People of Lincoln: Graciela Caneiro-Livingston
Spaniard by Birth, Nebraskan by Choice
By Randy Bretz
She has been to Lincoln twice. The first time Graciela Caneiro-Livingston was here was as a graduate student, when she pursued a fellowship at UNL and met the man who would become her husband. The second time was when she returned to be Chief Academic Officer (Provost) at Nebraska Wesleyan University.
Dr. Caneiro-Livingston grew up in Spain, but she’s definitely a Nebraskan now. She can sell people on Lincoln with her compelling stories about how vibrant Lincoln is, its incredible cultural scene, and the collaborative nature of our citizens.
Sell people on Lincoln? Indeed. When we talked, Dr. Caneiro-Livingston was in the midst of interviews to find faculty members at Nebraska Wesleyan. “I tell them Lincoln’s a great place to live, and that they’ll love the people here,” she said. “Lincoln is such a diverse city, full of great culture, wonderful schools, and great, small family restaurants.” Once a faculty member arrives at Wesleyan, there’s a great chance they’ll stay.
Wesleyan President Darrin Good put it this way, “Among many reasons, I believe, Graciela has such great success in hiring and retaining good faculty and staff for NWU is the honest enthusiasm she shares with job candidates regarding the great culture and community they will be joining." Good goes on to say that, "A signature piece of Graciela's message is the beautiful interrelationship between Nebraska Wesleyan and this amazing city of Lincoln. She believes to her core that this is among the best cities in the world to live and work in, and that excitement is transferred to our future community members, whom we’re interviewing.”
In addition to hiring faculty, Dr. Caneiro-Livingston guides the development of new courses of study, helps ensure that classes are of high quality, coordinates with the Department Chairs, and has input on the University’s planning and budgeting.
Not one to focus solely on her “day job,” Dr. Caneiro-Livingston serves on the Humanities Nebraska Board, among other activities. This organization helps coordinate and fund programs throughout the state, selects speakers and hosts the Governor’s Lecture in The Humanities, provides grants for museums and libraries across the state, and presents the Sower Award each year. “Being on the Humanities board has given me the opportunity to travel across Nebraska,” she noted, “and to meet so many wonderful people who make our state so great.”
“One opportunity we have in Nebraska,” Dr. Caneiro-Livingston said, “is that our quality of life is attracting people for many of the technologically oriented jobs we have.” She explained how Nebraska Wesleyan is working to help educate people for those jobs and retain them in the state. The institution is seeking to provide graduate opportunities for people who have moved here and want to expand their capabilities. They also seek to place a high percentage of their graduates in Nebraska positions. Each year, a high percentage of Nebraska Wesleyan graduates stay in the state. Plus, the University offers graduate programs in Lincoln and Omaha focused on business management and entrepreneurship.
Dr. Caneiro-Livingston and her husband, Dr. Dana Livingston, are enjoying their return to Nebraska, and they’re contributing not only to Nebraska Wesleyan but also seeking ways to give back to this city where they met and now call home.
Randy Bretz is well past 55, and he enjoys life as a father, grandfather, great-grandfather, storyteller, author, professor, communicator, and civic activist.