Fresh off his first year as leader of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Chancellor Rodney Bennett announced the college will be closing it’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion as a part of an administrative reorganization.
Bennett explained the restructuring in a recent Message From the Chancellor letter, saying his 2nd-year priorities of increasing student enrollment and research initiative must be achieved “within our budgetary means.”
“To achieve success, we will have to operate differently; come together across campuses, colleges, and our individual roles as administrators, faculty, staff, or students; make hard decisions; and move forward more quickly than we might like,” Bennett wrote. “After considerable reflection and a thorough review of both the national landscape and the specific needs of our institution, the Office of Diversity & Inclusion will be dissolved, and the position of Vice Chancellor for Diversity & Inclusion will be eliminated.”
Bennett said the work of this office will be “reimagined” and shift to a less-centralized approach.
“Let me be unequivocal – we will steadfastly uphold the principle that every person and every interaction matters, and we will continue to recruit and support faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and identities,” reiterated UNL’s first black chancellor.
The Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor, the Office of Business & Finance, and the Office of Student Life will divide and carry on the priorities of the Office of Diversity & Inclusion. The existing Diversity Advisory Board, comprised of external stakeholders, will serve as the Chancellor’s Advisory Board on Community and Belonging.
“These offices 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,” Bennett said.
The annual budget for UNL’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion ran $750,000 — nearly half ($320,000) going to the salary and benefits for the Office’s Vice Chancellor. Five staff members who worked in the office will also be let go.
Additional changes outlined by Bennett include a review of UNL’s hiring practices to make them less cumbersome, the Office of Research & Economic Development will be renamed the Office of Research & Innovation, the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs will now become the Vice Chancellor for Student Life and will report directly to the Chancellor’s office, and finally, additional faculty, staff, and student representatives will be added to the Chancellor’s Cabinet.
“Throughout our 155-year history, we have had to adapt,” Bennett wrote near the end of his letter.