Chancellor's October Forum Recap

Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., discussed ongoing leadership searches and the importance of caring for one another at his most recent campus forum.

The forum began with Dr. Gold discussing a Census Bureau press conference he participated in with Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts and other community leaders. The event focused on the 2020 Census, a nationwide count that impacts community planning, the distribution of federal resources and more.

Along with the fall season, we’re now entering flu season, Dr. Gold said, sharing that he recently got his shot. He encouraged vaccination ahead of what is predicted to be another difficult flu season. As a reminder, flu shots are now available at the Nebraska Medicine – UNO Health Center. 

This time in the academic calendar can bring increased anxiety to our students. Dr. Gold said he wanted to draw attention to campus resources and make sure everyone at UNO knows how to access the wellness resources and owns the responsibility of caring for each other and referral when appropriate.

“We’re reaching out to as many students as we possibly can to simply ask the question of ‘How are you doing? Is there anything we can do to help you? Do you need support of some type?’” Dr. Gold said. “We have incredibly broad and incredibly deep resources at UNO to help these students through difficult times of their academic lives. […] We all own this responsibility to care for each other. UNO is in many ways a family and one of the ways you define a family is you take care of each other.”

Among other updates:

• Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Sacha Kopp, Ph.D., recently marked 100 days at UNO. Dr. Gold said he has hit the ground running. “We are so very pleased that we have you on board.”

• The College of Business Administration’s dean search is down to four finalists. Forum dates were shared via email and the Maverick Daily.

• As a member of the Search Advisory Committee, Dr. Gold has been involved in the search for the next University President . He said there has been impressive, extensive and diverse interest in the position.

• Grant applications for external funding have significantly increased over last year, a topic discussed during a recent Maverick Minute with interim Associate Vice Chancellor Ken Bayles, Ph.D.

• Gold encouraged the audience to visit the Samuel Bak exhibit currently on display at the UNO Art Gallery, calling it a once-in-a-lifetime experience. “The paintings are not only beautiful, they are deeply moving.” 

• An online audience member asked about a difference in a winter clothing allowance between University of Nebraska campus facility teams. Dr. Gold and Vice Chancellor Ewald said the difference would be looked into and followed up on. 

• Another online question asked about the recent communication on the system-wide Voluntary Separation Incentive Program. Dr. Gold said it was the right time to once again offer this as an option for eligible faculty – noting that unlike similar efforts at other universities, this is being offered as a periodic service, not an effort to offset financial uncertainty.

• A family event on Tuesday honored the legacy of former UNO Chancellor Del Weber. Dr. Gold said the more he has researched Weber’s impact in preparing for remarks, the more impressed he has become in the scope of transformation Weber is responsible for.

• Next Tuesday, a dedication event will celebrate the donors who made the Biomechanics Research Building expansion possible. Dr. Gold recently recorded a Maverick Minute in the expansion and said he was very impressed by the new facilities.

• The HR team will be sharing open enrollment updated information in the near future. This will begin on October 28.

The next forum is set for Nov. 20, which will introduce a new format featuring a dean in conversation with Dr. Gold.