By Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D.
President, University of Nebraska System
Last month I marked my first year as University of Nebraska president with a tour that took me border to border across our state, revisiting communities I've come to know over my 11 years in Nebraska.
My conversations with Nebraskans from all walks of life renewed my confidence in the future of our state and in the future of our public university system.
My travels took me to 13 cities, from Peru in the east to Chadron in the west, where Nebraskans shared stories of fellowship and innovative thinking to move their communities forward.
Nebraskans described local challenges, but also their resolve to address them. I find these conversations a source of great encouragement for the future. They provide an inspiration for me as someone who is fortunate to help lead this great institution that serves our state.
As I begin my second year as NU president and my 12th year in Nebraska higher education, I'm similarly encouraged by the dedication of our university system's faculty, staff and stakeholders to support NU's vital mission in service to all of Nebraska.
Our university system annually graduates more than 11,000 students, making NU the preeminent generator of new entrants into Nebraska's workforce.
Our campuses are energetic in connecting students with experiential learning opportunities that sharpen their skills and prepare them for real-world workplace conditions. At the same time, these experiential learning opportunities provide unique interactions that shape and mentor the future workforce.
As part of that effort, we effectively partner with Nebraska state colleges and community colleges to facilitate credit transfers among institutions and provide academic pathways that give students needed flexibility to pursue their career goals.
Similarly, our partnerships with state colleges incentivize Nebraska students to locate in rural communities after completing their studies in health care or law.
NU provides a range of scholarships to be competitive in retaining our state's young people, such as the prestigious Presidential Scholars program for Nebraska students with perfect ACT scores. Those scholars receive "full ride" scholarships covering tuition, fees, housing, food and personal expenses for four years of study, plus a $5,000 annual stipend.
NU provides a range of other financial supports for students, including the Regents Scholarship program, the Nebraska Promise program, which covers the cost of tuition at NU campuses for families making $65,000 a year or less, and many, many other scholarships. During fiscal year 2024 alone, over 17,000 donor-funded scholarships were awarded, totaling more than $36 million.
Outreach is a vital part of NU's mission, and both the University of Nebraska at Omaha and University of Nebraska-Lincoln have been saluted by the Carnegie Foundation for excellence in community engagement. The university's Nebraska Extension is in every Nebraska county to provide farmers and ranchers with practical, usable information.
My recent trip also underscored the importance that Nebraska businesses rightly place on responsibly managing their finances, and the University of Nebraska is similarly dedicated. Over the past decade, we have realized budget reductions and internal efficiencies totaling well over $135 million. Our systemwide budget for fiscal 2025-26 recently approved by Board of Regents includes over $20 million in additional cuts to deliver a truly balanced budget.
Through our systemwide strategic plan, NU is pioneering innovative tools for fiscal management. This approach aligns overall priorities throughout NU and enables us to pursue metrics that will include individual campuses, colleges, departments and subunits.
Software will enable us to pull up the entire strategic planning document at any time to analyze required dollars and build a budget that addresses priorities. Reports on progress will be publicly available, providing transparency and accountability.
This sound fiscal approach will enable us to meet our academic and research needs while keeping NU's budget and our well-deserved reputation for excellence sustainable for the long term.
My travels this month across our state provide me with renewed inspiration and optimism. Just as Nebraskans work to achieve progress for the communities, so the University of Nebraska remains committed to our mission of service for all of Nebraska.