http://m.omaha.com/news/education/under-...l?mode=jqm

Quote:Now stepping away after 16 years at the helm, Perlman has presided over a campus renaissance that’s seen UNL markedly elevate its academic standing and reputation.

UNL has more than doubled the amount of ultra-competitive federal research dollars it’s pulling in, a key measure of academic muscle and a way schools build stature.

Enrollment last fall hit an all-time high, and today the school attracts more top-notch students — and more students from out of state — than at any time in recent history.

The school now boasts membership in the Big Ten, an athletic conference that also represents a distinguished academic brand in the world of higher education.

The campus has also been physically made over by some $1.2 billion in construction, including the nascent Innovation Campus on the former grounds of the State Fair and a new arena that’s reshaped downtown Lincoln.

Colleagues say Perlman played a critical role in the school’s transformation, challenging the campus to step up its research game, raise its aspirations and reshape its culture.

“If he’s not the most important chancellor we’ve ever had here, he’s one of them,” said James O’Hanlon, a retired education dean whose 49-year UNL career spanned eight different chancellors.

Officially, Perlman remains the school’s chancellor through the end of June. But Saturday, the 74-year-old effectively spent his last day on the job, presiding over spring commencement ceremonies and personally delivering the final address to the new graduates.

Beginning today, the lame duck hands over decision-making power to Chancellor-elect Ronnie Green, hoping to give his successor a jump-start on moving UNL into the future.

It was an emotional day for Perlman on Saturday as he gathered with deans and other senior administrators just off the floor of Pinnacle Bank Arena to don their colorful commencement gowns.

“Ask him if he’s going to cry,” Green said of Perlman.

Later, Green offered the happy graduates praise for the legacy Perlman leaves behind in Lincoln.

“He epitomizes the words ‘Leave something better than you found it,’ ” he said.

Perlman’s tenure also stands out for its length. He retires as the second-longest-serving chancellor in school history, his term more than double both the average of his predecessors and the average for campus leaders nationally.

Most observers say the Big Ten move will long stand out as the jewel of Perlman’s time in Lincoln.

Not only will UNL beginning in 2017 start receiving a full share of revenue from the nation’s most financially lucrative athletic conference, the school will long benefit from Big Ten schools’ collaborative approach to research and other scholarly endeavors.

But Perlman’s time at UNL has certainly not been without its stumbles.

Less than a year after the school was admitted to the Big Ten, it was booted out of an elite consortium of the nation’s top research universities — a bitter setback in which some of the school’s new Big Ten colleagues played a role in the ousting.

The school’s football team, long a national powerhouse and source of state pride, has seen a conference title drought that spanned Perlman’s entire tenure.

Even Perlman lists the Cornhuskers’ lack of gridiron success as his biggest disappointment as chancellor.

“For people who view UNL mostly through the athletic prism, you’d get a different answer” on Perlman’s legacy, said John Hibbing, a longtime political science professor.

Quote: Even Perlman lists the Cornhuskers’ lack of gridiron success as his biggest disappointment as chancellor.

That's pretty sad coming from such an academic proponent. I would like to see Nebraska rejoin the AAU and it looks like they are getting back on track. I really like the Nebraska add to the conference and respect them. Now it is time for them to take it to the next level and compete not only for a divisional championship, but also fight for a conference championship and a NY6 bowl birth.