By Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D.
President, University of Nebraska System
For 155 years, the University of Nebraska has been at the heart of our state’s success — educating our students, driving innovation and research, and strengthening communities across Nebraska. A long-standing and foundational partnership with the state has helped to ensure a future of opportunity, growth and prosperity for all Nebraskans.
Our Legislature and governor are now conducting important deliberations for Nebraska’s two-year state budget, a task requiring thoughtful judgment and priority-setting on a complex range of needs.
Among those priorities should be the University of Nebraska, whose outreach and commitment stretch across the breadth of our state. The University is a powerful engine for Nebraska’s future, and with the state’s continued support, we can do our critical part to ensure that Nebraska remains competitive and prosperous for generations to come.
Our Board of Regents has taken great care in setting our budget request at 3.5%, a figure that aligns with our efforts to responsibly manage resources while addressing the rising costs that impact every corner of our campuses. This investment will allow us to sustain high-quality, accessible education, attract and retain world-class faculty, and maintain research and workforce pipelines that will fuel Nebraska’s economic success.
As part of our responsibilities, we devote careful attention to fiscal stewardship, including sound cost management and achieving efficiencies. Over the past decade, the budget reductions and internal efficiencies we’ve realized total over $100 million. We prioritize data-driven, transparent decision-making and are working hard to innovate within the constraints we face.
This year, we face multiple fiscal challenges that threaten our ability to sustain our statewide impact. We’re navigating the rising cost of state-mandated tuition waivers, the proposed elimination of the Nebraska Tobacco Settlement Biomedical Research Fund dollars to the University of Nebraska, and uncertainty in federal funding that will severely limit the scope of our research programs and their statewide economic impact.
Approval of our budget request by Nebraska’s elected leaders can help the University manage these challenges. We know definitively that when the state entrusts dollars to the University, those dollars are put to work — creating jobs, fostering innovation, and driving economic growth.
Budget support for the University’s educational and outreach work is not just a good investment — it’s one of the best investments the state can make. For every $1 invested by the state, the University returns $10 in economic impact. That annual economic impact last year added up to $6.4 billion, supporting 52,000 jobs and driving economic development in every corner of the state.
Our state’s future depends on a college-prepared, skilled workforce that can drive growth, economic vitality, and prosperity. The University of Nebraska stands at the forefront of that work, annually graduating more than 11,000 new entrants into the workforce, illustrating how the University, in partnership with the private sector and local communities, is a powerful engine for Nebraska’s future.
Nebraska is at a critical juncture, and the decisions we make today will shape the course of our state for years to come. The work of the University of Nebraska is vital to building that stronger future.
Responsible funding from the state is an investment that will help secure tomorrow’s workforce, economy and quality of life for all Nebraskans. It is an investment that will help us attract and retain talent, keep education affordable and accessible, and advance the research that will continue to propel the state forward.
The Appropriations Committee members and governor understand how critical the University is as a catalyst for growth, a place of innovation, and a source of opportunity. Without state investment, there will be difficult decisions to be made that could permanently alter the university and the work we do to benefit Nebraskans. I encourage Nebraskans to support their University — and the impact it makes today, tomorrow, and into the future.