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The University of Nebraska-Lincoln recently distributed termination notices to more than 50 faculty and staff across four academic departments as administrators implement a $27.5 million budget cut by eliminating four programs.
It’s the latest development on a campus rocked by turmoil over the last several months after its chancellor, Rodney Bennett, resigned in early January with a $1.1 million dollar severance and benefits package and no clear explanation for his early departure.
Bennett’s decision came after a no-confidence vote from the UNL faculty senate, whose members have said they felt the cuts by Bennett were especially bitter given his big payout.
“Critics also questioned the fiscal necessity of the program eliminations. An auditor hired by the [faculty union] voiced doubt the university was undergoing a budget crisis, finding historical budget surpluses and other markers of financial health,” Higher Ed Dive reported.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s public affairs department did not respond to requests for comment on the controversy by The College Fix. Additionally, the Nebraska Union Board did not respond after multiple requests. The board represents students, faculty, and staff.
NU system President Jeffrey Gold told Inside Higher Ed that the money used to payout Bennett did not come from the general fund but rather “privately raised dollars.”
The four divisions that were cut are Earth and atmospheric sciences, statistics, educational administration and textiles, merchandising and fashion design.
In November, the faculty senate approved a vote of no confidence in Bennett. The faculty cited multiple issues, including “deep concerns about leadership, transparency and shared governance.” The vote passed 60-14, reported the Nebraska Examiner.
Last fall, Bennett’s administration received backlash after proposing to cut six academic programs from the university “through a process that professors felt was rushed, lacked significant faculty involvement, and used questionable metrics,” reported The Chronicle of Higher Education.
“Ending the six programs would have saved about $7.7 million and eliminated the positions of more than six dozen faculty members, most of whom were tenured or on the tenure-track,” Forbes reported.
Due to the significant backlash, Bennett moved from cutting six programs to proposing cutting four programs, which was ultimately approved by the board.
UNL’s American Association of University Professors chapter released a statement condemning the entire situation.
The “university cannot credibly claim that it lacks the resources to sustain academic programs and faculty positions while simultaneously paying over a million dollars to a failed chancellor,” the president of the UNL AAUP, Sarah Zuckerman, said in a statement sent to numerous media outlets.
The “payout exposes the administration’s financial crisis narrative as a matter of priorities, not necessity,” she added.
The UNL AAUP has called for a halt to faculty and staff terminations, reconsideration of the elimination of academic programs, and full transparency regarding university finances.
“Under Bennett’s contract, if he had resigned to seek or accept an administrative post at another academic institution or higher education campus before June 30, 2025, he would have been required to pay … the University of Nebraska $1 million,” the Nebraska Examiner reported. “That provision expired June 30, 2025.”
Bennett resigned almost six months short of his three-year contract.
In his resignation note, Bennett wrote: ”I believe in the transformative power of higher education, and I look forward to exploring opportunities on the horizon that will enable me to elevate mission and purpose in support of student success.”
According to the Nebraska Examiner, U.S. Rep. Mike Flood of Nebraska said that “Bennett’s stewardship ‘helped keep the university competitive so… the University of Nebraska can continue to develop the next generation of Nebraskans to take great opportunities across our state.’ ”
The College Fix reached out to Flood’s office for comment but received no response.
Bennett was the first black chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the interim chancellor, Kathy Ankerson, will be the first female chancellor at the school. She previously was the chief academic officer for the school.
The College Fix reached out to Platte Institute, a free market think tank, for its thoughts on the situation, but a representative said it was out of their focus area.
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