UNMC Interim Chancellor H. Dele Davies, MD, gave his first address to the UNMC Faculty Senate Wednesday, offering optimism for the future and confidence in UNMC’s ability to get through the current challenging times.
Dr. Davies was named interim chancellor last July, stepping in to lead the campus after serving as UNMC’s senior vice chancellor for academic affairs. A pediatric infectious disease specialist and physician, he now is in his 14th year at UNMC.
In his presentation – titled “Elevating Exceptional: Focused on the Future. Grounded in Resilience.” – Dr. Davies acknowledged the extraordinary changes happening nationally that UNMC is facing and at the state level with budget pressures.
Click Play below to watch the recording of the UNMC Faculty Senate annual faculty meeting.
“But I actually also stand here optimistic and strongly convinced,” he said, “that we at UNMC are as well-suited as any organization in the country in confronting these challenges head on.”
Dr. Davies cited the importance of UNMC’s mission, saying that statement of purpose “ensures strength through any turbulence.” It states:
“Our mission is to lead the world in transforming lives to create a healthy future for all individuals and communities through premier educational programs, innovative research and extraordinary patient care.”
Dr. Davies said, “Our compass forward goes back to our mission. Our mission is to lead the world, and we are doing everything we can to do that.”
Dr. Davies cited important growth measures across UNMC that highlight its broad impact.
- Continuous growth in student enrollment for 24 straight years, reaching 4,703 students as of fall 2024.
- Research that fuels UNMC’s mission, climbing to $217 million in research expenditures and $141 million in federal research grants.
- A total economic impact of $7.7 billion when combined with primary clinical partner Nebraska Medicine and other affiliates.
- Upcoming expansion on the Kearney campus, offering greater opportunities in medical and other health science education and increasing the state’s rural workforce.
- Development of Project Health on the med center Omaha campus, with the project preparing to move into construction, which will provide an economic impact of $3.2 billion during construction.
- Bold investments by philanthropy, as shown by the $793.21 million raised for UNMC through the Only in Nebraska capital campaign.
Dr. Davies said UNMC leaders are not standing idle through the current challenges. Dr. Davies expressed gratitude for strong leadership from University of Nebraska President Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, as well as the NU Board of Regents, as the entire NU system navigates the path to extraordinary.
He also cited history as a guide for UNMC, going back to the institution’s founding in 1869. In its history, he said, UNMC has shown resilience in every era – citing the 1918 influenza pandemic, the Great Depression, World War II, the polio epidemic, the Civil Rights Era, 9/11, the Great Recession, the 2014 emergence of Ebola and the COVID pandemic.
“They’ve all been very, very challenging times – but we are here today,” Dr. Davies said.
“We are as strong as we have ever been, and this is really what gives me confidence that we’re going to keep going strong for another 150 years.”