KEARNEY – The University of Nebraska Board of Regents met Friday at the Regional Engagement Center on the University of Nebraska at Kearney campus.
During the meeting, UNK Chancellor Neal Schnoor highlighted several programs fulfilling important workforce needs in Nebraska.
Schnoor emphasized a new aviation program; 30% growth in health sciences pathways over the past six years; a suite of education programs that are preparing the next generation of teachers, counselors and administrators; and the Grow the Good Life program, which builds stronger connections between students and industry.
Sydney Owen, a recent UNK graduate who is now pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree on campus, is among those who have benefited from the programs.
When Owen began her undergraduate degree, she wasn’t sure what she wanted her major to be. She enrolled in UNK’s College of Business and Technology, and with encouragement from a faculty member, took an accounting course. That course led to others, as well as multiple internships and eventually her pursuit of an MBA.
“Now I look forward to working full time,” she said. “My education with the UNK accounting program, together with my experience, has prepared me for my career.”
The Board of Regents approved a revised program statement that expands the scope and scale of Project Health, the future primary teaching hospital for the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Nebraska Medicine in Omaha.
The revised program expands the project to a 1.5 million-square-foot facility, up from the 1.25 million square feet originally envisioned. The additional space will accommodate greater patient volumes and anticipated growth in UNMC enrollment and allow for a greater number of beds, spaces for specialized care and for the retirement of aging facilities, including Clarkson Tower.
Ultimately, the updated scope aims to provide the inpatient, surgical, interventional, laboratory, education and research capacity needed to support future growth. Together with rising construction costs, the additional space represents an anticipated investment of approximately $500 million beyond the original estimate.
“This investment is certainly significant. But so too is Project Health itself,” said NU System President Dr. Jeffrey Gold. “This project is a once-in-a-multigeneration opportunity to expand access to world-class medical care, modernize how we educate and train the next generation of healthcare professionals and create a clinical economic development platform capable of serving Nebraska long into the future.”
The board also heard a presentation from the UNMC and Nebraska Medicine Transplant Team, in which Dr. Alan Langnas outlined the history and impact of their work. The team recently celebrated its 10,000th transplant.
For those who receive transplants, the impact is extraordinary, said Bob Matthies of Hastings, who received a kidney transplant nearly 13 months ago after matching with a family friend. That donation, he said, felt like “life had been poured back into me.”
Transplants allow Nebraskans like Matthies to return to work, volunteer and contribute to their families and communities, Langnas said. Post-transplant, recipients of organ donation also spend far less on medical care than before their transplants.
The result is $1.8 billion in societal and healthcare savings annually, Langnas said, citing a report by the consulting firm Tripp Umbach. All told, the economic impact of the UNMC and Nebraska Medicine organ donation program is expected to grow to $5.2 billion by 2028.
“UNMC has been a leader in both bone marrow and solid organ transplantation of kidneys, livers, hearts, lungs and others for decades,” Gold said. “Countless lives have been saved and transformed because of the expertise, innovation and extraordinary care of our physicians, nurses, researchers and healthcare professionals. Their work exemplifies what academic medicine means for the people of Nebraska, both now and for thousands of individuals and their families in the years and generations to come.”
In other business, the board:
- Approved a proposal to rename the Bachelor of Science in sport and recreation management at UNK and change the home department. The degree will now be a Bachelor of Science in sport management housed in the Department of Marketing, Agribusiness and Supply Chain Management in the College of Business and Technology.
- Approved extending Gold’s contract from June 30, 2029, to June 30, 2032.
