University of Nebraska system

University of Nebraska system
Latin: Universitas Nebraskensis[1]
MottoLiteris Dedicata et Omnibus Artibus
Motto in English
Dedicated to Letters and All the Arts
TypePublic university system
EstablishedFebruary 15, 1968 (1968-02-15)
Budget$2.65 billion (FY 2019)[2]
PresidentJeffrey P. Gold
Students51,835[3]
Location,
U.S.
Campus3 Universities
1 Medical School
1 Agricultural College
1 High School
ColorsRed and gold[4]
   
Websitewww.nebraska.edu

The University of Nebraska system is the public university system of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The system was formed in 1968 from the merger of the University of Nebraska and the University of Omaha. The system has since expanded to include the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, University of Nebraska Medical Center, and an online high school. Its flagship campus is the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

History

The University of Nebraska system was formed in 1968 from the merger of the University of Nebraska and the University of Omaha.[5] Upon the merger's completion, the system originally included the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and the University of Nebraska Medical Center, which the University of Nebraska–Lincoln had previously acquired in 1902.[6] The system later added the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 1990, and the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in 1994.[7][8]

Schools

Name Formed Location Joined Type Ref.
University of Nebraska–Lincoln 1869 Lincoln 1968 Research university
University of Nebraska at Kearney 1905 Kearney 1990 [8]
University of Nebraska Omaha 1908 Omaha 1968 [9]
University of Nebraska Medical Center 1880 1968 Medical school [6]
Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture 1965 Curtis 1994 Technical college [7]
University of Nebraska High School 1929 Online 2013 Online high school [10]

Nebraska Institutes

The University of Nebraska has four interdisciplinary, University-wide institutes operating across the University of Nebraska system.

  • Buffett Early Childhood Institute - Samuel J. Meisels, founding executive director
  • National Strategic Research Institute - Robert Hinson, USAF Lt. General (ret.), founding executive director
  • Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute - Peter G. McCornick, executive director
  • Rural Futures Institute - Chuck Schroeder, founding executive director

Two of NU's campuses also partner in the Peter Kiewit Institute, a facility in Omaha, Nebraska that houses academic programs from both the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's College of Engineering and the University of Nebraska at Omaha's College of Information Science and Technology.

NU Online Education

Online Worldwide is the virtual connection point to more than 100 online degrees, certificates, endorsements, and minors offered by the four campuses of the University of Nebraska system.[11] University of Nebraska High School is an accredited, university-based online high school. The online college preparatory curriculum allows students to earn high school credit or a diploma from anywhere around the world.[12]

Governance

University of Nebraska system locations.
Black: Universities; Red: Technical Colleges.

Board of Regents

The University of Nebraska system is governed by the board of regents, a twelve-member panel consisting of eight voting members and a non-voting student body president from each campus. Voting members are elected by district to six-year terms; elections are held in even-numbered years. The board of regents meets at Varner Hall on East Campus and supervises the operation, expenditures, and tuition rates of each university in the system.

The Board of Regents was established as a constitutional office in the 1875 Nebraska State Constitution.[13] At the time, the regents were elected in partisan statewide elections to six-year terms.[14] In 1917, the legislature made the regental elections nonpartisan, and in 1920, voters ratified a constitutional amendment that provided for the election of the regents by district. The regents were elected from the state's congressional districts from 1923 to 1949, and from the Nebraska Supreme Court districts from 1949 to 1971. Beginning in 1971, the regents were elected in separate districts drawn by the state legislature, which are redrawn after each census.[15] In 1974, voters approved a constitutional amendment that added student members to the board of regents as nonvoting members.[14]

University of Nebraska Board of Regents[16]
District Name Elected Seat up
District 1 Timothy Clare 2020 2026
District 2 Jack Stark 2020 2026
District 3 Jim Scheer 2024 2030
District 4 Elizabeth O'Connor 2024 2030
District 5 Robert Schafer, Chair 2024 2030
District 6 Paul Kenney, Vice Chair 2022 2028
District 7 Kathy Wilmot 2022 2028
District 8 Barbara Weitz 2024 2030
University of Nebraska at Kearney Sam Schroeder N/A N/A
University of Nebraska–Lincoln Elizabeth Herbin N/A N/A
University of Nebraska Medical Center Pranita Devaraju N/A N/A
University of Nebraska at Omaha Ishani Adidam N/A N/A

President

The president of the University of Nebraska system is appointed by and reports to the board of regents. The position was created in 1968 when the Municipal University of Omaha and the University of Nebraska Medical Center were absorbed into the University of Nebraska to create a state-wide system. Clifford M. Hardin was the first president and Ronald Roskens was the longest-tenured. Jeffrey P. Gold has been serving as Nebraska's president since July 1, 2024.[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Search". Internet Archive.
  2. ^ "University of Nebraska : 2019 Budget" (PDF). Nebraska.edu. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  3. ^ "UN System Student Enrollment 2015 - Factbook" (PDF). University of Nebraska system. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  4. ^ University of Nebraska Style Guide (PDF). August 18, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  5. ^ "'University of Nebraska At Omaha' Officially Launched In Ceremonies". Telegraph. July 2, 1968. p. 14. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Omaha Medical College Becomes Connected With State University". Omaha Daily Bee. April 10, 1902. p. 1. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
  7. ^ a b "NCTA is on an upswing". Telegraph. March 6, 1994. p. 1. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  8. ^ a b "Court Lets Kearney Join the N.U. System". Omaha World-Herald. May 18, 1990. p. 14. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
  9. ^ "NU Grows By 8,000 As OU Officially Merged". Lincoln Evening Journal. July 1, 1968. p. 1. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  10. ^ "About UNHS". University of Nebraska High School. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  11. ^ "Online Degree Programs | University of Nebraska Online". Online.nebraska.edu. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  12. ^ "University of Nebraska High School". Highschool.nebraska.edu. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  13. ^ Article VII, Section 10, Constitution of Nebraska, 1875, retrieved February 14, 2025 – via Nebraska Legislature
  14. ^ a b Miewald, Robert D.; Longo, Peter J. (2011). The Nebraska State Constitution. Oxford University Press. p. 127. ISBN 978-0-19-977931-4. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  15. ^ Yeargain, Quinn (2023). "Shadow Districts" (PDF). Cardozo Law Review. 45 (2): 424, 482–83. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  16. ^ "Board Members & Districts". University of Nebraska Board of Regents. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  17. ^ "A Welcome from President Gold". University of Nebraska System. Retrieved July 2, 2024.