Chancellor's Pre-Game: Rutgers

Curt Bright Author

10/08/2024 Added

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Chancellor Rodney Bennett speaks about several topics.

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[00:00:00.000]Welcome back, Countdown to Kickoff. Huskers today getting ready for their homecoming battle against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and a chance for us, as we do every week, to sit down with the Chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Rodney Bennett. Always great to see you. What a fun week. Weather was good. Homecoming week. This was a great week.
[00:00:17.800]Greg, I want to tell you something. It is unbelievable how much energy and how much momentum we have at the university, you know, how well things are going. I mean, as Chancellor, I just absolutely could not be more pleased and more proud of what we have going on right now.
[00:00:34.480]Give me some highlights from the past several days.
[00:00:36.800]Well, I know we have limited time as part of the pregame. You know, as a Chancellor, I could take up probably half of the afternoon talking about all the good things that are going on here.
[00:00:44.900]But I think on homecoming day, I think our alumni and donors and friends of the university would really be happy to know where we are in a couple of areas.
[00:00:54.460]One, enrollment at the university is up. The first time that we have seen an increase in enrollment since 2021.
[00:01:02.680]So we're very pleased with that. We're up about 1.7 percent. What that means is we have 23,992 students at the university, which is incredible.
[00:01:14.720]We'd like to see growth of the student body go to about 28,000 students over the next several years. So we're on a good trajectory of growth to make that happen.
[00:01:26.160]Also, I'm very happy with our retention. We are experiencing an 86 percent retention of students from year one to year two.
[00:01:38.100]So that vulnerable space of coming that first year, not connecting, not feeling like you're there.
[00:01:44.700]Not feeling like you are at the right place, wanting to go home, perhaps being a little bit homesick.
[00:01:49.500]We're working really hard with students to get through that period.
[00:01:53.240]And they are staying with us a lot longer than other schools have their students stay with them across the country.
[00:01:59.340]Eighty six percent is fantastic.
[00:02:01.660]And then on top of that, the university announced the latest rankings from U.S. Nudes and World Report, which are fabulous for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
[00:02:12.280]We moved up seven places.
[00:02:14.680]In the national rankings, we are now number 151.
[00:02:19.100]We moved up three places among all public universities across our country.
[00:02:25.580]We're at number 81.
[00:02:27.600]Our College of Undergraduate Engineering is now 71 in the nation.
[00:02:34.300]And our College of Business is now number 53.
[00:02:38.080]So when you think about excellence, when you think about prominence, and when you think about excellence,
[00:02:44.660]when you think about impact, we are hitting the mark in every category that makes a difference in that regard.
[00:02:51.500]And I'm very proud of that as Chancellor, but I also know that it's a team effort from our faculty, our staff,
[00:02:58.220]and certainly our students doing the things that they need to do.
[00:03:01.280]But also, a big part of that has to do with the work that is led by our special guest today,
[00:03:08.880]Shelly Zaborowski, the Executive Director of our Alumni Association,
[00:03:13.060]because it really is.
[00:03:14.640]It's a team effort, and it requires all parts of the university to be in alignment.
[00:03:19.680]And right now, we're in alignment.
[00:03:21.580]And this is what happens when a complex organization is pulling in the same direction.
[00:03:26.840]Chancellor and Shelly, welcome to the program.
[00:03:30.140]Great to have you with us.
[00:03:30.980]As he mentioned, Homecoming Week is really big for alumni.
[00:03:34.220]Talk a little bit about maybe some history about Homecoming
[00:03:36.500]and some things that went on this past week.
[00:03:38.720]Sure.
[00:03:39.460]So, well, interestingly, the history of Homecoming nationwide,
[00:03:43.080]the idea behind it,
[00:03:44.580]was to build school spirit among alumni
[00:03:47.100]and get more fans to the football games.
[00:03:49.560]And Nebraska, we have year-round school spirit
[00:03:52.700]and all of our football games are sold out.
[00:03:54.500]So it's kind of like we have Homecoming every week.
[00:03:56.520]But indeed, Homecoming is a special time
[00:03:59.300]for alumni to come back.
[00:04:00.400]It's a time for the entire community
[00:04:02.240]to celebrate the university.
[00:04:03.520]Many alumni will choose Homecoming Week to return.
[00:04:06.400]There are lots of activities to take part in.
[00:04:09.500]And it's also a great time for families
[00:04:11.500]and prospective students
[00:04:12.560]and really for the entire community to come
[00:04:14.520]and be part of the university.
[00:04:16.660]Every year, every homecoming game,
[00:04:18.460]it has a little uniqueness to it.
[00:04:20.220]But this year is pretty special
[00:04:21.420]for the Alumni Association, right?
[00:04:23.000]Yes, it is indeed, Greg.
[00:04:24.360]We're really proud that we are celebrating
[00:04:27.120]the 150th birthday of the Alumni Association this year.
[00:04:30.240]And we're really proud of this milestone
[00:04:32.160]and all that it means for our institution.
[00:04:33.620]For 150 years, the Alumni Association
[00:04:36.660]has been focused on alumni engagement,
[00:04:38.740]helping alumni connect with the university
[00:04:41.200]and with each other.
[00:04:42.240]We want to build community among alumni
[00:04:44.460]support our current students
[00:04:46.040]and recruit the next generation of Husker students.
[00:04:48.600]How are you going to choose to celebrate some of this?
[00:04:51.620]Well, we've had a whole series of events
[00:04:53.460]happening throughout the year
[00:04:54.600]and we'll continue to celebrate.
[00:04:56.000]In June, we have a proclamation
[00:04:58.520]from Governor Jim Pillen.
[00:04:59.800]We also have special offers to alumni
[00:05:02.560]who want to support the Alumni Association
[00:05:04.340]through membership.
[00:05:05.080]And depending on the membership option they choose,
[00:05:09.040]they can save up to $50.
[00:05:10.020]So we would love to have our alumni check this out.
[00:05:14.400]Alumni.org slash NAA 150
[00:05:16.580]is where they can find all the information
[00:05:18.360]about the deals and the events.
[00:05:19.920]Great. 150 years, long time,
[00:05:21.920]but we're still kind of evolving, changing.
[00:05:23.920]We're now part of a conference with four new universities.
[00:05:26.050]universities all out on the West Coast. And the Alumni Association, I know, has a great
[00:05:30.590]trip planned for alumni and fans to go to be a part of the game out in Los Angeles.
[00:05:34.710]Indeed, we do. We want to make sure all alumni fans and friends know about the Ultimate Husker
[00:05:40.470]Experience that they can take part in. We've got really two options for folks who want to
[00:05:45.590]be part of that USC experience. We've got a travel package for those who are looking to travel,
[00:05:51.430]and we make it as stress-free as possible. We're offering either a two- or three-night
[00:05:56.350]premium hotel accommodation package, includes a welcome event, a Husker pregame party,
[00:06:01.910]and round-trip game day transportation. Game tickets can also be added. So you get yourself
[00:06:08.430]to Los Angeles, and we'll take care of the rest. And that can be found on huskerfantravel.com.
[00:06:13.610]That is so much fun, and you take all the worry away from people. There's so many things to do
[00:06:17.810]in the Los Angeles area. I mean, you can have pregame parties. You're going to have
[00:06:21.410]all kinds of activities for the folks. Right, absolutely. So we have a Husker
[00:06:25.370]Huddle pregame party planned. It'll take place at Expo Park West in Los Angeles,
[00:06:31.410]which is near the Coliseum, just about a block and a half, so easily walkable.
[00:06:34.970]It will start three hours before kickoff and includes food, beverages, special guests,
[00:06:40.410]and lots of Husker spirit. We've got early bird pricing available until October 14th.
[00:06:47.010]We're expecting more than a thousand folks to come, but we do want to get the work
[00:06:51.390]out that we are not selling game day tickets on site. So we want to make sure folks get
[00:06:56.250]their tickets in advance.
[00:06:57.410]Give me some websites for people for that, if they want to get involved in this and make
[00:07:02.230]sure they hit that deadline on the 14th.
[00:07:03.930]Absolutely. So you can find out about the Husker Huddle at huskeralum.org slash huddle
[00:07:09.390]dash USC.
[00:07:11.210]Fantastic. Going to be a great, I know there's gonna be a huge Husker crowd out there. They
[00:07:15.050]always, Husker fans, Chancellor, I think you've picked up on this in your short time here.
[00:07:18.490]They go everywhere. They love to support their teams.
[00:07:21.370]Love it. I see Husker fans in the airports all across the country and restaurants. I mean,
[00:07:27.350]in some of the most obscure places where I have on my Husker apparel and somebody will say,
[00:07:33.370]go Big Red. I'm thinking, what are you doing here? I didn't know that Husker people were here. And
[00:07:39.370]like, we are everywhere. And I was like, yes, we are everywhere. And I love it.
[00:07:42.790]It makes you feel good about the position you have.
[00:07:45.470]Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. So Greg, I want to come back. I know we're probably short
[00:07:50.590]on time, but I want to come back. I want to come back and talk to you a little bit about
[00:07:51.350]a couple of things related to excellence, prominence, and impact. And when I think about
[00:07:58.590]that as from the chair of the chancellor, I want to make sure that I say a word or two about
[00:08:03.850]research because a lot of our bread and butter in terms of excellence, prominence, and impact
[00:08:09.730]relates to where we are with our research portfolio. And that continues to grow and
[00:08:15.830]evolve as it should for a state's land grant and flagship institution.
[00:08:21.330]I also want to say a word about extension. Part of our land grant mission calls upon us to make
[00:08:28.450]sure that we are elevating the citizenry of the state of Nebraska by the things that go on here.
[00:08:34.850]And we are very fortunate to have 83 extension locations across the state of Nebraska.
[00:08:41.870]And we know that Nebraska has 93 counties. So we have an overwhelming presence across
[00:08:47.990]the state of Nebraska through our work.
[00:08:51.310]With extension and then private giving, the university system is deep into a $3 billion
[00:08:59.370]campaign. And the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is responsible for $1.5 billion.
[00:09:07.950]And to date, we have raised just shy of $1.2 billion.
[00:09:13.890]And we have until the year of 2027 to complete the campaign. So when you think about our
[00:09:21.290]excellence, when you think about prominence, when you think about impact, there are so many measures
[00:09:27.470]that point to us moving in the right direction and having the momentum to do what the University
[00:09:34.950]of Nebraska should be doing. And I'm very proud to be a part of that. I also believe that the
[00:09:41.330]role of alumni and Husker fans is critical to our success. We need that our alumni and donors
[00:09:51.270]we need your support and we need your expertise if we are really going to excel and exceed our
[00:10:00.090]desire to be extraordinary. You know our system president Jeffrey Gold who was recently invested
[00:10:06.530]as our ninth president has challenged us to think about our work from the perspective of an odyssey
[00:10:13.410]to the extraordinary. And in order for us to reach that destination of extraordinary
[00:10:21.250]I really call upon all Huskers and all people who love the state of Nebraska to find a place
[00:10:28.150]where they can be engaged and have an impact in this very important work that's so critical to
[00:10:34.050]the future of the state and to the future of young people who are across the state. Fantastic. Always
[00:10:40.490]good to see you. Have a great week. Thank you buddy. Shelly always good to see you as well. Good to see
[00:10:44.230]you Greg. Go Big Red. There you go. Huskers and Rutgers Scarlet Knights getting ready to duel here
[00:10:48.910]at Memorial Stadium. Matt Cotney's back with the Big Ten Blitz.

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Chancellor's Pre-Game: Rutgers

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