Dear UNO Colleagues,

As we head into the holiday season, I want to take a few minutes to express my gratitude and heartfelt appreciation to all of you for your ongoing commitment to the success of our students and our campus community. Together, we are doing amazing things and there is no place that I would rather be than UNO.

• Wear Black, Give Back is a testament to our collective strength. In a single 24-hour period, more than $761,000 was raised for the UNO campus community through nearly 5,000 gifts with more than 700 faculty and staff making contributions.
• During the first quarter, overall research awards exceeded $21 million, up 35% in comparison to this time last year when we were around $16 million. Additionally, submissions have increased notably as well, reaching $43 million in comparison to $30 million during the same period last year.
• UNO put up strong spring-to-fall retention numbers, positioning us well for 2023-24. Your efforts with each and every student makes a difference. Thank you, and let’s finish the fall semester strong with even higher fall-to-spring retention rates.
• The proposed UNO Core unites the campus around a common vision and invites us to innovate and explore new opportunities. I invite each of you to join in conversations about the UNO Core and how it can help focus our work.

While we have much to celebrate, we also have important work ahead of us – work that is framed by the UNO Core and that requires us to come together and work collaboratively as a community.

• General education reform is critically important to UNO’s future. It provides an opportunity to rethink the hallmarks of a four-year degree from UNO and to ensure that our educational foundation sets students up for success, regardless of their choice of major or future plans.
• Opening transfer pathways will help us build on fall enrollment success by streamlining the transfer process for potential undergraduate students as well as building bridges to graduate programs from partner institutions like UNK.
• Spring enrollment is underway – encourage students to not only finish the fall semester strong, but to also enroll in spring semester courses including J-term, which is a great opportunity for students to get a few credits out of the way or to engage in experiential learning through a Study Abroad or Study Away course.
• The Academic Program Vitality initiative presents an opportunity to ensure that academic programs not only meet, but exceed, the needs of our students and align seamlessly with the demands of the evolving workforce. Your expertise and insights are integral to this process and will lay the groundwork for a curriculum that embraces inclusivity, excellence, and relevance.

 Amid an evolving higher education landscape and financial constraints, faculty play a pivotal role in shaping our trajectory. UNO’s dedication to serving the needs of diverse student populations and aligning with the demands of the future workforce highlights our engaged metropolitan mission and the impact we aspire to create within our community and beyond.

I invite each of you to actively engage in this collaborative effort. Share your thoughts, propose innovative ideas, and suggest solutions that empower us to create a curriculum reflective of our commitment to diversity, equity, access, and inclusion. Together, we will not only own the challenges that we face, we will also identify solutions that make us stronger and better.

Warmly,

Phil He

Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

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