It’s an honor of a lifetime to serve you as the Staff Senate President. This summer, I’ve been meeting with our passionate, creative, and hard-working staff members across the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s 500-mile campus. One theme has emerged from these conversations. Staff are integral to the university’s success in serving students, supporting faculty research, and improving the welfare of Nebraskans across the state.
As the new Staff Senate President, my priority is to work with our 57 dedicated Staff Senators and campus leadership to act and advocate on your behalf. My specific focus will be to enhance your workplace experience, improve staff retention, and make UNL an employer of choice.
The University of Nebraska is an iconic and well-respected brand. We take immense pride in working for UNL and wearing the scarlet N every day—not just on game day. My goal is to elevate this pride. My goal is to make UNL a welcoming and inclusive workplace where staff members can share their talents with the campus community, grow their careers, and feel seen, heard, and respected. I want UNL to have a positive reputation among current staff and potential job seekers. I want UNL to be a place that job seekers and passive candidates want to work for. This effort requires us to dare greatly, and I know we can accomplish this effort together.
This won’t be easy, nor will it be quickly accomplished. In her book, Dare to Lead, Brené Brown says, “If you’re going to dare greatly, you’re going to get your butt kicked at some point.”
Over the next 12 months, the Staff Senate leadership team and all 57 Staff Senators will join me in daring greatly. They will exemplify courage—because courageous leadership means showing up when you can’t control the outcome, understanding we will make mistakes along the way, having to pivot quickly as things change, and acknowledging our mistakes as we aim to improve workplace wellness and staff retention.
UNL is a special place because of the people and the mission of our work. Your work—directly and indirectly—allows the university to teach students, assist faculty in their groundbreaking research to help society, and provide community service through extension and educational outreach. This place is special. There’s no place like our place. Indeed, there’s no place like Nebraska.
Let’s do this—together!
Jordan Gonzales
Staff Senate President
More details at: https://staffsenate.unl.edu