UNO Shares Its Story with State Leaders at "I Love NU" Day

Students, faculty, and staff from the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) joined their peers from Kearney, Lincoln, and the Medical Center in the State Capitol Building on Wednesday to accomplish a mission: demonstrate the value of public higher education in Nebraska to state representatives.

During "I Love NU" Day – the University of Nebraska System’s annual day of advocacy – Mavericks spent the afternoon in Lincoln connecting with NU System counterparts, meeting with legislators, and telling the UNO story. During his opening remarks NU System President Ted Carter said it is the personal stories that move the needle in the state.

“The people of Nebraska are so supportive of what we do at the university,” Carter said during his opening remarks. “Whether it’s somebody who has been impacted by having gone to one of our medical facilities, whether somebody has a family member who has gone to one of our institutions, it doesn’t matter what it is, we have been part of the state since the very beginning of the state, and we continue to be.”

During the event, education committee chair Sen. Jen Day – a UNO graduate – thanked students from across the state for their advocacy.

“I’m incredibly proud to be here today, I’m excited that all of you are here,” Day said. “One of the best things about my job is I get to talk to students, I get to meet students, and talk to them about what we are doing in the legislature, so it is an honor to be here today.

Chancellor Joanne Li, Ph.D., CFA, and Student Body President and Student Regent Maeve Hemmer led UNO’s delegation as they interacted with state leaders, lawmakers, and NU System peers.

“When leaders in our state get to meet our students and hear their stories, they can’t help but be excited about the future of the Omaha community and Nebraska as a whole,” Li said. “I applaud the students who took time out of their days to be ambassadors for our university and look forward to growing our presence in the State Capitol and beyond in the years to come.”

Hemmer said the opportunity to have a presence in the Capitol will help UNO advance its long-term mission of being a leading urban institution.

“Making connections in the community and our state is central to everything that we do at UNO,” Hemmer said. “Every conversation and interaction at "I Love NU" Day led to new relationships that will help us advance our university’s mission.”