UNK has combined the Intercultural Engagement and Leadership office with the Office of Student Engagement, creating the new Office of Student Engagement and Leadership. The transition took place over the summer, with Intercultural Engagement and Leadership staff coordinating the move just weeks before the fall semester began.
Renae Zimmer, director of Student Engagement and Leadership, said the merger was a university-led decision meant to streamline services and better support students and organizations.
“We were finding we were doing a lot of the same programming,” Zimmer said. “We were doing a lot of the same initiatives, so it just made sense to have the two offices together.”
The decision coincided with the relocation of the admissions office to the Nebraskan Student Union.
“At the same time that decision was happening, Admissions was looking at a space in the Union, so the transition all kind of happened at once for Admissions to move over and then IEL to merge with our office,” Zimmer said. “The student organizations are still up and operational and functioning and able to have their events and hold their meetings. It’s just in a different space.”
Zimmer said that the Office of Student Engagement and Leadership now oversees a broad portfolio, including Student Government, Fraternity and Sorority Life, LPAC, Student and Family Transitions and the University student ID office. Intercultural Engagement and Leadership student organizations are now part of the SEL umbrella, including PRISM, Women Are Problematic, Hispanic Student Association, Black Student Association, Upsilon Eta Upsilon, Alpha Psi, United in Dance and United in Nations.
The physical office has also been redesigned to balance functionality and community space.
“We kind of completely morphed this office in mid-July and we made the main area in Student Engagement more of a lounge/study space,” Zimmer said. “At the end of the day, that support is going to be a benefit for the students. All student organizations are welcome here, not just the ones we directly oversee. This is a space for all students.”
Student Body President Sam Schroeder said the merger was also intended to enhance the student experience by creating a more visible and accessible space for student organizations.
“Overall, I see this as a positive change for students,” Schroeder said. “Additionally, I know that many students felt tucked away in the old Intercultural Engagement and Leadership office, and now those students no longer need to feel that way.”
For students like Avery Laing, who is an Intercultural Engagement and Leadership scholar and helped found Upsilon Eta Upsilon at the University, the merger has been a mix of change and opportunity.
“It was the very first place I went when I got to UNK my freshman year,” Laing said. “It really was like a family. People built lifelong friendships there, and I have even seen weddings and families grow out of connections made in IEL.”
Laing said one of the biggest challenges has been the loss of dedicated space for student organizations.
“The number one resource that we lost with the merge was our meeting space,” Laing said. “Most of the organizations that were connected to Intercultural Engagement and Leadership relied on the office for meetings and events. Now we have to search all over campus to find other spaces to host, which makes things harder and less consistent.”
Laing also said she wished the administration had communicated more clearly during the process.
“In my four years here, we have experienced a director leaving, a coordinator leaving, a name change, an interim director and now the dissolution into another office,” Laing said. “Students notice these changes… It would have made a big difference to have clearer communication and more openness during these transitions.”
Still, Laing said that there are benefits to the merger, including increased collaboration between student groups.
“Being under one roof makes it easier to share ideas and build partnerships that might not have happened before,” Laing said. “Since so many different groups and offices are now in the same space, it creates more opportunities to connect and work together.”
Zimmer said she hopes the office’s increased capacity and visibility will help students thrive.
“When issues arise, we will try to resolve them as quickly as we can and just show the students that they are welcome,” Zimmer said. “This is everyone’s space, and all students are welcome here.”
