Public higher education has never been more valuable than it is now for lifting people out of poverty and increasing social mobility, Dr. Jeffrey Gold said, but trust in public institutions needs to be rebuilt through clear communication and data.
Gold, who was formerly chancellor of both the University of Nebraska’s Medical Center and Omaha campus, was installed as the system-wide president of the University of Nebraska in September.
His remarks came during the State of Our Union event organized by The Atlantic magazine in partnership with the Flatwater Free Press. The event, hosted in Lincoln Wednesday, featured a series of discussions with local leaders, policy makers and journalists on topics of regional and national importance.
Gold said the Nebraska communities he visits repeatedly stress to him the importance of building the workforce. Higher education poses an incredible growth opportunity, he said.
“In order to create critical thinkers, they have to be exposed to a variety of different opportunities and different views and different types of people and different types of settings,” Gold said.
When asked about the importance of potentially rejoining the Association of American Universities, Gold said it would be an honor for his administration, but increasing academic excellence is the “North Star” for the future value of higher education.
“I have met with the leadership of the AAU, and I’ve been told and reassured that it is certainly possible to be reconsidered for membership, and so our job is just to be worthy of that consideration,” Gold said.
Gold began his presidency at a time that university leaders were considering unifying the system’s three undergraduate campuses, ag-tech college, and the Medical Center.
The NU system’s campuses have different missions and strengths, Gold said, but the current AAU institutions have well integrated systems, especially between flagship campuses and medical schools.
Combined research reporting between UNL and UNMC as a single institution started in February, Gold said, and dramatically improves the NU system’s ratings.
When asked about UNL’s decision to close its diversity, equity and inclusion office this past year, Gold said that every year the university is expected to do more with less.
“It really comes down, at least, in my opinion, is, how do you affect what you’re trying to accomplish in the most efficient and effective way?” Gold said. “Does that occur in an office with a name on the door? Does that occur as the business of every person on the campus, meaning every enrollment officer, every student affairs program that needs to be focused on creating opportunities for students?”
