NU regents propose putting Nebraska Athletics under purview of system president
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.
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. The proposed bylaw revision will go before regents at a special meeting May 31 as an informational item. It would then be put to a board vote 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.
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 conference, 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 conference commissioner.
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 the regents in June, the bylaw change would take effect on July 1.
Last edited:
