01.
How accountable are the administrators of the University of Nebraska system?
02.
How often do you hear regents providing critical review of administration performance?
03.
Who judges the level of performance of university administrators?
The answers to these questions are what I broadly call the "Accountability" of the university. It's the Board of Regents' job to judge the effectiveness of university administration. But are any of the regents truly in a position to do that? Do they understand the inner workings of a university well enough to provide a critical evaluation of administration performance?
A careful review of Board of Regents meetings will reveal that the board's feedback to university administration is universally positive. Administrators are always praised for their hard work and awesome results. But is all of this praise warranted? Does university administration ever make mistakes? Would the board members have enough understanding of university's function to know if they did?
Jim Rogers has the insider knowledge to know that university administration is not above criticism. He also understands that constructive criticism is crucial if administration is to perform at the highest level.
Ensuring accountability of university administration is the #1 job of any member of the Board of Regents. Elect Jim Rogers to make sure that university administration will always be held to account by someone who knows when and where they are underperforming!
Check in to this page often to see updates on Jim's understanding of university accountability, the problems with the current university accountability, and how Jim will work to make sure the university administration is always accountable to the hard-working residents of the 4th district.
ACCOUNTABILITY
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Analysis of the five dysfunctions of a university governing board1/3/24: Here’s the second installment of my analysis of the five dysfunctions of a university governing board! “University governing boards shouldn't expect administration to come up with magical solutions to big problems, but sometimes a little magic is necessary." [Agility] The Second of Five Dysfunctions of a Board of Regents: The Bright Shiny Object Syndrome (substack.com)
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Enrollment/retention as the de facto mission of the University of Nebraska9/25/23: Remember my Substack on enrollment/retention as the de facto mission of the University of Nebraska? Aims: How is the University of Nebraska Attempting to Implement Their De Facto Mission of "Retention?" (substack.com) Well, here is some confirmation of that fact for most all universities: What does it take to buck downward enrollment trends? (insidehighered.com) Note that the article states that the key is to focus on the mission: “Frankly, it’s not COVID or falling birth rates that are to blame [for lower enrollments] at most places. It’s mission drift” Further, they say the key for private universities is to narrow their mission and specialize: “It’s better, if you find yourself in a decline, to narrow your focus rather than the usual strategic plans with 20 objectives." But for large public universities, it's always back to the taxpayer funding trough: "For public institutions ... the key factor is almost always public funding. ... The Legislature is their biggest donor, so you need to make the right pitch to them.” The NU system is facing the same enrollment crisis as everyone else. I've been relating my experience in this area, and I will continue to share how I can help break through the administrative groupthink of always asking for more money. If elected to the Board of Regents, I will make sure the mission has the right scope to be cost efficient (AIMS), that NU administration is nimble enough to make those changes (AGILITY), and I will continuously follow up on their actions (ACCOUNTABILITY). NU administration needs a shakeup, and it's the Board of Regents job to make that happen. However, I believe the Board of Regents needs a shakeup itself as it currently doesn't show any capacity for this sort of critical review of administration. Elect me to the Board of Regents and I promise that will change! http://rogersforregent.com https://rogersforregent.substack.com