(bright music)
-: The original mission of land grant universities
was to provide broad based university education.
At no time is that more important than today.
To educate young people to participate
and grow in ever more sophisticated society and economy.
And if Nebraska is gonna stay competitive
it is an absolute must that our university system
continues to prosper and excel.
-: We are the flagship institution and that means to lead.
And the world and Nebraska are looking to us
for big ideas, solutions to important problems
and that's an exciting opportunity for us going forward.
-: This is where Nebraska gets its innovation,
it's talent, the energy it will need
to be competitive with other states
and other countries going forward.
-: Nebraska has an opportunity to be a leader
in the Big Ten, in the nation, and globally
because of, not only the amazing
research that's going on here,
but because we've really taken some opportunities
in the past few years to grow.
To grow our research endeavors, to grow our faculty.
-: Nebraska's uniquely positioned to lead
the nation in land a grant university system.
-: Nebraska is situated pretty much
in the bread basket of the United States.
And that aquifer we've got out there
is something that's gonna become more and more valuable.
-: We have diversity across the state
with agriculture and ecological zones.
And we have research and extension centers
throughout the state that are addressing
our people's needs and their questions.
-: Both the agriculture enterprise
and the arts and sciences enterprise
are sort of combined here in one institution.
That I think diversifies the intellectual experience
in a way that you don't get everywhere else.
-: If we're gonna continue to be leaders
in the 21st century we're gonna have to move to a new level.
And in my view that level is the nexus
of agriculture, food science,
health outcomes, and it has to be
underpinned by great intellectual property.
That is a key medium in the 21st century.
-: The thrust for economic development
has to be right in the center
of the University of Nebraska.
That's where our jobs are gonna come from.
That's where our education's going to come from.
And for this state to be investing
a significant amount of energy and money
into the University of Nebraska
is one of the most important items
I think we can talk about.
(bright music)
-: I think with Ronnie as our Chancellor
we have the opportunity of a lifetime
to bring this entire state together
to help us become the great institution
that Nebraskan's expect and that the world needs.
-: Ronnie believes in the mission
of the land grant university system.
-: He understands the importance
of land grant universities and how
they serve the whole state.
-: And he does have a passion for service,
and a passion for education.
-: He is an innovator and believes in innovation.
He is deeply committed to our students.
-: Well I have personally witnessed
Ronnie's passion, drive, and leadership.
-: Ronnie is capable of taking the leadership
and taking us into the new dimensions.
-: And the thing I really like about him
is he never claimed to be an expert in football,
so he never gave anybody great advice
in what plays to call.
-: If you think about the mission
of the land grant university system
the whole idea was that we were going
to have a system, an educational system
that would not only educate kids
but do cutting edge research and apply
that research in a meaningful way.
Ronnie gets that, he understands it,
he understands his mission is all about
educating kids and getting the research done
and making sure that we are at
the cutting edge here in Nebraska.
Ronnie is our future.
(bright music)