University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Rodney Bennett and U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer share a conversation in front of the future site of the National Center for Resilient and Regenerative Precision Agriculture after a groundbreaking ceremony Monday at Nebraska Innovation Campus.JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star

Chris Dunker – Jan 5, 2026 – Lincoln Journal Star

Last week, Chancellor Rodney Bennett became the first administrator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to face a formal rebuke from faculty through a no-confidence vote.

The UNL Faculty Senate approved the no-confidence resolution on a vote of 60-14. It’s the first time that’s happened at Nebraska’s land grant, research university.

The nonbinding, largely symbolic resolution does not mean Bennett is removed from his position. Rather, it signals a breakdown of trust and communication has happened between administration and the faculty.

But at the Nov. 18 meeting, Faculty Senate President John Shrader said Bennett’s time in Nebraska could be coming to an end. Administrators in the NU system declined to comment on Bennett’s future at UNL.

Here’s a look at Bennett’s tenure:

April 15, 2016: Nebraskans are introduced to Bennett, then the president of the University of Southern Mississippi, when he speaks at Hank Bounds’ investiture ceremony as the president of the University of Nebraska system.

Bounds hired Bennett to his post at Southern Miss in 2013. Bennett, who was the first African-American to lead an institution of higher education in Mississippi, served as leader there for a decade.

May 22, 2023: Bennett is named the sole finalist to become UNL’s 21st chancellor. NU President Ted Carter picks Bennett to replace the retiring Ronnie Green following a nationwide search. He will go on to attend dozens of meetings during the state-mandated 30-day vetting period.

June 22, 2023: The NU Board of Regents approves Bennett’s hiring. His base salary of $720,000 was 37% higher than that of his predecessor. Bennett is slated to start on July 1 with a contract that ends June 30, 2026.

On the same day, regents approved a plan to move oversight of Husker Athletics from the UNL chancellor’s office to the system president, which in turn gives the board more say in the department’s operations.

Aug. 1, 2023: Bennett sets out with Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources administrators and faculty on the “Roads Scholars Tour,” an annual trip across UNL’s statewide campus.

Aug. 22, 2023: Carter, the president of the NU system who hired Bennett, is announced as the next president of Ohio State University. He’ll leave Nebraska by the end of the year.

Aug. 30, 2023: Bennett calls off classes at UNL for Volleyball Day in Nebraska, which sees 92,003 fans pack into Memorial Stadium to watch the Husker Volleyball team.

Nov. 8, 2023: Bennett initiates his first round of budget cuts at the flagship university, eliminating 30 open positions and enacting other measures to save $12 million.

March 20, 2024: Regents name Dr. Jeff Gold, the chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, as the ninth president of the NU system. Gold officially begins his new duties on July 1.

May 6, 2024: Bennett helps UNL break ground on a new U.S. Department of Agriculture research center that had been in the works for more than a decade. Federal and state officials converge on Nebraska Innovation Campus to celebrate the National Center for Resilient and Regenerative Agriculture.

Aug. 20, 2024: Bennett announces UNL will close its Office of Diversity and Inclusion as part of a broader restructuring of executive positions on campus. The announcement, which is met by praise from Gov. Jim Pillen and concern from others, comes as offices of diversity, equity, and inclusion were coming under fire nationwide.

Dec. 12, 2024: The death of former Omaha Regent Howard Hawks forces Bennett to postpone his own investiture ceremony after the funeral is scheduled for the same day (Dec. 21). The investiture ceremony is never rescheduled.

Jan. 20, 2025: Bennett accompanies UNL choir students to Washington, D.C., where they perform during President Donald Trump’s inauguration festivities.

Sept. 12, 2025: Bennett proposes $27.5 million in budget cuts to close a structural budget deficit at UNL created through diminished revenue and increasing expenses. As part of the cuts, the chancellor proposes eliminating six academic programs.

Nov. 4, 2025: Following an expedited review of his planned cuts, the UNL Faculty Senate sets a meeting to consider a no-confidence resolution against Bennett. The resolution faults Bennett’s approach to the cuts as well as for missing several key meetings.

Nov. 10, 2025: Bennett finalizes his budget cut plan, forwarding four academic departments to the Board of Regents for elimination: Earth and Atmospheric Sciences; Statistics; Education Administration; and Textiles, Merchandising, and Fashion Design.

Nov. 18, 2025: The UNL Faculty Senate, on a 60-14 vote, passes a resolution of no-confidence in Bennett’s leadership. Shortly before that vote, faculty rejected a motion to table the resolution. It’s the first time faculty have passed a formal rebuke of leadership in UNL’s 156-year history.

Nov. 21, 2025: The NU Board of Regents authorizes Gold to set a date when UNL and UNMC have joint accreditation. The action will put both institutions under a single umbrella in the eyes of higher education, which administrators say will boost NU’s chances of gaining reentry to the Association of American Universities.

Dec. 5, 2025: Regents approve the budget-cutting plan put forward by Bennett that phases out several academic programs.

Jan. 5, 2026: Bennett announces he “will conclude my service” to UNL on Jan. 12, a little more than two and a half years after he began as chancellor.

UNL Chancellor Rodney Bennett through the years

University of Nebraska-Lincoln chancellor candidate Rodney Bennett answers questions from students and staff who are part of the College of Law on Thursday at the Office of the President.KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star

UNL Chancellor Rodney Bennett gives a commencement speech during UNL’s summer semester commencement ceremony in 2023 at Pinnacle Bank Arena.KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star file photo