Perlman: Diversity will remain a priority

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BY MELISSA LEE / Lincoln Journal Star

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln won’t waver in its commitment to diversity — regardless of whether voters approve a proposed constitutional ban on most forms of affirmative action in November, Chancellor Harvey Perlman said Thursday.

Even if the Nebraska Civil Rights Initiative becomes law, banning racial and gender preferences in hiring and admissions decisions, UNL will continue to pour resources into achieving a diverse faculty and student body, Perlman said during his annual State of the University address.

“Let me be clear: While we will fully comply with the law, we would continue to evaluate units and administrators on their ability to achieve diversity,” Perlman said. “We would continue to devote resources to compensate for the disadvantages placed upon us by this initiative.”

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2008 State of the University Address

Hear UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman deliver the 2008 State of the University Address from the Lied Center for Performing Arts on Sept. 4....

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If race- and gender-based affirmative action is banned, Perlman said, UNL will respond by redoubling its efforts, ensuring its applicant pools reflect diversity and stepping up recruitment in more racially diverse cities outside Nebraska.

A new Multicultural Center on campus — groundbreaking is scheduled for later this month — also will serve as a visible reminder of UNL’s commitments, Perlman said.

“As our core value suggests, we strive to achieve within our community diversity of people as well as perspective,” he said. “We can, and should, be equally adamant that our community reflects varied races, varied faiths and varied points of view.”

Unless legal challenges by opponents are successful, the Nebraska Civil Rights Initiative will appear on the Nov. 4 ballot, thanks to a successful petition drive by initiative supporters.

Backers believe the time for racial and gender preferences is over, pointing to the presidential candidacy of Sen. Barack Obama as evidence institutional racism is fading.

They note that even if the ban passes, UNL still would be free to conduct affirmative-action based on factors like income or geography, just not race or gender.

Perlman and other university administrators say the ban would endanger valuable programs targeted toward women and minorities, including scholarships.

In his State of the University address, Perlman also:

n Proposed new strategies to help ensure success is spread equally across the university. In recent years, some departments have far exceeded expectations, he said, while others — he wouldn’t name them — “have not lived up to their potential.”

Working internally and with peer institutions, UNL should set specific goals for each academic unit related to enrollment and research, Perlman said.

He said it’s too early to talk about whether departments would face consequences for not meeting their goals.

n Reiterated his support for Innovation Campus, a proposed UNL research and development campus at State Fair Park, but cautioned the campus needs time to take off.

“I fear that the expectations of our friends and the patience of our critics may share a timeline more ambitious than we can achieve,” he said.

University leaders have said the campus will need 10 to 20 or more years to fully develop.

But more research space is critical, Perlman said, noting UNL’s rapidly growing research programs and that new facilities like the Ken Morrison Life Sciences Research Center on East Campus fill up almost immediately.

“I remain confident that if we prepare well, Innovation Campus will be one of the most significant achievements in the history of the university,” he said.

n Acknowledged there have been some rough spots in the past year at UNL.

Among them: the firing of former Athletic Director Steve Pederson and hiring of Tom Osborne; the firing of football coach Bill Callahan and hiring of Bo Pelini; the abrupt departure of ex-Alumni Association executive director Ed Paquette, a subsequent audit that found questionable business transactions and the hire of new executive director Diane Mendenhall; and a contentious debate over UNL’s acquisition of State Fair Park and the fair’s pending move to Grand Island.

Perlman cited a former student’s evaluation of his teaching: “If a doctor told me I had only an hour to live I would want to spend it in your class.”

The reason, the student said: An hour in Perlman’s class felt like an eternity.

“Frankly, that is how I think of last year,” Perlman said to audience laughter. “It seemed more like a decade.”

Now the UNL community should set its sights on the future, he said.

“Each one of you should have enormous pride, as I do, in what together we have accomplished,” he said. “And each of us should be energized and engaged to pursue the opportunities that lie ahead.”

Reach Melissa Lee at 473-2682 or mlee@journalstar.com.