KRVN Chat with the Chancellor

Rodney Bennett Author

08/10/2023 Added

2 Plays

Description

Dr. Rodney Bennett talks about his background of 30 years in higher education, his reasons for becoming UNL chancellor, what he has learned about Nebraska so far, and the upcoming Volleyball Day in Nebraska.

Searchable Transcript

Search:

[00:00:00.480]Bryce Doeschot on the Rural Radio Network.
[00:00:02.610]And it is time
[00:00:03.964]for our weekly chat with the Chancellor segment.
[00:00:05.460]This week we're joined by the brand new Chancellor
[00:00:07.680]of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
[00:00:09.630]His name is Dr. Rodney Bennett.
[00:00:11.910]Chancellor Bennett, thank you for being here today.
[00:00:13.440]Congratulations on this new role.
[00:00:15.150]Bryce, thank you so much for having me.
[00:00:16.980]I've been looking forward to the time with you today
[00:00:19.320]and looking forward to getting across the state
[00:00:21.870]not just next week, but over the years to come
[00:00:24.030]to develop relationships with very important members
[00:00:27.930]of the state of Nebraska and certainly great alumni, donors
[00:00:32.310]and supporters of our fine institution,
[00:00:35.190]all towards the efforts of exceeding the goals
[00:00:38.280]and expectations that we have
[00:00:39.690]for public higher education.
[00:00:41.280]I'm curious what those goals and expectations are
[00:00:43.650]as well as your travels next week.
[00:00:44.970]We'll dive into both those topics coming up here
[00:00:46.710]in a little bit 'cause we have time
[00:00:49.020]with you on our chat with the Chancellor program.
[00:00:50.880]But first, I guess I want to introduce to have you
[00:00:52.980]introduce yourself to our listeners today,
[00:00:54.960]a little bit more about your background.
[00:00:56.280]I understand most recently spent time
[00:00:58.110]at the University of Southern Mississippi.
[00:01:00.570]Walk me through your career up to this point.
[00:01:03.171]Sure, sure, sure.
[00:01:04.004]Well, I was born in Knoxville, Tennessee
[00:01:05.490]and had the good fortune
[00:01:06.450]of working in Tennessee for a number of years.
[00:01:09.810]Left Tennessee and went over to Rock Hill,
[00:01:11.910]South Carolina and spent a good number
[00:01:14.310]of years there before leaving South Carolina
[00:01:17.220]for Athens, Georgia at the University of Georgia
[00:01:20.700]where we served for just under 13 years.
[00:01:23.850]Left the University of Georgia and went
[00:01:26.370]to the University of Southern Mississippi
[00:01:28.770]where I was the institutional executive officer president
[00:01:32.460]for just shy of 10 years, and then left the University
[00:01:35.820]of Southern Mississippi to come to the University
[00:01:38.220]of Nebraska-Lincoln just earlier this month.
[00:01:41.700]So have not even completed the first full 30 days, (laughs)
[00:01:45.900]but we can already tell that, you know,
[00:01:49.350]this is such a good fit for me.
[00:01:51.540]There's so many similarities between the state
[00:01:54.600]of Nebraska and the state of Mississippi
[00:01:57.510]and the deep South where I have spent
[00:02:00.360]a significant amount of my time.
[00:02:02.220]I think the values that we share and the commitment
[00:02:06.420]to helping young people grow and develop
[00:02:08.820]and be engaged citizens of the state
[00:02:11.640]and of our country are really in alignment
[00:02:14.130]with who I am and who my family is
[00:02:16.320]and the things that we believe in.
[00:02:18.150]So I just feel like it's sort of a seamless transition
[00:02:21.330]from Mississippi here.
[00:02:22.950]I know that there's significant opportunity here.
[00:02:25.860]I know that Nebraskans have high expectations
[00:02:29.340]for their public flagship land grant institution.
[00:02:33.060]I share those, and so I look forward
[00:02:35.970]to really spending the next however many years
[00:02:38.370]you all will have me sort of leading the charge
[00:02:41.310]and leading the efforts in that regard.
[00:02:43.530]Did you always wanna work in academics?
[00:02:45.480]I actually, I did not.
[00:02:46.500]My undergraduate training is really in mass communication
[00:02:51.630]so I always thought that I would be a producer
[00:02:53.970]of documentary films, to be honest with you.
[00:02:56.430]And by chance after church one Sunday
[00:02:59.490]a friend of mine asked if I would fill in
[00:03:01.530]while she was waiting on a staff member to arrive.
[00:03:04.500]And 30 years later, I guess I'm still filling in, (laughs)
[00:03:10.050]but I think what really speaks
[00:03:11.580]to me is the opportunity to be at the forefront
[00:03:16.050]of helping young people identify their goals
[00:03:20.370]and the impact that they want to have
[00:03:23.100]with their life on their community
[00:03:24.720]and their state and the people around them.
[00:03:27.090]And so I'm really interested
[00:03:28.830]in authentically meeting students and people where they are
[00:03:32.940]and then helping them on that particular journey.
[00:03:36.090]I wanna back up a little bit
[00:03:37.380]I suppose for the application process.
[00:03:39.870]Make it known that you're interested in this position.
[00:03:42.210]You talked about your time in the deep south Nebraska
[00:03:45.120]I'm sure a bit of a transition.
[00:03:46.560]You've mentioned you've seen some similarities though.
[00:03:49.350]Why throw your name
[00:03:50.850]in the hat of sorts to make yourself known
[00:03:53.130]as someone interested in this position.
[00:03:54.720]Why University of Nebraska-Lincoln?
[00:03:56.550]Yeah, I think there were a couple
[00:03:58.110]of things that really led to that decision.
[00:04:00.210]Top among the list was the opportunity to be in charge
[00:04:04.860]of the state, to be in charge of public higher education
[00:04:07.860]from a mandate of a flagship and a land grant.
[00:04:11.940]And to know that what we do here
[00:04:13.650]in Lincoln has a direct impact
[00:04:16.830]on what public higher education
[00:04:18.450]across the state is going to look like.
[00:04:21.570]I think that was probably it for me.
[00:04:23.040]I don't say that from a prideful, narcissistic place
[00:04:27.810]but I like the idea of being in charge.
[00:04:31.350]I like the idea of helping to set the expectation
[00:04:34.500]and the standard and then to work
[00:04:36.420]across constituent groups to make sure
[00:04:39.240]that what we're doing are the things that we need to do
[00:04:42.420]for students and their families, but also to be responsive
[00:04:46.560]to what the market is saying
[00:04:49.080]that they are needing from graduates that we are producing.
[00:04:52.980]And so I just think that
[00:04:54.300]with my personality and my commitment
[00:04:56.520]to our students and to our stakeholders, being the guy
[00:05:00.510]at the top of the pyramid and being able
[00:05:02.910]to direct that was really something
[00:05:04.860]that was appealing to me.
[00:05:06.510]I also felt like that Nebraska values and the values
[00:05:09.990]of the institution and the focus of the institution in terms
[00:05:13.680]of really being the best institution that it could be
[00:05:16.740]for the people of the state really spoke to me.
[00:05:20.400]You know, I've grown up in a place where
[00:05:22.800]and believe that politics are always local
[00:05:27.870]and I feel like the university
[00:05:29.700]while we have an international reach and expectation,
[00:05:34.140]I've always approached my work
[00:05:35.580]from the standpoint of making sure
[00:05:37.380]that we are taking care of our primary stakeholders
[00:05:41.220]and our primary stakeholders are the taxpayers of the state.
[00:05:45.000]And so when I think about programming
[00:05:46.860]when I think about commitment
[00:05:48.150]when I think about the things that are important
[00:05:50.880]I always wanna make sure that those are aligned
[00:05:52.950]with people who are right here in the college town
[00:05:56.130]but also people who are across the state who are depending
[00:05:59.490]on us for academic programs, for research,
[00:06:02.820]for economic development, to produce a workforce, to think
[00:06:06.060]about all the things that help them to be successful.
[00:06:08.940]And I think that that just sort of what led me
[00:06:11.730]to identify the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
[00:06:14.730]as the place for me.
[00:06:15.900]I had applied for several positions
[00:06:18.240]during this hiring season, as it were.
[00:06:21.668]I had done really well,
[00:06:22.501]was finalist in many positions, so I had options.
[00:06:25.230]I don't wanna admit that, you know,
[00:06:27.930]this was the only thing that I had to choose from
[00:06:30.090]but it was the one that just sort of aligned most closely
[00:06:33.510]with who I am and what my values represent.
[00:06:36.090]And I felt like it would just be a seamless match.
[00:06:39.450]You went through a 30 day vetting process.
[00:06:41.220]I think that was June.
[00:06:42.510]What'd you learn about Nebraska that you didn't know before?
[00:06:45.780]Well, let me go back
[00:06:46.890]just to that 30 day vetting process.
[00:06:48.840]I would hope that your listeners would never have to go
[00:06:53.550]through a 30 day process of vetting.
[00:06:57.810]It was grueling to say the least, oh my gosh.
[00:07:02.340]It was just, it was a very painful-
[00:07:04.230]Marathon.
[00:07:05.063]It was a marathon and very painful.
[00:07:07.050]But on the backside of that, I have a deep appreciation
[00:07:10.140]for it because I think that everyone
[00:07:11.880]that was interested had an opportunity to see me
[00:07:15.060]and hear from me and meet me
[00:07:17.190]and get a sense of what I represent.
[00:07:19.380]And I was able to meet groups of people.
[00:07:21.450]I think the record shows that I met upwards
[00:07:23.940]of about 1500 to 2000 people
[00:07:27.330]during that five day period that I was on campus.
[00:07:30.330]And I think that it really exposed me
[00:07:32.190]to people who otherwise I may not have ever
[00:07:34.980]had an opportunity to come in contact with.
[00:07:37.950]So, you know, tongue in cheek,
[00:07:39.540]I say it was something I hope to never do again.
[00:07:42.570]But I'm really glad that I did it.
[00:07:44.190]And I think that there was a lot of value for me
[00:07:47.910]and for our stakeholders to get to see me in that process.
[00:07:52.800]More specifically, to answer your question
[00:07:54.810]of what I've learned from that 30 day period is
[00:07:58.500]that there is a deep love and appreciation and commitment
[00:08:02.010]to the state of Nebraska and to this institution.
[00:08:05.760]And I think
[00:08:06.660]that Nebraskans ought to be very proud of that fact.
[00:08:09.630]There are many, many states that I have been affiliated with
[00:08:13.500]whose citizens do not sort of have that sense
[00:08:17.820]of commitment and resolve for the institution.
[00:08:22.770]I think that many places sort of ebb and flow
[00:08:26.820]with how well the athletic programs are doing,
[00:08:30.120]how well the school is performing,
[00:08:32.310]what the national rankings say about the school,
[00:08:35.430]how much private giving is being collected each year.
[00:08:39.450]And what I learned through that process is
[00:08:41.250]that Nebraskans are committed to this institution,
[00:08:45.390]come what may, that there's a genuineness here.
[00:08:48.990]There's a sense of pride, there's a sense
[00:08:52.620]of we have an opportunity to be the leader
[00:08:55.650]and we should take those opportunities to be the leader.
[00:08:58.770]That there's a sense of courageousness and risk taking
[00:09:03.450]and forward thinking.
[00:09:05.220]And those are things that certainly I suspected
[00:09:08.460]about Nebraska.
[00:09:09.750]You know, Nebraska, as I have said many times
[00:09:12.780]and continue to believe, is that Nebraska is one
[00:09:16.110]of our country's most important institutions.
[00:09:18.960]And there are many areas to which we could point to
[00:09:22.710]that demonstrate that.
[00:09:24.330]And I think that people across the state really
[00:09:26.940]have a deep appreciation and embrace the fact
[00:09:30.180]that we really are one of our country's
[00:09:31.890]most important institutions.
[00:09:33.660]Before I let you go and get you outta here,
[00:09:35.340]this past week you came out with an announcement.
[00:09:36.960]We've got the big volleyball day coming up in August
[00:09:39.030]and you canceled in-person classes because of it, right?
[00:09:41.580]Right, well, and I think that's a great distinction
[00:09:43.830]that we did not cancel school.
[00:09:46.920]There's no more cancellation of like the snow day.
[00:09:49.620]That's right, that's right.
[00:09:50.453]Someone in the haymarket said to me,
[00:09:51.997]"Hey, Chancellor thank you for canceling school."
[00:09:54.630]And I thought, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
[00:09:56.610]We did not cancel school.
[00:09:58.320]Well, I wanna make sure that your listeners all
[00:10:00.600]across the state realized that we did not,
[00:10:02.790]I did not cancel school.
[00:10:04.890]We are moving classes and academic instruction
[00:10:08.880]on that day to an online format.
[00:10:11.700]And one of the things that we learned during
[00:10:14.160]the horrible period of COVID was that there are a lot
[00:10:17.610]of things that we can do using the technology
[00:10:20.370]and the equipment that we have and so on that great day
[00:10:23.100]of volleyball in Nebraska, we're gonna go to that format
[00:10:26.550]so that academic instruction is able to continue.
[00:10:29.520]Should be a lot of fun.
[00:10:30.360]I don't think the students would mind
[00:10:31.410]if classes were a hundred percent canceled
[00:10:33.180]but as you mentioned, that is the way
[00:10:34.830]of how we go in the future.
[00:10:36.240]That is the voice
[00:10:37.659]of the new Chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
[00:10:38.910]Dr. Rodney Bennett, our guest this week on the chat
[00:10:41.520]with the Chancellor program.
[00:10:42.690]Here on the Rural Radio Network,
[00:10:44.520]I'm Bryce Doeschot reporting.

The screen size you are trying to search captions on is too small!

You can always jump over to MediaHub and check it out there.

Comments

0 Comments

KRVN Chat with the Chancellor

Description

Searchable Transcript

Comments icon comment

Related Channels

Comments