University of Nebraska building renewal plan

The University of Nebraska and the state would continue a long and successful partnership to maintain the quality and functionality of NU buildings under a 12-year capital plan announced today by President Hank Bounds.

Story documents

• University of Nebraska 2016 Capital Plan

The proposal, endorsed unanimously by the Board of Regents at its meeting today, will be brought to the Legislature and Governor for consideration in the 2016 session. It extends an NU-state partnership that began almost two decades ago to address deferred maintenance needs across the four campuses. The mutual investments made by the university and state in that time have allowed the university to continue to provide students and faculty with quality classrooms, labs and offices, ensure an outstanding educational experience, and remain competitive for top talent.

Bounds noted that university facilities, valued at $4 billion, represent more than 70 percent of the state’s total building assets. That means the state has a stake in continuing to partner with the university in making investments that advance shared goals for academic excellence and competitiveness.

Today’s historically low interest rates, combined with a need to protect shared state assets, present an opportunity to build on current momentum, Bounds said.

“We are operating in the most competitive higher education marketplace of our lifetimes,” he said. “The University of Nebraska has ambitious goals for attracting the best students and faculty who can contribute to Nebraska’s workforce and economic needs. If we are to be successful, it’s vital that we provide safe, updated and functional facilities that are suited to 21st-century learning and research. We look forward to working with the Legislature and Governor to continue a strategic, proactive and proven approach to maintaining high-quality university facilities.”

The NU-state partnership to address deferred maintenance needs began in 1998 with the passage of LB1100, which called for annual investments of $5.5 million each that yielded $79 million worth of renovation projects. The partnership continued with LB605, passed in 2006, which increased the annual investments by the university and state to $11 million each. That legislation has resulted in $163 million worth of projects.

Under the 2016 proposal, the university and state would each increase their annual investments by $11 million to finance a $400 million bond. The bond funds would be available for renovation and renewal projects on the four campuses.

While short of the $1.1 billion needed to bring all university buildings to “like new” condition, investments at that level would allow the university to remain competitive, according to Bounds.

“We recognize the state cannot fund every need,” Bounds said. “We’re taking a strategic and conservative approach to capital planning that aligns with our priorities, brings long-term results and leverages other resources where possible.” For instance, the university will continue to seek private philanthropy to meet capital needs; Bounds noted that more than half of all NU capital projects since 1999 have been funded with private dollars and that the state receives a tremendous bargain in paying only operating and maintenance costs on privately funded buildings.

The university would meet its share of the investments through four years of dedicated 1 percent tuition increases, a strategy it used in both previous deferred maintenance initiatives. Bounds said the increases, which would begin in 2016-17 and amount to approximately $2 more per credit hour each year for a Nebraska undergraduate, represent an investment in current and future students. Tuition costs across the campuses currently are about 25 percent below the peer averages.

“One of the highest priorities of the Board of Regents is to provide students with an excellent education that prepares them to be successful. Our plan to invest in facilities that are vital to student learning advances that goal,” said Bob Phares, Chairman of the Board. “The capital plan represents continued good stewardship of valuable state assets. We are grateful to state policymakers for their history of partnering with the university to maintain our facilities and hope to continue that partnership going forward.”

To determine priority renovation projects, the university worked with an external consultant to conduct a comprehensive, data-driven analysis of the condition, capacity and use of its state-supported buildings. Housing, athletic, parking, union and other self-supporting facilities were not included. The data demonstrate that while many NU facilities are in good condition, a number of them are in need of significant renewal, including those that are heavily used for student learning and research.

The resulting projects would not only enhance facilities that are critical to student and faculty success, but advance key priorities of the Board of Regents, including undergraduate education and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programs – areas important to Nebraska’s competitiveness.Renovation projects are:

University of Nebraska at Omaha

• Arts & Sciences Hall renovation
• Durham Science Center renovation
• Strauss Performing Arts Center renovation & addition
• Strategic expansion or new building

University of Nebraska at Kearney

• Otto Olsen Vocational Arts Building demolition & replacement
• Fine Arts Building renovation

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

• Nebraska Hall/Scott Engineering Complex renovation
  
• College of Business Administration renovation
  
• Mabel Lee Hall/Henzlik Hall renovation
  
• Food Industry Complex renovation
  
• Hamilton Hall renovation

University of Nebraska Medical Center

• Wittson Hall renovation
• College of Pharmacy renovation
• College of Nursing renovation
• Eppley Science Hall renovation
• Administration Building renovation

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING

“Effective buildings do not guarantee good programs but it is very difficult to build good programs without them. The two prior capital initiatives have had a transformative effect on UNL for both students and faculty. With the age of our physical plant, modernization initiatives are essential to provide contemporary educational opportunities for students and competitive research opportunities for our faculty.”

--Harvey Perlman, Chancellor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

“This is an effort to be good stewards of Nebraska taxpayers’ money. These investments are crucial to maintaining an aging infrastructure and will assure our facilities provide quality space to our faculty and students for research and learning.”

--Jeffrey Gold, M.D., Chancellor, University of Nebraska Medical Center

“Any university that hopes to be successful in the 21st century requires facilities that are capable of providing a 21st-century education. There are a number of buildings on our campus in need of a revitalization and having facilities that meet the needs and expectations of students is vital to fulfilling our mission. A commitment to ensure the most up-to-date campus infrastructure possible is absolutely critical to educating the future leaders of Nebraska.”

--John Christensen, Chancellor, University of Nebraska at Omaha

“We’re at the point now where we can no longer make Otto Olsen work. This building is not in the best interest of students and we really need to do something. Even if we repaired the building to its pristine condition from 1955, it would still be obsolete for our teaching demands and needs for our students today.

“As I sit back and look at Otto Olsen and the future, the one question that comes to my mind is, if I would bring the taxpayers from the state of Nebraska on to our campus and show them all the progress and the wonderful opportunities we have here, would I take them to Otto Olsen and say ‘This is our great opportunity’? I think the taxpayers would say, ‘Are you kidding me?’ We educate students in this building at a university level. Many of our high schools are superior to the Otto Olsen facility. It’s our turn and it’s our opportunity to make this building the opportunity it can be.”

--Doug Kristensen, Chancellor, University of Nebraska at Kearney