Building Community Through Innovation: 2025–26 Office of Engagement Annual Report
The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) Office of Engagement has released its 2025–26 Annual Report, highlighting a year of record-breaking students in service learning courses, growing community partnerships, impactful research, and new opportunities connecting students with the community.
- published: 2026/10/02
- contact: Robyn Loos - Office of Engagement
- email: rloos@unomaha.edu
This year’s report, Building Community Through Innovation, shares the many ways UNO students, faculty, staff, and community partners are working together to strengthen learning, advance research and creative activity, serve our community, and prepare students for meaningful careers that advance our local, regional, and global communities.
A Year of Growth and Impact
During the 2025–26 academic year, 10,032 UNO students engaged with the community in and outside of the classroom, working alongside 346 unique community partners.
UNO also celebrates a new milestone: 4,379 UNO students participated in service learning courses—the highest number in UNO’s history. Overall, the number of students participating in curricular experiential learning increased 25% from the previous year, while the number of community partners grew 30%.
Throughout the report, you’ll see what engagement looks like in action. UNO students helped the Nebraska Diaper Bank prepare 11,480 diapers for 169 babies across Nebraska, stepped into the role of business consultants to help solve real organizational challenges, and worked alongside faculty and community partners on research addressing issues from chronic absenteeism and poverty to cultural preservation and support for vulnerable youth.
In addition, this year the Office of Engagement offered new, innovative programs such as Pitch 4 Progress, Mavs Make a Difference, and Engaged and Empowered, that activate student civic identity, social entrepreneurship, and off-campus community engagement. The Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center welcomed 86,168 visitors for 6,418 meetings and events, providing an estimated $1.1 million in community benefit to organizations using the space.
Nearly Two Decades of National Leadership
UNO once again earned the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, its third consecutive classification since first receiving the designation in 2006. The recognition affirms nearly two decades of work to embed community engagement throughout teaching, research, service, and partnerships at UNO. The designation affirms UNO’s commitment to the metropolitan mission and the continued growth of community engagement with partners that has deepened over time.
Take a Look at the Full Report
There is a lot to celebrate—and far more than we could fit here.
We invite you to explore the full report and celebrate what we accomplished together.
And, most importantly, thank you to the students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners who continue to make this work possible. We appreciate you!