To the Faculty and Staff of the University of Nebraska System:
Welcome to the new academic year. Special greetings to those who have recently joined the University of Nebraska. We’re so glad to have you on the team.
We begin this next chapter in the University’s history at a pivotal moment for higher education.
The educational landscape has changed dramatically – a shift that was underway before Covid-19, but which has only accelerated over the past few years. Challenges around the health and safety of our world and people are increasingly urgent and complex. Our workforce demands many more highly skilled graduates.
At the same time, there are near-daily headlines around the costs and value of college. The institutions that are most nimble, bold and willing to innovate will be the ones that thrive going forward.
And I’m convinced the University of Nebraska is ready to meet the moment. The proof is in the work you do every day – work that is transforming the lives of students and people around the world, preparing Nebraska’s workforce, and building a new model for affordable, outstanding, impactful higher education.
You are moving us forward, with opportunities to reach even higher:
- With prices for everything else going up, we’re freezing tuition for the second straight year for every University of Nebraska student. Combined with our newly expanded Nebraska Promise program that provides free tuition to qualifying Nebraska students, we’re taking big steps to keep the doors of higher education open to all – with more to come.
- We’ve set a goal for every student across the NU System to have a paid internship or experiential learning opportunity, a key step in preparing them for long-term success.
- Your work in agriculture, rural development, medicine, national defense and other areas is recognized on the global stage – and the world is depending on solutions as never before, solutions that I believe will originate from our universities.
- Working hand-in-hand with elected officials, we’ve secured investments in projects that will grow our state’s economy and quality of life for generations to come – including the UNK-UNMC Rural Health Education Building in Kearney that will be transformative for rural Nebraska; an agricultural innovation facility at UNL; and a pancreatic cancer research institute at UNMC. We are grateful to the Legislature and Governor for their partnership on these efforts, and we’re eager to get started.
- The state’s partnership is also allowing us to make impressive progress on our plan to update our buildings so that you have quality, modern spaces in which to teach and work – a win for students, faculty, staff and taxpayers alike.
- With disciplined budgeting, we have been able to make meaningful investments in our people, our greatest asset. We will continue to identify ways to put people first.
I’m looking forward to another year of success and impact. I wish you a wonderful first week of classes, and I thank you for all you do for students and the University of Nebraska.
Ted Carter
President, University of Nebraska System