Faculty leaders at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) passed a historic “no confidence” resolution against Chancellor Rodney Bennett, with a 60–14 vote by the UNL Faculty Senate. The resolution—unprecedented in the university’s 157-year history—urged the University of Nebraska Board of Regents and system president Jeffrey Gold to review Bennett’s fitness to serve, and called for consideration of termination or negotiated departure. Faculty pointed to concerns about transparency, shared governance, resource allocation and a budget reduction plan that proposes to cut $27.5 million from UNL, including elimination of four academic programs.
In response to the vote, Regent Kathy Wilmot expressed full support for Bennett and his approach to managing UNL’s financial challenges. While she acknowledged that the proposed cuts would significantly impact faculty and careers, Wilmot said the university’s “financial viability” required budget discipline and warned against personalizing institutional conflict. Meanwhile, Regent Paul Kenney noted that while the faculty vote was their “100 % opinion” and part of campus dialogue, it did not change the board’s view of the budget shortfall—“we were short a lot of money to start with… that hasn’t changed.”
The situation places Bennett’s leadership at a crossroads: hired in July 2023 as UNL’s twenty-first chancellor, his contract runs through June 30 unless extended. The faculty vote and the regents’ mixed responses highlight deeper tensions over how UNL should address structural budget deficits, faculty involvement in decision-making, and the future direction of the institution. As the board prepares to consider program eliminations and other cuts in December, the fallout from this vote could shape both Bennett’s tenure and the governance culture at the university.