The main goal at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln this year? Raise enrollment! That's according to Chancellor Harvey Perlman.
Perlman gave his annual State of the University address Tuesday at the Lied Center.
"Let me suggest an almost singular focus for the year ahead, one I believe is necessary for our long term success. We need to grow enrollment."
After a low enrollment year at UNL, Perlman says it's more important than ever to raise enrollment. The goal is the same as last year– 30,000 students. The university is currently under 25,000. A size some students say suits them well, and they worry any bigger may pose problems.
"It's just a matter of being careful of how much individual attention they get," says UNL doctoral student Sarah Pizzichemi. "Because I know that people can fall through the crack without a lot of teacher advice."
But no one can dispute the monetary perks, especially while UNL sits in a 6 million dollar deficit.
"This would turn that deficit from being a permanent structural demand for funds into a cash flow issue of 1 year dimension," says Perlman.
Rather than reduce the university's budget this year, Perlman has also imposed a half of a percentage temporary reduction across all units of the university. It's a plan he says he only wants to use once, so he hopes everyone will help recruit more in state students to join the cornhuskers in class.
