take that forward.
[00:25:31.890]So, this is a statement that I found on the website,
[00:25:34.950]on the community's website,
[00:25:36.630]at the IANR,
[00:25:38.850]that it strives to combine research teaching extension
[00:25:40.803]in a multidisciplinary collaborative environment
[00:25:42.930]that encourages the best thinking and expertise
[00:25:44.790]from across the university and private enterprise
[00:25:46.560]to ensure Nebraska's competitiveness
[00:25:49.170]in a world of change and challenge.
[00:25:50.430]What grabbed me?
[00:25:51.600]Research, teaching, extension,
[00:25:53.460]multidisciplinary collaborative environment.
[00:25:56.730]These are the things I like to do.
[00:25:58.740]So, this is coming back to the why.
[00:26:00.132]I like multidisciplinary.
[00:26:01.950]I like collaborative.
[00:26:02.790]I liked research teaching and extension.
[00:26:05.700]Across the university and private enterprise,
[00:26:08.130]that's also what I like.
[00:26:09.030]One of our biggest bottlenecks when I was in industry
[00:26:11.850]was we did not have enough places
[00:26:13.500]to do the research project we wanted to do.
[00:26:16.620]We need to have relationships.
[00:26:18.630]We needed to have relationships that were sustainable,
[00:26:22.350]that were productive, mutually beneficial,
[00:26:25.020]and that we could count on for the quality
[00:26:27.090]of what we needed to do.
[00:26:28.590]That's another step that we can re-move forward
[00:26:32.100]at the University of Nebraska,
[00:26:33.630]and also obviously include that
[00:26:35.370]into Nebraska's competitiveness.
[00:26:37.920]So, you've got the community practices,
[00:26:39.960]rural prosperity in Nebraska, diversity,
[00:26:42.780]equity, inclusion, and belonging is three major initiatives
[00:26:45.840]that I found on the web,
[00:26:47.070]linking all of this together.
[00:26:48.780]And, I thought, I can see the string and the attachment,
[00:26:52.140]and we can pull all those together into a strategic vision
[00:26:56.160]and moving forward,
[00:26:57.240]through a systems approach, systems biology.
[00:26:59.670]Let's bring in the talented and skilled individuals we have
[00:27:02.520]and bring 'em together in a systems approach
[00:27:04.650]to move forward for the vision of IANR,
[00:27:07.050]and the research division.
[00:27:10.650]So, all of these things go together, right?
[00:27:14.940]So, we have our crops, we've got animals,
[00:27:18.840]we've got natural resource sciences highlighted in there.
[00:27:21.390]We got some more animals over there.
[00:27:22.530]And, then we have human,
[00:27:23.640]the human dimension associated with all of this.
[00:27:26.490]All of these things then can link together through research
[00:27:30.090]that's gonna help everyone.
[00:27:31.170]So, we have complex challenges and we need the systems
[00:27:34.530]and solutions based approach to get there,
[00:27:37.650]to have an understanding of this,
[00:27:38.790]create more linkages,
[00:27:39.990]and get everybody working together.
[00:27:42.540]So, who's working together?
[00:27:44.310]Industry, University of Nebraska Lincoln, stakeholders,
[00:27:47.880]funding agencies, partners institutions, foundations.
[00:27:50.760]And, how can we do that is to sense, seize,
[00:27:52.950]and develop.
[00:27:54.000]That's concept I've used is that I sense what's going on
[00:27:56.730]and I'm doing that in this, today and tomorrow,
[00:27:59.910]sensing what's here.
[00:28:01.890]And, then what can we do
[00:28:02.723]is we can seize these opportunities.
[00:28:04.380]So, that would be my next step.
[00:28:06.035]Sense, seize the opportunities, bring the people together,
[00:28:09.780]bring the groups together that are needed,
[00:28:11.730]and then develop the action plan to move forward.
[00:28:16.002]I don't know if I'm moving too much.
[00:28:18.148]I think there might me a train.
[00:28:19.365](attendees chuckling)
[00:28:21.349]It's a recurring problem.
[00:28:22.480](attendees chatting)
[00:28:24.237]$50,000.
[00:28:26.244]Is it a train?
[00:28:27.937]We think so. We're not sure.
[00:28:29.563]Well, the train has passed.
[00:28:30.988]The train has left the station.
[00:28:36.938]That was good to see in a bad way.
[00:28:42.456]So, continuing on this vision is to strategic...
[00:28:44.846]So, how are we gonna get this,
[00:28:46.050]take this sense, sees, and develop, and move forward.
[00:28:49.166]Well, we gotta take these strategic discussion
[00:28:50.550]among faculty staff, student, industry leaders,
[00:28:52.620]stakeholders, foundations,
[00:28:54.750]pull in the foundations to provide funding,
[00:28:56.640]to gain key insights important for the next phase.
[00:29:00.330]We're gonna pull together the next phase.
[00:29:01.590]How do we know what the next phase is of research growth?
[00:29:03.990]It's gonna come from all of you who know what is going on.
[00:29:07.920]It's gonna come from these discussions
[00:29:09.480]and these stakeholders.
[00:29:10.800]And, I would be the person to pull it all together
[00:29:13.410]and help make it happen.
[00:29:15.540]Create collaborations and advisory boards,
[00:29:17.970]identify and established partnerships
[00:29:19.590]for mutually beneficial, I mentioned that again,
[00:29:21.900]mutually beneficial partnerships,
[00:29:24.030]and make this a program development priority.
[00:29:27.420]So, invest in facilities.
[00:29:29.070]This is a key thing, is that, again,
[00:29:30.600]we had trouble finding places to do research.
[00:29:33.330]And, then when we found the place
[00:29:35.010]we were confident and comfortable with,
[00:29:37.110]sometimes we had to invest some money into those...
[00:29:39.540]Into the infrastructure
[00:29:40.620]to get what we needed to get done done.
[00:29:42.608]So, we need to be aware and responsive
[00:29:45.690]to the needs of our infrastructure.
[00:29:47.760]Invest in those facilities
[00:29:49.080]to expand the research enterprise.
[00:29:50.640]The research infrastructure really is the backbone
[00:29:53.190]to world class research and to engage partners,
[00:29:55.590]in addition to having all these smart people here.
[00:29:58.470]Taking advantage of subject matter experts, all of you,
[00:30:01.230]all of the staff, the students,
[00:30:03.390]and then we're gonna leverage all that for partnerships.
[00:30:07.851]Innovation is a key to this vision,
[00:30:10.770]develop multi...
[00:30:11.850]Interdisciplinary,
[00:30:12.960]multi interdisciplinary teams within the ARD and partners
[00:30:16.830]to target initiatives
[00:30:19.470]that align with strengths and opportunities.
[00:30:22.530]This is, again, designed,
[00:30:24.420]I'm gonna repeat this,
[00:30:25.253]to empower the researchers
[00:30:26.550]that are addressing societal challenges
[00:30:28.830]and take discoveries and insights back to the stakeholders,
[00:30:31.470]public, and marketplace.
[00:30:33.420]It's a comprehensive approach for capacity building
[00:30:35.460]and enhancing growth.
[00:30:36.293]Again, I bring in the marketplace,
[00:30:37.830]we have to have more industry academic partnerships.
[00:30:41.310]We need to build that.
[00:30:42.720]I know where those gaps, I know,
[00:30:44.040]I've seen those bottlenecks,
[00:30:45.090]I've experienced those.
[00:30:46.380]Let's address some of that.
[00:30:48.030]Again, this is based on this knowledge base that I have
[00:30:50.730]of the funding landscape through the government work,
[00:30:52.920]industry experiences, and background in academia.
[00:30:56.970]Oh, gosh, again, so many words, right?
[00:30:58.590]So, let's have some pictures.
[00:31:00.300]I love this, that I watched your all hands meeting.
[00:31:02.910]And, Dr. Clutter mentioned that in your...
[00:31:05.970]The INR, ARD kind of sets this cornerstone
[00:31:09.750]for your grand challenges and in your strategic plan,
[00:31:12.780]they feed together.
[00:31:14.370]This approach and this vision is designed
[00:31:17.010]to frame activity to align with these priorities,
[00:31:20.310]ARD fits in with these parties nicely and strongly
[00:31:23.430]and can move it forward,
[00:31:24.510]because to, in fact...
[00:31:25.440]It's gonna, in fact, provide the opportunity
[00:31:27.120]to empower faculty to achieve the land grant mission
[00:31:30.099]and the UNL mission to provide this world class education,
[00:31:32.520]produce future leaders,
[00:31:34.424]and value added experiential learning
[00:31:36.750]that could be put into practice.
[00:31:37.860]I am so impressed with some of the programs
[00:31:39.630]that Tiffany has told to me,
[00:31:41.040]told me about in the last day or so,
[00:31:43.680]that there's really a great opportunity
[00:31:45.120]to build those into the research enterprise as well
[00:31:47.439]for these students that are coming here
[00:31:49.710]to University of Nebraska.
[00:31:50.610]There's gonna be a place for every student,
[00:31:53.070]every student in the state of Nebraska
[00:31:54.930]that wants to come here,
[00:31:55.763]there's a place for you, and we're gonna provide a place
[00:31:57.429]for you to do research as well.
[00:31:59.550]So, the state leaders then will view
[00:32:01.590]University of Nebraska Lincoln as an entity
[00:32:03.750]that generates revenue.
[00:32:05.070]This is not an entity that's taking money.
[00:32:06.780]This is generating revenue for the state,
[00:32:09.180]and that's an important feature to highlight.
[00:32:12.210]Okay, so now let's transition to strategic decision making.
[00:32:16.560]We're doing okay on time.
[00:32:17.393]There's only another 50 slides now.
[00:32:20.460]Strategic decision making, what is a vision, right?
[00:32:23.820]That's an organization's aspiration for itself.
[00:32:26.970]If INA IANR were a hundred percent successful,
[00:32:31.410]what would you achieve?
[00:32:32.880]So, I think about that in that vision.
[00:32:35.040]The mission is an organization's purpose
[00:32:36.810]and reason for being.
[00:32:37.680]How can you accomplish your vision?
[00:32:40.080]We gotta combine those for our strategic decision making.
[00:32:42.540]So, the way I like to approach it
[00:32:43.920]is a framework for operational planning, and program,
[00:32:46.380]and evaluation,
[00:32:47.213]really apply this a lot,
[00:32:48.540]because we work with complex systems every day as well.
[00:32:50.910]And, how can we apply this
[00:32:53.190]to make sure that we're getting the output we need
[00:32:55.380]from a program.
[00:32:56.213]And, we use logic models,
[00:32:57.180]and I kind of walk through this a little bit,
[00:32:58.500]a logic model that really provides this,
[00:33:00.360]this roadmap to present shared relationships
[00:33:03.150]among resources, activity outputs,
[00:33:05.190]outcomes, impacts for our program.
[00:33:08.820]So, strategic...
[00:33:10.050]This is a little granular.
[00:33:11.010]We'll just work through this
[00:33:11.910]until I get kind of to an example,
[00:33:13.290]but strategic decision making has a six connected steps
[00:33:16.650]that can be used to start planning for a research effort
[00:33:20.220]or evaluation of an existing program.
[00:33:22.050]This helps us with prioritization.
[00:33:25.020]So, we have the evaluation steps.
[00:33:26.880]You engage the stakeholders.
[00:33:28.380]This would be part of the program for every opportunity
[00:33:31.050]or an evaluation.
[00:33:32.610]Describe the program, focus on evaluation,
[00:33:34.740]decide...
[00:33:36.210]Evaluation design, gather credible evidence,
[00:33:40.440]justify conclusions, and then ensure use,
[00:33:43.860]and share lessons learned.
[00:33:45.000]It's gotta be transparent.
[00:33:45.900]We're gonna get that information out there.
[00:33:47.670]This is the backbone and the first steps
[00:33:50.670]in this decision making process.
[00:33:52.710]And, then I know it's big.
[00:33:53.880]Whoa, well, yeah, okay.
[00:33:55.470]I said too many words and you want pictures
[00:33:57.120]and I gave you this picture, right?
[00:33:58.380]Now, but we want to apply it to a planning
[00:34:00.570]and assessment model.
[00:34:01.410]This is the logic model.
[00:34:02.490]And, I wanna certainly acknowledge
[00:34:04.020]some of my colleagues at NIH
[00:34:05.310]who helped me develop this,
[00:34:07.230]Dr. Iselimb, for example,
[00:34:08.550]who's got the tremendous amount of skill in this
[00:34:10.497]and that what we do is we design this logic model.
[00:34:13.230]And, I put in some examples here for IANR,
[00:34:15.870]but what we really want you to focus on here
[00:34:17.733]is we have this inputs, and resources, and activity.
[00:34:20.490]What INR...
[00:34:21.323]What ARD needs, what ARD does.
[00:34:23.695]And, so what?
[00:34:24.690]Who or what will change because of our action?
[00:34:28.170]And, then we think about our short term outcomes
[00:34:29.880]and our long term impacts.
[00:34:31.620]So, again, what do we do in our goals, program focus areas,
[00:34:35.580]inputs.
[00:34:36.413]So, the inputs, I was asked earlier today,
[00:34:38.040]is there input involved in this?
[00:34:39.150]Yes, definitely, inputs,
[00:34:40.710]what do we need to get this done?
[00:34:42.060]People, data, funding, facilities, relationships.
[00:34:44.760]What are our activity?
[00:34:46.020]What are our expected outcomes?
[00:34:48.180]And, then, again,
[00:34:50.700]our outputs and then our outcomes, short and long term.
[00:34:53.070]So, for example, we have grand challenges, strategies.
[00:34:56.730]We have climate, natural resources,
[00:34:58.860]the human dimension of human nutrition, plant path,
[00:35:01.500]animal disease model.
[00:35:02.940]Let's take the grand challenges for an example
[00:35:05.430]and how would we work through a logic model
[00:35:07.470]for strategic decision making?
[00:35:11.070]Oh, yeah.
[00:35:11.903]So, oh, and it's built on the vision, mission,
[00:35:14.700]and vision are part of this application here
[00:35:17.280]and our strategies and objectives are built in as well.
[00:35:20.490]So, how do we work for...
[00:35:21.930]Move forward with a grand challenges strategy.
[00:35:24.150]Well, I blocked out the red
[00:35:25.620]that would be able to move us forward.
[00:35:27.150]For example, how is our logic model and decision making
[00:35:30.210]for our grand challenges strategy?
[00:35:31.470]Say we're focusing on climate.
[00:35:32.910]What are our inputs we need?
[00:35:34.290]Again, this is a hypothetical,
[00:35:35.490]but it's me moving through this people, data, funding,
[00:35:37.740]facilities, relationships, time.
[00:35:39.596]What activities, workshops, planned activities,
[00:35:42.150]partnership?
[00:35:43.290]What are our outcomes?
[00:35:44.400]More graduate students, funding activity, papers,
[00:35:47.852]and we're gonna have a short term or short term impact
[00:35:50.790]of increase in funding
[00:35:51.630]and a long term impact in increased patents
[00:35:53.970]and economic growth.
[00:35:55.080]That's gonna be a key feature for everything
[00:35:57.300]that we would do.
[00:35:58.380]So, this is how we could put together a plan.
[00:36:00.360]And, this is one of the ways I like to do it,
[00:36:01.947]and the way I think about it,
[00:36:03.720]and apply this in it moving forward.
[00:36:06.570]So, we've moved through all of these parts.
[00:36:09.210]Now, I wanna spend a little time.
[00:36:10.380]So, we've talked about background, leadership, philosophy,
[00:36:12.960]vision for IANR,
[00:36:14.220]and some strategic decision making and assessment,
[00:36:16.620]tools and approaches.
[00:36:18.840]Briefly, I wanted to touch on diversity, inclusion, equity,
[00:36:21.000]and accessibility,
[00:36:22.290]and then kind of wrap it up.
[00:36:24.021]So, inclusive excellence is pretty well understood
[00:36:28.800]that leadership, vision, resource management,
[00:36:30.600]and decision making framework
[00:36:31.800]include inputs from people and building relationships,
[00:36:34.800]talked about that.
[00:36:35.640]Built that today in our discussion.
[00:36:39.810]Effective solutions require creativity and innovation.
[00:36:43.080]And, how can we get that?
[00:36:44.670]We need diverse and broad ranges of perspectives.
[00:36:48.457]These outperform like-minded perspectives.
[00:36:51.900]That's known.
[00:36:52.740]I have the reference page here,
[00:36:54.090]and I have a reference at the end of the talk
[00:36:55.620]that I can give you that if you want to get that down.
[00:36:57.960]But, basically, what we're saying here is diverse
[00:36:59.850]and broad range of perspectives will outperform
[00:37:02.160]if we have everybody with the same perspective
[00:37:03.810]or same background in the room.
[00:37:05.850]So, what we need is effective solution to complex problems.
[00:37:09.000]We've talked about how you have complex problems.
[00:37:10.950]We have complex problems to solve.
[00:37:13.410]So, when we get this diverse range of backgrounds
[00:37:16.770]and experiences,
[00:37:17.670]that provides us this creativity and innovation,
[00:37:20.370]that enhances it and broadens the scope
[00:37:22.440]of our scientific inquiry.
[00:37:24.450]So, that comes down to great minds think differently.
[00:37:27.900]I love that quote, great minds think differently.
[00:37:29.910]We have to have great minds thinking differently
[00:37:31.680]in the room and in the discussion.
[00:37:33.370]So, when I think about inclusivity,
[00:37:36.210]there is the straightforward things about ethnicity,
[00:37:39.360]disability, gender identity, race, and nationality.
[00:37:41.730]Those are things we recognize,
[00:37:42.870]but there's also the hidden aspects
[00:37:45.150]that we also need to think about.
[00:37:46.260]And, there's a whole host of other things that are different
[00:37:49.950]that are under the surface of this iceberg.
[00:37:51.990]So, this is what we see.
[00:37:52.950]This is above the waterline.
[00:37:55.069]If we look below, there's all these other aspects
[00:37:58.620]that we need to recognize for diversity,
[00:38:00.360]and we practice this every day.
[00:38:02.190]I work on this every day,
[00:38:03.540]culture, physical ability, sexual orientation,
[00:38:06.360]thinking style, age, religion, geography,
[00:38:08.640]socioeconomic style, status, skills, language,
[00:38:11.490]first generation, if it's a first generation student,
[00:38:13.770]or first generation person in their first job,
[00:38:17.460]all of those different aspects.
[00:38:19.050]This has to be recognized,
[00:38:20.220]and this will make our decisions better,
[00:38:22.170]and make what we do better,
[00:38:23.670]because all of these individuals
[00:38:25.080]are perceiving the world differently,
[00:38:27.030]solving problems differently,
[00:38:28.740]and it's gonna help us solve problems better,
[00:38:31.380]because we're gonna take advantage of their thinking style
[00:38:33.690]and their beliefs.
[00:38:36.510]Inclusive excellence, what we really need to do,
[00:38:38.790]and I think this is...
[00:38:40.094]This is just gotta be a solid policy,
[00:38:42.238]is we have to create an experience
[00:38:45.510]and support an environment,
[00:38:47.370]so where we have people that feel safe enough
[00:38:49.470]to take interpersonal risks
[00:38:51.090]by speaking up and sharing concerns, questions, or ideas.
[00:38:55.380]This is really the concept of psychological safety
[00:38:58.890]from Edmondson.
[00:38:59.723]I'll have that reference later for you.
[00:39:01.590]So, what we...
[00:39:02.760]What this provides then is it establishes a link
[00:39:05.970]to high performance.
[00:39:07.500]Basically, we have to have this opportunity
[00:39:08.970]where individuals can express, admit,
[00:39:11.550]and ask their questions.
[00:39:13.590]Failure is not always a negative, right?
[00:39:16.170]Failure can be something we can use and grow upon.
[00:39:20.460]So, the nature and level of engagement and candor
[00:39:22.650]is required in our current knowledge economy.
[00:39:25.800]We need this input to be able to address these complex...
[00:39:28.590]The human complex problems,
[00:39:30.390]the human dimension is what is needed
[00:39:32.850]in our current economy,
[00:39:34.260]knowledge economy.
[00:39:36.360]So, what I wanna do is build a framework
[00:39:38.310]that will fertilize creativity, clarify goals,
[00:39:41.190]achieve accountability, and redefine leadership.
[00:39:44.446]And, that's how we can use this psychological safety
[00:39:46.260]in that aspect.
[00:39:48.497]Also, when it comes to training,
[00:39:50.340]I love this concept of the braided river,
[00:39:52.140]my natural resources people in...
[00:39:54.643]The natural resources people in here, my natural resource,
[00:39:58.290]natural resource people.
[00:39:59.400]This came out of an example from natural resource sciences
[00:40:02.010]of a braided river
[00:40:03.450]as an example of how we can draw people
[00:40:08.370]into the STEM fields,
[00:40:11.250]because this is a transition,
[00:40:12.960]the traditional model of professional develop
[00:40:15.030]with a linear path no longer really captures
[00:40:16.980]the reality of the workforce we need,
[00:40:18.537]and the reality of how individuals
[00:40:20.760]are coming into the scientific area.
[00:40:23.010]So, the braided river basically is not...
[00:40:25.110]Is a good example of how we can apply
[00:40:27.815]to multiple systems for training and team success.
[00:40:30.600]And, if I know it's kind of small,
[00:40:31.770]but what we want here is an inclusive STEM workforce
[00:40:34.710]at our output.
[00:40:35.580]And, we have a lot of different pathways
[00:40:37.230]and we have strengthened by other disciplines.
[00:40:39.240]So, this is our interdisciplinary
[00:40:41.070]and multidisciplinary approach.
[00:40:42.510]We have STEM experiences, K-12,
[00:40:45.180]a four year college, community college,
[00:40:46.950]potentially coming in from different directions as well.
[00:40:49.710]We have to realize and apply this to our decision making
[00:40:54.510]for developing the workforce, nurturing the workforce,
[00:40:59.370]mentoring the next phase of the workforce,
[00:41:01.830]and making thus basically ourselves better at what we do.
[00:41:06.491]Okay, so now we're wrapping up what are challenges?
[00:41:10.140]There's a lot of challenges, food, energy, water,
[00:41:11.880]societal systems, that's the fews, F E W S squared, right?
[00:41:16.080]Tiffany.
[00:41:16.913]But, that's our fews, food, energy, water,
[00:41:20.010]societal systems, climate,
[00:41:22.230]the interest section of human sciences
[00:41:24.240]in natural resource sciences,
[00:41:26.610]labor, food security, health, safety,
[00:41:29.730]all of these challenges really are what we're dealing with.
[00:41:35.220]We have to advance rigorous and innovative research
[00:41:37.950]in addressing the land grant mission
[00:41:39.720]to address these challenges.
[00:41:41.640]What I want to do is ensure that ARD research program
[00:41:44.130]remains flexible and responsive
[00:41:46.800]to emerging scientific opportunities and discoveries
[00:41:50.580]and report...
[00:41:51.660]I'm sorry, we promote dissemination
[00:41:53.850]and implementation of research discovery
[00:41:55.680]through public impact across departments
[00:41:58.410]at the university, facilities, and stakeholders.
[00:42:03.420]Really, what we're looking at
[00:42:04.320]is shrinking human resource and infrastructure capacity
[00:42:06.600]to enhance the sustainability of a diverse
[00:42:09.450]and multidisciplinary workforce.
[00:42:11.040]And, that diversity comes from all of those factors
[00:42:14.640]that I described in a couple slides ago,
[00:42:16.290]but it also comes in a diversity
[00:42:17.832]of scientific knowledge and background.
[00:42:22.890]So, we want to advance the mission,
[00:42:24.630]create a framework to address complex challenges
[00:42:26.790]with innovation, creativity, prioritization management,
[00:42:29.670]and resource management.
[00:42:31.890]So, again, here's some of our challenges.
[00:42:33.930]I added a few more, you got digital agriculture,
[00:42:35.580]you got a tomato in there,
[00:42:37.196]and then there's everything that you're doing
[00:42:38.910]in that word cloud.
[00:42:39.990]How does this all fit together?
[00:42:41.550]And, how can we build upon all this amazing research
[00:42:45.150]and activity?
[00:42:46.500]Well, I said two words that I've noticed, first of all,
[00:42:49.620]were product and protect.
[00:42:51.690]And, I thought, here's a theme that's really going on.
[00:42:54.570]We need production and we need protection.
[00:42:56.580]What do we need protection from?
[00:42:58.200]We need protection,
[00:42:59.033]what you're dealing with this year, right? A drought.
[00:43:00.870]We need protection from climate.
[00:43:02.160]We need protection from water.
[00:43:03.870]We have this...
[00:43:04.710]We were talking about the livestock that's underground.
[00:43:06.720]You have to protect them.
[00:43:08.100]The livestock that's above ground.
[00:43:09.270]You have to protect the plants.
[00:43:10.620]You have to protect all these things,
[00:43:11.760]because, what do we need?
[00:43:12.900]We need production to continue to produce food
[00:43:15.510]and the resources that we need.
[00:43:17.790]So, what I like to think about,
[00:43:18.990]and this is an aspect that we try to use at NIH
[00:43:20.880]is communicate, convene, catalyze, and collaborate.
[00:43:24.000]So, bring all these people together,
[00:43:26.880]convene them into a group,
[00:43:28.440]start talking about what and what they're doing,
[00:43:30.960]how they can work together,
[00:43:31.920]catalyze that into the next phase, and then collaborate,
[00:43:36.090]and move it forward.
[00:43:38.400]That's what I have.
[00:43:39.330]Thank you so much, again,
[00:43:41.130]for your attention and time today.
[00:43:43.050]Those references to some of the diversity issue...
[00:43:45.750]Diversity topics that I had mentioned are right here,
[00:43:49.560]and I'm happy to take any questions.
[00:43:50.940]So, thanks.
[00:43:52.683](attendees clapping)
[00:43:56.490]Perfect, thank you, Derek.
[00:43:58.110]So, questions.
[00:43:59.310]We'll accept questions from those that are here,
[00:44:02.201]joining us in FIC as well,
[00:44:04.140]for those that are online, in the chat,
[00:44:06.450]you can see the email address
[00:44:07.950]to send your questions to also.
[00:44:09.900]So, first question.
[00:44:14.370]Alright.
[00:44:17.640]I'm not supposed to stand in front of the screen, right?
[00:44:20.280]So, I'll try to stay over here, right?
[00:44:22.110]I got a thumbs up, great.
[00:44:24.180]I was gonna move towards you, but I'll...
[00:44:26.070]That's okay.
[00:44:26.903]Socially distance here.
[00:44:28.350]Don Becker, biochemistry.
[00:44:29.610]So, yeah, you shared nicely your leadership philosophy.
[00:44:33.930]I was curious if you had...
[00:44:35.629]How you have put it together.
[00:44:38.310]Have you had some role models in your life
[00:44:41.130]or experiences that have shown this to you
[00:44:44.633]or have you experienced this leadership?
[00:44:48.090]Right.
[00:44:48.923]So, I've done...
[00:44:50.124]Been through some training for leadership,
[00:44:51.240]but it's really role models.
[00:44:52.230]You're right.
[00:44:53.609]There's some really excellent role models I have right now
[00:44:54.870]at NIH
[00:44:55.890]that I interact with daily as far as leadership,
[00:44:58.140]I had some...
[00:44:59.220]When I was a junior faculty member,
[00:45:00.480]I had a couple role models of senior faculty members
[00:45:03.240]in animal sciences
[00:45:04.260]that really showed me how to navigate
[00:45:06.810]being a faculty member, how to work through the system,
[00:45:10.830]how to work with people.
[00:45:12.510]And, they weren't necessarily in leadership positions,
[00:45:14.790]but they were leaders.
[00:45:16.110]They were just natural leaders.
[00:45:17.340]And, I gravitated toward them and listened to them.
[00:45:20.070]And, one of them is Jerry Reeves.
[00:45:21.930]He just taught me a tremendous amount
[00:45:24.090]about how just to deal with people and how to move forward.
[00:45:27.480]And, so it's been a...
[00:45:28.590]It's been a hybrid approach of working with good leaders,
[00:45:33.060]just asking them,
[00:45:33.893]why'd you make that decision?
[00:45:34.830]Why'd you go in that direction?
[00:45:36.150]And, then just being mentored and trained up
[00:45:38.880]through that experience as a junior faculty member.
[00:45:41.700]And, there was, in industry,
[00:45:45.960]I got exposed to leaders all across the world
[00:45:50.580]and what really, and I think I mentioned this,
[00:45:52.887]and what really impressed me there
[00:45:54.660]was the different cultural aspects of leadership,
[00:45:58.560]depending on where we were,
[00:46:00.210]and how they approached things differently.
[00:46:01.563]And, I think that really broadened my view
[00:46:04.440]and helped me gain a perspective
[00:46:05.880]of how to treat people and how to move forward
[00:46:09.960]in different directions.
[00:46:11.490]So, that's...
[00:46:12.330]That's kind of a synopsis of all those pieces.
[00:46:16.230]Thank you.
[00:46:18.000]Yes, sir.
[00:46:19.860]Yes, Dr. McClain, I'm curious.
[00:46:24.300]First thing I want to do is compliment you
[00:46:26.000]on your presentation.
[00:46:27.540]Thanks.
[00:46:28.373]Really, very easy to understand,
[00:46:32.070]to the point,
[00:46:32.903]love your slides,
[00:46:34.050]and the way you presented the information,
[00:46:36.570]so practical, and so coherent, and cohesive in it,
[00:46:41.010]the way it went together,
[00:46:43.770]just found great value in that for me personally.
[00:46:46.830]Thanks.
[00:46:47.663]And, I did want to ask you,
[00:46:50.280]what do you think your biggest challenge will be
[00:46:55.380]for you to be selected for this dean position here
[00:46:59.510]at the University of Nebraska?
[00:47:00.690]That's a great question.
[00:47:02.859]And, I think, yeah,
[00:47:03.692]we come back to that sensing mode, right?
[00:47:04.980]I'm in the sensing mode right now,
[00:47:06.240]I'm gathering the information, sensing,
[00:47:07.770]then that's gonna...
[00:47:08.603]That would obviously continue in the next steps.
[00:47:11.460]I think the first challenge will be capturing
[00:47:16.620]and having a comprehensive knowledge
[00:47:18.810]of everything that's going on.
[00:47:20.250]There's so much going on.
[00:47:21.637]There's so much talent.
[00:47:23.130]There's research centers.
[00:47:24.990]There's multiple disciplinary activities
[00:47:27.690]there's going on at the research centers
[00:47:29.490]throughout the state.
[00:47:30.323]There's all the activity going on here in Lincoln.
[00:47:33.030]It's pulling all that together
[00:47:34.290]and then probably making a lot of those word maps,
[00:47:37.230]not using the end,
[00:47:38.063]but something a little easier to see,
[00:47:40.020]but pulling all those things together
[00:47:42.210]and looking at those disciplines in that research and pull.
[00:47:46.200]So, really it's getting a...
[00:47:47.340]Getting an idea,
[00:47:48.173]getting an understanding of the landscape and the ecosystem
[00:47:50.460]of what's going on,
[00:47:51.293]pulling all that together.
[00:47:52.800]That's gotta be fast, gotta do that in a hurry.
[00:47:55.710]Pull that information in from the faculty.
[00:47:57.750]I think that's my...
[00:47:58.583]The first challenge I would see
[00:48:00.960]is I'm getting this impression today
[00:48:03.660]and I'm sure it'll continue tomorrow
[00:48:05.040]of everything that's going on,
[00:48:06.360]but I'm already seeing linkages.
[00:48:07.530]So, I'm encouraged by that.
[00:48:09.270]I'm already seeing how we could put things together.
[00:48:11.400]And, then it's just getting everybody together.
[00:48:12.810]Everybody's busy,
[00:48:13.650]let's get you together.
[00:48:14.880]Let's find...
[00:48:15.713]Let's get out to the different parts of the state,
[00:48:17.430]meet everybody, see what they're doing.
[00:48:19.350]Put that face to the ARD in front of them,
[00:48:22.680]find out what they're doing.
[00:48:23.670]And, then just time, just let's put it all together,
[00:48:26.280]and meet everybody,
[00:48:27.600]and getting busy people together,
[00:48:31.440]and having them understand the shared vision,
[00:48:33.450]and the way we need to move forward.
[00:48:35.670]That's very fair. Thank you.
[00:48:36.960]Thanks.
[00:48:39.060]Another question.
[00:48:42.660]We'll go to Kurt and then to Rebecca.
[00:48:48.960]Oh, I'm off camera.
[00:48:49.920]Sorry.
[00:48:52.980]That actually does matter
[00:48:53.813]if someone's trying to read your lips.
[00:48:55.734]I noticed during COVID 19,
[00:48:57.060]a lot of people rely on that that aren't deaf.
[00:48:59.820]You wouldn't think that.
[00:49:00.690]Yeah, right.
[00:49:01.940]Understandability does go
[00:49:02.773]way down to the mouths.
[00:49:03.810]So, I'm Kurt Bedenbring from food science, technology,
[00:49:06.150]and biochemistry.
[00:49:07.680]And, since you're an NIH guy,
[00:49:09.031]which I like personally,
[00:49:10.401]I have an extra question for you.
[00:49:12.348]Since Nebraska's an idea state,
[00:49:15.360]one advantage of that is that
[00:49:17.400]we have the ability to get P20 grants.
[00:49:19.740]And, our institution's been very successful with that,
[00:49:23.010]but I've noticed in my time here, admittedly,
[00:49:24.780]I haven't been here as long as Don, that...
[00:49:28.440]That wasn't a crack, Don.
[00:49:31.620]When the clock strikes 12, so to speak,
[00:49:34.620]when you can no longer renew one of these P20 grants
[00:49:38.160]and you have a center,
[00:49:39.120]which is funded by that grant, every time,
[00:49:42.270]it seems like there's this shock, and wait a minute,
[00:49:45.360]how are we gonna cover all these FTEs?
[00:49:47.190]What's gonna happen?
[00:49:48.090]How are things gonna continue?
[00:49:49.950]How is the center gonna continue to be successful
[00:49:52.230]and support faculty?
[00:49:53.793]And, it's strange.
[00:49:56.700]This is a great opportunity.
[00:49:58.740]And, yet, somehow, organizationally,
[00:50:01.050]we need an ability to plan ahead, to deal with this,
[00:50:05.400]to take advantage of it properly.
[00:50:07.478]How do we do that?
[00:50:09.420]What allows us to be forward thinking enough
[00:50:12.000]to somehow save up money or create revenue streams
[00:50:15.720]or, in some way,
[00:50:16.553]deal with the fact that we have this great opportunity,
[00:50:19.770]but we know it's not gonna last forever.
[00:50:21.960]How do we plan for the next phase?
[00:50:25.140]I got so many ideas.
[00:50:26.190]So, industry partnerships, number one,
[00:50:29.280]demonstrate the value,
[00:50:30.510]get that information out there.
[00:50:32.370]Let's create that as bridging, right?
[00:50:34.110]In case that happens.
[00:50:36.750]But, then use something like the logic model.
[00:50:39.120]When that application is put in,
[00:50:41.430]we're gonna have that created.
[00:50:42.510]Let's apply that logic model.
[00:50:44.250]So, then we are looking at our outputs,
[00:50:45.810]because then we're gonna use that back through,
[00:50:48.321]back throughout time to assess what we're doing
[00:50:50.490]and prepare us for the next one.
[00:50:51.840]So, you could convert that P30 into another,
[00:50:54.780]and then that comes to the next point,
[00:50:56.310]is the funding landscape,
[00:50:57.750]having a knowledge and they have a knowledge of that,
[00:51:00.060]for example, the NIH funding landscape,
[00:51:02.250]is what comes next?
[00:51:03.900]What other opportunities are there?
[00:51:05.430]Because, we could turn that P20 into a P30, a P...
[00:51:07.980]Project grant.
[00:51:08.813]Let's find some other avenues to fund that,
[00:51:11.370]because there is a lot of money there,
[00:51:13.290]and there's a lot of opportunity,
[00:51:15.120]and having all those...
[00:51:16.170]Kind of this, just the knowledge of that resource
[00:51:18.030]is the way I'd help push that forward as well.
[00:51:20.220]So, those are kind of a three-prong approach
[00:51:21.990]to what you're saying,
[00:51:23.190]is obviously vision.
[00:51:24.330]Think about it in the...
[00:51:25.170]Think about it now, think about where it's gonna be,
[00:51:28.050]then if you look at that and assess it,
[00:51:29.730]you're gonna be showing your outputs in productivity,
[00:51:31.620]and that's gonna be your leverage
[00:51:32.790]to continue for the next funding,
[00:51:34.020]either through bridge funding, through industry,
[00:51:35.520]or bridge...
[00:51:36.902]Or, the next phase of funding through a different mechanism,
[00:51:38.910]activity at NIH, for example,
[00:51:41.160]or go to a different foundation.
[00:51:43.440]I mean, we haven't talked much
[00:51:44.760]about the opportunity potentially for Gates or Howard Hughes
[00:51:49.380]are some of these larger foundations
[00:51:51.870]that we really need to build relationships with
[00:51:54.240]and take it to the next step,
[00:51:55.590]'cause they have a lot of money too.
[00:51:59.580]Perfect.
[00:52:00.603]Okay, we're gonna Rebecca and do an online question.
[00:52:05.130]Hi, thanks for the lovely talk.
[00:52:06.690]Thanks.
[00:52:07.770]I appreciated your in detailed description
[00:52:12.270]of your leadership plan under normal conditions.
[00:52:15.060]And, I was wondering in light of our enjoyments
[00:52:19.290]of the recent pandemic,
[00:52:20.929]what's your strategy for crisis conditions?
[00:52:24.210]Crisis conditions.
[00:52:25.140]Well, you always...
[00:52:26.312]That's a great question.
[00:52:27.403]You've gotta have a crisis plan in place.
[00:52:29.070]Didn't want to go into that kind of detail,
[00:52:30.600]but it's a great question.
[00:52:31.620]We...
[00:52:32.453]What we experienced,
[00:52:33.330]could we experience it again?
[00:52:35.610]Yeah, we could.
[00:52:36.443]I mean, there's, things out there right now
[00:52:38.850]that we're a little concerned about, right?
[00:52:40.427]So, how would you deal with it in a crisis?
[00:52:43.890]Well, I think we, first step,
[00:52:46.170]is we take a step and what was successful in this last one,
[00:52:49.950]in this last time?
[00:52:50.820]What did...
[00:52:51.653]What...
[00:52:52.585]We were...
[00:52:53.418]I'm sure University of Nebraska,
[00:52:54.270]a lot of universities did an amazing job
[00:52:56.280]of responding to it, right?
[00:52:57.330]I mean, within weeks,
[00:52:58.890]you were able to set up and teach thousands of students
[00:53:01.650]with online systems, right?
[00:53:03.210]You're able to maintain certain aspects of the programs
[00:53:06.990]and then able to get them started again.
[00:53:08.640]Let's go back and learn what worked well,
[00:53:11.070]develop a crisis management plan out of that,
[00:53:13.560]and move forward. I know it's not a great answer,
[00:53:15.226]but lessons learned is gonna be the best opportunity
[00:53:18.360]for that kind of thing.
[00:53:19.950]So, hopefully, we don't have to deal with that,
[00:53:21.600]but we should be ready,
[00:53:23.670]'cause it could be something different, right?
[00:53:25.140]It could be a sustained,
[00:53:27.090]a sustained challenge that we have
[00:53:29.316]that we can't deal with in a biomedical
[00:53:32.130]or alternative approach.
[00:53:36.450]Okay, we have a question from online.
[00:53:38.610]This is from John Carroll.
[00:53:39.990]He serves as our director
[00:53:41.430]for the school of natural resources.
[00:53:43.503]Okay.
[00:53:44.336]I was happy to hear you mention
[00:53:45.390]natural resources a number of times in your talk.
[00:53:48.690]Although we always try to be collegial
[00:53:50.820]and we do have a great working relationship
[00:53:53.040]with our colleagues who work in production agriculture,
[00:53:56.040]how do you see us reconciling
[00:53:57.900]some of those underlying issues
[00:53:59.430]of conflict between agriculture and natural resources?
[00:54:04.020]Great, thanks for the question, John,
[00:54:05.340]wherever you are out there.
[00:54:06.450]So, appreciate it.
[00:54:08.190]I think that's where, again,
[00:54:10.230]we are uncomfortable when we bring groups together
[00:54:13.590]that don't have that shared background.
[00:54:16.080]It kind of comes to our diversity discussion as well.
[00:54:19.320]That discomfort has to be diffused in some way.
[00:54:22.830]We'll bring everyone together
[00:54:24.390]and how to diffuse it is to start talking about the issues
[00:54:26.940]and talking about the problems.
[00:54:29.130]Then, we gotta figure out
[00:54:30.270]there's gonna be shared resources.
[00:54:31.380]Some of this is constrained by production systems,
[00:54:33.480]but natural resource sciences
[00:54:34.890]is gonna be a key in moving forward,
[00:54:36.690]because that is an important touch point
[00:54:39.930]for so many people.
[00:54:41.471]And, we don't want to drive people away
[00:54:43.860]from our production system,
[00:54:45.030]because they're gonna see a negative impact from production.
[00:54:48.180]What we have to do is show them that we're working together
[00:54:51.540]to prevent that,
[00:54:53.190]a potential damage or potential negative consequences
[00:54:56.400]of a production system.
[00:54:58.140]So, it's really the first step
[00:54:59.520]is bringing everybody together,
[00:55:01.140]forcing those uncomfortable conversations to happen,
[00:55:03.810]and then moving forward,
[00:55:04.800]and having that understanding, because, again, we...
[00:55:07.290]There's potential for negative consequences.
[00:55:10.260]We've gotta be able to respond
[00:55:11.940]to all of our constituencies
[00:55:15.120]and be able to have basically a,
[00:55:18.236]maybe not a comprehensive approach,
[00:55:20.100]but moving toward a comprehensive approach
[00:55:21.960]to be able to respond to challenges like that.
[00:55:24.562]Okay, we'll do another question online.
[00:55:26.892]Okay.
[00:55:27.725]This is from Lisa Lun.
[00:55:28.558]So, she's a producer in the Northeast part of the state
[00:55:30.960]and also president of our Egg Builders of Nebraska, AVN.
[00:55:34.950]You mentioned stakeholders and getting out in the state.
[00:55:37.950]What is your vision for engaging stakeholders
[00:55:40.463]throughout Nebraska?
[00:55:42.816]That is a great question, Lisa.
[00:55:45.060]Thank you, wherever you are.
[00:55:47.070]I just want FaceTime.
[00:55:48.570]I want to go out and talk.
[00:55:49.830]I want to sit down, come to Lincoln.
[00:55:51.870]Tell me when you're coming to Lincoln, I'll be there.
[00:55:53.633]Tell me where to meet you.
[00:55:54.480]Tell me when your next meeting is.
[00:55:55.770]I'll be there and sit down.
[00:55:57.150]That's what I want.
[00:55:57.983]I want to hear, and find out,
[00:55:59.834]and have a dialogue, an exchange.
[00:56:03.300]a bidirectional exchange,
[00:56:04.500]is here's what we can do,
[00:56:05.430]here's all that we're doing,
[00:56:07.020]I want to hear what your vision for this role is,
[00:56:09.810]what your vision for how we can work together
[00:56:13.800]as far as these next steps.
[00:56:15.240]So, it's all...
[00:56:16.440]It's about...
[00:56:17.370]It's energy.
[00:56:18.720]I hope you all see that I can be motivated in this job.
[00:56:21.060]I'm motivated to meet.
[00:56:22.530]I'm motivated to go see what's going on in the state.
[00:56:25.530]I'm motivated to interact with students, and staff,
[00:56:27.840]and faculty here, and at the extension in research stations
[00:56:31.680]and motivated to meet with stakeholders,
[00:56:33.240]wherever we need that.
[00:56:34.959]I'm sorry, there's something going on with the camera.
[00:56:36.180]That's why I keep getting distracted.
[00:56:38.010]So, yeah, it's really let's meet, let's talk, step one.
[00:56:43.740]Okay, we'll do another question online
[00:56:44.940]and then we'll flip it back to the group
[00:56:47.010]that is here in person.
[00:56:48.870]This is from John Ruberson.
[00:56:50.460]He's our department head for entomology.
[00:56:53.430]You gave a nice outline of setting up shared priorities.
[00:56:57.120]What is your approach to resolving conflict
[00:56:59.850]that arises between respective stakeholders
[00:57:02.430]and advocates
[00:57:03.540]when those priorities clash for resources.
[00:57:08.250]Clash for resource and resource management,
[00:57:10.470]a conflict management?
[00:57:12.240]That was the question?
[00:57:14.220]Conflict management, I guess we have to step back
[00:57:16.620]into our models
[00:57:17.453]and our ability to communicate through the models.
[00:57:20.850]Let's take, for example,
[00:57:22.260]I think the logic model approach
[00:57:23.610]can be used for conflict management.
[00:57:25.050]Let's look at our resources.
[00:57:26.550]Let's take that conversation for our first step,
[00:57:29.820]the six steps to priority management,
[00:57:31.620]the six steps toward moving forward in a plan,
[00:57:34.789]and I'm back.
[00:57:36.210]So, we...
[00:57:39.090]The logic model will help us move through
[00:57:41.010]and show what our constraints and what our resources are.
[00:57:45.270]And, then therefore we can have
[00:57:47.010]that just basically transparent, open conversation
[00:57:50.280]about what decision making is...
[00:57:52.620]What happens with decision making?
[00:57:54.030]Not everyone can walk away, maybe, happy,
[00:57:56.100]but at least they understand the point of view
[00:57:58.290]and they understand the constraints
[00:58:00.000]and our ability to move forward in different directions.
[00:58:04.380]Right, we have, yes, Bill,
[00:58:05.610]let me bring the mic over.
[00:58:06.960]So, those that are joining us online
[00:58:08.820]can hear your great question.
[00:58:12.300]Thank you.
[00:58:13.470]Derek, what's your experience so far in,
[00:58:16.650]how would you frame the way you would work with like ARS,
[00:58:22.440]and US Mark,
[00:58:24.420]and those institutions that we're very engaged with
[00:58:27.900]and have the great, good fortune
[00:58:29.790]to actually have located in this state?
[00:58:32.823]And, the great, good fortune of having
[00:58:35.520]an overlap of ARS scientists
[00:58:37.230]that are also have faculty lines
[00:58:38.520]from what I understand,
[00:58:39.360]that have that connection with the University of Nebraska.
[00:58:43.110]And, I understand the value of that.
[00:58:45.450]I collaborated with ARS scientists
[00:58:47.130]when I was a faculty member.
[00:58:48.840]So, your question was what would be the approach or the...
[00:58:52.410]Yeah, your experience that you started into
[00:58:56.010]and how you would collaborate,
[00:58:57.870]and your thoughts in that area.
[00:58:59.830]Okay, so...
[00:59:02.370]Yes, experience,
[00:59:03.203]I have collaborated with scientists at ARS facilities at...
[00:59:07.260]And, both, as a faculty member and then also in industry.
[00:59:10.243]I was able to use those talented people.
[00:59:13.560]There was a research facility in Lubbock
[00:59:15.990]that we did a lot of work at in stress physiology actually.
[00:59:20.790]And, so the approach would be, again,
[00:59:23.130]let's come together.
[00:59:24.090]Let's state again,
[00:59:25.500]we have already that template
[00:59:27.450]and those individuals in place.
[00:59:29.460]And, what are the...
[00:59:30.293]What are you doing?
[00:59:31.126]What are you working on?
[00:59:31.959]Actually, I know several people at Clay Center right now,
[00:59:35.850]and you would just go out and sit down
[00:59:37.470]with some of those scientists,
[00:59:39.210]and say, let's build this. What do you want to be?
[00:59:41.843]Do you want to be...
[00:59:42.720]Does Nebraska want to be here in this,
[00:59:45.390]for this commodity group? Where do you want to be for beef?
[00:59:47.460]Where do you want to be?
[00:59:49.020]And, how can we work together to get there?
[00:59:51.420]So, is that shared vision?
[00:59:53.220]We develop a shared vision
[00:59:54.600]and then we put that mission in place
[00:59:56.550]and develop it from there.
[01:00:00.300]Thank you.
[01:00:01.618]Okay, Ed.
[01:00:05.220]Thank you.
[01:00:06.351]Can I ask two questions?
[01:00:07.740]Okay.
[01:00:08.850]First question...
[01:00:09.683]You've got the mic.
[01:00:13.050]Okay, so you'll be running ARD,
[01:00:17.130]but you can't do everything.
[01:00:18.120]You can't implement this vision alone.
[01:00:19.680]You'll have a team in ARD,
[01:00:21.750]so, and you're very strategic systems thinker.
[01:00:25.260]How do you get your staff, your associate deans,
[01:00:28.410]your assistant dean,
[01:00:29.550]everybody thinking the same way that you do?
[01:00:32.160]I mean, getting them on board with your approach.
[01:00:36.030]I think it's consistent with what's happening now.
[01:00:38.730]I think that's that transparency and honesty,
[01:00:40.890]again, not a micromanager,
[01:00:42.720]but saying the system's in place,
[01:00:45.720]the talent is in place.
[01:00:48.360]Here's what we want to do.
[01:00:50.700]Start participating in these meetings with me.
[01:00:53.550]Let's start coming to these meetings,
[01:00:55.590]see how we can put this forward,
[01:00:57.900]give me feedback on the process.
[01:00:59.850]And, then we build from there.
[01:01:01.440]Give me, what are we learning from this process?
[01:01:04.380]And, then take the next steps.
[01:01:06.000]And, then, I want to, I'll be honest with you,
[01:01:08.580]I wanna set up systems, create meetings,
[01:01:10.830]bring people together.
[01:01:11.730]And, then the goal of that in my...
[01:01:13.797]For my role, would be to become obsolete,
[01:01:16.230]that they're not...
[01:01:17.543]I'm not needed there anymore.
[01:01:18.376]They're all...
[01:01:19.260]It's running itself.
[01:01:20.340]And, then I can go and do the next thing
[01:01:22.650]and put that together and become obsolete,
[01:01:24.330]and then the next, and the next as well,
[01:01:26.130]go out to Clay Center, and go to Panhandle,
[01:01:30.150]and go to Sandhill,
[01:01:31.200]all these places I'm learning about.
[01:01:33.090]So, that would be the goal,
[01:01:34.500]but, participation in the process,
[01:01:36.930]discussing the shared vision,
[01:01:38.460]coming back, feedback, lessons learned,
[01:01:41.100]and then moving forward.
[01:01:43.140]And, second question,
[01:01:44.519]we often hear that we're not at the table,
[01:01:47.820]when it comes to new grant funding opportunities,
[01:01:51.810]and that's a disadvantage for us,
[01:01:53.550]'cause maybe our...
[01:01:54.960]Some other institutions will have a leg up
[01:01:58.020]when it comes to some announcement that comes out
[01:02:00.540]and you got three months, two months to reply.
[01:02:03.210]Yeah. Yeah.
[01:02:04.043]And, so how do you see us
[01:02:06.570]becoming more proactive and being at the table
[01:02:09.690]when these funding opportunities are decided?
[01:02:12.450]Right.
[01:02:13.560]Well, yeah, I need to have...
[01:02:16.647]I know I have a better...
[01:02:17.480]I have a good understanding of the funding landscape at NIH.
[01:02:20.880]One thing that NIH does is each institute has a council
[01:02:25.092]that meets every...
[01:02:25.925]Three times a year.
[01:02:27.150]And, future initiatives are discussed
[01:02:30.720]and approved at those councils.
[01:02:31.890]And, the way the system works
[01:02:33.750]is that's two years before it's actually,
[01:02:35.400]maybe a year,
[01:02:36.360]before it's actually released.
[01:02:38.130]We need to get involved in that
[01:02:39.570]in all of these funding agencies.
[01:02:41.730]We need to find out how USDA is making that decision,
[01:02:44.460]making...
[01:02:45.293]How...
[01:02:46.272]Their decision making process.
[01:02:47.105]NSF, DOD, all of the funding.
[01:02:52.050]I need to have a better understanding
[01:02:53.970]of where all the funding comes from,
[01:02:55.320]but all the agencies,
[01:02:56.550]and then just get up there.
[01:02:58.290]And, we were talking about,
[01:03:00.868]there are consulting groups that are sort of plugged in,
[01:03:06.060]in DC,
[01:03:07.110]at the funding agencies.
[01:03:08.940]And, that's an investment that'll pay itself forward
[01:03:10.770]as well,
[01:03:11.603]having those relationships, knowing what's going on there,
[01:03:14.850]those discussions.
[01:03:15.930]So, thankfully, the federal,
[01:03:19.260]a lot of what the federal government has to be
[01:03:21.295]is just transparent.
[01:03:22.128]You have to talk about this before you actually release it.
[01:03:24.540]We just need to be involved
[01:03:25.950]in listening to those discussions.
[01:03:27.876]And, again, that is potentially expanding personnel,
[01:03:31.020]that's potentially is your first question
[01:03:32.850]is maybe realigning some of the goals
[01:03:35.340]and some of the responsibilities of individuals
[01:03:38.310]in the office or in different offices at the university.
[01:03:43.170]Yeah, thanks.
[01:03:44.250]Okay, we have time for one more question.
[01:03:51.480]Rebecca was the first one to raise her hand.
[01:03:59.370]Sorry, I'm also the farthest.
[01:04:00.960]I need my steps, so it's good.
[01:04:03.180]Thanks.
[01:04:06.840]Hi, thanks again.
[01:04:07.770]So, here's a tough one.
[01:04:10.590]You mentioned a lot of diversity and inclusion,
[01:04:13.020]and inside each of those books,
[01:04:17.970]well, the first two are books,
[01:04:22.050]it is clear that you have to enact those various initiatives
[01:04:28.410]at the stage that people are being unincluded or dis...
[01:04:35.130]I don't, whatever the word is for that.
[01:04:37.680]And, isolated.
[01:04:39.780]That's what the word is for that.
[01:04:41.023]And, so at a university that's at the department level,
[01:04:44.970]but of course, as a dean of IANR,
[01:04:47.430]you don't have control at the department level.
[01:04:50.250]You heard the cat herders.
[01:04:52.200]So, what are your thoughts on herding cat herders
[01:04:55.620]to improve diversity, equity, inclusion at UNL?
[01:04:59.850]Well, there's a lot of different ways.
[01:05:00.990]And, I think some of that's already going on.
[01:05:02.610]I think you got some...
[01:05:03.443]Some programs to bring to HBCU students
[01:05:07.920]here for research experiences,
[01:05:10.770]embedding, taking, or having some of our personnel
[01:05:15.570]here at UNL,
[01:05:16.403]embedding them into HBCUs or MSIs,
[01:05:19.860]as well as HBCUs.
[01:05:22.260]But, then there's also the link with seed funding.
[01:05:25.590]There's a potential,
[01:05:26.580]and I'm not gonna say we're gonna enact this,
[01:05:27.960]but this is a thought,
[01:05:28.793]is that here's some seed funding money.
[01:05:31.380]You have to have an HBCU as a partner in this
[01:05:36.270]to get this money.
[01:05:37.230]You have to go find a research partner.
[01:05:39.360]You at UNL has to go find a research partner.
[01:05:42.630]There's an amazing...
[01:05:43.650]For example, there's an amazing program
[01:05:45.240]by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute right now
[01:05:47.850]called the Gillian effort right now
[01:05:51.750]after the individual that gave them all the money,
[01:05:55.350]that they will fund a graduate student
[01:05:59.010]from an underrepresented group.
[01:06:01.770]But, the requirement is for the faculty member,
[01:06:04.170]the faculty mentor to go to H...
[01:06:07.830]Howard Hughes, HHMI's campus
[01:06:09.750]and get trained on how to make their lab more opening.
[01:06:13.560]And, then that person is required
[01:06:14.820]to go back to their university and have workshops
[01:06:17.070]and explain to them how to make their environment
[01:06:20.070]more open and inclusive.
[01:06:22.020]And, so we get involved in those,
[01:06:24.930]those type of programs,
[01:06:26.580]or we create our own programs like that,
[01:06:28.640]or we find somebody to partner with us
[01:06:31.080]for programs like that.
[01:06:32.670]So, that way, we're not only...
[01:06:34.680]That's...
[01:06:35.513]Those are examples of pulling...
[01:06:38.730]It's not a push,
[01:06:39.720]but we're gonna pull people into this activity
[01:06:43.260]in those two ways.
[01:06:46.680]Perfect, alright.
[01:06:47.520]Thank you, Dr. McClain.
[01:06:49.080]Please, join me in thanking Dr. McClain one more time.
[01:06:51.855](attendees clapping)

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ARD Dean Candidate - Dr. Derek McLean

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