UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, used his campus forum Monday to pay tribute to two giants of the Nebraska business and philanthropic community, Bill Scott and Bruce Lauritzen.
Lauritzen, the first chair of the board of Nebraska Medicine, was one of the first people Dr. Gold met when he arrived in Omaha.
About Scott, who, with his wife Ruth and family, has been a longtime supporter of many med center initiatives and projects, he said:
“Since that first dinner meeting with Bill and his family … have been amazing friends, colleagues, mentors and advisors,” he said. “He will be greatly missed without a doubt.
“Bill and Ruth have done so much for this community, so much for this campus.”
“We will be celebrating the life of both of these individuals when their respective families are ready to have those events,” Dr. Gold said.
The chancellor was joined at Monday’s event by Anne Barnes, vice chancellor for business, finance and business development, who addressed the audience on UNMC Alert, the med center’s new alert system. Powered by Rave Mobile Safety, the opt-out system will provide more reach for campus emergencies.
“We want to be able to send out alerts that will come to everyone’s cell phone,” she said. “We want to be able to load the most accurate information into the system. There will be communications coming out about how to get that information updated.”
The system is scheduled to go live at the end of the month.
“The one thing that we want to make sure of is, if there is an event on campus, we have the ability to notify all of the members that are on campus that day, and that will include not only students, faculty, staff, patients but even visitors to our campus.
“We feel (the system) will give us a really good way of communicating that information quickly,” Barnes said. “But again, the information is only as good as what’s currently in our system. So, making sure we have accurate information is going to be critically important.”
Watch the March 11 forum at this link.
Barnes also said budget discussions for next year are underway, and Dr. Gold said he was committed to complete transparency to the UNMC community during the process.
Barnes said surveys and listening sessions with students have shown a strong demand for additional housing on campus, and UNMC leaders plan to take a program statement to the next business and finance committee of the NU Board of Regents to build student housing on campus, featuring approximately 300 beds, in units of various sizes.
“The goal at this point would be to begin construction very soon, and ideally have occupancy beginning with the fall semester, calendar year 2026.”
A parking study also is underway to explore expansion of parking opportunities, although Barnes said it may remain a challenge for the next several years.
Dr. Gold reminded the campus that March 27-28 is the second UNMC Giving Day, For the Greater Good.
“Our goal, my personal goal, is to have the very best participation possible,” he said. “It’s a way of expressing our enthusiasm for the future of the institution.”
He pointed attendees to the For the Greater Good website for information of giving and matching opportunities.
Dr. Gold closed the forum with another appeal for UNMC colleagues to prioritize their own wellness and also the wellness of others.
In addition, the chancellor:
- Celebrated the first National Health Workforce Well-being Day, an observance he said, to “call attention to the fact that the health and wellness, the well-being of our health care workforce, is critically important to delivery of care.” (The National Academy of Medicine Collaborative celebrated with an event on Capitol Hill on Monday – the day itself is set for March 18, with more national events throughout the month.)
- Congratulated the Impact in Education Award winners;
- Said a tornado drill is set for March 27;
- Spoke about the recent ACGME conference session he’d attended on artificial intelligence in academic medicine, saying he hoped it could be a tool to reduce stress of providers and allow them to work “at the top of their licenses”;
- Offered an early congratulations to the medical students who will match into residencies this Friday;
- Noted that Gov. Jim Pillen plans to sign a proclamation honoring I Love NU Day later this month;
- Said UNMC was in the final stages of the ongoing search for a government relations director following the retirement of Mark Bowen;
- Announced that the next strategic plan is nearing finalization, and a draft will be posted in UNMC Today and on the UNMC website later this week, with a two-week period for UNMC and the wider community to weigh in on the initiatives;
- Thanked the organizers and participants of the Employee Appreciation Day events;
- Previewed the inaugural Bartee Family Lectureship, set for March 26; and
- Noted that UNMC is doing extremely well in its sustainability efforts.