On Thursday, Gov. Pete Ricketts delivered his State of the State address and released his biennial budget recommendations for 2015-17.
The governor is proposing a 3 percent increase in state funding for the University of Nebraska in each year of the biennium. Interim University of Nebraska President James Linder, M.D., issued the following statement:
“The university and the state have a long and successful history of working together to achieve shared goals for affordable education and economic competitiveness. The budget recommendation illustrates opportunities to continue that partnership going forward. We’re excited about the initiatives that are in our budget request — university efforts in rural development, engineering and IT, health care and other areas that will attract talent, meet workforce needs and grow Nebraska’s economy — and we hope policymakers agree.
“While the governor’s budget recommendation would not cover all of our proposed investments, it is a very positive starting point for discussion and we are grateful for his support. We share the governor’s goal to work together to grow Nebraska.
“We are grateful for the state’s investment in the university that allows us to serve the citizens. The university has a strong record of managing our budget in a cost effective and proactive way that has allowed us to advance important priorities while maintaining affordable access to excellent education — the Board of Regents’ highest goal. A stable base of state support is fundamental to our ability to meet the expectations of Nebraskans.
“We are very fortunate in Nebraska that policymakers have long recognized the important role the university plays in the state’s economy. We look forward to continuing to discuss our budget request with the governor and members of the Legislature.”