"Shaping the Future" video series with President Gold features NU SVP/CFO Anne Barnes, discussion on budget planning and capital projects
December 8, 2025
The University of Nebraska System has released the latest episode of its "Shaping the Future" video series, featuring Anne Barnes, the NU System’s senior vice president and chief financial officer. The series, hosted by President Jeff Gold, features conversations with researchers, students, educators and partners across the state who are changing lives and making an impact.
In the episode, they discuss Barnes’ journey to the University of Nebraska, the current state of the University of Nebraska’s budget, major capital projects underway at UNMC and more.
In addition to Barnes’ role with the NU System, she also serves as vice chancellor for business and finance and business development at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and interim vice chancellor for business and finance at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She joined UNMC’s leadership team in 2022, after 25 years at the University of Oklahoma. Her decision to take the next step in her career and move to Nebraska was an easy one:
“There aren't many academic medical centers that have the broad number of colleges that UNMC has.” Barnes said. “The amount of philanthropic support that UNMC has benefited from—and the momentum the medical center has—also made it an easy decision. I wanted to be part of it.”
Among Barnes’ responsibilities at UNMC has been business development, leading major capital projects like the development of the EDGE District and Catalyst building, which will benefit Omaha’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and the state as a whole. Together, they are bringing entrepreneurs and academics together to create a space for innovation, research and new discoveries.
“It helps us recruit, retain and drive the economy of both Omaha and Nebraska,” Barnes said.
In addition to her UNMC responsibilities, Barnes was named the NU System’s interim senior vice president and chief financial officer for the University of Nebraska System in 2024, assuming the permanent role in 2025.
In her role with the System, Barnes and her team are working to identify strategies for maximizing the university’s budget, addressing structural deficits and ensuring the university has the necessary financial resources for a strong future.
“Each of our campuses is taking a budget cut this year to ensure we are addressing structural deficits,” Barnes said. “Identifying these cuts—that we don’t want to make, but we need to make—will allow our university to continue providing quality and affordable education for Nebraskans.”
Additionally, Barnes noted the importance of continued investment in university faculty and staff:
“Our state support has grown, but not at the pace of cost of living,” Barnes said. “We must make sure that our budget will allow us to retain our incredible faculty and staff.”
Dr. Gold thanked Barnes for her efforts and leadership in support of the university:
“I want to thank Anne for taking on this work, for wearing many hats and for building organizational stability across our business and finance functions,” he said.
New episodes of “Shaping the Future” are released monthly and feature faculty, staff, students and partners from across the university’s four campuses and the state of Nebraska. Topics will include athletics, counterterrorism, student success, healthcare, K-12 education and many others.
About the University of Nebraska
The University of Nebraska is the state’s only public university system, made up of four campuses – UNL, UNO, UNK and UNMC – each with a distinct role and mission. Together the campuses enroll nearly 50,000 students and employ 16,000 faculty and staff who serve the state, nation and world through education, research and outreach. For more information and news from the University of Nebraska, visit nebraska.edu/news.