Upon Bob C.’s Retirement
Shirley Laska @ February 19, 2008
It is with sadness, but also with celebration, that I write this note about retiring Vice Chancellor for Research Bob Cashner. When one leaves a position as I did in 2001 after 8 years of giving one’s heart and soul to it, there is always a concern that the one who follows might not be able to “keep the dream alive” and to grow it. I have been pleased to observe over these seven years Bob’s accomplishments in both arenas. His comBob Cashner Fishingmitment to enhance research funding and excellent research outcomes has been there, even through the post-Katrina nightmare for any VC for Research – destruction of buildings, equipment, severe challenges in applying for funding and even the “dissing” of researchers for applying from “ground zero” (Let’s hit them when they are down!). He stuck with it and did so in a way that has brought wide ranging appreciation and success. His spirit, his concern for faculty, his sense of humor under the worst conditions both here at UNO, and for him personally with the loss of Fran, put him above most in the kind of support he has been able to give — caring, concern, understanding, encouragement.
After 35 years of service at UNO, Dr. Robert Cashner is retiring to the higher elevations of North Carolina. Bob joined what was then LSUNO in 1973 as a temporary, part-time instructor of biological sciences. In 1978, he became a tenure track assistant professor and quickly moved through the academic ranks to full Professor status in 1987. In 1993, Bob fell victim to the “administration virus” and accepted the Chair position in the Department of Biological Sciences, where he provided outstanding leadership. Three years later, he was named Dean of the Graduate School. In 2001, Bob was asked to assume the role of Vice Chancellor for Research and Sponsored Programs in addition to his duties as Dean of the Graduate School. Bob has maintained a broad perspective in this job supporting research and scholarship across the university. Extramural funding increased significantly under his guidance, and he and his staff have worked diligently to better serve the university community. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Bob personally transported graduate students to the University of Houston and the University of Oklahoma where he had found support for them to continue their studies. Working from Baton Rouge, the Jefferson Center, and staff members’ homes, he also supported the research and scholarly work of faculty who were scattered nationwide. All this time his house was under 10 feet of water.