NU Board Of Regents To Meet May 25

The University of Nebraska Board of Regents will meet Wednesday, May 25, 2016, at Varner Hall, 3835 Holdrege St. in Lincoln. Committee meetings will begin at 9:30 a.m. and the Board meeting will begin at 1:30 p.m. All meetings are open to the public. Meetings also will be audio-streamed live at www.nebraska.edu.

The morning agenda includes remarks from NU President Hank Bounds, who was recently installed as the university’s seventh president. During his installation address, Bounds outlined four “cornerstones” for excellence for the university: That NU will be the best place in the nation to be a student; that NU will transform lives through research and innovation; that NU will work with its partners to achieved shared goals; and that NU will win with people. Bounds will brief the Board on those priorities and report on his recent travels through Western Nebraska, where he discussed his goals with a range of NU stakeholders.

Throughout the morning the Board will hear presentations on a number of topics aligned with Bounds’ cornerstones. These include Commit to Complete, a recently launched initiative to improve timely graduation so students can minimize their debt and enter the workforce sooner, and an update on the Buffett Early Childhood Institute, which is positioning Nebraska as a leader in the care and education of young children, among other topics. The Board also will consider the university’s operating budget for 2016-17, including investments in each of Bounds’ cornerstones.

Following are highlights of the May Board meeting. A complete agenda is available here.

9:30 a.m. UNMC Student Regent Update
Presenter: Andrew Shaw, past University of Nebraska Medical Center student regent

9:35 a.m.: Rising to New Heights
Presenter: NU President Hank Bounds

10 a.m.: Academic Affairs Committee

Topic: Commit to Complete
Presenter: Jackie Ostrowicki, NU assistant vice president and director of marketing and strategic communications

Topic: University of Nebraska at Kearney Open Access Textbook
Presenters: Jane Petersen, director of academic support services, and Kim Carlson, professor of biology

Topic: University of Nebraska Consortium of Libraries
Presenters: Nancy Busch, University of Nebraska-Lincoln dean of libraries; Emily McElroy, UNMC library director; David Richards, University of Nebraska at Omaha library dean; and Janet Wilke, UNK library dean

Topic: Buffett Early Childhood Institute
Presenter: Sam Meisels, BECI founding executive director

12:30 p.m.: Business Affairs Committee

Topic: Breslow Ice Center Update
Presenter: Regent Tim Clare

Topic: Budget Update
Presenter: President Hank Bounds

1:30 p.m.: Board of Regents meeting

Items for the Board’s consideration include: