Former Southern Miss President Rodney Bennett accepts new post. See where he landed

Lici Beveridge, Hattiesburg American
·3 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Former University of Southern Mississippi President Rodney Bennett was named the 21st chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The university's board of regents made the announcement last week. Bennett's tenure officially will begin Saturday. Bennett succeeds retiring Chancellor Ronnie Green.

Bennett was named a priority candidate by NU System President Ted Carter after a series of public forums and meetings attended by more than 1,400 members of the university community, according to a news release.

“The same qualities I saw in Dr. Bennett have resonated with Nebraskans — that he is a proven leader with a bold vision to lead the University of Nebraska-Lincoln forward," Carter said in the release.

"He has a deep appreciation for the land-grant mission, he puts students first, and he will build the relationships necessary for us to succeed in this rapidly changing environment for higher education. I am thrilled to welcome Rodney, Temple and their daughters to the University of Nebraska family.”

“The chance to serve the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as chancellor is the opportunity I have been preparing for for over 30 years,” Bennett said in the news release. “I’m so thankful to President Ted Carter for selecting me for this role, and to the Board of Regents for their vote of confidence today."

Bennett said he is excited about the university's ability to set a new standard of excellence "among flagship and land-grant institutions across our country and beyond."

"UNL is truly unique in building vibrant, economically competitive communities across Nebraska while preparing students to be successful in an evolving world in which they will live and work," he said.

University of Southern Mississippi President Rodney Bennett spoke with the Hattiesburg American about his 10-year tenure with the university during an interview at the Hattiesburg, Miss., campus on Tuesday, July 12, 2022.
University of Southern Mississippi President Rodney Bennett spoke with the Hattiesburg American about his 10-year tenure with the university during an interview at the Hattiesburg, Miss., campus on Tuesday, July 12, 2022.

Bennett left Southern Miss in 2022, after 10 years of service. During his time in Hattiesburg, Bennett was able to get the university in better financial shape. He even turned down a $72,000 pay increase, instead turning the money into an endowed scholarship at the university.

"At the very core of my service here has been good stewardship of taxpayer dollars," he said in an earlier story. "We think about what would a taxpayer in Mississippi think about what we are doing and how we are spending their hard-earned top tax dollars. And we had good people (at USM) who shared that philosophy."

Bennett led the university through times of budget cuts, realignment of programs and other challenges that could have hindered students' education yet managed to maintain a high academic standard and quality of programming during his tenure.

In addition, enrollment at Southern Miss increased significantly and the university saw more students graduating during Bennett's tenure.

He also oversaw the university's work on improving its diversity, equity and inclusion for all groups, including its Title IX programs.

Bennett sought accreditation for every program that could be accredited and bolstered support for university research. Southern Miss is now one of the top research universities in the country.

Before landing at Southern Miss, Bennett held leadership roles at the University of Georgia, Winthrop University and his alma mater, Middle Tennessee State University.

As UNL chancellor, Bennett will lead the largest institution in the University of Nebraska System, with 24,000 students and 9,000 faculty and staff. A member of the Big Ten Conference, UNL includes the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Nebraska Extension, with a presence in every Nebraska county.

The UNL chancellor search was guided by a 17-member search committee chaired by Tiffany Heng-Moss, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, with assistance from the national firm AGB Search, university officials reported.

Do you have a story to share? Contact Lici Beveridge at lbeveridge@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/licibeveridge.

This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: USM's Rodney Bennett named chancellor at Nebraska-Lincoln