Meeting the moment.
We are witnessing a unique inflection point of turbulent change and transition at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. You’ve likely felt this turbulence recently during your daily interactions on our 500-mile campus. And, while change is to be expected for a university as large as ours, it seems the rate of change and uncertainty has increased exponentially.
We’re creatures of habit. We prefer stability, certainty, and the known. However, growth and reinvention are synonymous with times of change and transition. Our university community faces many financial and political challenges. And, while it’s easy to be overwhelmed by everything that is happening around us, it’s important for us to focus on what is in our own sphere of influence and concentrate on what we can control.
Things will change. Transition will occur. Yet, our mission to ensure that every person and every interaction matters will remain steadfast.
The Staff Senate is uniquely equipped to meet this moment. Our seven standing committees are working collaboratively with university experts and leadership to address the nine overarching objectives identified in the Task Force on Workplace Culture and Engagement. The Task Force provides us with a strategic direction for the next two years. It’s broad, high-level vision outlining how we will work together to improve the workplace culture and engagement experience for all staff employed at UNL. This important work will not change.
Going forward, we will do our best to embrace the unknown, as the future is inherently uncertain. We must focus on what we can individually control in the present moment and respond to whatever comes with reason and resilience.
As with the coming of a new season, the weather of everyday activity may slip back and forth for a while, and you may be unsure whether the new season is really at hand. But in a little while the early signals turn into unmistakable signs, and everyone can recognize that a significant change is at hand.
Spring is coming, and we will leverage the energetic momentum associated with this season of change to continue making a positive impact on the staff experience at UNL. We will meet the moment. We will get through this—together.
Jordan Gonzales
Staff Senate President
More details at: https://staffsenate.unl.edu