University of Nebraska system looking to cut $20 million from its budget

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — University of Nebraska President Jeffrey Gold on Friday announced a systemwide budget cut.

Due to proposed federal cuts and less state funding than requested, Gold said the system will need to cut well over $20 million from its budget to ease the financial pressure.

“This will include anything and everything from elimination of low-enrollment programs, degrees, majors,” Gold told Channel 8. “We’re going to be looking very carefully at organizational structures of departments, colleges — how we manage and distribute their needs.”

This comes on top of $20 million in budget cuts already approved by the Board of Regents in June.

The board also OK’d a 5% tuition increase to make up for funding cuts.

SEE ALSO: Nebraska Board of Regents considering 5% tuition increase in proposed budget

The tuition increase and budget cuts follow a 0.625% increase in state appropriations, which is significantly lower than the 3.5% request submitted by the Board of Regents.

In a document explaining the budget, the board said inflation, along with state and federal funding challenges “will require all academic and business units to reprioritize their spending to manage inflationary increases and funding reductions.”

Just last week, the University of Nebraska Medical Center announced a 4% across-the-board cut for its colleges, centers and institutes due to projected federal research funding reductions.

In an email sent to faculty and staff, Gold said the university system’s values will not change.

“What the University of Nebraska looks like will continue to evolve,” he said. “But our commitment to serve the people of Nebraska with quality higher education, cutting-edge research and discovery and meaningful statewide engagement will not change.”