Two members of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents have proposed making system President Ted Carter responsible for providing policy direction and oversight to Husker Athletics.
Lincoln Regent Tim Clare and Regent Rob Schafer of Beatrice have recommended the change, which would put regents closer to the decision-making process of the athletics office. Trev Alberts is the current NU athletic director and has praised Carter's leadership.
The proposed bylaw revision will go before regents at a 9 a.m. special meeting in Varner Hall on May 31 as an informational item. It will then be put to a vote of the board on June 22.
In a joint statement, Clare and Schafer said Husker Athletics is "the single most iconic brand in the state of Nebraska."
"It makes sense for the president of the university system, with a direct line to the Board of Regents, to have oversight of the program that serves as the front door to the university for so many Nebraskans," they said.
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The Board of Regents is responsible for hiring the system president. The president, in turn, selects campus chancellors whose hires are later approved by the board.
Currently, the campus chancellors are responsible for choosing leaders for various campus offices, including the athletic director.
Intercollegiate athletics programs, particularly those in the so-called Power 5 conferences, are large and complex entities "with enormous financial, legal and reputational implications for their entire institutions," the regents added.
"We're in the midst of the most intense period of change in our lifetimes for college athletics. Nebraska needs to stay on the leading edge of this new normal."
Carter will also take over UNL's spot on the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors, which has oversight of the conference's policies, budget and operations, as well as hiring of the commissioner.
Carter has already been engaged with Husker Athletics, and last fall was kept apprised of the search for a new football coach that led to Matt Rhule's hiring.
In turn, Carter said he kept regents in the loop on developments as part of a "no surprises" approach to his relationship with the board.
In a phone interview, Clare said the proposed change is not in response to the way the department has been managed but is a way to capitalize on Carter’s strengths, which he said should excite Husker fans.
“Right now, we have a president that’s got tremendous respect nationally,” Clare said. “I think it’s going to help the NCAA because he will be able to provide that leadership.”
Clare said ongoing realignment of conferences, the transfer portal, and NIL deals have all changed intercollegiate athletics broadly, while at UNL, the opening of the Go BIG project and the renovation of Memorial Stadium will chew up a lot of an administrator’s time moving forward.
He said moving those responsibilities to the president’s office will free up bandwidth for UNL’s next chancellor to focus on the budget challenges, boost enrollment, expand research, connect with alumni across the state and country, and work with state and federal officials.
Chancellor Ronnie Green will retire at the end of June. On Monday, Carter announced former University of Southern Mississippi President Rodney Bennett as his priority candidate to become chancellor at UNL.
Clare said Bennett has been briefed on the proposed change, and if he's hired following a 30-day waiting period, would still be involved with decisions made at Husker Athletics.
“But Ted’s going to be the guy in charge,” Clare said.
The change to regents' bylaws would not affect the athletic departments at the University of Nebraska at Omaha or the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
If approved by regents in June, the bylaw change would take effect on July 1.
The May 31 meeting will also include a public review of the NU system’s fiscal picture, its short- and long-term revenue projections, spending projections, the steps taken by the university to cut expenses, and demographic trends, enrollment management and budget planning.
“We want to be transparent with everybody about what is happening in higher education, not just at the University of Nebraska,” Clare said.
