Nebraska Public Media education reporter Jolie Peal joined Jackie Ourada on All Things Considered to discuss the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s upcoming ‘no confidence’ vote against Chancellor Rodney Bennett.
Jackie Ourada: University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty are set to vote on a “no confidence” resolution in a meeting scheduled Tuesday. Nebraska Public Media education reporter Jolie Peal is here to tell us what’s brought us to this point. Before we get into this conversation, we should note that some staff at Nebraska Public Media are UNL employees, including reporters in our newsroom, but we cover the university just like any other college. Jolie, let’s start with primary concerns from the faculty and what’s pushed them to consider a no-confidence vote.
Jolie Peal: This vote comes as UNL Chancellor Rodney Bennett finalized a budget cut proposal for the Board of Regents to vote on next month. The latest proposal eliminates four programs instead of the six that were initially on the chopping block: earth and atmospheric sciences, educational administration, statistics and textiles-merchandising-and-fashion-design. The faculty senate motion says Bennett has “eroded faculty trust, destabilized the university’s strategic direction and jeopardized the institutions standing within Nebraska and among its Big Ten peers.” It also states that Bennett has missed a significant number of meetings and lacked communication with faculty during the budget process. UNL Faculty President John Shrader says they want the entire campus community to have input on this motion, so senate members have been looking to their departments and colleges for feedback ahead of the vote…