Skip to main content
University of Nebraska Omaha logo University of Nebraska Omaha
APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY

Students Faculty Staff Community
APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY
Students Faculty Staff Community
  • About
    About UNO
    • Leadership
    • Mission and Strategic Plan
    • Accreditation
    • Our City: Omaha
    • Facts & Figures
    • News
    • Events
    • Organizational Units
    • Campus Safety
    • Buildings and Maps
    Get Started
    • Apply
    • Campus Visit
    • Contact Us
    Front view of UNO's ASH building
    Get Started Today

    Apply Now
  • Academics
    Majors and Programs
    • Undergraduate Programs
    • Master's Programs
    • Doctoral Programs
    • International Programs
    • Online Programs
    • Class Search
    Colleges
    • College of Arts and Sciences
    • College of Business Administration
    • College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media
    • College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences
    • College of Information Science & Technology
    • College of Public Affairs and Community Service
    • Graduate Studies
    Resources
    • Catalogs
    • Academic Calendar
    • Library
    • Advising
    • Academic Affairs
    • Registrar
    • Academic Support
    • Request Transcript
    Top view glance of calendar showing August 2024
    Deadlines Are Approaching

    View year-at-a-glance calendars that include term start and end dates, and school holidays.

    Academic Calendar
  • Cost & Aid Backback to Main menu
    • Undergraduate Tuition
    • Graduate Tuition
    • Financial Support
    • Cost of Attendance
    • Undergraduate Scholarships
    • All Scholarship Information
    • Military and Veterans Benefits
    • Consumer Information
  • Admissions
    Get Started
    • Apply
    • Complete Your FAFSA
    • Schedule a Campus Visit
    • Request Info
    Admitted Students
    • Orientation
    • Enrollment Deposit
    • Transcripts
    • UNO 101
    • New Student & Family Events
    Cost & Aid
    • Undergraduate Tuition
    • Graduate Tuition
    • Financial Aid
    • Cost of Attendance
    • Scholarships
    • Military and Veterans Benefits
    • Consumer Information
    Admissions
    • Undergraduate Admissions
    • Transfer Students
    • Graduate Admissions
    Students walking together on campus for a tour
    Visit UNO's Campus

    Schedule a Tour
  • Student Life
    Campus Life
    • Event Calendar
    • Athletics
    • Campus Dining
    • Student Housing
    • Campus Recreation
    • Milo Bail Student Center
    • Parking and Transportation
    • Campus Safety
    Involvement and Leadership
    • Student Organizations
    • Student Government
    • Career Services and Internships
    • Spirit and Tradition
    • Student Leadership, Involvement, and Inclusion
    Support
    • Academic Support
    • Maverick Advising Center
    • Accessibility
    • Durango's Advancement & Support Hub (DASH)
    • Student Service
    • Student Safety
    Resources
    • Health Services
    • Military-Connected Resources
    • Student Conduct and Community Standards
    • Division of Student Life and Wellbeing
    Students participating in a beading craft activity
    Get Involved on Campus

    See Events Calendar
  • Engagement
    Students
    • Student Service and Leadership Collaborative
    • Find Volunteer Opportunities
    • Maverick Food Pantry
    • Voter Information
    • Internship Opportunities
    • Career Services
    • Student Resources
    • Become an Engaged Scholar
    Faculty and Staff
    • Faculty Senate
    • Center for Faculty Excellence
    • Staff Advisory Council
    • Faculty Resources
    • Engaged Research
    • Service Learning Academy
    • Community-Based Learning Courses
    Community
    • Campus Resources
    • Service Learning Academy
    • Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center
    • Promote Volunteer Opportunities
    • Promote Internship Opportunities
    • Rent Office Space
    • Senior Passport Program
    • Community Engagement Partnership Initiative
    Office of Engagement
    • Connect to Campus
    • Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center
    • Service Learning Academy
    • Rent Office Space
    • Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center
    • Partner With Us
    • Senior Passport Program
    • Nebraska Business Development Center
    • Community Partners on Campus
    Student volunteering with a food bank
    Connect with Us

    Contact the Office of Engagement
  • Research
    Student
    • Research and Creative Activity Fair
    • Graduate Research (GRACA)
    • Student Conference Travel Fund
    • Undergraduate Scholarly Experience (FUSE) Fund
    Faculty
    • Grant Databases
    • External Funding
    • Awards and Committees
    • Office of Sponsored Programs
    Research at UNO
    • Office of Research and Creative Activity
    • Research News
    • Centers and Institutes
    Students giving presentations on research projects
    UNO Pushes Innovation Forward

    Read UNO Research News
  • Athletics
    Men's Teams
    • Baseball
    • Basketball
    • Golf
    • Hockey
    • Soccer
    • Swimming & Diving
    • Tennis
    Women's Teams
    • Basketball
    • Cross Country
    • Golf
    • Soccer
    • Softball
    • Swimming & Diving
    • Tennis
    • Track & Field
    • Volleyball
    Game Day Resources
    • Purchase Tickets
    • Team Schedules
    • Buy Maverick Gear
    Baxter Arena
    • Calendar
    • Tickets
    • Directions & Parking
    • Clear Bag Policy
    • Public Skating
    Hockey player walking out on the ice arena
    Cheer on our Mavericks!

    Buy Tickets
  • Alumni Backback to Main menu
    • Alumni
    • Transcripts
    • Thompson Center
  1. UNO
  2. News
  3. 2017
  4. 08
  5. A Message From University Leadership

A Message From University Leadership

A message from University of Nebraska leadership on Phase 1 of Budget Response Team recommendations.

  • search keywords:
  • Budget Response Team
  • University of Nebraska
  • University of Nebraska System
NU seal

The University of Nebraska

Dear UNO Staff, Faculty and Students,

On Wednesday, Aug. 2, I joined President Bounds in announcing the planned implementation of several Budget Response Team (BRT) recommendations. You'll find that message below, and there is more information available on the University of Nebraska website.

As we navigate these challenges together, let me be clear that protecting our academic enterprise is our top priority. Our metropolitan university mission of education, research and service cannot slow. We must continue our vital work that benefits our community, our state, the nation and the world.

I am committed to keeping an open line of communication during this process. We are currently planning opportunities for questions and feedback. Additionally, please know that you can reach out to me at any time by emailing jeffrey.gold@unomaha.edu.

Yours truly,

Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D.


Dear Colleagues,

Over the past seven months we’ve been engaged in a university-wide effort to change the way we do business as we face a $49 million budget shortfall created by state funding cuts and our rising costs.

Hundreds of you have participated in this process. Your efforts put us in a better position to navigate this challenge.

We are beginning to implement recommendations of the subject-matter experts who made up the Budget Response Teams, responsible for identifying cuts, policy and process changes, and new structures in university operations. While some implementation specifics continue to be determined, we do want to share changes that are being finalized now.

As we do the difficult work of making cuts during a period of momentum, we will need to be creative in finding ways to do more with less, so we can continue to serve the state.

We will be thoughtful with these changes, but some new realities will not be convenient or easy. Job reductions will impact real people, with real livelihoods, though we will capture personnel savings through attrition wherever possible. Each of us will need to do things differently.

And even though the Budget Response Teams focused on non-academic areas, we’ll need to consider further cuts across our campuses to address the financial challenges we face. That’s the reality given the scale of the recurring budget gap before us.

The most sobering news we can deliver is that our toughest work is still ahead. The Budget Response Team members have done remarkable work in re-thinking our operations in order to help protect our highest priorities of affordability and academic excellence. But there is no question that our state’s ongoing fiscal uncertainties will impact both tuition and academic programs.

We have a choice. We can choose to hunker down and let change happen to us. Or we can choose to see opportunity in this challenge – to be more collaborative, to deploy resources and talent across our campuses as effectively as possible, and to maximize the technology available to us. The University of Nebraska is as important to the state’s economy and quality of life as it has ever been. So as we do the difficult work of making cuts during a period of remarkable momentum, we’ll all need to be creative in finding ways to do more with less so that we can continue to serve the state effectively.

The changes ahead include the following. We hope you will visit www.nebraska.edu/BRT for more detail.

  • In information technology, under the leadership of Vice President for Information Technology Mark Askren, we’re building on efforts that began well over a year ago that resulted in the university-wide OneIT team. Newly integrated IT practices will create benefits beyond dollar savings. For example, campuses currently have small individual cyber security teams. Under a shared model, a university-wide security team of 25 will serve the needs of all campuses.

  • Our Budget Response Teams in energy and facilities brought forward a single plan for university-wide leadership in these areas. A newly unified facilities team will yield more consistent practices and make the best use of resources, like software systems, and expertise across the campuses. The new structure should also help us expand our ongoing efforts to reduce energy costs, already expected to save $1 million. Our colleague Mark Miller will lead this new team.

  • A new university-wide procurement function will integrate our procurement resources, talent and practices to provide more effective supplier management and cost savings. For example, to minimize the impact of the volatile gas market, the procurement team recently teamed with our primary supplier for gases used in research labs to deploy a more cost-effective delivery model – which will not only keep prices low, but also decrease our carbon footprint. The team, led by NU’s Maggie Witt, will implement other cost-saving changes in the coming months, including centralization of university vehicle purchases and maintenance.

  • A new university-wide human resources team will develop more cohesive policies and practices across our campuses. Some changes we can implement quickly, like moving from monthly basic retirement enrollment periods to semi-annual enrollment periods and reducing printed benefits materials. The benefits team has already standardized a university-wide Reduction in Force policy, available on each campus human resources website, to ensure that employees facing position elimination are treated consistently regardless of campus. Our new NU human resources team will be led by our colleague Bruce Currin.

  • On Sept. 1, we’ll reduce the mileage reimbursement rate for employees using their personal vehicles for university travel from the current IRS rate of 53.5 cents per mile to 25 cents per mile, which represents the cost to operate a university-owned vehicle.

  • Next week we’ll bring to the Board of Regents a proposal to contract with Concur, which provides a travel expense reimbursement system that will reduce paperwork and labor. Our current practices don’t take full advantage of current technologies. The new system will automate data delivery, smart phone-based reporting and reconciliation for travel expenses across the university.

  • We’ll develop university-wide policies that will significantly cut our printing and copying costs. For example, we’ll look at keeping more print and copy jobs in-house instead of outsourcing them. We’ll also ask all employees to reduce individual printing – a change each of us can make right now, even before a policy is in place.

Strategies in other operational areas are nearing finalization, under the leadership of experts across the university, and we’ll share those with you soon:

  • Printing and copying, led by Emily Poeschl, director of marketing at UNO, and Robert Jennings, senior manager for materials management at UNMC.

  • Financial operations and accounting, led by Dr. Rodney Markin, associate vice chancellor for business development at UNMC.

  • Public relations, marketing and communications, led by Jackie Ostrowicki, NU assistant vice president and director of marketing and strategic communications, and Teresa Paulsen, chief communication and marketing officer at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

  • Travel, led by NU Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer David Lechner.

We’re also convening university-wide teams in campus safety and parking to explore opportunities to integrate and save dollars. Teams in research services and institutional research are examining best practices for ways to conduct research more easily across the campuses.

Clearly, there’s much work ahead. We must move forward quickly, yet with due diligence, so that we capture the $30 million in savings we are anticipating from the Budget Response Team’s work. We’re pleased to have Marjorie Kostelnik, past dean of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Education and Human Sciences, on board to lead an inclusive implementation process. In the meantime, we continue to welcome your feedback at president@nebraska.edu. We look forward to hearing from you.

Hank M. Bounds, Ph.D.

President, University of Nebraska

Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D.

Chancellor, University of Nebraska Medical Center
and University of Nebraska at Omaha

Ronnie Green, Ph.D.

Chancellor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Doug Kristensen, J.D.

Chancellor, University of Nebraska at Kearney


News Headlines

Omaha World-Herald
NU announces about $25 million in cost-cutting measures

Lincoln Journal Star
NU system identifies $24 million in cuts; president says more to come

Kearney Hub
University of Nebraska President Bounds announces cuts to UNK, the NU system

Beatrice Daily Sun
NU system identifies $24 million in cuts; president says more to come

North Platte Telegraph
University of Nebraska President Bounds announces cuts to UNK, the NU system

KETV
University of Nebraska announces restructuring, policy changes

KMTV
University of Nebraska announces budget strategy

1011 Now (Lincoln)
NU President announces changes to manage budget shortfall

KLKN (Lincoln)
NU announces $30 million cuts in its budget

KRVN (Lexington)
University of Nebraska Announces Restructuring, Policy Changes to Manage Budget Shortfall

KLIN (Lincoln)
University of Nebraska Announces Restructuring

  • News Sections:
  • UNO News Center
  • Maverick Daily
  • The Bullseye
  • Campus Events

News Sections

  • News Center
  • Maverick Daily
  • The Bullseye
  • Campus Events

Featured Stories

  • Limited Parking Around Baxter Arena | May 16
  • Omaha Softball Heads to Oklahoma for 2025 NCAA Regional
  • Three-peat! Omaha Softball Wins Summit League Tournament Title for Third-Straight Season
  • Smart Start Program Builds School Readiness One Backpack at a Time

Related Resources

  • Budget Response Initiative
  • Implementation Areas
  • Contact and Feedback

Contact Us

If you have a story idea, news tip, or other question, please email the UNO News team at unonews@unomaha.edu.

About the Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications (MarComm)

Next Steps

  • Visit UNO
  • Request Information
  • Apply for Admission
  • The UNO Advantage
  • Our City (Omaha)

Just For You

  • Future Students
  • Current Students
  • Work at UNO
  • Faculty and Staff
  • A-Z List

Popular Services and Resources

  • my.unomaha.edu
  • Academic Calendar
  • Campus Buildings & Maps
  • Library
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Course Catalogs
  • Internships & Career Development
  • The Maverick Store
  • MavCARD Services
  • Military-Connected Resource Center
  • Speech Center
  • Writing Center
  • Human Resources
  • Center for Faculty Excellence

Affiliates

  • University of Nebraska System
  • NU Foundation
  • Buffett Early Childhood Institute
  • Daugherty Water for Food Institute
  • National Strategic Research Institute
  • Peter Kiewit Institute
  • Rural Prosperity Nebraska
  1. University Policies
  2. Privacy Statement
  3. Accessibility
  1. 402.554.2800

University of Nebraska Omaha
University of Nebraska Omaha, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE, 68182
  • ©  
  • Emergency Information Alert
  • MavsReport

Social Media


Omaha Skyline

Our Campus. Otherwise Known as Omaha.

The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its education programs or activities, including admissions and employment. The University prohibits any form of retaliation taken against anyone for reporting discrimination, harassment, or retaliation for otherwise engaging in protected activity. Read the full statement.