GOING THE EXTRA MILE

The difference between a good student experience and a great one is all in the details. In this month’s update I wanted to share with you all of the incredible ways Mavericks are making small adjustments in the way they teach, work, and learn to lift up students that have a big impact. This is found in advisors taking innovative approaches to academic coaching, students finding motivation in empowering others, staff going the extra mile to answer student questions, and everywhere in between.

The singular focus we have on ensuring that our students have a memorable, fulfilling college experience that results in a career inspires me every day, and I hope these stories will inspire you, too.

At a time when students across the nation are struggling to find full-time jobs after they graduate, we must rethink how we prepare students for life beyond graduation. We are on the leading edge at UNO of a national movement to close this gap by transforming the traditional academic advising model focused on degree completion, to one that places a greater emphasis on connecting students with a career. It’s a small change on paper, but a revolution in practice that our incredible network of advisors are leading.

If you need inspiration for your journey as a student, faculty, or staff member, look no further than Danyell Price. The College of Business Administration student isn’t just pursuing her education to find a career in real estate – she is doing it with a goal to recruit, empower, and hire people of color in the real estate field in her community.

It takes an entire campus community to ensure students stay on course toward their academic goals and professional aspirations. In the latest installment of the Intention for Retention series, you will see how faculty have stepped up to make sure students had the support, resources, and information they needed to succeed.

Hands-on learning experiences are at the core of who we are as a leading urban institution, but it would not be possible without Mavericks like Lorraine Street. As a clerical assistant in the Office of Field Experiences in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, Lorraine plays a critical role in ensuring that future educators make the transition from being a student in the classroom to leading a classroom of their own. Please join me in congratulating Loraine on a much-deserved KUDOS award.

A new economic outlook report conducted by the College of Business Administration and authored by a team of students showed slow but promising progress in Omaha’s effort to recover from the recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

“The COVID-19 pandemic essentially wiped out any gains in employment the area had seen since the previous recession in 2009,” Christopher Decker, Ph.D., professor of economics at UNO and student group advisor, said. “While the addition of 42,000 jobs in 2021 puts the Omaha area closer to pre-COVID shutdown levels, as the student group has collectively concluded, exceeding that mark will come down to labor force participation. This is the most important economic issue has Nebraska faced today. Indeed, only in the last couple of months has the participation rate began to trend back in the right direction.”

 

The report forecasts the Omaha economy to add jobs steadily and grow non-farm employment by 1.1 percent over the next four years.

 

The researchers who conducted the study and the students who authored the report underscore the importance of UNO’s role in not only understanding our economic landscape, but how we prepare our students to participate in it through learning experiences like this.