Shari Veil looked forward to moving to Lincoln and becoming the dean of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications after she was hired in December 2019. The move was scheduled for the summer of 2020, and her new role would begin July 1. She planned to finish out the spring 2020 term as the associate dean of the College of Communication and Information at the University of Kentucky and then transition during the summer. In the meantime, Amy Struthers would continue as interim dean of the college. And then the pandemic hit.
In early 2020, colleges and universities across the country began moving classes online and sending students home. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln followed suit in March. The impacts of the pandemic were deep and widespread at the university. Faculty were under pressure to revamp their classes so students could finish out the semester. Students were packing and moving between going to their jobs, doing their assignments and saying goodbye to their friends. The university was facing untold financial ramifications and looming budget cuts. And no one knew how long it would last.
In her role as interim dean, Struthers’ initial focus was on keeping everyone calm and supporting the faculty, staff and students as they made the transition to remote working and learning. She organized weekly discussions to keep folks connected and a series of workshops to help faculty transition. But when budget cuts appeared on the horizon, Struthers knew she needed the support and involvement of the new dean to keep the college moving forward. She reached out to Veil in April, and they both agreed that working together was the best thing they could do for the college.
Struthers and Veil began meeting weekly to discuss the university’s many decisions related to the pandemic and the evolving budget cuts. These meetings gave Veil a chance to begin to understand the college and the tough choices it was facing. Veil and Struthers attended and led the weekly college-wide meetings together. They shared the insights each gained during their conversations with other deans and the university’s leadership and they reassured faculty, staff and students that the college was in good hands, despite the enormous pressures and disruptions occurring because of the pandemic.
On July 1, Veil took over as dean of the college and dug right in. Veil’s immediate concerns were finalizing college budget cuts and preparing students to return to a very altered fall semester.
“Making sound decisions and moving quickly were key to the college’s ability to weather the transition,” Veil said. “The partnership that Interim Dean Struthers and I forged during the spring and summer was key to the college’s ability to respond and adapt to the pandemic.”
Veil organized a series of town hall meetings and launched a website for students and parents to help them understand what to expect in the fall.
Veil also implemented plans to cut the college’s budget to cover the shortfall created by the pandemic. “A new dean never wants their first task to be cutting the budget,” Veil said. “But with the support of the Interim Dean Struthers and the entire CoJMC community we were able to make those difficulty decisions while preserving our ability to plan for the future.”
Struthers and Veil began meeting weekly to discuss the university’s many decisions related to the pandemic and the evolving budget cuts. The meetings gave Veil a chance to begin to understand the college and the tough choices it was facing. Veil and Struthers led the weekly college-wide meetings together. They shared the insights each gained during their conversations with other deans and the university’s leadership, and they reassured faculty, staff and students that the college was in good hands, despite the enormous pressures and disruptions occurring because of the pandemic.
On July 1, Veil took over as dean of the college and dug right in. Her immediate concerns were finalizing college budget cuts and preparing students to return to a very altered fall semester.
“Making sound decisions and moving quickly were key to the college’s ability to weather the transition,” Veil said. “The partnership that Interim Dean Struthers and I forged during the spring and summer was key to the college’s ability to respond and adapt to the pandemic.”
Veil organized a series of town hall meetings and launched a website to help students and their parents understand what to expect in the fall.
Veil also implemented plans to cut the college’s budget to cover the shortfall created by the pandemic.
“A new dean never wants their first task to be cutting the budget,” Veil said. “But with the support of the Interim Dean Struthers and the entire CoJMC community, we were able to make those difficult decisions while prioritizing our people and programs and preserving our ability to plan for the future.”
