Charles Bicak has returned to campus after a partial retirement to serve as UNK’s interim chancellor. He has a long history with UNK and most recently held a position as senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs.
The opportunity to have a large impact on the Kearney community holds great value for Bicak.
“It means the world to me,” Bicak said. “I think family is so important and I wouldn’t do something like this unless my wife Marylin was fully on board as well.”
Bicak graduated from Kearney Catholic High School and earned a degree in biology education at Kearney State College in the early 1970s. He’s taught in the Omaha Westside school district and earned master’s and doctorate degrees at The University of British Columbia and Colorado State University.
He taught biology at UNK in 1992 and was the senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs from 2009 to 2022.
Bicak has played a role in UNK’s partnership with UNMC. After retiring from his position as vice chancellor, he remained involved in the current projects taking place on campus, which is why he considered himself to be “three-fourths retired.”
When there was a delay in finding a new chancellor for UNK, Bicak was asked to consider filling the position. He decided to accept the offer and became UNK’s interim chancellor on June 1.
Bicak has previously served at UNK as senior vice chancellor, assistant to the dean and chair of the Department of Biology. Being interim chancellor isn’t something he’s always strived for, but he decided to help lead when the opportunity arose.
“I’ve never felt that I absolutely wanted to be this,” said Bicak. “But because I’ve been in these previous positions I thought I ought to take advantage of providing my strengths as best as I can.”
John Falconer, senior adviser to the chancellor, said he appreciates the level of care Bicak has for his students and fellow administrators.
“He’s just a good human being,” Falconer said. “He takes care of people. That makes him good to work for, but that also makes him good when you as a student or me as an employee have an issue. He’s going to think about what we need, and he really believes in people.”
One of Bicak’s largest goals, during his time as interim chancellor, is to expand the impact of UNK. He wants Kearney to be the first place Nebraskans and people across the U.S. think of when considering where to get the best undergraduate education, and he hopes to build a reputation for the university that is “strong, authentic, and well-defined.”
Sam Schroeder, UNK student body president and student regent, said he believes Bicak has what it takes to be an “exceptional leader” on campus.
“I know that Chancellor Bicak will excel in this role,” Schroeder said. “In speaking with Chancellor Bicak, I know he has a passion for UNK and has a long track record of putting students first. I challenge the Chancellor to work to connect with students to the best of his ability.”
So far, Bicak’s favorite part about being interim chancellor has been seeing the return of students and feeling the energy they bring to campus. One piece of advice he has for UNK students is to be active and involved.
“Show up,” Bicak said. “Whatever it is. Show up, (and) go to class. Show up (and) become involved in an extracurricular activity. Show up in the community and volunteer. Showing up is what life’s about.”
