Dear UNL Community:
I am writing to share that I will conclude my service as Chancellor on January 12. I am so proud of the work we have done together –
- To stabilize overall enrollment and increase the number of new freshmen who are selecting UNL as their institution of choice;
- To set new records for first-year student retention and six-year graduation rates;
- To enhance research, innovation, and creative scholarship, with unprecedented growth in sponsored research awards spanning engineering, agriculture and natural resources, the humanities, and many other areas;
- To advance statewide extension and natural resource development, including innovations in animal welfare, stewarding the land, and precision agriculture;
- To achieve record fundraising milestones in both dollars raised and donor engagement; and
- To develop a plan for financial sustainability.
Each of you plays a critical role in UNL’s collective success, and I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude –
- To our committed faculty, who provide high-quality academic instruction and elevate research and creative scholarship across all facets of teaching and research;
- To our dedicated staff, who work tirelessly to ensure the needs of our students are met and operations are running smoothly at all levels of the institution;
- To our extension-based colleagues across the state, who remain committed to elevating our land-grant mission;
- To our executive leadership team and cabinet, and to our system leadership, who are all strong advocates for our campus community; and
- To our alumni, donors, and friends of the institution, whose active engagement and support continues to advance our institution – past, present, and future.
Most importantly, I want to express my appreciation to our outstanding students, for all that you bring not only to the university, but also to the city of Lincoln and the state of Nebraska. Your energy, your enthusiasm, your optimism, and your determination to do your part to make our communities, our state, and our world better are an inspiration to us all, and it has been my highest honor and privilege to have served as your Chancellor. You are the reason we are all here, and I look forward to witnessing how you will embody our belief that every person and every interaction matters, as you change the world for the better.
I believe in the transformative power of higher education, and I look forward to exploring opportunities on the horizon that will enable me to elevate mission and purpose in support of student success.
Temple and I will treasure the relationships we have built during our time in Lincoln, and we wish each of you the very best.
Sincerely,
Rodney D. Bennett
Chancellor