UNO Puts Focus on Students, Social Mobility, and Workforce Development as Part of University of Nebraska’s “Only in Nebraska” Campaign

Today, University of Nebraska System President Ted Carter, joined by the chancellors of the four University of Nebraska campuses, announced the public launch of Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future. The campaign is a historic effort to encourage at least 150,000 benefactors to give $3 billion to support University of Nebraska students, faculty, academic programs and research to address the needs of the state.

“As Nebraska’s only public university, we have a special opportunity and responsibility to meet the needs of students, our state and the workforce,” Carter said. “The University of Nebraska is one of the state’s most powerful drivers of economic growth and quality of life. With this campaign, we can extend our impact even further — today, tomorrow and for generations to come.

“Our university is extraordinarily fortunate to be generously supported by alumni, friends and all Nebraskans. This campaign is an investment in students and in our future. We are excited to build that future together — as only Nebraskans can.”

While the campaign has three priorities, the top priority is students. The campaign will create additional scholarships to help make education affordable, attract more students and keep them in Nebraska. It also will invest in programs such as learning communities which help retain students, provide mentorship and guidance and ensure their timely degree completion.

The three campaign priorities are:

• Relentless focus on student access and success ($1.6 billion) – The campaign goal is to create scholarships for every college within the university system to expand access and help the university compete for top talent. The campaign also will raise support for first-generation students, community college transfer students and for areas of critical need, such as in health care, engineering, information technology and teacher education; funds to create or expand programs that help retain students, such as learning communities; and funds for modern facilities that offer students contemporary, hands-on learning opportunities.
• Enhancing faculty, academic and clinical excellence ($750 million) – The campaign seeks funds for endowed chairs and professorships to recruit and retain faculty who are a source of intellectual capital for the state as well as the inspiration and teachers of the next generation of students. It will seek support for faculty programs, many of which spin off innovations for commercialization and create new business startups.
• Transformational research and innovation ($650 million) – The campaign seeks funds to support research and innovation that bring solutions and discoveries to the state and improve outcomes for Nebraskans. This includes health issues where Nebraskans have higher incident rates than the national average; support for agriculture; and support for areas where there is existing university expertise, such as in business, entrepreneurship, food and water security, STEM and early childhood education.

Carter said that while the campaign goal is $3 billion, many gifts are pledged over a number of years or are planned gifts coming to the university later. More than half the campaign goal — $1.6 billion — has already been given or pledged toward the campaign from more than 112,000 benefactors. The campaign began in a quiet phase in 2018 and was made public today.

The private funds that are raised in the campaign can complement but not replace state funds for basic operations. More than 99% of all gifts to the University of Nebraska Foundation are restricted by donors to a specific use.

The campaign will support all campuses of the university, which include the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK), the University of Nebraska‒Lincoln (UNL), the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and its clinical partner, Nebraska Medicine, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), and the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis.

Joanne Li, Ph.D., CFA, UNO chancellor, believes this campaign can make a significant impact in helping students achieve new heights. “At UNO, the most important goal is to empower our students through higher education and improve their social and economic mobility. If we can move students up one or even two tiers, then we lift not only our students but their families and, by extension, our community and our state.”

Examples of campaign priorities for UNO include:

• Scholarships and other student support
• Endowed faculty professorships and chairs
• A new space in Omaha’s Aksarben Village called UNO=ECO, an integrated learning center where education, community and business can come together
• Expansion and renovation of facilities to support STEM education, such as renovation of Allwine Hall and expansion of the Peter Kiewit Institute
• Creation of Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center to allow UNO to house works by renowned artist and Holocaust survivor Samuel Bak while serving as home to events and engagement opportunities on issues of genocide, human rights, the Holocaust and artistic expression.

Barbara Weitz, a university regent and member of the campaign’s executive committee, said the Only in Nebraska campaign provides more opportunities to talk about the University of Nebraska and all it does for people and the state.

“There’s nothing more exciting than being part of something that’s bigger than yourself — something that will go on to be a legacy for our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren and many generations to come,” Weitz said. “When you invest in the University of Nebraska, you’re investing in the future. We have the opportunity to make that investment now through the Only in Nebraska campaign.”

More information about Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future is at OnlyinNebraska.org.