NU Regents to consider 5% tuition increase, next UNK chancellor June 19
Advocates for the University of Nebraska system join at the Nebraska State Capitol for the annual "I Love NU Day." In the front row, from left, is NU President Jeffrey Gold, State Sen. Jason Prokop of Lincoln and Student Regent Ishani Adidam (University of Nebraska at Omaha), Student Regent Pranita Devaraju (University of Nebraska Medical Center), Student Regent Elizabeth Herbin (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), Student Regent Sam Schroeder (University of Nebraska at Kearney), State Sen. Teresa Ibach, Chancellor Joanne Li (UNO), interim Chancellor H. Dele Davies (UNMC) and interim Chancellor Charlie Bicak (UNK). April 2, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)
LINCOLN — The University of Nebraska Board of Regents will consider a roughly 5% tuition increase at its meeting next week after state appropriations fell well short of NU's request.
Nebraska lawmakers in May approved a 0.625% increase in state dollars for the next fiscal year ($4.35 million) at NU. But regents last August asked for a 3.5% increase, mostly to cover inflationary costs. NU President Jeffrey Gold said that while the Legislature must balance its budget, 'the other side of the coin' is that NU faces similar inflationary pressures to the rest of state government.
Gov. Jim Pillen, a former regent for 10 years, initially suggested a 2% cut of state funding to NU, but federal funding cuts and freezes helped ignite new negotiations.
'While we're not a supermarket or a car dealership, we still have to buy the same dozen eggs, the same tomatoes to feed our students,' Gold told the Nebraska Examiner this week.
Lawmakers, Gold and Pillen landed at a new 'compromise' to increase state funding by 0.625% next year and 0.625% over that new baseline in the following fiscal year, both short of the annual 3.5% increase regents asked for. The state runs on a two-year budget cycle, but NU passes an annual budget.
Gold said NU leaders studied tuition at peer institutions, as well as within specific colleges and programs so NU maintained competitive tuition rates. Most are within the lowest quartile or decile, he said, or the lowest compared to other universities and colleges.
As a first-generation college student, Gold said he always has concerns that tuition increases could hurt enrollment, and he's focused on trying to keep college as affordable as possible.
'Not to say that it's not a significant change in tuition and that it is essentially asking families and students to pay more for their education out of pocket,' Gold said. 'It is still a very conservative approach, with our focus on remaining affordable long term into the future.'
Under the proposal, NU's $1.1 billion 'state-aided budget' would increase by $19.07 million, the result of new state dollars and increased tuition, minus $2.5 million in declining investments.
It's an overall spending increase of about 1.8%.
Operational expenses would increase by $37.44 million, but Gold is seeking $18.37 million in cuts to balance new expenses and revenues. The increased costs are:
$22.31 million for general operations.
$12.73 million for faculty salaries (faculty at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the University of Nebraska at Kearney are unionized.)
$7.78 million for health insurance (assuming a 7.25% increase in premiums).
$1.64 million for utilities.
$793,507 for employee benefits.
The budget also seeks to expand the 'Nebraska Promise' — free tuition for any Nebraska student whose family makes $65,000 or less — by about $1 million and invest $2 million in deferred maintenance.
Another $1.5 million will go to maintain the 'Presidential Scholars Program' to waive tuition and pay students with top scores on the ACT to attend NU, for a 50-student annual cohort. Regents had asked for matching state fund, which did not come.
Gold said campuses are proposing planned reductions that will be ready by the end of the month. He said administrators are committed to closing any budget gap while also turning attention to a growing set of legislatively mandated tuition remissions, waiving tuition for law enforcement, public safety workers, firefighters, first responders, veterans and more.
While Gold said it's good to offer higher education to those individuals and often their families, the roughly $10 million cost next year means sustaining those programs get more difficult. NU continues working with Pillen and lawmakers to find a solution.
While there is a net increase in faculty expenses, the NU budget shows a $12.34 million decrease in nonfaculty expenses, meaning the status quo for staff also won't be maintained.
Jordan Gonzales, president of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Staff Senate, said in May he was 'deeply disappointed' after Gold announced the budget would include no allocation for general salary increases or across-the-board raises.
Gonzales told UNL staff that investing in them 'is not just a matter of fairness, but a strategic imperative for the long-term health and success of the University of Nebraska.' He predicted 'significant, negative consequences,' including diminished morale and productivity, declines in recruitment, increased staff turnover and higher workloads passed on to remaining staff.
'Investing in our people is also critical if we truly aspire an odyssey to the extraordinary, especially if we want to create and maintain an extraordinary culture and environment,' Gonzales wrote, citing Gold's long-term strategic plan.
Gold had said campuses can pay for promotions, often needed for recruitment and retention, but that those costs would need to be made up on individual campuses.
Outside of the general state-aided budget, the total $3.57 billion NU budget (including cash funds, auxiliary funds, federal funds and trust funds) estimates that NU will receive about $11.85 million less in federal funds. NU is estimated to receive about $740.7 million in restricted federal funds.
Gold said federal cuts would predominantly be dealt with on a campus-by-campus and college-by-college level, such as if a research grant is canceled or indirect cost recovery rates are dropped. He noted that the current congressional tax-focused bill — dubbed the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' — calls to significantly reduce federal research funding.
It could be harder to compete for federal research grants, Gold said, and if a research program is terminated, NU would try to repurpose those researchers. If not, they could lose their jobs.
'These are very, very significant changes, and there's no easy solution to this across the country,' Gold said. 'But we're going to do everything we can to protect our faculty and our staff who are involved in these research-intensive programs.'
Regents are also set to officially confirm Neal Schnoor as the next UNK chancellor.
Gold said he is excited for the 'right person at the right time,' someone who knows Nebraska, Kearney and UNK 'extremely well' as a former faculty member and administrator. Gold said the public vetting process has been 'astoundingly positive' and that Schnoor understands how to focus on enrollment, leadership development and make hard decisions.
Schnoor is currently the president of Northern State University in South Dakota.
'It will be with a great sense of pride that I will recommend Neal Schnoor to be the next chancellor of UNK,' Gold said.
If confirmed, Schnoor would start July 1 with a $355,000 salary. He would succeed former UNK Chancellor Doug Kristensen, who retired May 2024 after 22 years.
The regents will meet at 9 a.m. June 19 in NU's Varner Hall in Lincoln.
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