Nebraska
University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty, students hold town hall on proposed budget cuts
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Currently, more than 300 students are enrolled as students in the Department of Educational Administration at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Come next year, should $27.5 million of proposed budget cuts for the school’s next fiscal year be approved, it is one of six departments that will no longer exist.
“We offer the only PHD in higher education in the state of Nebraska,” Corey Rumann, an Assistant Professor of Practice in the department, said. “Eliminating that would be a huge, huge void.”
Statistics, Community and Regional Planning, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Landscape Architecture and Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion design are the five other departments now facing potential elimination.
Professors and students from each of those departments, as well as other university departments, spoke out against the proposed cuts at a public town hall in Lincoln on Tuesday night.
“It’s important for people to be able to chart their own course,” Abigail Cochran, a professor in the Department of Community and Regional planning, said. “I don’t think we’re really going to be able to do that with the elimination of our program and these other vital programs.”
For many educators in these departments, their concerns are for the students, both current and future.
“I’m not worried about me,” Susan Vanderplas, a professor in the Department of Statistics at UNL, said. “I’m worried about what this says about the state and the opportunities we’re offering the children of this state.”
For some students, a portion of their futures in now on the chopping block.
“You’ve committed to this university,” Robert Szot, a graduate student studying meteorology in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, said. “To have that pulled out from under you means you have to change the entire way of what you’re doing on a dimes notice.”
The university’s Board of Regents is set to vote on the proposed plan on Dec. 5.
The UNL chapter of the American Association of University Professors will be holding a “Stop The Cuts” rally and petition drive outside the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s union on Saturday, Oct. 25 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
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Copyright 2025 KOLN. All rights reserved.
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Like his father, Zack Erstad is a Husker. Erstad, the son of Hall of Fame baseball player Darin Erstad, joined the Nebraska men’s golf program on Tuesday.
Zack signed with the Huskers one month after winning a state championship at Lincoln East. With the Spartans, Erstad was a two-time NSAA champion. He was Class A’s individual runner-up in 2026. The previous year, Erstad claimed the Nebraska Junior PGA Championship title.
Erstad said joining the Huskers is a dream come true. The Nebraska newcomer grew up playing baseball and hockey. However, he focused solely on golf while in high school.
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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
Hilgers says Nebraska, Colorado water dispute could take years, but Perkins County Canal should progress
It could take years for the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve Nebraska’s water dispute with Colorado. But Attorney General Mike Hilgers said in the meantime, work on the Perkins County Canal should continue.
Hilgers’ comments on Tuesday came one day after the Supreme Court said it will consider Nebraska’s complaints that Colorado’s not sending enough water across the state line on the South Platte River and is blocking Nebraska’s attempt to build a canal to bring more. Hilgers said it could take three to five years for a special master to make a recommendation and the court to decide. And he said while it’s up to the Legislature, it would make sense to proceed with planning and construction on the canal.
“We need to be able to show the court, which is ultimately true, which is Nebraska is committed to doing this. I do see the policy wisdom, but even more importantly… from our perspective, it’s critical from a litigation perspective to really be able to push forward on this,” Hilgers said.
The Legislature has set aside $630 million for the canal. Separate from the court case, the Army Corps of Engineers must still decide whether to issue a permit for the project.
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