Nebraska
NU unveils full cost of attendance scholarship, stipend for perfect ACT performance | Nebraska Examiner
LINCOLN — The University of Nebraska announced Monday it will pay Nebraska students who score perfectly on the ACT to obtain an NU education.
Interim NU President Chris Kabourek joined with regents, state senators, three NU chancellors and Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen to outline the inaugural President’s Scholarship for in-state students who obtain a 36 on the ACT. The scholarship will cover cost of attendance — including tuition, fees, books and room and board — and provide a $5,000 annual stipend “to pursue whatever your dream in life is.”
Kabourek said NU wants Nebraska students to list the university at the top of their list of desired colleges or universities, but many are leaving the state to continue their education. Moving forward, he’s said, NU can’t lose its “best and brightest.”
“If you sign with us, we’re going to go celebrate it just like we celebrate our five-star athletes,” Kabourek said at a news conference, explaining that many student-athletes receive a stipend.
Unlike the Regents Scholarship, a top scholarship that waives the cost of tuition for qualifying students, the new scholarship will pay NU for students’ attendance. Kabourek, who concurrently serves as NU’s chief financial officer, said the new business model will help with sustainability.
The President’s Scholarship begins from a $5 million endowment with hopes to grow in a future fundraising campaign to students who score 33 or above on the ACT.
NU Scholarship to combat ‘brain drain’
Kabourek and Pillen said the President’s Scholarship is a first step of many in combating the state’s brain drain issue, which they said they want to address as many young people, including college graduates, are leaving the state.
Between fall 2020 and fall 2022, about 20% of top ACT-scoring students chose NU, according to an NU spokesperson. In fall 2023, that figure was three top-performing students.
“Candidly, I’m embarrassed at that,” Kabourek said. “I’m embarrassed that we’re getting out-competed each and every day for our own talent.”
Pillen said anecdotally that of the 31 students with perfect ACT scores he honored last summer, 20 had already chosen a non-Nebraska institution.
Regent Tim Clare of Lincoln, chair of the NU Board of Regents, said that growing Nebraska is a “total team effort” and that he’s excited NU is doing more to prevent its high-caliber students from being enticed by other opportunities.
“We can settle for the status quo or we can do better and compete for every student,” he said.
Four R’s of success
Regent Rob Schafer of Beatrice, board vice chair, said it comes down to four simple words in working to fulfill NU’s mission of serving the state: recruit, retain, reward and retire.
NU must recruit, retain and reward its talent, he explained, with the hope they retire as Nebraskans.
“It’s early in the year and we’re just getting started, and we’re going to move Nebraska forward,” Schafer said.
Kabourek said even if NU can get just one student to choose Nebraska because of the scholarship, it will be a win because “who knows” their future — from farming or ranching to business to cancer research or nuclear physiology.
“Who knows what the story is or what the dreams of that student might be,” Kabourek said. “So if we can only get one student, it’s been a success in my opinion.”
Metropolitan Community College launches historic scholarship
On the same day NU launched its new scholarship, Metropolitan Community College announced its largest-ever endowed scholarship, courtesy of the Holland Foundation.
The $3 million endowed Dick and Mary Holland Scholarship will help create pathways to postsecondary education in skilled trades, health and technical sciences programs, beginning with the fall semester, a news release states. In addition to tuition, the program may provide funding for fees, books, required certifications, tools, equipment and supplies.
The fund is anticipated to provide a minimum of 24 annual scholarships and prioritizes first-generation students, according to Amy Recker, executive director of the MCC Foundation.
“The endowed scholarship continues Dick and Mary’s legacy of giving,” said Deb Love, president of the Holland Foundation. “They were such observant, giving and caring people who always had a willingness in their hearts to help others.”
Recker described the gift as “truly transformational” and said MCC is grateful to the Holland Foundation for entrusting MCC “with this unprecedented investment in our students, programs and communities.”
— By Zach Wendling
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — The Nebraska Court of Appeals has affirmed the conviction and sentencing of a Grand Island man charged with sexually assaulting a minor.
Cory Gilmore was sentenced in June to 36 to 48 years in prison on two counts of first-degree sexual assault. Court records said he was initially charged with first-degree sexual assault of a child, first-degree sexual assault and third-degree sexual assault of a child, but pleaded no contest to the two sexual assault counts as part of a plea deal.
According to an arrest affidavit, a report of a possible sexual assault came into the child abuse hotline that Gilmore sexually assaulted a minor girl when he was intoxicated.
A Grand Island police officer later interviewed the girl – who is younger than 19 years old – who said she was sexually assaulted by Gilmore from early 2021 to December 2023.
In his appeal, Gilmore claimed the District Court abused its discretion by imposing an excessive sentence. He also claimed his trial counsel was ineffective in failing to take the deposition of the alleged victim and failing to move to withdraw Gilmore’s plea before sentencing.
In its ruling, the Court of Appeals denied Gilmore’s claim of ineffective trial counsel. In his appeal, Gilmore said that at sentencing, he notified his counsel that he wished to withdraw his no-contest plea as he didn’t want to plead guilty or to say he did something he didn’t do.
The Court of Appeals said that at no point did Gilmore inform the District Court that he wished to withdraw his plea and that the District Court asked him if he made his plea “knowingly and voluntarily.”
The Court of Appeals also said in its order that at Gilmore’s sentencing hearing, the District Court looked at Gilmore’s risk to reoffend, his criminal history and the fact that he “showed no remorse for the trauma he has inflicted” in imposing its sentencing. The Court of Appeals said this was appropriate and that his sentencing was not excessive.
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has collected more than $200,000 from gambling winnings to go toward child support arrears just three months after implementing the program.
The Gambling Winnings Setoff for Outstanding Debt Act was approved through the passage of Legislative Bill 1317 and signed by Gov. Jim Pillen in 2024.
“This program ensures funds are being used to help support kids across Nebraska,” said Gov. Pillen. “Parents have an obligation to their children, and we’re guaranteeing their well-being by collecting these winnings.”
The collections began Sept. 2, 2025. The act requires gaming operators to withhold a portion of winnings from individuals who have an unpaid debt with the state and remit the funds to the Department of Revenue.
From there, the collected funds are distributed to various agencies, including DOR, Department of Labor, Department of Motor Vehicles, and DHHS.
Within the first 13 weeks, $529,091.47 was dispersed to these agencies, with DHHS receiving $215,852.98 for the Child Support Enforcement Program.
“By administering these dollars directly to families, the Child Support Enforcement Program is setting our state’s children up for success,” said Shannon Grotrian, director of the Office of Economic Assistance. “It’s making an immediate impact on their livelihoods and making sure they have what they need to grow and thrive.”
For more information on Nebraska’s Child Support Program, visit the DHHS website.
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Copyright 2025 KOLN. All rights reserved.
Another week of college basketball action saw significant movement in the Big Ten Conference. Out of nowhere, the Nebraska Cornhuskers are 11-0 to start the season and are quickly ascending the national rankings. They dominated the Wisconsin Badgers on Wednesday night, handing Greg Gard the most lopsided loss of his coaching career.
Along with Nebraska, Michigan, Purdue, Michigan State and UCLA are tied atop the conference standings at 2-0. That top group will likely remain consistent over the next few weeks before the Big Ten schedule intensifies in early January.
As we enter the final stretch of nonconference play, here is an updated snapshot of the full conference power rankings. Michigan remains the leader.
Updated Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings (Dec. 15)
- Michigan Wolverines (10-0, 2-0 Big Ten; No. 1 in KenPom) — No change
- Purdue Boilermakers (10-1, 2-0 Big Ten; No. 6 in KenPom) — No change
- Michigan State Spartans (9-1, 2-0 Big Ten; No. 12 in KenPom) — No change
- Illinois Fighting Illini (8-3, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 14 in KenPom) — No change
- Nebraska Cornhuskers (11-0, 2-0 Big Ten; No. 21 in KenPom) — Up 6
- Iowa Hawkeyes (9-2, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 20 in KenPom) — No change
- USC Trojans (10-1, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 38 in KenPom) — No change
- Indiana Hoosiers (8-3, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 26 in KenPom) — Up 2
- Wisconsin Badgers (7-3, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 37 in KenPom) — Down 4
- Ohio State Buckeyes (8-2, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 39 in KenPom) — Down 1
- UCLA Bruins (7-3, 2-0 Big Ten; No. 31 in KenPom) — Down 3
- Washington Huskies (7-3, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 48 in KenPom) — No change
- Northwestern Wildcats (6-4, 0-2 Big Ten; No. 58 in KenPom) — Up 1
- Oregon Ducks (5-5, 0-2 Big Ten; No. 84 in KenPom) — Up 3
- Maryland Terrapins (6-5, 0-2 Big Ten; No. 100 in KenPom) — No change
- Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-5, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 108 in KenPom) — No change
- Penn State Nittany Lions (8-3, 0-2 Big Ten; No. 107 in KenPom) — Down 4
- Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-6, 0-2 Big Ten; No. 147 in KenPom) — No change
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