October 19, 2023
To the Faculty, Staff and Students of the University of Nebraska:
I hope your semester is going well and that you enjoyed a restful fall break. As I reflect on your collective achievements over these past nine weeks, I am reminded again what a great honor it is to serve on the Board of a university that is doing so much to serve students and the state.
Today I am pleased to share, on behalf of the Board of Regents, an update on our search for the next president of the University of Nebraska System and to ask for your participation as we move forward. As many of you are aware, the Board is in the early stages of a national search to identify a successor to current President Ted Carter, who is stepping down on Dec. 31.
We have a tall task before us: Find the right leader who can capitalize on the momentum you have created and take the University of Nebraska to the next level of growth and impact. In my view, the presidency of the university is one of the most important leadership positions in the state. I believe we have a great opportunity to attract a candidate who recognizes our university’s unique role in transforming lives and can rally all Nebraskans around a shared vision for excellence.
To that end, the Board has taken the following steps in our search:
1. We are holding a special meeting today to appoint a presidential search advisory committee. The names of the university stakeholders the Board will consider appointing to the committee are available here. The committee will assist us in identifying potential candidates, gathering input from key constituent groups, and compiling desired qualifications and characteristics of our next president.
2. Earlier this month, we approved the selection of Academic Search, a professional search firm, to guide us. More than 90 percent of presidents or chancellors placed by Academic Search serve for five or more years, and we are pleased to be working with a firm with such a strong track record.
3. We have scheduled public listening sessions on each campus to gather input on the qualities we should seek in the next president. Your feedback is invaluable in this process, and we hope as many faculty, staff, students and Nebraskans as possible will attend. We will use the input gathered during these sessions to inform the development of the position profile that will serve as our official “job advertisement” in statewide and national markets.
Details on the listening sessions are as follows. Any member of the university community or member of the public may attend any session. The sessions are in-person only, with no Zoom options.
Tuesday, October 24
- UNMC Session #1: 8 to 9:30 a.m., Sorrell Center, Room 2010
- UNMC Session #2: 10 to 11:30 a.m., Sorrell Center, Room 2010
- UNO Session #1: 1 to 2:30 p.m., Milo Bail Student Center #226/228, Chancellor’s Room
- UNO Session #2: 3 to 4:30 p.m., Milo Bail Student Center #226/228, Chancellor’s Room
Wednesday, October 25
- UNK Session #1: 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., Ockinga Conference Room
- UNK Session #2: 1 to 2:30 p.m., Ockinga Conference Room
Thursday, October 26
- UNL Session #1: 9 to 10:30 a.m., Nebraska Union, Platte River Room South
- UNL Session #2: Noon to 1:30 p.m., Nebraska East Union, Arbor A (Cottonwood)
4. Finally, for those unable to attend a listening session or who prefer to share feedback electronically, we have created an online submission form at the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NUPresidentPreSearchSurvey. We invite you to submit your anonymous feedback through this brief survey at your convenience.
Our next steps will be to compile, with the help of our search committee and search firm, stakeholder input, develop the position profile and begin advertising the position. Our goal will be to cast as wide a net as possible and consider a range of potential candidates. Ultimately, following an extensive evaluation process, we will identify a priority candidate for president who will then undergo a 30-day public vetting period that will include campus visits and feedback opportunities for faculty, staff, students and Nebraskans.
We have no defined timeline in place, other than a broad goal to move efficiently without rushing this crucially important process. We will share more with you as new developments in the search occur.
I am excited about the work ahead, and look forward to your ideas and input as we go along. Thank you in advance for your engagement, and thank you for all you do for our 50,000 students, Nebraska and the world.
