Lozier Foundation Invests in Literacy by Creating UNO Distinguished Chair

Highlights

• The Lozier Foundation has made a leadership gift to establish a distinguished chair of literacy at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

• Pending approval of the University of Nebraska, the inaugural recipient will be Jennifer Lemke, Ed.D., assistant professor of literacy in the UNO College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences.

• Lemke is a statewide expert in literacy. She is the director of the Nebraska Literacy Project’s Early Literacy Workshop. The program seeks to train 7,000 Nebraska K-3 educators and 35 facilitators by 2027 in the science of reading.

The Lozier Foundation has made a leadership gift to establish a distinguished chair of literacy at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO). The investment will support UNO’s literacy education programs, positioning the university as a leader in the field.

Pending approval of the University of Nebraska (NU) System, the inaugural recipient will be Jennifer Lemke, Ed.D., assistant professor of literacy in the UNO College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences.

“Reading is a foundational building block for so much of a person’s life,” said Dianne Lozier, who leads the Lozier Foundation, which was established by her late husband, Allan, in 1986. “The Lozier Foundation enthusiastically supports Dr. Lemke’s focus on early literacy instruction. Her work supports our state’s teachers while helping Nebraska children to acquire the literacy skills they need to thrive.”

The Lozier Foundation made the gift commitment through the University of Nebraska Foundation to create the permanent endowment. At the request of the donors, the total commitment amount will remain confidential.

The Lozier Distinguished Chair of Literacy will provide an annual salary stipend and funding to support research, community outreach and literacy initiatives. The gift also will create an endowed fund for graduate student support.

“The Lozier Foundation’s generosity is an investment in Nebraska’s future,” Chancellor Joanne Li, Ph.D., CFA, said. “By supporting literacy education, this gift will empower learners across our state, especially our youngest students, through the life-changing power of reading. Dr. Jennifer Lemke is a passionate scholar whose work embodies the very best of our mission to transform lives through education and service. She is a perfect choice to lead this initiative as the inaugural Lozier Distinguished Chair of Literacy.”

Neal Grandgenett, Ph.D., Lois G. Roskens Dean of the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences at UNO, said: “Our college is proud to have such deep expertise in the science of reading as led by Dr. Lemke and her team, who support so many literacy efforts across our area schools and Nebraska. We are so very appreciative to the Lozier Foundation for this significant investment in our literacy efforts and our team’s growing impacts and passions for helping children to read.”

UNO offers literacy programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels through its Teacher Education academic unit. Lemke, who received her doctorate in educational leadership from UNO in 2020, has become a statewide expert in literacy. She is the director of the Nebraska Literacy Project’s Early Literacy Workshop. The program seeks to train 7,000 Nebraska K-3 educators and 35 facilitators by 2027 in the science of reading, that is, evidence-based early literacy instruction with a focus on foundational skills.

The Nebraska Student-Centered Assessment System for the 2023-24 school year showed that only 59% of students in grades three through eight were proficient in English language arts. The Nebraska Department of Education has set a goal to increase third-grade proficiency in English language arts to 75% by 2030.

Lemke’s work earned praise from Nebraska educators.

"Scottsbluff Public Schools is incredibly grateful for Jennifer and her commitment to advancing literacy through the science of reading,” said Jadie Beam, K-12 ELA content specialist in the Scottsbluff Public Schools. “Her dedication to bringing evidence-based teaching strategies to our educators has already made a lasting impact on our classrooms and will continue to benefit our students for years to come. Despite the 900-mile round trip each month this spring, Jennifer never once hesitated to show up for our teachers.”

Lemke said she’s honored by the recognition.

“Our team is working with passionate educators across the state who are dedicated to transforming literacy instruction to ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed,” she said. “By equipping Nebraska educators with the knowledge and tools they need, we are laying the foundation for a more literate and capable generation of Nebraskans.”

The gift supports Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future. The campaign’s goals are to engage 150,000 unique benefactors to raise $3 billion to support the University of Nebraska. A key campaign priority is to create new endowed chairs and professorships across the university to make Nebraska a destination for exceptional educators and researchers.