UNO keeps academic programs in budget reductions, looks to update business program

The University of Nebraska at Omaha managed to reduce its budget by $1.9 million without eliminating academic programs.

Chancellor Joanne Li said in an update to the campus on Wednesday that the savings was made through eliminating vacant positions and those that will be vacant after retirements, along with redistributing resources.

“I am deeply thankful that we reached this goal with minimal impacts to academic programming and with no reductions of current full-time employees,” Li wrote.

The $1.9 million reduction is part of $40 million in budget cuts across University of Nebraska campuses. The Lincoln campus saw the largest cuts at $21 million with an additional $6.5 million in proactive cuts. Those cuts resulted in the elimination of four academic programs, which many students, faculty and staff have spoken out against.

The University of Nebraska at Kearney announced the potential elimination of four degree programs to deal with its expected $4.5 million budget deficit. The plan also includes cutting seven full-time and one part-time employee, 20 graduate assistant positions and a vice chancellor position. The proposal has yet to be sent to the Board of Regents for approval.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center said it would implement 4% across-the-board cuts for each college and unit.

The Omaha campus is also in the process of creating a financial planning task force, Li said in the update.

“This group will contribute their perspectives and promote transparency in ways that will enhance overall financial strategic planning," Li wrote.

The Board of Regents will also vote at its meeting Feb. 6 on the discontinuation of two undergraduate programs at the UNO campus — art history and religious studies — but both programs will still be around in other ways. The two failed to meet graduation rate requirements set by the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education.

Art history was combined with studio art in August. The university will continue to offer art history courses as part of the new major and requirements for other degree programs. Religious studies will be replaced with a new global religious studies concentration under the international studies major. There will be 11 courses that are discontinued because they are “no longer needed,” according to materials in the Board of Regents agenda.

The board will also vote on changing seven concentrations in the business school into standalone majors, including accounting, entrepreneurship and finance. According to the agenda, these changes are in response to what students and potential employers want. The changes would have no costs.

“Our campuses are continually evaluating our degree programs to ensure our students are well-positioned to move into fulfilling careers that serve the needs of our communities and our state,” NU President Jeffrey Gold said in a statement.