University hiring change advances to final round

Senators gave second-round approval March 17 to a bill that would update the University of Nebraska’s search process for its chancellor and president positions.

LB1109, introduced by Sen. John Murante of Gretna, would require the university’s Board of Regents to provide public notice of a preliminarily selected candidate 30 days before the board votes on whether to hire the candidate. The board would be required to make public the candidate’s application materials and provide a forum in which the candidate would meet with and answer questions from the public.

Murante said the university’s current search process, in which four finalists are named, deters many sought-after candidates from applying because it publicizes their job search.

He said the proposed change to the hiring process would strike a balance between full transparency and the closed hiring process used by the majority of the university’s peer institutions. The 30-day vetting period would ensure public scrutiny of the priority candidate, Murante said.

Sen. John Stinner of Gering spoke in support of the bill, saying that many academic leaders will not consider applying for a position at the university due to the current process. He said keeping a candidate’s application confidential is essential to a successful search.

“It is the fiduciary duty of the regents to institute the best process so they can hire the best person for the job,” Stinner said.

Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha filed a motion to bracket the bill until April 20, the last day of session. He said the proposed change essentially would guarantee that the priority candidate would be hired for the position. When a candidate applies for a position at a publicly funded institution, he added, that person gives up a measure of privacy.

Sen. Tanya Cook of Omaha also opposed the bill, saying it would not give the public enough input in selecting the university’s leaders.

“I simply can’t support a bill that’s going to give me fewer opportunities to learn the backgrounds [and] the interests of the people who are going to be running the university,” she said.

After four hours of debate, Murante filed a motion to invoke cloture, or cease debate and vote on the bill. The motion prevailed 37-8.

Senators then voted 36-8 to advance the bill to final reading.