Here, University of Nebraska President James B. (“J.B.”) Milliken, J.D., shares a message with all university employees. Milliken took office as president of the University of Nebraska on Aug. 1.
Dear Colleagues:
Now that you — and I — have had an opportunity to settle in and start the semester, I want to extend my greetings to you and express my thanks to the university community and other Nebraskans who have so warmly welcomed my family and me back to Nebraska. It is truly an honor to be asked to serve as President of the University of Nebraska, and I am excited and energized by the opportunities for this great university.
As you may have seen in the news, my family and I spent my first week on the job traveling to a number of communities in western and central Nebraska. We enjoyed the chance to make and renew friendships across the state, talk with Nebraskans about their university, and share with our three children some of Nebraska’s beauty. Of course we did not have time to go everywhere we would have liked during those first several days, but I hope that in a small way we helped send the message that the university values its relationship with all the citizens of the state.
Everywhere I have traveled I have been heartened by the deep support Nebraskans express for their university. They are proud of the university’s successes, and they clearly view it as one of the most important institutions in the state. They want their sons and daughters to benefit from a quality college education and they want the cost to remain reasonable. They are proud of the research conducted by our faculty, and they recognize its importance to the university and its benefit to agriculture, public health, economic development, and our quality of life.
I believe it is critical to the future of our state that Nebraskans continue to understand the depth and value of the connection between the state and its public university. I hope that as all of us have the opportunity to talk with Nebraskans — including students, parents, family members, community leaders, and policy makers — we will learn from their comments and questions and share with them the many contributions of our university. The University of Nebraska’s capacity to serve the citizens of the state depends, in no small measure, on our ability to effectively communicate the depth and value of the relationship between the state and the university.
The remarkable progress that the University of Nebraska has made in recent years would not have been possible without the dedicated work of our faculty and staff. Thank you for your commitment to excellence in teaching, research and outreach. I am delighted to be back in Nebraska. I look forward to the opportunity to meet as many of you as possible, learn more about the work you are doing, and serve this great university and state.
Sincerely,
James B. Milliken