Under a two-year budget request to be considered this week by the Board of Regents, the University of Nebraska plans to seek state funds to support strategic initiatives that will attract talent, meet workforce needs through education and grow Nebraska’s economy.
The university’s proposed 2015-17 biennial budget request, which the board will consider at its July 18 meeting, was announced today by Interim President James Linder, M.D. The request is due to the governor and legislature in September.
Linder noted that the university has identified a number of initiatives that would benefit from additional investment, including those focused on engineering and information sciences, health care, national security, public-private partnerships and rural development, all of which are key university strengths and critical to Nebraska and its economy.
The proposed budget request includes a $20 million economic competitiveness initiative. Some areas of investment concerning UNMC include:
- The Health Science Education Complex, a collaboration between UNMC and the University of Nebraska at Kearney that will expand UNMC nursing and allied health programs on the UNK campus. The facility will create space for hundreds more Kearney-based nursing and allied health professions students, positioning the university to better meet health needs in rural Nebraska, where shortages of health care workers are especially acute. The nursing and allied health expansion in Kearney was part of the university’s Building a Healthier Nebraska initiative, which received state support in 2012. NU’s 2014-15 operating budget includes $500,000 for faculty hires at the Health Science Education Complex to meet increased student demand.
- The National Strategic Research Institute, a university-wide initiative focused on supporting the mission of the United States Strategic Command. NU faculty associated with NSRI, established in 2012, are pursuing a number of critical projects to advance national security and in NSRI’s first year attracted $9 million in contract funding to support their research.
- The Rural Futures Institute, a university-wide initiative focused on sustaining and enhancing the economy and quality of life in nonmetropolitan areas in Nebraska and beyond. A state investment would leverage the university’s $500,000 investment in the Rural Futures Institute for 2014-15.
- Public-private partnerships that leverage the role of each NU campus as an economic driver for the surrounding community. The university is working to advance public-private partnerships on all four campuses.