The President of the University of Nebraska has been making a swing throughout the state this week, talking with residents and various groups about the present and future of the institution.
A subject that almost always comes up is finances, and how Ted Carter was able to freeze tuition for two years and be as efficient as possible while cutting the University budget by $45 million over three years.
During a stop in Scottsbluff, Carter told KNEB News he’s looking forward to continuing the positive relationship with state politicians, noting that state support of the University will be up to a new governor and new legislature with as many as 18 new senators as they work on a new biennial budget.
“We’ve asked for a very, very modest three percent budget increase, which is lower, by far, than any other higher ed system here in the state,” said Carter. “We think that we can still execute that, (but) I’ll still be $25 million short of executing my planned budget, with that three percent increase over two years. I’ve got to make that savings.” He says in prior years, the University was able to reach those goals by cutting “stuff and staff”, while still retaining NU’s programs and tenured faculty.
Carter says he also sees NU as a key to workforce development in the state, and toward that end this will be the ‘Year of the Paid Internship’ at the institution.
He says it will be meaningful work, and a two-way success model to make sure students are successful while growing the economic engine of the state.
You can listen to the full interview here.
