As part of the regular maintenance of the campus policy process, two academic policies are currently under review by the Faculty Senate Academic Affairs Committee and EPAC. The Faculty Senate Academic Affairs Committee recommended minor updates so please watch for upcoming EPAC agendas and minutes as those minor updates are now underway. Please feel free to share any comments or ideas with your EPAC representative or with Sarah Edwards in Academic Affairs. The two policies currently being updated are the Academic Integrity Policy and the Recording of Classroom Activities Policy.
2025-2026 Catalog
The catalog for the 2025-26 academic year is now open for revision. All updates, changes, and additions are done in the system at the college and/or unit levels, and representatives are responsible for ensuring that all content has been submitted, reviewed, and approved before forwarding for final processing. Please contact us with any catalog revision questions at curriculum@unomaha.edu.
Catalog Timeline
March 3: Sign-off Representatives (all pages completed in workflow)
March 3 - July 1: Final processing/restructuring of "Front End" - Final Process Catalog
July 1: 2025-2026 catalog goes LIVE (no further changes to the catalog can be made after this date)
Campus-wide Chairs/Directors Meetings
Spring 2024 campus-wide C/Ds meetings will be held on the following dates from 3:00 to 4:30pm:
February 4 via Zoom; SVC He attending
March 27 in person in PKI
Faculty Workload Updates
Faculty workload updates for Spring 2025 are due to Academic Affairs by February 15. Please enter updates into spreadsheet on SharePoint.
Faculty Awards
Faculty honors and awards increase the visibility of faculty accomplishments and enhance the reputation of the university. Please consider supporting nominations of your faculty for the following campus-wide faculty awards:
Excellence in Teaching Award
Distinguished Research and Creative Activity Award
Application materials for campus-wide named chairs and professorships are due March 1st. For additional information on the opportunities available and application process visit the Named Professorships and Chairs webpage.
PT Faculty Hiring Timeline for Summer 2025
Information on the timeline for part-time faculty contracts for Summer 2025 will be shared with colleges in early February. Contact Jenn Swartzendruber for additional information.
Important Dates
Feb 4: Campus-wide C/D meeting
Feb 7: AAT - Curriculum planning and scheduling session
Feb 10: Promotion and tenure recommendations due to Academic Affairs
Feb 12: Assistant and Associate Deans and Vice Chancellors meeting
Feb 14: Faculty annual review reports due to chairs/directors via Watermark
Feb 15: Updates to Spring 2025 faculty workload reports due
Mar 1: Nominations for campus level faculty awards due
Mar 1: Applications for campus-wide named chairs/professorships due
Mar 1: Recommendations for campus-wide named chair/professorship renewals
2025-2026 Academic Program Review
Each academic program undergoes program review every seven years in accordance with UNO’s academic policies and relevant governing requirements (e.g. Board of Regents, Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education, and the Higher Learning Commission). Program review provides opportunities for faculty to reflect on the strengths and challenges of their academic program, consider opportunities to improve student learning and success, and develop future strategic directions for the program. The following academic programs are tentatively scheduled to be on the program review cycle next year (2025-2026).
Join the Office of Engagement for a monthly discussion about engaged teaching & research. You’ll hear best practices and lessons learned from fellow faculty and OE staff members who can connect you to resources that will help you along the way. Join us as we share information and build community around engaged teaching. Held the last Wednesday of every month via Zoom.
For more information, contact Rosey Higgs, Associate Director for Service Learning.
Join us HERE, or email Rosey to be added to the mailing list.
March Roundtable, 3/26/25, 12:00p – 1:00p
Topic: Connecting Service to Curriculum & Impact on Student Engagement.
Presenter: Farrah Grant, Department of Geography/Geology
Join us HERE, or email Rosey to be added to the mailing list.
April Roundtable, 4/30/25, 12:00p – 1:00p
Topic: Service Learning & The Arts
Presenter: Adrian R. Duran, Ph.D., School of the Arts, CFAM
Join us HERE, or email Rosey to be added to the mailing list.
Staffing Updates in the Office of Research and Creative Activity
We are excited to share some recent staffing updates in the Office of Research and Creative Activity (ORCA)!
Aaron Keanini joined us this month as our new Contracts and Awards Administrator II. Scott Dannelly, previously a member of our Grants Accounting team, has transitioned into the role of Contracts and Awards Administrator I. They join Ashlee McGill, completing our Awards team. With this team now fully staffed, we are well-positioned to better support faculty and process awards more efficiently.
With Scott’s move to his new position, we now have a vacancy for his previous role as Grants Accountant. Additionally, we are looking to fill another key position on our team: Grants Coordinator.
2024-25 ORCA Faculty Fellows
The Fellows will work with the ORCA leadership team and across campus on various projects to promote undergraduate research, research development cohorts, and faculty awards and recognition.
Michelle Friend
Dr. Michelle Friend is an Associate Professor of Teacher Education. Her research focuses on computer science education, particularly equity and interdisciplinary STEM connections. In addition to working with UNO’s Computer Science Teacher Education program, she co-leads the PrepareCS project, supporting university Schools of Education across the US in developing CS teacher preparation programs. Dr. Friend’s ORCA fellowship is focused on supporting undergraduate research opportunities, particularly by increasing opportunities for Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs).
Jonathan Santo
Jonathan Santo, Ph.D., is a Professor of Psychology. He serves as Director of the Graduate Developmental Psychology Program and faculty member in the Office of Latino/Latin-American Studies. Most of his research focuses on the impact of peer relations on child and adolescent development, with an emphasis on the importance of friendships as a source of social support. Santo also studies cultural differences in factors related to self-esteem as well as classroom-level influences. Ultimately, his research is aimed at improving the lives of children and adolescents by fostering supportive school environments and encouraging positive peer relationships.
Central Plains Federal Statistical Research Data Center (CPRDC)
Beginning in January, with ORCA’s financial investment, UNO will become a member of the CPRDC Consortium, which will open up a wide range of exciting new research opportunities to UNO researchers across all colleges. Located at UNL, the CPRDC provides a convenient and affordable site to conduct research using federal restricted-use microdata. The Center serves the region with data sets collected by the US Census Bureau and other federal agencies in a secure computing facility. It is particularly valuable for, though not limited to, those wanting to conduct longitudinal studies. The Center has four primary areas of expertise: Great Plains data, survey research methodology, statistical modeling, and research on health and social disparities. Further, the CPRDC facilitates broader access to a range of existing ecological/climatological data sets, including those pertaining to water and food security, and sustainability in urban and rural settings. More information may be found at the CPRDC website. Researchers are invited to contact Seth Kingery for support. While ORCA encourages researchers to go ahead and begin their work at the Center, please stay tuned for future updates regarding group training sessions that are currently in preparation.
Friday, Feb. 28th, 10 AM to 11:30 AM, CPACS Room 132D
This session is aimed at helping faculty and staff increase their foundation funding. Participants will learn how to best position themselves to receive private foundation funding to support their research, scholarship, or creative endeavors.
The ORCA General Grant-Writing Faculty Cohort is a 5-session program that provides a dynamic, supportive community designed to empower faculty in their pursuit of external funding for research and creative endeavors. This program provides a structured framework for honing grant-writing skills, fostering collaboration, and navigating the complex landscape of grant opportunities.
The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its education programs or activities, including admissions and employment. The University prohibits any form of retaliation taken against anyone for reporting discrimination, harassment, or retaliation for otherwise engaging in protected activity. Read the full statement.
University of Nebraska at Omaha, Academic Affairs, 6001 University Dr., Eppley Administration Building 202, Omaha, NE 68182, 402.554.2262, academic.affairs@unomaha.edu
