Button talks about transparency, collaboration at Faculty Senate

By John Bender

Transparency and collaboration between administrators and faculty dominated exchanges between Executive Vice Chancellor Mark Button and faculty at the April 28 Faculty Senate meeting.

Button raised the issue of transparency during his prepared remarks to the Senate, and the topic came up repeatedly during the following question-and-answer period. In total, Button spent 64 minutes standing at the lecture in the Great Plains Room of the East Campus Union speaking and answering questions.

Button initially mentioned transparency in connection with the university’s Bold Path Forward, the administration’s effort to develop a strategic plan that aligns with the NU system’s plan. He said the administration was trying to be transparent about the feedback it was receiving and invited faculty to collaborate in developing the plan by contributing ideas and criticism.

He also said the administration needed to “bring more consistent transparency to UNL’s annual budget, both prospective and actual.” It was in the context of budget matters that the term “transparency” most frequently arose.

John Shrader of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications asked Button how he planned to make the university’s budget more transparent for faculty.

Button admitted he, too, is puzzled by the budget situation. “I think—here I’m speaking to something that I also feel—which is that I don’t always feel like I have a clear insight into where we are in any particular moment in our academic year relative to what we said our budget would be and what we actually are experiencing at the moment.”

The university’s financial systems need to be updated, he said, so that everyone will have regular insight into UNL’s fiscal condition.

One aspect of the budget that everyone needs to understand, he said, is that most of the money for academics comes from state support and tuition. State tax money accounts for 60 percent and tuition for 40 percent. While some may be dismayed at what the university is spending on athletics and buildings at a time of major cuts to the academic program, Button said, those things are purchased with money from donors or athletic revenues and cannot be used for other purposes.

For much the same reason, Button criticized the audit of UNL finances conducted by Bonnie Fox Garrity, a professor of business at D’Youville University, for the local chapter of the American Association of University Professors. He said Garrity’s audit took an all-funds approach to UNL finances which did not reflect reality. Wrapping together all of the university’s spending from academic instruction through athletics and capital investments crosses lines in ways that don’t make sense for UNL, he said.

Button said much of the information about the university’s budget and spending is publicly available in the budget book on the NU system website. “So this information is available on the NU budget website, but oftentimes it’s hard to kind of dive through it all,” he admitted.

The basic budget problem is that the state is increasing its spending on the university by only 0.64 percent for the biennium, he said, while its expenses are increasing much more rapidly. “It is not nefarious political forces working against us,” Button said. “It is in fact fundamental fiscal realities we have to manage and we have to reverse.”

The fiscal realities include continuing state revenue shortfalls, and David Newton of the College of Architecture asked Button if more cuts were in UNL’s future.

“I can’t even contemplate the idea of more cuts,” Button responded. “For seven years in my time here, that is all I’ve been engaged in, and that’s not what brought me to Nebraska.” He said the savings from the latest round of program reductions haven’t been fully realized, and he hoped no more cuts would be demanded until they were.

The continuing budget problems reflect the way Nebraska is financing higher education, Button said. “We have to think about the political economy of higher education in the state of Nebraska,” he said. “Frankly, it’s not just the NU system. It’s how the state of Nebraska is intending to support all colleges and universities in a population of two million people with a particular approach to tax policy that I don’t think you need me to detail with you today. But I would say that in the mix of things, there are some things that are not adding up. And I think there is also just a reckoning for the public as a whole to try to figure out how we are going to continue to invest in higher education.”

The budget was not the only area where Button mentioned a need for transparency. The metrics and criteria created for this year’s program cuts, which he described as “deeply painful,” are being updated. He said the administration had been placed in a position of having to come up with program indicators for making decisions about where to cut with limited time to do so. Those indicators were widely criticized.

“I just want this group to understand that I heard all of the criticisms. I took all of that very much into account, and I have been reflecting on that,” Button said.

He said he has charged “our team” to look at how to revise those indicators to assure more transparency. Since January, all academic deans and department leaders have been asked to engage in refining the indicators, he said.

Button said he wanted new data visualizations that will add transparency and align with the university’s strategic priorities. He also said he wanted performance indicators that more accurately “reflect the range of contributions that exist on our campus, like creative activities and outputs, experiential learning, outreach and engagement, job placement.”

“There was a whole range of things we didn’t have sufficient data on to be able to include in the past analysis,” Button said. “And now with more time we can include more of those indicators.”

Another matter Button addressed with the Faculty Senate was the closure of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and, more recently, the Gender and Sexuality Center. Button said the university remained committed to welcoming students, staff and faculty of all backgrounds. Most of the services and functions provided by those offices either have been or will be provided by other means. Button added that he trusted Dee Dee Anderson, the vice chancellor for student life, and other administrators to carry out their promises to do so.

The April 28 meeting marked a transition in leadership for the Senate. Rich Leiter of the College of Law became the president of the Senate. Jaime Reimer of the Glenn Korff School of Music is the new president-elect. Ann Tschetter of the department of history was reelected secretary. New members of the Senate Executive Committee are Kelli Kopocis of the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction, Traci Robison of university libraries, Amy Timmerman of Extension Engagement Zone 2, and Mackenzie Savaiano of the special education and communication disorders department.

In other business, the Senate:

· Adopted a resolution calling on UNL’s executive leadership team to work with the Faculty Senate to strengthen shared governance. The resolution was introduced by L.J. McElravy of agricultural leadership, education and communication at the April 7 Senate meeting. It was revised by McElravy before the April 28 meeting and amended on a motion by Adam Houston of earth and atmospheric sciences before it was adopted.

· Adopted a resolution commending outgoing President John Shrader for his outspoken defense of the faculty and shared governance during a tumultuous 2025-26 term.

· Received reports from the Convocations Committee, Executive Committee and the Graduate Council.

The full texts of the resolutions on shared governance and commending John Shrader are below.

Resolution to Strengthen Shared Governance and Institutional Trust

WHEREAS, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln underwent a significant budget reduction process announced in March 2025; and

WHEREAS, the efficacy of shared governance relies on the meaningful integration of informed stakeholder feedback into executive decision-making; and

WHEREAS, meaningful engagement of the faculty in the shared governance process is a foundational requirement for the successful operation and academic integrity of the University;

WHEREAS, both the University of Nebraska System President Gold and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Interim Chancellor Ankerson have prioritized the restoration of trust between faculty and administrators as a critical goal;

WHEREAS, the faculty of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln has identified a critical need to strengthen the relationship between the faculty and the Executive Leadership Team; and

WHEREAS, recent administrative decisions and the 2025 budget reduction process have created significant challenges regarding shared governance and the transparency of institutional metrics; and

WHEREAS, the budget reduction processes and subsequent governance actions have led to a measurable decline in faculty morale and trust; and

WHEREAS, the University’s success in its mission of education, research, and extension depends upon a foundation of mutual respect and substantive consultation between administration and faculty;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Faculty Senate formally expresses concern regarding the current state of shared governance and administrative communication between the faculty and the Executive Leadership Team; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Faculty Senate formally requests that the Executive Leadership Team prioritize the restoration of faculty trust by developing a transparent framework for future financial, strategic, and shared governance decision-making; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Faculty Senate requests Interim Chancellor Katherine S. Ankerson and the Executive Leadership Team to continue meeting with the Faculty Senate Executive Committee to create a transparent framework detailing the specific steps both parties will take to reaffirm the principles of shared governance, improve substantive communication, and ensure a collaborative and trusting work environment for all members of the University community; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, That the Faculty Senate requests the Interim Chancellor, the Executive Leadership Team, and the Faculty Senate Executive Committee to collaborate on a joint report to be submitted to the Faculty Senate by October 2026; this report shall detail specific actionable steps to reaffirm the principles of shared governance, improve substantive communication, and ensure a collaborative and trusting work environment for all members of the University community. In this report, the Interim Chancellor and the Executive Leadership Team must explain how the metrics (academic indicators) used in 2025 as the basis for elimination of academic units will be applied in future unit evaluations. The report must also describe how the accuracy of these or similar metrics (academic indicators) will be validated and what role faculty will play in this evaluation.

A Motion of Gratitude and Commendation for
President John Shrader

WHEREAS, as the term of President John Shrader draws to a close at this meeting, the Faculty Senate finds it fitting to formalize a record of his exceptional service during a period of unprecedented institutional challenge; and

WHEREAS, the past year has been defined by a failure of leadership within the campus administration, creating an environment of instability and institutional drift; and

WHEREAS, President Shrader refused to adopt a posture of passive observation, instead choosing to confront administrative negligence with directness and integrity; and

WHEREAS, when local administrative channels proved unresponsive or incapable, President Shrader took the courageous step of bringing campus-level leadership failures directly to the attention of the System Administration; and

WHEREAS, when campus leadership chose to yield to external political extremism and turned a cold shoulder to our marginalized students, staff, and faculty in a calculated retreat, President Shrader stood firmly and resisted this policy, pushing back at the System level to defend our commitment to the idea that every person and interaction matters; and

WHEREAS, President Shrader continuously defended the independence of the Faculty Senate, resisting administrative interference in the workings of faculty governance as established by the Board of Regents; and

WHEREAS, during the institutional crisis surrounding the motion of no confidence in campus leadership, President Shrader demonstrated flexibility and statesmanship, always seeking resolutions that would restore sound leadership while protecting the reputation and dignity of the University and its faculty; and

WHEREAS, campus administration has repeatedly failed in its fundamental duty to publicly and forcefully defend the faculty against baseless partisan accusations of indoctrination and irrelevance, despite repeated calls to do so; and

WHEREAS, in the face of this administrative silence, President Shrader willingly stepped to the microphone, serving as an eloquent spokesman for the professoriate and forcefully countering these stereotyped attacks against the professionalism of the faculty and the importance of its mission;

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate expresses its deepest gratitude and highest commendation to John Shrader for his transformative leadership; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Senate recognizes President Shrader’s tenure not merely as a term of office, but as a vital defense of the University itself, and we offer this commendation as a formal record of our support for his methods, his message, and his “straight-talking” resolve.