By: Isaac Graff
After nearly four years of leading the University of Nebraska, on March 25 University President Hank Bounds announced his decision to step down as University President.
“While rewarding, this job has also been personally demanding. I have done everything I could to serve our students and the people of Nebraska effectively,” he said. “Now it’s time to recharge and reconnect with my family.”
Bounds also plans to return to his home state of Mississippi and transition from more than 20 years of administrative work to other educational and consulting work.
While the university is sad to see him go many have come out and thanked President Bounds for his time and dedication to the university including University of Nebraska at Omaha and Medical Center Chancellor Jeffrey Gold.
“We are also very grateful to him for his time with us here in Nebraska, stewarding the University of Nebraska through the recent challenging times and continuing to build upon the strengths of our enduring legacy. His impact upon the UNO campus over the past years has been very significant and will be enduring for decades to come.
On a more personal note, working directly with President Bounds has been an incredible honor. His knowledge and experience have benefitted us all. His friendship and camaraderie and that of his wonderful family have been a true treasure. My family and I extend our most heartfelt gratitude and very best wishes as they together continue upon life’s journey. They are very special people!”
Dr. Chris Kelly, President of the Faculty Senate, and Leo Missinne, professor of gerontology, at the University of Nebraska at Omaha also added,
“President Bounds has brought a voice of fairness and integrity to the NU system during a time of fiscal uncertainty and political division. He has demonstrated that, in spite of its occasional criticism, the University remains a powerful force for good in this State, which has most recently been demonstrated by NU’s leadership role in flood recovery efforts in Nebraska. President Bounds has also been a good friend to UNO, helping to continue the remarkable growth in our facilities, our academic programs, and most importantly, in our students. We will miss President Bounds and wish him and his family health and happiness in the next chapter of their lives.”
Becoming the University of Nebraska’s seventh president on April 13, 2015 President Bounds has accomplished a lot in his short tenure including the following according to this University of Nebraska at Omaha’s statement:
- Continued growth in enrollment, including a record high in 2017 of nearly 53,000. Campuses have also set records in diversity as the university works to make the promise of higher education available to more students and address Nebraska’s workforce crisis.
- Record-high graduation rates. Bounds completed implementation of an academic transfer curriculum that makes 24 general education requirements transferrable among all NU campuses, state colleges and community colleges, expanding the pathway to graduation for Nebraska students. Additionally, Bounds in 2016 launched the “Commit to Complete” initiative to help students graduate on time so they can enter the workforce sooner and with as little debt as possible.
- A commitment to affordable access highlighted by average annual tuition increases of 3.2 percent. During Bounds’ tenure, average student debt on all undergraduate campuses decreased. Unduplicated headcount enrollment in University of Nebraska Online courses also has grown by 29 percent over the last four-year period, making an NU education available to more students.
- Research records that are expanding the university’s reach and impact in Nebraska and around the world in areas like agriculture, national defense, cancer and infectious disease. Research expenditures reached an all-time high of $489 million in 2017-18.
- Last summer the university, together with USSTRATCOM, announced a $92 million contract renewal with the U.S. Air Force to continue NU’s anti-terrorism work through the system-wide National Strategic Research Institute. Bounds in 2015 also announced a new “Collaboration Initiative” to bring together faculty from across campuses to build research expertise and capacity in priority areas like food for health and systems science.
- Continued focus on public-private partnership and workforce development. Bounds has called for state leaders to work together on a plan to address the 34,000 job openings in high-skill, high-demand, high-wage fields that Nebraska will have in the years ahead. He testified in support of legislation this year that would provide scholarships to students in those areas.
- Greater efficiency and collaboration among the NU campuses, including efficiencies yielded from the Budget Response Team process Bounds launched in 2017 to manage state funding reductions. Through the BRT effort, the university found $22 million in administrative reductions; unified and streamlined operational areas like human resources, purchasing, energy and facilities across the system; and protected to the greatest extent possible affordability and academic quality.
- The 2016 passage of major deferred maintenance legislation that continued the state’s partnership with the university in renewing and replacing NU facilities. Thanks to the state’s investment, the university has begun critical renovation and capital projects across the campuses that will enhance teaching, learning and research space for students and faculty. Projects include upgrades to UNL College of Engineering facilities, renovation of the Strauss Performing Arts Center at UNO, renovation of UNMC’s Wittson Hall and a new STEM building at UNK.
- The completion of key leadership searches across the university, including the appointment of UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green, the addition of UNO leadership to Chancellor Jeffrey Gold’s duties, and the appointments of NU’s general counsel, chief financial officer and chief information officer.
- The launch and completion of the “Our Students, Our Future” fundraising effort with the University of Nebraska Foundation, which raised more than $200 million for scholarships and other student-focused initiatives.
While President Bounds is not leaving the university until late this summer the University Board of Regents will soon move to establish an interim and subsequently permanent President of the University.
