UNO Strategy Forum Highlights Innovation, Fiscal Plans, and Student Access

📌 What happened: The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) faculty, and staff staff gathered Tuedsay, Sept. 9 at the Thompson Alumni Center for the 2025 Strategy Forum to get an inside look at how the university will advance its strategic priorities for the upcoming year and recognize achievements from the past year.

💡 Why it matters: Chancellor Joanne Li, Ph.D., CFA, shared how the university is leaning into innovation and data-driven strategies.

🔍 Highlights:

• Budget strategy: University leaders expanded on an August message to faculty and staff to share how UNO will address a manageable $1.9 million structural deficit this fiscal year.
• Data-driven planning: UNO has launched a market analysis dashboard enabling leaders to track enrollment demand, academic competition, and job placement, informing strategic resource allocation.
• Scaling AI innovation: Through the NebraskaCYBER MATRIX initiative, UNO will expand AI-infused training, build strategic industry partnerships, and grow hands-on student opportunities to meet rising cybersecurity workforce demands.
• UNO’s role as an economic equalizer: With a 7.3% rise in first-generation students, the university continues to advance access, workforce-aligned programming, and community impact in the face of broader higher-ed disruption.

🎤 Final thoughts: “Higher education must remain focused on its mission as an economic equalizer,” Chancellor Li said in her closing remarks. “At UNO, we are proud to serve students of every background, with a 7.3% increase in first-generation students this fall. Despite the challenges ahead, we will remain optimistic and resilient. The most powerful statement we can make is that we will get through it together.”