‘No other program like this’: UNL gets pushback for ending Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Funding cuts at the University of Nebraska are putting several programs on the chopping block.
One of them is the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department, a program deeply rooted in a state known for its severe weather.
Adam Houston, a professor of atmospheric science at UNL, said students will go to another university if the department is cut.
“There’s no other program like this in Nebraska,” he said.
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Houston said it’s hard telling students coming from other states or countries about the future of the program.
“We have to somehow communicate the status of the department, and there’s a lot of uncertainty as this point, so there’s nothing concrete with can provide them,” he said.
For graduate students coming to UNL to specialize in meteorology, the announcement felt devastating.
Robert Szot from Dallas said he came to UNL because it is one of the institutions in the nation that does the research he’s interested in.
“I’s the only place I could do that research, and if this department’s cut, I may not have that opportunity anymore,” he said.
University of Nebraska President Jeffrey Gold has said students already in a program that might be cut will be able to finish their degree.
University leaders said the cuts are necessary to balance the budget.
They looked at factors like enrollment numbers and graduation rates when deciding what to cut.
But for many, the decision feels like a loss too great to measure.
“We do research that’s not captured in those metrics,” Szot said. “You inherently have to value the fact that we do lifesaving work that can’t been done anywhere else in Nebraska.”
He feels like his future is left in limbo.
“I was attracted here for this program, so I might have to leave this state,” Szot said. “And there are many more examples of people in this department that might have to do so.”
