September 6, 2024
This is an important message from the administration, and we encourage you to read it in its entirety.
Hello, Huskers!
On behalf of the campus community, we are so glad each of you is part of the Husker family. The start of the semester always brings such anticipation for the possibilities ahead. New courses, new instructors, new relationships and new involvement all create the perfect environment for you to take ownership in making the most of your experience. The decision to invest in yourself with an education from Nebraska will have a lasting and positive impact. We pledge to provide you with the opportunities to write your own story and the support to be successful.
For some of you or your friends, this is a challenging time as you navigate our university campus and the institutional change that comes with the constant pursuit of a stronger campus community and student experience. During this time, it is completely normal to sometimes feel anxious or overwhelmed as you begin to settle into your routine. As a reminder, many campus resources are available to you. You can also find more information about support on the Student Life website. (Get Help, Get Involved, Get Healthy).
Recently, the university announced a number of actions aimed at moving the institution forward. It is important for us to share with you how some of these changes impact you as a student.
First, the Office of Student Affairs has been renamed the Office of Student Life, and the Vice Chancellor now reports directly to the Chancellor. This change signals the importance of the out-of-classroom student experience and our commitment to providing robust, integrated services to students by way of engagement and well-being support.
Second, the Chancellor’s Cabinet has been restructured to include a student representative, the ASUN President. We could not be more pleased to have a student join the Cabinet as an elected representative of the student body. The elevated voice of students at the highest level of the institution can only make us better.
Third, the university is establishing a new model to ensure that UNL is a welcoming and inclusive place for all of us to live, work, and study. We are moving away from a centralized approach and, as we do so, the Vice Chancellors will have enhanced roles and responsibilities for coordinating this work. These leaders will closely coordinate with each other and with Colleges and support units to ensure that each member of our campus community knows that they are valued and supported. What is most important for you to know as a student is that the Vice Chancellor for Student Life will have a key role in this work.
We want to reassure you - you will not see a reduction of services, but instead will see an improvement of the resources and services we provide students based on the following changes that have been or will be made:
- The Office of Academic Success and Intercultural Services (OASIS) moved from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to the Office of Student Life and we enhanced support for first-year seminars through the Center for Academic Success and Transition (CAST).
- We filled the position of Director of the Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center/OASIS.
- A culturally-based programming steering committee has been established.
- We have enhanced resources and visibility for the Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) and National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) and hired a coordinator to serve as an advisor to these groups.
- We are developing a collective to identify barriers and support culturally-based Registered Student Organizations (RSOs).
- Leadership of the Institute for Inclusive Innovation (I-3) is transitioning to the Office of Student Life.
We have carefully listened to students, alumni, faculty, staff, and supporters of the University, whose feedback has been invaluable in guiding our efforts and we will continue to engage our stakeholders. For example, this week we engaged in constructive dialogue with executive members from the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska (ASUN) to hear their perspectives and gain insights from our student body. The Chancellor also met with the Chairs of the Chancellor’s Commissions on the Status of People of Color; the Status of Women; and the Status of Gender and Sexual Identity to discuss our shared goals and strategies for creating a welcoming campus where all feel they belong and can be successful. Going forward, a meeting is being scheduled with the newly elevated Chancellor’s Advisory Board on Community and Belonging, where we will explore innovative approaches to realize our shared goals.
We hope this information is helpful to you as you wrap up the second week of the semester. Remember, you are an important member of our campus. We come to the institution every day focused on how to make your experiences better. You matter, you belong, and you make up the very fabric of this great institution. We’ve got your back!
Go Big Red!
Rodney D. Bennett
Chancellor
Dee Dee Anderson
Vice Chancellor for Student Life