Three takes on Nebraska President Ted Carter's decision to leave for Ohio State
University of Nebraska President Ted Carter announced on Tuesday that he has officially accepted the position to become Ohio State’s President. Carter will stay in his post at NU until Dec. 31, 2023, before transitioning to Columbus.
Here are three takes on Carter’s decision and what it means moving forward.
Can Nebraska hire another sports-minded president like Carter?
Nebraska’s last two president hires both had sports backgrounds. Carter was the U.S. Naval Academy’s hockey team captain, while Hank Bounds coached high school football before eventually entering higher education.
Both brought sports knowledge to the job that helped NU’s Athletic Department. We’ve heard Carter say multiple times that athletics is the front porch of the University of Nebraska. Having success in athletics, and particularly football, is vital to the overall long-term success of the University.
Will the next president bring that type of background to the table? How much of a priority will that be when the Nebraska Board of Regents begins vetting potential candidates?
How does this change the overall leadership structure?
Over the summer, we saw a lot of leadership changes made at the University of Nebraska. Ronnie Green retired, and Dr. Rodney Bennett was named NU’s new chancellor.
Carter also was in line to take Green’s seat in representing Nebraska on the Big Ten’s Council of Chancellors and Presidents, a post that the NU chancellor had always previously held. The spot on the COP/C is a big deal, as you are the only representative for Nebraska in the now 18-team Big Ten Conference.
It was also announced in recent months that athletic director Trev Alberts would report directly to Carter and no longer to the NU chancellor. At the time of this move, many questioned what would happen to this arrangement if Carter ever left Nebraska.
Less than a few months later, we are now faced with this question. To whom will Alberts and the NU athletic department report? Will they begin reporting to Bennett, or will they still report to the president once a new hire is made?
Does Carter’s decision affect the way Rhule looks at Nebraska?
When Nebraska hired Matt Rhule in November, Carter was a prominent part of the process. The two had a relationship dating back to when Rhule was at Temple. Carter was president of the Naval Academy at that time.
Rhule has said that Carter played a big part in why he took the Nebraska job because of his overall respect for his leadership style.
Since Rhule took the NU job, there is now a new chancellor, and there will be a new president by Jan. 1. What does Rhule think of all the movement at the top since taking the job?
