UNO Role & Mission Statement

 

Mission

UNO, as part of the University of Nebraska, is a comprehensive university located in Nebraska's largest metropolitan area. Its distinguished faculty is drawn from the nation's leading graduate institutions. UNO exists for the purpose of providing appropriate educational opportunities, discovering and disseminating knowledge through research and teaching, and offering public service to the citizens of the State, particularly the residents of the Omaha metropolitan area. Through these traditional, interdependent, and mutually-reinforcing functions, the faculty of UNO enrich the lives of students; advance the frontiers of knowledge; and contribute to the social, cultural, international, and economic development of the community, State, and region.

 

University of Nebraska at Omaha's mission is accomplished through the faculties of the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Education, Fine Arts, Information Sciences and Technology, Public Affairs and Community Service, Continuing Studies, and the University-wide Graduate College.

UNO is committed to the following broad priorities in fulfilling its mission:

  1. Undergraduate instructional programs based on a strong liberal arts foundation;
  2. Graduate programs, research, and creative activity;
  3. Public service.

Educational Programs

UNO offers a broad range of bachelor's programs, several graduate certificates, a diverse array of master's degree programs, two specialist's programs, and several doctoral programs. UNO exercises a statewide responsibility in the areas of criminal justice, social work, public administration, and gerontology. The campus also plays a key role in public affairs research and small business development in Nebraska. In expanding doctoral study UNO will emphasize areas in which the campus has a statewide responsibility, as well as cooperative programs with UNL and/or UNMC in additional academic areas to address otherwise unmet needs in the Omaha metropolitan area. UNO is committed to broadening education participation for those underrepresented groups who do not yet fully enjoy the promise of higher education and the wellsprings of opportunity that it brings.

Research and Scholarship

The faculty of UNO share the obligation of all university faculties to participate in the creation, reorganization, and application of knowledge. Indeed, scholarly research is a sine qua non of graduate-level programs. Research and creative activity have been accorded a greater priority at UNO in recent years, and this emphasis will increaseas UNO develops further doctoral programs.

Public Service

As the only comprehensive public university located in the State's largest metropolitan area, UNO has a special responsibility to use its resources and expertise to provide leadership in solving problems of the community and supporting its social, cultural, and economic advancement. UNO's capacity to engage in public service derives from its instructional and research programs and resources; these, in turn, are enhanced by involvement with the community on issues of mutual concern.

Summary

Since its inception in 1908, the University of Nebraska has forged a continuing partnership with the community. That partnership has focused on providing affordable, accessible instructional programs of high quality that are designed to meet the diverse needs of both traditional and nontraditional students. Through that partnership, UNO has enhanced the social and cultural life of the metropolitan area and State, and it has worked with various organizations and individuals to address community problems and stimulate economic development. Throughout its history, UNO has been firmly anchored to its community, building strong ties with businesses, education, government, arts, and civic organizations. Those linkages will continue to grow and new ones will be formed as the campus anticipates and energetically addresses the changing needs of the metropolitan area, State, and region and its growing global participations.

 

UNO will continue to develop as a pacesetting, comprehensive metropolitan university, committed to a standard of excellence in its teaching, research, and public service activities. Working cooperatively with other campuses of the University of Nebraska, UNO will strive to anticipate and respond creatively to the emerging needs of 2004 and beyond. It will work to promote the economic vitality of the community and the State; it will enhance its international programs and presence; and it will continue to instill in its students a lifelong commitment to learning to learning while preparing them for leadership roles in a constantly changing society.