Happy New Year! You have spent the last few weeks reflecting on 2019 and the last 10 years. As you start the new decade and consider your goals for 2020, I hope you find inspiration and energy in our college community’s five guiding principles – featured in this newsletter – to make 2020 your most successful year yet.

Our guiding principles begin with the focus on self and move toward the focus on the greater good. They call on every member of our community to act on these principles. They include:

• Challenge Yourself
• Be Inclusive
• Ask Bold Questions
• Look to the Future
• Make It Matter

For your goals in 2020, which guiding principle most resonates with you? In this special issue of Inside Nebraska Business, you can discover which principles inspire our students, alumni, faculty and staff to lead the future of business. We’d love you to join us in answering this question and sharing your guiding principle on social media. You can download the guiding principles artwork for your photo to go along with your post. Tag @NebraskaBiz on Twitter and Instagram or Nebraska College of Business on LinkedIn.

For me, I see the principle “Ask Bold Questions” throughout our work here at Nebraska. For example, we’re asking students, alumni and professionals to come together to discuss how we can advance women in law, business, philanthropy and government at the Women Lead 2020 conference, March 6 at Nebraska Innovation Campus. With a distinguished lineup of speakers including the CEO of Feeding America, the Mayor of Seattle, a former U.S. attorney, an executive from Microsoft and a former Governor of Washington, the conference also includes time for roundtables for interdisciplinary conversation and networking. This impactful program is a collaboration between our college and the College of Law.

Similarly, our alumni and business community count on us to continue to ask bold questions that advance professional development for Nebraska’s workforce. This winter, the Center for Executive and Professional Development offers several brand new Power Lunches that address a number of pressing topics from communicating change to successful project management.

We’re also thrilled to share that the human resource management option of the management major was recognized by the Society of Human Resource Management for fully aligning with SHRM’s HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates. This means our students can apply to sit for the group’s Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) exam in their final year and earn this professional distinction that recognizes them as an expert in the HR field.

With opportunities to advance your career, organization and field through conferences, professional development, and online master’s and graduate certificate programs, the college can help you achieve your 2020 goals.

I’m excited to share with you the 2019 Nebraska Business Magazine, which features many of our new strategic initiatives. In the issue, you can learn more about our progress to drive discovery, create opportunity and empower individuals to lead the future of business and the people making it possible.

Sincerely,

Kathy