FREMONT, Neb. (AP) - University of Nebraska’s new president is touring 20 communities in six days as he begins his tenure.
The Fremont Tribune (https://bit.ly/1H07cSw ) reports Hank Bounds began his role as the university’s seventh president this week. Bounds is speaking to local communities and residents about his background and his goals for the university.
“I grew up in a very rural part of Mississippi, a long way from anywhere, fairly poor,” he said. “I never thought that I would have the opportunity to go to college and so the fact that I’m standing before you leading one of America’s great universities just speaks to the power of education - the ability to transform a person’s life.”
Bounds spoke to about 35 residents in Fremont on Sunday about how he will focus on ensuring access and affordability to education for Nebraskans. He also said that he will spend time speaking with high school students about how earning a degree will earn them more money over a lifetime.
The new president also talked about the need to fill jobs that do not exist now, but will in the future.
“We know that over the next decade that many of the jobs that will exist we haven’t even thought of yet, and they’re all going to require more and better education,” he said. “I want us to think about how to be ahead of that curve, how to meet the needs of students today.”
Bounds also sought comments from those who gathered to hear him about what he might tell young people from other states to attract them to Nebraska.
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Information from: Fremont Tribune, https://www.fremontneb.com
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