Quotes
from colleagues
7sincerely doubt that
Graham left because the
‘heat was on.
■ Nancy O’Brien
NU regent chairwoman
“Graham Spanier is a fine
colleague. He was always
a gentleman when the
(engineering) debate was
going on. ”
■ Del Weber
chancellor of the University of
Nebraska at Omaha
“The University of Ne
braska will continue to
move forward and part of
that is because of Graham
Spanier. I’m sure that his
accomplishments will be
remembered for a very
long time. ”
■ Gladys Styles Johnston
chancellor of the University of
Nebraska at Kearney
“He has a very generous
soul. Personally, Pm really
going to miss him. ”
■ Eric Jolly
director of affirmative action and
diversity
7 think use’ll all miss his
spirit, his leadership and
his vision. But, generally,
he did a gfeat job for us
and will do a great job for
Penn State. He under
stands higher education
very well, and I will miss
his spirit and his insight,
his confidence and his
positive manner. ”
■ Joan Leitzel
vice chancellor for academic affairs
7 couldn’t have been
happier with a chancel
lor. ”
“Personally, I think that is
a bogus issue. If you
examine what the chan
cellor has done in detail,
he has carried out the
policy of the board of
regents. Graham has done
nothing but what his
bosses have told him to
do.”
■ James Greisen
vice chancellor of student affairs, on
Spaniel's “social agenda."
“Pm pleased to see him go.
Pll help him pack. ”
■ Robert Allen
NU regent
“I’d be excited if we had
another Graham
Spanier. ”
■ Don Blank
NU regent
Spanier to leave solid foundation
i 11 i r*
Administrators
praise legacy
By Paula Lavigne
Senior Reporter
Although Chancellor Graham
Spanier is resigning from his post at
UNL, administrators said positive
impacts he has made would remain.
Spanier brought openness and di
versity to the university and raised its
academic standards and national repu
tation, they said.
But even with his exit, they said,
the university will have enough mo
mentum to keep those programs in
tact.
Eric Jolly, assistant to the chancel
lor and director of affirmative action
and diversity, said Spanier made UNL
one of the nation’s top universities.
“He created for the University of
Nebraska a national structure and
prominence that has added value to
the degrees that all of our students are
receiving,” he said.
He said Spanier brought UNL into
a prestigious class of universities —
the Carnegie 100 — by improving
relations with the National Science
Foundation, revising the general edu
cation program and heightening so
cial responsibility.
“I hope that the majority of our
university communities recognize that
those social accomplishments that
have been labeled as too liberal pro
vided the environment in which we
could recruit and maintain the caliber
of faculty, staff and students that has
enhanced our academic prominence.”
UNL is a better ‘campus now than it
was before Spanier’s arrival, he said.
Jolly said he was concerned that cer
tain individuals would try to push the
university backward.
“I don’t think that will happen,” he
said, “but it is the underlying fear of a
number of people who’ve seen the
tremendous strides he made in such a
time.”
- I I. I 11 I
UNL’s
program.
quality faculty, staff and
At UNL Spanier was in control of one campus, which has
24.000 students. It has been designated a Carnegie I
Research University and passed the $100 million mark in
research & development expenditures.
.*.....*...Is Penn State1 s gain.
Penn State liked Spanier
M is regarded as an
education.
M promotes both
■ promotes tolerance
■ looks toward the
Pennsylvania State is a hybrid
70.000 students on 23 campuses.
at the flagship University Park Campus. It is a distinguisned
research university, ranking in the top 10 in annual research
expenditures with $300 million.
Herb Howe, associate to the chan
cellor, said he did not fear the dissolu
tion of Spanier’s legacy. Howe said
Spanier’smark would remain on UNL
because of the wise administrative
hiring choices he made.
Howe commended Spanier’s deci
sion to hire Joan Leitzel as Senior
Vice Chancellor for Academic Af
fairs, Priscilla Grew as Vice Chancel
lor for Research and Jolly.
Leitzel emphasized several of
Spanier’s accomplishments as a chang
ing force at UNL. Spanier strength
DN Graphic
ened undergraduate education, she
said, and presented a more formal
planning program and budget.
Spanier improved campus aesthet
ics, student life, research productivity
and expanded distance-education, she
said.
James Greisen, vice chancellor of
student affairs, said Spanier supported
the highest priorities of the student
affairs office.
“I couldn’t have been happier with
a chancellor,” he said.
Alien ready ror
Spanier’s move
By Matthew Waite
Senior Reporter
When Regent Robert Allen of
Hastings was asked to comment on
Chancellor Graham Spanier’s move
to Pennsylvania State University, he
pulled no punches.
“I’m pleased to see him go,” Allen
said in a phone interview. “I’ll help
him pack.”
Allen, who has been Spanier’s big
gest critic for the three years Spanier
has been chancellor, said he wanted
someone more interested in academ
ics than in a social agenda.
Spanier’s troubles with Allen
started over a controversial move by
Spanier to issue pink triangle stickers
to faculty and staffmembers. The stick
ers were to notify homosexual stu
dents they could talk to that person
without reservation.
Other problems arose over the es
tablishment of an independent engi
neering college in Omaha. Spanier
denied allegations that Stan Liberty,
then dean of the College of Engineer
ing and Technology, was removed
from his post.
Allen has repeatedly criticized
Spanier in public for removing Lib
erty and former College of Business
Administration Dean Gary
Schwendiman.
“He’s impressed these people —
more power to him,” Allen said. “They
are gettinga very controversial man.”
Allen warned Spanier to not take*
the pink triangles with him to his new
job.
“If he takes those pink triangles,
I’m sure that coach at Penn State (Head
Football Coach Joe Patemo) isn’t go
ing to be too happy,” he said.
“I’ll be tickled pink to see him go,”
Allen said laughing.
Jeff Haller/DN
Graham and Sandra Spanier pose Monday afternoon for a
picture with President Clinton on the White House South Lawn.
Spanier
Continued from Page 1
glish.
Susan Welch, dean of Penn State’s
College of The Liberal Arts, said the
department of English hired faculty
every year. She said she couldn’t com
ment on job prospects for Sandra
Spanier.
Welch did say that Sandra Spanier
is scheduled to deliver a paper to the
Penn State English department in a
few weeks. She said plans to have her
come to Penn State were made before
her husband was offered the job as
president.
“She’ll come here, meet the faculty
and we’ll go from there,” Welch said.
William A. Schreyer, chairman of
the Board of Trustees, said he was
pleased with the selection of Spanier
as president. Schreyer said he spoke
with Spanier two weeks ago about
being the leading candidate for the
position.
“It came together beautifully,” he
said.
Spanier declined Thursday to
specify his goals for the university.
Penn State already does an excellent
of job with the three goals of teaching,
research and scholarship, and public
service and outreach, Spanier said.
“I pledge to continue these mis
sions,” he said.
Spanier said the transition between
Nebraska and Penn State would occur
in August, when an interim UNL chan
cellor would be appointed. A search
committee to find a replacement is
expected to be appointed within 30
days.
Leaving UNL, Spanier said, would
not be easy.
“I have surprised myself at how
quickly I’ve established roots ia Ne
braska,” Spanier said.
But becoming president of Penn
State has changed his outlook in only
a day, Spanier said.
“Yesterday I thought Nebraska de
served the national championship,” he
said Thursday. “Today... maybe Penn
State should have won it.”
Spamer’s resignation
no surprise to some
Massengale, Perlman
endorsed chancellor
during 1991 search
By Matthew Waite
Senior Reporter
The two people most responsible
for Chancellor Graham Spanier’s 1991
hiring at the University of Nebraska
Lincoln said Thursday it was no sur
prise Spanier was moving up.
Harvey Perlman, dean of the Col
lege of Law, and Martin Massengale,
former NU president, both said they
were disappointed that Spanier was
leaving UNL.
Massengale, who was NU presi
dent from January 1991 to February
1994 and endorsed Spanier as the
final candidate for the job, said many
NU employees had moved on to
larger and more prestigious univer
sities.
“I always try to hire good people
and when others hire them away, they
confirm that you’ve hired good
people,” he said.
Massengale, now a professor of
agronomy and director of Grassland
Studies, was UNL chancellor before
Spanier.
In Spanier’s term as chancellor,
Massengale said, some of the high
lights have been his implementation
of administrative realignments, his
focu^ on gender equity and his push
for general education requirements.
“We set out to find the
best person we could,
and when you set out
with that expectation,
you know that other
people ivill be looking for
them in the future. ”
■
HARVEY PERLMAN
Dean of UNL College of Law
Perlman, who was chairman of the
search committee that recommended
Spanier in November 1991, said
Spanier had made substantial progress
for the university. He said he was not
surprised that other schools came look
ing for Spanier.
“I don’t believe that he wouldn’t
have left Nebraska for any job,” he
said. “We set out to find the best
person we could, and when you set out
with that expectation, you know that
other people will be looking for them
in the future.”
Perlman said he wasn’t surprised
Spanier accepted a job at Penn State,
where he served in three administra
tive positions.
