UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA LAUNCHES ONLY IN NEBRASKA CAMPAIGN TO ADDRESS FUTURE NEEDS OF THE STATE

University of Nebraska System President Ted Carter, joined by the chancellors of the four University of Nebraska campuses, announced in November the public launch of Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future.

The campaign is a historic effort to engage at least 150,000 unique benefactors to raise $3 billion to support students, faculty, academic programs and research to address the needs of the state.

“As Nebraska’s only public university, we have a special opportunity and responsibility to meet the needs of students, our state and the workforce,” Carter said. “The University of Nebraska is one of the state’s most powerful drivers of economic growth and quality of life. With this campaign, we can extend our impact even further — today, tomorrow and for generations to come.”

While the campaign has three priorities, the top priority is students. The campaign will create additional scholarships to help make education affordable, attract more students and keep them in Nebraska. It also will invest in programs such as learning communities, which help retain students, provide mentorship and guidance and ensure timely degree completion.

The campaign will support all campuses of the university, which include the University of Nebraska at Kearney, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the University of Nebraska Medical Center and its clinical partner Nebraska Medicine, the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis.

UNK Only in Nebraska committee members

Carey and Brian Hamilton, far left, are recognized at November’s campaign launch.

rough the campaign UNK will engage more than 12,000 unique donors to raise $70 million for the following priorities.

• e Rural Health Education Building and programs to grow the state’s health care workforce;

• New student scholarships;

• Endowed faculty professorships and chairs;

• e Loper Sports Performance Network to provide a student-athlete experience that touches all aspects of an individual’s well-being, including physical, mental and academic; and

• e Calvin T. Ryan Library redevelopment project and student success programs.

UNK Chancellor Doug Kristensen said, “UNK is a national model of excellence in accessible, quality undergraduate education. With the phenomenal support from our communities and our private partners, we can do even more for our students and our communities, address our workforce challenges and build the future Nebraska needs right now. Working together, I know we can.”

Carey and Brian Hamilton, UNK campaign committee chairs, added: “We want to be a part of the continued success of the University of Nebraska at Kearney. A philanthropic gift to the university makes all the di erence in the world and is the only way that the really cutting-edge things happen. e university is educating our future leaders of the state, of the nation, of the world, so we need to have innovative education to prepare them for the jobs and careers that will be available in the future.” e private funds that are raised in the campaign can complement but not replace state funds for basic operations. More than 99% of all gifts to the University of Nebraska Foundation are restricted by donors to a speci c use.

THE OVERALL UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA CAMPAIGN PRIORITIES ARE:

Relentless focus on student access and success

The campaign goal is to create scholarships for every college within the university system to expand access and help the university compete for top talent. The campaign also will raise support for rst generation students, ommunity ollege transfer students and areas of riti al need, su as ealt are, engineering, information te nology and tea er education; funds to create or expand programs that help retain students, su as learning ommunities and funds for modern fa ilities t at o er students ontemporary, ands on learning opportunities.

Enhancing faculty, academic and clinical excellence

The campaign seeks funds for endowed chairs and professorships to recruit and retain faculty who are a source of intellectual capital for the state as well as the inspiration and teachers of the next generation of students. It will seek support for fa ulty programs, many of w i spin o innovations for commercialization and create new business startups.

Transformational research and innovation

The campaign seeks funds to support research and innovation that bring solutions and discoveries to the state and improve outcomes for Nebraskans. This includes health issues where Nebraskans have higher incidence rates than the national average; support for agriculture; and support for areas where t ere is e isting university e pertise, su as in business, entrepreneurs ip, food and water se urity, and early childhood education.