The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has released its final budget reduction plan, outlining $27.5 million in cuts that will impact academic programs, colleges, and administrative staff. Chancellor Rodney Bennett presented the finalized strategy on Monday, following weeks of review and feedback from the university community.
The plan, which now moves to the Board of Regents for consideration in December, reflects adjustments from an initial proposal. Notably, two academic programs previously slated for elimination have been preserved, though four others will be discontinued.
Key Takeaways
- The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will implement $27.5 million in budget reductions.
- Four academic programs will be eliminated, a reduction from the six originally proposed.
- Administrative and staff positions will see cuts totaling $2.95 million.
- Four colleges face a combined $1.6 million in budget reductions.
- The final plan incorporates feedback gathered from thousands of university stakeholders.
Details of the Final Plan
After a period of intense review and community consultation, the university's leadership has settled on a revised strategy. The final plan was shaped by input from thousands of individuals, including faculty, students, staff, and alumni, who engaged with the Academic Planning Committee in recent weeks.
Chancellor Bennett acknowledged the difficulty of the decisions, emphasizing the human element behind the numbers. The process was guided by the university’s official Procedures to be Invoked for Significant Budget Reallocations and Reductions, a framework last updated and approved in 2022 by key university governance bodies.
"I do not take any of these decisions lightly," Chancellor Bennett stated. "Each reduction carries with it the weight of personal impact on individual students, faculty and staff, whose contributions to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln matter, regardless of how their unit’s productivity is measured."
Impact on Academic Programs and Colleges
One of the most significant changes from the preliminary proposal is the reduction in academic program eliminations. While an initial draft suggested cutting six programs, the final plan will eliminate four. The community and regional planning and landscape architecture programs, previously on the chopping block, have been spared.
However, the number of colleges facing direct budget cuts has increased. Four colleges will now see their budgets reduced by a total of $1.6 million, an increase from the two colleges targeted in the earlier version of the plan. The affected colleges include:
- College of Engineering
- College of Arts and Sciences
- College of Architecture
- College of Fine and Performing Arts
Budget Adjustments by the Numbers
- $27.5 Million: Total budget reduction.
- $2.95 Million: Cuts to administration and staff positions, an increase of $260,000 from the initial proposal.
- $1.6 Million: Combined reductions for four academic colleges.
- $750,000: Cuts shared by the Colleges of Business, Engineering, and Journalism, a decrease of $350,000 from earlier plans.
Administrative and Staffing Reductions
The plan also details significant cuts to administrative and staff positions. A total of $2.95 million will be eliminated from the budgets of the Office of the Chancellor, the Executive Vice Chancellor’s Office, and the Business and Finance department. This figure represents an increase of $260,000 in administrative cuts compared to the first draft of the plan.
Further reductions will be made through a combination of staff position eliminations and operating expense cuts in other areas. The College of Business, College of Engineering, and College of Journalism and Mass Communications will collectively reduce their budgets by $750,000. This is a smaller reduction than the $1.1 million originally proposed for these units.
The Path Forward
The final budget reduction plan has been formally submitted to the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. The board is scheduled to review and consider the plan during its meeting in December. The outcome of that meeting will determine the final approval and implementation timeline for these significant financial adjustments.
A Difficult but Necessary Step
Throughout the announcement, Chancellor Bennett stressed that the measures, while challenging, are essential for the university's financial health and long-term stability. The goal is to realign resources to ensure the institution can continue its core mission effectively in the future.
The university administration maintains that these decisions were made after careful consideration of all available feedback and data. The focus now shifts to implementing the changes while supporting the students, faculty, and staff affected by the reductions.
"I have a strong conviction that even though what we are doing is very difficult, it is in the best interest of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s long-term future," Bennett concluded.
The university community will be watching closely as the Board of Regents takes up the plan next month, a crucial step that will shape the academic and operational landscape of UNL for years to come.
