From On-Campus in 1971 to Online in 2025: Ben Simmons's UNO Experience

From getting his bachelor’s degree as a first-time father, to completing his master’s while relaxing in retirement, Ben Simmons has a unique 50-plus year history with the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Originally from Maryland, he landed in Omaha after hearing about the university’s bootstrapper program. The then-program was designed to assist members of the military complete their degrees. It seemed perfect, as he was just wrapping up his time in Alabama serving in the army.

Simmons, with a smattering of courses from other universities, joined the program to combine his existing credits, finish up a few classes, and graduate with a bachelor’s in general studies. With his wife Martha and young son in tow, they moved to Nebraska — their new home for the next 31 years.

After getting his degree, Martha got hers, too — an undergraduate degree at UNO, followed then by a master’s degree at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. They now joke about how when he was growing up, their son thought all adults went to school since he witnessed a parent taking classes his entire young life.

As the years went on, the pair eventually retired and decided to move to Fort Myers, Florida, for a change of pace. It was there that one day while scrolling the Internet something caught Simmons’s eye: UNO’s Critical and Creative Thinking MA program.

A lifelong learner, Simmons had continued to take college courses here and there throughout the years. But something about this program seemed different — and it sparked a flame of interest. With its focus on interdisciplinary coursework, the program seemed like the perfect opportunity for a person looking to grow and explore deep thinking ideas.

“One of the few advantages, and there are very few advantages of getting old, is that you have time to think. You can think about some of the bigger issues, ethics and values and philosophy. The program fit very nicely with my current interests.”

Simmons signed up for one course, then another, and then before he knew it — he was well on his way to a master’s degree.

Taking asynchronous courses online was a far cry from his original on-campus collegiate experience in 1971, but Simmons still found himself just as impressed by the caliber of instructors and professors he studied under.

The new courses sparked a passion within Simmons for an environmental marvel located not too far from his new home in Florida – the Everglades. Inspired by their scale and the tremendous ecological challenges created by the population growth of Florida, the related development, as well as climate change, he began to focus his academic projects on the area.

“You look at this and you go, you know, it's not like you're looking at the Rocky Mountains or the Grand Canyon, it's not that kind of breathtaking. But it's its own kind of majestic... it's a different kind of majesty. It is very special,” Simmons said. “And it's something that needs to be saved.”

Simmons focused his final graduate project on the challenges and opportunities facing the Everglades, even visiting them on occasion to amplify his understanding of their vast and varied ecology. Since focusing his studies on the Everglades, he’s felt a shift in how he looks at the natural environment – something that Martha says she’s noticed in him, too.

This May, Simmons returned to Omaha to cross the stage at Baxter Arena and accept his degree. Back in his cap and gown in UNO colors, he exuded the same Maverick spirit that he did at his graduation in 1971.