UNL’s Regional Planning Program Saved But Four Others Cut

By Gordon Hopkins The Community and Regional Planning (CRP) Program offered at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) was one of several programs on the chopping block at a recent meeting of the UNL Board of Regents. That program, strongly supported by Jefferson County Commissioners, was saved but four other academic programs were eliminated. UNL is looking to implement deep budget cuts to counter a $27.5 million deficit. The Board of Regents met Friday, December 5, and voted to eliminate the departments of statistics, earth and atmospheric sciences, educational administration and textiles, merchandising and fashion design. The cuts total $6.74 million and will eliminate approximately 51 positions.According to the board, there are 541 students in those four programs.Earlier this year, Jefferson County Board of Commissioners Chairman Mark Schoenrock, representing the entire board, wrote a letter to UNL’s Academic Planning Committee, supporting the program and urging its retention. “The CRP program is Nebraska’s only PAB (Planning Accreditation Board)-accredited planning program, producing highly trained professionals who serve communities across the state and region. Its contributions extend far beyond the classroom: CRP faculty and students have led nearly 40 community-engaged projects in Nebraska over the past seven years, directly benefiting local governments and residents. The program has also secured more than $3 million in competitive research funding and is nationally ranked for its research excellence,” wrote Schoenrock. “Eliminating CRP would harm Nebraska’s ability to prepare planners, weaken community partnerships, and undercut UNL’s commitments to research, teaching, and service. At a time when communities face urgent challenges – from flood recovery to rural healthcare and aging populations -the CRP program is more vital than ever.” After deliberation, the Academic Planning Committee voted 19–2 in favor of retaining the CRP program.Meanwhile, University of Nebraska-Kearney (UNK) is also looking at eliminating five degree programs to close a $4.8 million deficit. Those five programs are: family science, bachelor of science; higher education student affairs, master of science in education; modern languages — German emphasis, bachelor of arts; music comprehensive – music business emphasis, bachelor of music; and modern languages 7-12 teaching endorsement — German emphasis, bachelor of arts in education.

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