NEBRASKA
THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA SYSTEM
University of Nebraska – Lincoln | UNL is the state’s flagship university with about 28,000 total students being educated there every year. University leaders are positioning the school to become a research powerhouse particularly in agricultural, plant and life sciences. State lawmakers last spring approved a move that lifts the Nebraska State Fair off land adjacent to the university so that UNL can build a public/private research park on 251 acres of land similar to a park at North Carolina State University. Harvey Perlman is chancellor and former Husker football coach Tom Obsorne is the athletic director. The university has it’s main campus in downtown Lincoln and another campus on the eastside of town. UNL also operates a technical agriculture college in Curtis, Neb. The Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture typically enrolls 300 students.
University of Nebraska at Omaha | UNO started as Omaha University in 1908 before the NU system incorporated the school in 1968. NU Omaha has been traditionally known as a commuter school, but is slowly trying to evolve into a more traditional campus like UNL. UNO is currently building a $38.5 million facility for its College of Business Administration. The school has two campuses in Omaha – on the north side of the city on Dodge Street and the south side on Pacific Street. John Christensen is chancellor and David Cicotello is the director of new student enrollment. The UNO campus also holds the Peter Kiewit Institute, a joint campus between UNL’s engineering college and UNO’s information technology college. NU leaders are currently looking for a new, research-funding driven executive director for PKI.
University of Nebraska at Kearney | UNK started as Nebraska State Teachers College in 1921, then moved to Kearney State College under the Nebraska State College System in 1963. Now, the school of about 6,500 students is the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The university recently opened two new residence halls so the campus can expand enrollment. UNK is the only NU school that doesn’t have a shade of red in its school colors. It’s the smallest of the three undergraduate NU campuses. Doug Kristensen is chancellor.
University of Nebraska Medical Center | UNMC is Nebraska’s largest public university for teaching medical sciences. The school is based in Omaha, but has nursing colleges across the state. UNMC teaches in areas of nursing, dentistry, medicine, pharmacy and the health professions. UNMC also houses some of the state’s leading cancer researchers. UNMC started in 1880 as Omaha Medical College and joined the University of Nebraska system in 1902. A public hospital was added to UNMC in 1917. The school recently opened a building for its College of Medicine called the Sorrell Center. The building features clinical labs and interactive classrooms with smart boards. UNMC was recently rocked by news that its dental college students were using notes and answers from past exams in their study notes.
NEBRASKA STATE COLLEGES SYSTEM
Chadron State College | As the smallest of three state colleges, Chadron State is located in the northwest corner of Nebraska. It enrolls 3,000 students on its 281-acre campus. Chadron State is often viewed as Nebraska’s rural school. Janie C. Park is president and Lois Veath is the vice president for academic & student affairs. Because it’s so close to other western states, Chadron State often pulls students from Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. Monty Fickel, one of CSC’s most-beloved math department faculty, died recently.
Peru State College | Peru State is Nebraska’s oldest higher education institution. It started as Mount Vernon School in December 1865. PSC later became Nebraska State Teachers College at Peru in 1921. In 1963, the school merged with the Nebraska State College System and became known as Peru State College. The school’s long-time president Ben Johnson announced his retirement in August. Dan Hanson, an administrator at Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa, was recently named new Peru State president.
Wayne State College | As the biggest of the Nebraska State Colleges, Wayne State has 3,400 students on a 128-acre campus. The school is looking for funds to create a new, but much smaller college campus location in South Sioux City with nearby Northeast Community College. Wayne State officials are excited about a new scholarship called the Governor’s Opportunity Award that Gov. Dave Heineman announced in mid-August. Chadron, Peru or Wayne State students who enter college with a 21 to 24 on their ACT can earn half their tuition paid. The scholarship started in fall 2008. Richard Collings is president and Robert McCue is the vice president for Academic Affairs
NEBRASKA’S COMMUNITY COLLEGES
Central Community College | Central is one of Nebraska’s three rural community colleges with its main campus based in Grand Island. The school, which serves a 25-county area in the central part of Nebraska, also has campuses in Columbus and Hastings. Central’s enrollment has remained around 13,500 (exactly 13,380 in 2006-07 and 13,784 in 2004-05, according to school data). Each campus has a president, and there’s a system-wide CCC president. Greg Smith was recently named CCC president, replacing LaVern Franzen. Smith was formerly CCC executive vice president.
Metropolitan Community College | Metro is Nebraska’s largest community college by enrollment, boasting just about 15,000 students. The school’s main campus sits on an old military fort base on the north side of Omaha. Metro leaders boast the school’s growing and impressive culinary arts program and is building a new facility for the program. The school’s governing board is currently searching for a new president after successfully ousting current leader Jo Ann McDowell. Metro’s governing board have recently displayed disgust with Nebraska’s state funding formula for community colleges. Board of Trustee members say the formula gives fewer dollars to Metro, at a time when the school is growing enrollment and physical space, and gives more dollars to rural community colleges – like Western Nebraska CC and Mid-Plains CC.
Mid-Plains Community College | Mid-Plains Community College is the blanket term for combined McCook Community College and North Platte Community College. Considered by many as a rural community college, MPCC pulls students from an 18-county area in central and southcentral Nebraska. The school enrolls roughly 6,800 students and has satellite locations in Broken Bow, Imperial, Ogallala and Valentine. The school recently gained media attention because MPCC President Michael Chipps wrote a letter to the next U.S. President about the future of higher education – particularly rural community colleges – in America. The letter was published in a book with other college presidents from the University of California and George Washington University.
Northeast Community College | NCC is Nebraska’s largest community college by campus size at just under 800 acres. The school serves mostly agriculture and vocational students. The average Northeast student is a 27-to 28-year-old white female with a family. Northeast has one of the nation’s only utility line programs where students are trained to be electricians who service utility poles. College officials are excited about building a new college of nursing on the main Norfork campus and a Northeast-Wayne State College campus in South Sioux City. Bill Path is president. Northeast is currently raising money to hopefully construct a nursing college in Norfork that UNMC will share.
Southeast Community College | With campuses in Lincoln, Milford and Beatrice, Southeast CC has many of the same academic and vocational programs as most American community colleges. However, the school likes to boast its dental assistant program. The school enrolls roughly 25,000 students total at all three campuses. The Lincoln campus focuses on career and technical programs, the Beatrice campus is for students seeking to transfer to bigger four-year schools and the Milford campus is used for graphic design and computer-assisted drafting. Jack Huck is SCC president.
Western Nebraska Community College | WNCC is one of Nebraska’s rural community colleges located in Scottsbluff. The college also has locations in Sidney and Alliance. WNCC is led by Eileen Ely and enrolls roughly 6,000 students, she says. The school was opened in 1926 as Scottsbluff Junior College. NBA guard Bobby Jackson is a WNCC alum. The school recently rolled out a new course in news writing and reporting. Many students have begun taking advantage of WNCC’s Degree for Free program, which gives high school graduates of Cheyenne County free tuition at the school’s Sidney campus.
PRIVATE COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES
Bellevue University | Nationally known for its online courses, Bellevue University is a four-year school in Bellevue, Neb. Bellevue predominantly caters to graduate students and working professionals who want to continue learning in their given field. Officials at Bellevue often tout their human capital management program, which teaches students how to determine how much money a company earns when investing in employee training. Officials are also still stoked about surpassing Creighton University as Nebraska’s largest private university by enrollment. John B. Muller is president.
Clarkson College | Located near downtown Omaha, Clarkson College is a small, private nursing and physical therapy college. Most students study the health sciences including medical imaging and radiology. The school, which enrolls about 790 total, is affiliated with the Episcopal Church. Most consider Clarkson as a commuter school, but Clarkson officials opened a residence hall for students in 2004. Many Clarkson students are unmarried white women who are 24 or younger, according to school data. Clarkson has only one full-time professor, but uses about 50 assistant and associate professors. Clarkson’s President is Dr. Louis Burgher.
Creighton University | Creighton is Nebraska’s second-largest private university that’s nationally known for its law, dentistry and medical programs. The Omaha school was created 1878. Creighton officials recently were approved to sell hard liquor on campus inside the school’s to-be built alumni conference center. Creighton is led by Father John P. Schlegel. The campus has been expanding eastward in recent years toward downtown Omaha’s Qwest Center. The Jesuit school is consistently named the best place in the Midwest to get a master’s degree by U.S. News and World Report.
Concordia University | Concordia was founded in 1894 by the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod and has 65 percent of its student base coming from out-of-state. The school, most known for its teacher education program, has about 1,250 students on a 120-acre campus in Seward. President Brian L. Friedrich is excited about the school’s construction on a new physical therapy facility being built on the south end of campus. Concordia officials also boast about the art and business programs.
College of Saint Mary | CSM is Omaha’s all-girls Catholic school. It enrolls just under 1,000 students in bachelors and masters degree programs in business, nursing and more. CSM was opened in 1923 in Omaha at the corner of 15th and Castelar Streets. The school became fully accredited in 1958. CSM officials believe having a girls only school will help build students self-esteem and lure them into seeking doctoral degrees. CSM likes to tout its master’s degree in leadership for women. The school’s president is Dr. Maryanne Stevens.
Summit Christian College | As Nebraska’s smallest private school, Summit Christian enrolls 40 to 60 students a year. The school was started in 1951 as Platte Valley Bible College. In 2005, Summit officials changed it to Summit Christian College. The school is affiliated with the Independent Christian Church. The Scottsbluff school has an 8 to 1 student teacher ratio and on-campus housing for students over 21. Most of the school’s academic programs are in bible and ministries, christian education or leadership and ministry.
Dana College | Dana is a private college tucked away in rural Blair, Nebraska. The 150-acre campus has a library that holds a solid Dutch artifacts collection and five residence halls. The school has 45 full-time professors and about 637 full-time students. The school, established in 1884, has a large green space in the center of campus. Dana’s President is Janet Philipp. Dana is one of Nebraska’s Lutheran colleges that recently struggled financially to keep the doors open. The Lutheran church has urged Dana and nearby Midland Lutheran College to share resources or perhaps merge.
Nebraska Wesleyan University | Wesleyan is a small private Methodist school founded in 1887. The Lincoln-based school opened 96 students and now enrolls roughly 1,600 undergraduate and 204 graduate students. Wesleyan’s student teacher ratio is 13 to 1. Frederik Ohles is president. With 48 majors and 39 minors, Wesleyan is one of Nebraska’s larger private schools. Many Nebraska politicians, including Carl Curtis, Dwight Griswold, John N. Norton, Lowen Kruse and Ed Schrock, are alum of Nebraska Wesleyan.
Doane College | This small private college in Crete labels itself Nebraska’s first liberal arts and sciences college. It started in 1872 at Crete Academy, but became Doane a year later. Jonathan Brand i
s Doane president. The school enrolls 1,000 undergraduates, 1,200 graduate students and 750 adult learners, according to school data. Doane has campuses in Lincoln and Grand Island, however, Doane officials believe the Crete campus is particularly beautiful. The college has produced more than 45 Fulbright Scholars in its history.
Grace University | Grace University is a bible college based in Omaha. The school started in 1943 as Grace Bible Institute with 18 students. Members of the Presbyterian Seminary were Grace’s first set of professors. University officials then changed the name to Grace University in 1995. Grace pulls most of its students from Nebraska and Iowa. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. The school is plagued by a low graduation rate (45 percent in 1999). Paul Kuhlmann is president.
Hastings College | A small private liberal arts college in Hastings, HC was opened in 1882. The school is very proud of some of its accomplishments, including holding a 12-to-1 student teacher ratio and 100 percent of its chemistry majors accepted into programs to further their education. Hastings enrolls near 1,100 students on a 109-acre campus. Tom Osborne is a Hastings graduate and NFL coach Bill Parcells started his coaching career as an assistant coach at Hastings. The school is currently constructing a new science academic building.
Midland Lutheran College | MLC is one of Nebraska two Lutheran schools that’s known in-state for its accounting program. Gov. Dave Heineman’s son Sam earned a bachelor’s from the Fremont-based school. Midland has recently jumped into the online classes game with its iMpact adult-degree completion programs which begin fall 2008. Most of Midland’s student body is the traditional, fresh out of high school, live in the dorms freshmen.
Nebraska Christian College | Located in Papillion, Nebraska Christian aims to educate students to serve in Christian churches. The private school started in 1945 in Norfolk as Norfolk Junior College. The college eventually moved to Omaha (in August 2006), then Papillion and later sold the Norfolk property. The president is Richard Milliken, who has no relation to University of Nebraska President James Milliken. Nebraska Christian is one of the state’s smaller colleges that focuses on biblical studies.
Nebraska Methodist College | The college is owned and operated by Omaha’s Methodist Health System. Nebraska Methodist, which focuses on nursing and allied health professions, enrolls about 500 students and 65 graduate students. The private school in Omaha opened in 1891 and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Most students enroll in the school’s physical therapy, medical assisting, surgical technology, respiratory therapy and nursing assistant programs.
Union College | Union is a small private liberal arts college in Lincoln. The Seventh Day Adventist College started in 1891. The only masters degree it has is in physicians assistant. The school enrolls roughly 982 students and employs about 54 full-time professors. The average Union student is a 21-year-old white woman. The campus has 100 different species of trees. David Smith is president and Malcolm Russell is vice president for Academic Administration. Union students like to boast about Project Impact, the school’s city-wide volunteer project held once a year.
York College | York is a small private college in southeast Nebraska. The liberal arts college in York enrolls just over 450 students and focuses on biblical studies and education. The new president is Steven W. Eckman. The school draws most of its students from in-state. The school just rolled out a degree in criminal justice. The school is affiliated with the Churches of Christ.
NEBRASKA TRIBAL COLLEGES
Little Priest Tribal College | Located in Winnebago, Little Priest is the Winnebago tribe’s tribal institution for higher learning. The school started in 1996 and focuses on teaching the tribe’s language and culture. The school earned accreditation in 1998. Little Priest also has a transfer agreement with Wayne State College. Darla LaPointe is president.
Nebraska Indian Community College | NICC is the only Nebraska community college not affiliated with the Nebraska Community College Association. The public two-year school is based in Macy, but also has a campus in Santee. NICC’s goal is to preserve the culture and educate members of the Omaha and Santee Sioux Tribes. The school was founded in 1972 as American Indian Satellite Community College. It gained accreditation in 1981. Some of NICC’s academic programs include police science, Native American studies, data entry and natural resources and conservation.
IOWA
IOWA BOARD OF REGENTS
Iowa State University | What started as an agricultural school in 1858 has now grown into the second largest school in Iowa and one of the most-noted in the country. Iowa State has 26,160 students and 1,709 faculty on a 1,984-acre campus in Ames. This year, Iowa State is celebrating its sesquicentennial. In 1890, Iowa State created its student newspaper which has, over the years, evolved into the Iowa State Daily. Iowa State’s President is Gregory Geoffroy.
University of Northern Iowa | Based in Cedar Falls, UNI is one of the three Iowa Board of Regents schools. The president is Benjamin Allen, who supports Congress looking into perhaps lowering the drinking age in America. UNI was established in 1876 as Iowa State Normal School.
The school changed its name twice – Iowa State Teachers College from 1909 to 1961 and State College of Iowa from 1961 to 1967 – before becoming UNI. Considered a strong study abroad school, UNI has roughly 14,200 students on a 900-acre campus with 800 faculty. The school likes to boast its UNI Teaching and Research Greenhouse. NFL quarterback Kurt Warner attended UNI.
University of Iowa | Considered by most as a public ivy, the University of Iowa is the state’s largest school with 30,409 students, 2,156 faculty members on a 1,700-acre campus in Iowa City. Sally Mason is president. U of I started as the State University of Iowa in 1847. The school, which boasts graduates including NBA guard Ricky Davis and actors Tom Hanks and Ashton Kutcher, now has six museums and hundreds of bachelor, masters and doctorals degrees. Iowa was one of many state institutions that flooded in June. It’s master’s degree in non-fiction writing is arguably the best in the country.
IOWA COMMUNITY COLLEGES
Iowa Western Community College | Located in Council Bluffs, Iowa Western was created in 1967. It now has 84 academic programs, mostly notably its aviation degrees. It enrolls 5,092 students and is presided over by Dan Kinney.
Western Iowa Tech Community College | Western Iowa Tech is located in Sioux City and offers dozens of academic programs. Not much is known about WITCC because few details are posted on the school’s Web page or through Iowa’s Department of Education. Robert Dunker is president of this 5,425-student school which focuses on technical and vocational programs. Juline Albert is dean of students.
Northwest Iowa Community College | Located in Sheldon, Northwest Iowa CC enrolls just under 1,100 students on its 263-acre campus. Bill Giddings is president of the school, which started 1966. The school has two dorms – Lyon and Cherokee Hall. It exists to serve students of Lyon, O’Brien, Sioux, Osceola and Cherokee County. The average student is 23 years old and is a white woman. The school has 30 academic programs.
PRIVATE AND INDEPENDENT COLLEGES
Briar Cliff University | Located in Sioux City, Briar Cliff is a Catholic institution that started in 1930. It currently enrolls more than 1,100 students and has 40 academic programs. The school started in Heelan Hall with 25 women students. The school went co-ed in 1965. It started offering four-year degrees in 1937. Beverly Wharton is president. The school doesn’t have traditional two semesters to a year. It offers three, 10-week terms.
Morningside College | Located in Sioux City, Morningside is a small private liberal arts college that opened in 1894. With about 65 faculty and 1,149 students, Morningside sits on a 68-acre campus and is presided over by John Reynders. Dear Abby columnists Pauline Phillips and Esther Lederer went to Morningside. The Methodist affiliated school is one of many private schools in western Iowa.
Grinnell College | Grinnell is a highly selective, private liberal arts school in Grinnell, Iowa. It was started in 1846. Russell K. Osgood is president. The school enrolls 1,555 students on a 120-acre campus. It’s most known for its Center for Prairie Studies and its peace studies program. It has 156 full-time professors.
Dordt College | A small, private liberal arts school in Sioux Center, Dordt College is a Christian school founded in 1955 and has 30 academic programs. Dordt has 1,300 students and 78 full-time faculty. Considering the school’s location, Dordt grabs several students from seven Canadian provinces. The president is Carl E. Zylstra.
Northwestern College | Northwestern is one of Iowa’s two Christian colleges. Located in Orange City, Northwestern enrolls 1,315 students – mostly white female Christians or Lutherans from Iowa and Minnesota – and has 78 full-time faculty. The school started in 1882, but became a four-year institution in 1961. The private, liberals arts college offers more than 40 academic programs. Greg Christy is president of the 100-acre campus.
