Charlotte Reilly
News Editor
Chancellor Jeffrey Gold updated University of Nebraska at Omaha faculty, staff and students on the university budget at a town hall meeting on June 21, 2017.
Hundreds of UNO affiliates attended the event at the Strauss Performing Arts Center. Those who could not attend watched a livestream.
The University of Nebraska system’s budget will be cut by $27 million over the next two years, Chancellor Gold explained. More than 100 University of Nebraska positions will be cut. About $5 million in cuts are expected in the first year, and the rest in the second.
Chancellor Gold said UNO can continue to grow with the help and input of the Maverick community.
“You can’t cut your way to greatness. We have remarkable untapped growth potential to get through this and to come out of this budget cycle far greater, far stronger than we have ever been,” Chancellor Gold said. “The long and the short of it is I need to hear from you. The strength of our university is the strength of our people.”
Chancellor also discussed the possible merge of UNO and UNMC. He said the campuses may collaborate in research, data and faculty sharing, but believes the missions of both schools will stay separate.
“I don’t see a lot of overlap in academic programs, at least today. I see synergies. I see opportunities to bring people and programs together.”
He advised the UNO community not to be discouraged by the budget cuts and to continue growing in quality and numbers.
Chancellor Gold invited anyone concerned about the university budget to visit nebraska.edu/budgetplanning or email him directly at jeffrey.gold@unomaha.edu.
