[edit] The University

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln—Nebraska’s largest, most comprehensive university—has offered quality education for more than 130 years. Nebraska has grown into one of the great Midwestern universities and a major international research center, offering 148 undergraduate majors and 114 graduate programs.

The University is a diverse, cosmopolitan community. While 75 percent of NU’s nearly 23,000 students come from Nebraska, students from every state and over 100 countries choose the University for its comprehensive programs and reputation for quality. Fifty percent of the graduate student enrollment comes from beyond Nebraska’s borders.

Nebraska’s nationally and internationally recognized faculty is its most important resource. Over 1,500 teachers and scholars bring to UNL’s students the knowledge and experience they have gained from research at the world’s finest universities. Experts in their fields, Nebraska’s professors bring the most current knowledge and technology to their classrooms.

Nebraska’s facilities are equally impressive. UNL’s Biological Collections, George W. Beadle Center for Genetics and Biomaterials Research, Center for Biotechnology, Morrison Life Sciences Research Center, Humanities Research Facility, Midwest Center for Mass Spectrometry, Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, Devaney Sports Center, Tractor Testing Laboratory, Behlen Observatory, and Behlen Physics Laboratory are among the nation’s best. Nebraska offers modern computer facilities and the state’s major research library. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s 616-acre campus contains 75 major academic buildings.

Lincoln, Nebraska’s capital and second largest city, surrounds the University. Home to nearly 250,000, this All-American City sports a rejuvenated, tree-lined downtown with retail stores, restaurants, theaters, parks, and a convenient bus system. Interstate 80 passes just north of the University and Lincoln can be reached by major airlines, bus systems, and Amtrak.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Web site is available at www.unl.edu.

[edit] Heritage

The University of Nebraska was chartered by the Legislature in 1869 as the state’s public university and land-grant institution. Founded in Lincoln, the University of Nebraska was expanded in 1968 into a state educational system under the guidance of a Board of Regents and a central administration.

The University’s flagship campus, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), includes the agricultural components organized within the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Other campuses of the system include the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in Omaha, and the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK).

Instruction is organized within individual colleges and schools on each of the four campuses. In addition to bachelors and professional degrees, the University offers masters, specialist, and doctoral degrees, which are granted by a system-wide Graduate College.

The University of Nebraska Graduate College was the first established west of the Mississippi River. Graduate instruction began as early as 1886 when the Board of Regents established the residency and thesis requirements for earning the masters degree. Within four years, the PhD degree was authorized. By 1896 a Graduate School was organized with a designated faculty under the leadership of a dean. Within a year, with more than 100 graduate students, the University of Nebraska qualified as the first university west of the Mississippi to formally establish a Graduate School. An amendment to the charter of the University was passed by the Legislature in 1909 to change the designation of the school to the Graduate College.

In 1968 the University of Omaha was merged with the University of Nebraska, and in 1971, at the direction of the Board of Regents, the Graduate College of the University of Nebraska and the Graduate College of the University of Nebraska at Omaha were merged to form one University-wide Graduate College with one Graduate Faculty.

Most recently, Kearney State College became the fourth campus of the University of Nebraska system. In 1991, the Board of Regents approved the addition of the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

In 1978 the Legislature assigned to the University of Nebraska, through its University-wide Graduate College, sole state-wide responsibility among the public institutions for all doctoral programs and for all masters and specialist programs outside the field of teacher education.

Today, more than a century later, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Graduate College offers the graduate student resources no other college or university in the state of Nebraska or in many other states can match.

[edit] Enrollment

The total 2007-2008 first (fall) semester enrollment at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was 22,973 students. Of the 4,418 graduate students, 53.1 percent were female and 46.9 percent were male. Eighty percent of graduate students during Fall 2007 were U.S. citizens; 20 percent originated from other countries.

[edit] Role and Mission

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, chartered by the Legislature in 1869, is that part of the University of Nebraska system which serves as both the land-grant and the comprehensive public University for the State of Nebraska. Those responsible for its origins recognized the value of combining the breadth of a comprehensive University with the professional and outreach orientation of the land-grant University, thus establishing a campus which has evolved to become the flagship campus of the University of Nebraska. UNL works cooperatively with the other three campuses and Central Administration to provide for its student body and all Nebraskans the widest array of disciplines, areas of expertise, and specialized facilities of any institution within the state.

Through its three primary missions of teaching, research, and service, UNL is the state’s primary intellectual center providing leadership throughout the state through quality education and the generation of new knowledge. UNL’s graduates and its faculty and staff are major contributors to the economic and cultural development of the state. UNL attracts a high percentage of the most academically talented Nebraskans, and the graduates of the University form a significant portion of the business, cultural, and professional resources of the state. The quality of primary, secondary, and other post-secondary educational programs in the state depends in part on the resources of UNL for curricular development, teacher training, professional advancement, and enrichment activities involving the University’s faculty, museums, galleries, libraries, and other facilities. UNL provides for the people of Nebraska unique opportunities to fulfill their highest ambitions and aspirations, thereby helping the state retain its most talented youth, attract talented young people from elsewhere, and address the educational needs of the non-traditional learner.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has been recognized by the Legislature as the primary research and doctoral degree granting institution in the state for fields outside the health professions. UNL is one of a select group of research universities which hold membership in the American Association of Universities (AAU). Through its service and outreach efforts the University extends its educational responsibilities directly to the people of Nebraska on a state-wide basis. Many of UNL’s teaching, research and service activities have an international dimension in order to provide its students and the state a significant global perspective.

[edit] The Missions of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Teaching, research, and service take on a distinctive character at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln because of its status as a comprehensive land-grant university. These traits provide opportunities for the integration of multiple disciplines permitting students more complete and sophisticated programs of study. Its land-grant tradition ensures a commitment to the special character of the state and its people.

The faculty is responsible for the curricular content of the various programs, and pursues new knowledge and truths within a structure that assures academic freedom in its intellectual endeavors. The curricula are designed to foster critical thinking, the re-examination of accepted truths, a respect for different perspectives, including an appreciation of the multiethnic character of the nation, and a curiosity that leads to life-long learning. Additionally, an environment exists whereby students can develop aesthetic values and human relationships, including tolerance for differing viewpoints.

Teaching The people of Nebraska created UNL to provide its citizens with the highest quality of post-secondary education. Therefore, a fundamental mission of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is teaching. The distinctiveness of the teaching mission of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln lies in its range of undergraduate majors, the character and quality of the faculty, and the extracurricular environment. The University provides students with a wide choice of courses and career options, which often expands the scope of their dreams and ambitions. The size and diversity of the University permits students to mature and to develop their own sense of self-confidence and individual responsibility. The course work is enriched by a faculty that is engaged in active research and creative activity and whose frame of reference is the national and international community of scholars. Having created the first graduate college west of the Mississippi River, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has historically recognized graduate education to be a central and unique component of its mission. Thus, UNL has primary responsibility in the State for graduate education, especially at the doctoral and professional levels. UNL is unique in possessing the scope of programs necessary for multidisciplinary instruction at the graduate level, a faculty involved in research necessary to support graduate education, and the libraries, laboratories, computer facilities, museums, galleries, and other ancillary resources required for graduate instruction.

Research Basic and applied research and creative activity represent a major component of UNL’s mission, a component that is recognized in Nebraska legislative statutes, and in its status as both a land-grant and an AAU research university. The quest for new knowledge is an essential part of a research university; it helps define and attract the type of faculty necessary to provide a university education; it distinguishes the quality of the undergraduate students’ classroom experience; and it is the necessary component of graduate instruction. As part of its research mission, UNL is dedicated to the pursuit of an active research agenda producing both direct and indirect benefits to the state. The special importance of agriculture, environment, and natural resources is addressed in its research priorities. In addition, UNL conducts a high level of research and creative activities that address in specific ways the issues and problems that confront Nebraska. Through their research and creative activities, faculty at UNL interact with colleagues around the world and are part of the network of knowledge and information that so influences our society. As a consequence, the University serves as the gateway through which Nebraska participates in and shares the gains from technological and cultural developments.

Service The land-grant tradition creates for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln a special state-wide responsibility to serve the needs of Nebraska and its citizens. In addition, many of its service aspects extend to regional, national, and international clientele. Special units such as the Cooperative Extension Division have specific responsibilities to bring the teaching and research resources of the University to a wider clientele. Through Cooperative Extension’s partnership with federal, state, and county agencies, UNL has an outreach program in each county in the state. Moreover, all units of the University have a service and outreach mission. To help accomplish this mission, UNL delivers educational services through diverse ways, including telecommunications methods and as a participant in the development of regional educational centers, especially in those areas where it has state-wide responsibilities. The University recognizes its obligation to extend the resources of the University beyond the campus and throughout the state. Serving the needs of Nebraska requires more than responding to the felt needs of the time. UNL must be visionary in its planning and must help the citizens of the state prepare for the future, as well as deal with the present.

[edit] Accreditation

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has been accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools since the association first began accrediting colleges and universities in 1913. The University has been a member of the Association of American Universities since 1909. In addition, various colleges, schools, and departments are accredited by their respective professional accrediting agencies.

[edit] UNL Graduate Studies Calendar

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln operates on a semester system. The first (fall) semester begins in August and ends in December; the second (spring) semester begins in January and ends in May. UNL also conducts four summer sessions from May through August. Please refer to the current schedule of classes for the UNL academic calendar.

[edit] Nondiscrimination Policy

It is the policy of the University of Nebraska that students on each campus shall be admitted to and enjoy the programs and privileges of the University without regard to individual characteristics other than qualifications for admission, academic performance, and conduct in accordance with NU policies and rules and laws applicable to student conduct.

In addition, employees on each campus of the University of Nebraska shall be employed and equitably treated in regard to the terms and conditions of their employment without regard to individual characteristics other than qualifications for employment, quality or performance of duties and conduct in regard to their employment in accordance with University policies and rules and applicable state and federal laws.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln reaffirms its desire to create an environment for all students and employees that is fair and responsible--an environment where distinctions are made on the basis of ability and performance. To that end, it is the policy of UNL to administer all of its educational and employment programs and related supporting services in a manner which does not discriminate because of an individual’s race, color, gender (including sexual harassment), religion, national origin, age (40 and over, for employees only), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or political affiliation.

[edit] Student Privacy Policy

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln defines the following student information as public directory information:

Student name, local address, permanent addresses, telephone numbers, year at the University (i.e. Freshman, Sophomore, etc.), dates of attendance, academic college and major field of study, enrollment status, (e.g. undergraduate or graduate; full-time or part-time), participation in officially recognized activities and sports, degrees, honors and awards received and most recent education agency or institution attended.

Directory information will be available to the public upon request and may be included in student directories published electronically and in hard copy. However, students have the right to have directory information withheld from the public, if they so desire. During the first two weeks of any semester, a student who wants all or any directory information to be withheld shall so indicate by completing a form obtained from the the Office of Registration and Records, 107 Canfield Administration Building South, (402) 472-3635. The student's request will be processed within a reasonable amount of time. Directory information already included in hard copy publications will be removed at the next printing of the hard copy publication.

You can view the official notice about the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) at the following link: click here

[edit] Sexual Harassment Policy

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln reaffirms that all women and men--administrators, faculty, staff and students--are to be treated fairly and equally with dignity and respect. Any form of sexual harassment is prohibited.

Sexual harassment is unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of sexual nature when:

1. submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term of condition of an individual’s employment or academic standing;

2. submission to, or rejection of, such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions or academic decisions affecting such individual, or

3. such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work or academic performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working/academic environment.

Sexual harassment will not be condoned during the work or school day, nor will acts of sexual harassment be permitted outside the work or school environment if such acts affect the normal work environment or student/teacher relationship. UNL provides grievance procedures for violations of this policy. For further information, contact:

Equity, Access, and Diversity Programs
128 Canfield Administration Building
PO Box 880437
Lincoln, NE 68555-0437
(402) 472-3417

Appropriate corrective action will be taken in those instances where the foregoing policies have been violated. Any student or employee who is found to have violated any of the aforementioned policies will be subject to disciplinary action.

Further, UNL commits itself to a program of affirmative action to encourage the enrollment of minority and female students; to identify and eliminate the effects of any past discrimination in the provisions of educational and related services; and to establish organizational structures of procedures which assure equal treatment and equal access to the facilities and educational benefits of the institution for all students.

UNL complies with all applicable laws promoting equal educational and employment opportunity prohibiting unlawful discrimination, including those addressing the obligations of the institution under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended, and Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Information concerning violations of the policy and inquiries regarding UNL compliance with equal opportunity mandates, affirmative action, and other inclusions should be directed to:

Equity, Access, and Diversity Programs
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
128 Canfield Administration Building
PO Box 880437
Lincoln, NE 68588-0437
(402) 472-3417 U.S. and Canada
(800) 742-8800 (toll-free)

A formal discrimination grievance procedure is available at UNL for those seeking redress. Copies of the EEO Grievances Procedures are available from the Equity, Access and Diversity Programs Office and in most departments. Those wishing to file formal complaints outside UNL may contact the Equity, Access and Diversity Programs Office for appropriate names and addresses of external agencies to which such communications may be directed. Students who believe that discrimination occurred within the educational setting may also contact:

Director, Office for Civil Rights
Department of Education
Washington, DC 20202

[edit] Student Responsibility

It is the responsibility of the student to be familiar with the information presented in this bulletin, and to know and observe all regulations and procedures relating to the program he/she is pursuing. In no case will a regulation be waived or an exception granted because a student pleads ignorance of, or contends that he/she was not informed of, the regulations or procedures. A student planning to graduate should be familiar with the dates relating to application for graduation and other pertinent deadlines.

A student may expect to satisfy the requirements of the bulletin in force at the time the student is admitted to, and begins course work in, a degree program; or the student may, with the consent of his/her adviser, graduate under a subsequent bulletin provided the student complies with all requirements of the later bulletin.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln expressly reserves the right to: 1) add or delete courses from its offerings and to change times or locations; 2) change academic calendars without notice; 3) cancel any course for insufficient registrations; 4) modify, consolidate, or delete any program; 5) revise or change rules, charges, fees, schedules, courses, requirements for degrees, and any other regulation affecting students including, but not limited to, evaluation standards, whenever considered necessary or desirable.

Responsibility for following all policies and meeting all requirements and deadlines for graduate programs rests with the student.

[edit] Student Honor Code

The University of Nebraska is a unified community, and we are proud of our heritage. As we look with optimism towards the future, we strive to adhere to the following code:

I will be respectful towards all others, their thoughts and aspirations, and will look upon them with equality and fairness.

I will be compassionate, always mindful of those less fortunate than I.

I will be honest with whom I interact, practicing integrity in my daily decisions.

I will be mindful of the investments others have made in the University, realizing my own responsibilities in life.

And I will always be dignified in who I am, striving for excellence in all I do.

Ratified by the ASUN Senate on April 2, 1997.

[edit] Governance

[edit] The Board of Regents

An eight-member board serves as the governing board for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and the University of Nebraska at Kearney, the four institutions that comprise the University of Nebraska system. Members of the board are elected from representative districts and serve six-year terms. The four campus student body presidents serve as nonvoting members of the board for one-year terms.

[edit] Elected Members

Term expires January 2009

Howard Hawks, Omaha (District 2)

Charles S. Wilson, M.D., Lincoln (District 1)

Term expires January 2011

Bob Phares, North Platte (District 7)

Kent Schroeder, J.D., Kearney (District 6)

Term expires January 2013

Randolph M. Ferlic, M.D., Omaha (District 8)

Chuck Hassebrook, Lyons (District 3)

Jim McClurg, Ph.D., Lincoln (District 5)

Bob Whitehouse, Ed.S., Papillion (District 4)

[edit] Student members

Tim Hruza, University of Nebraska at Kearney

Curtis McKnight, University of Nebraska Medical Center

Lucas Seiler, University of Nebraska at Omaha

Emily Zimmer, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

[edit] The University of Nebraska Administration

James B. Milliken, J.D., President

Linda R. Pratt, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Provost

Donal J. Burns, Ph.D., Associate Executive Vice President and Provost, Corporation Secretary

David E. Lechner,B.S.B.A., Vice President for Business and Finance

Joel D. Pedersen, J.D., Vice President and General Counsel

Peter G. Kotsiopulos, B.S., Vice President for University Affairs

[edit] The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Administration

Harvey S. Perlman, J.D., Chancellor

Barbara A. Couture, D.A., Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Juan N. Franco, Ph.D., Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

Christine A. Jackson, M.B.A., Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance

John C. Owens, Ph.D., Vice Chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Prem S. Paul, D.V.M., Ph.D., Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development

Linda R. Crump, J.D., Assistant to the Chancellor for Equity, Access and Diversity Programs

M. Colleen Jones, Ph.D., Assistant to the Chancellor for Organizational Development

Margaret Lauerman, Ph.D., Director of University Communications

William J. Nunez, Ph.D., Director of Institutional Research and Planning

Susan Poser, J.D., Associate to the Chancellor

Michelle Waite, B.S., Assistant to the Chancellor for Community Relations

[edit] The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Deans

David H. Allen, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Engineering

Alan L. Cerveny, M.S., Dean of Admissions

Gary Cunningham, Ph.D., Dean and Director of the Agricultural Research Division

Elbert C. Dickey, Ph.D., Dean and Director of the Cooperative Extension Division

R. Wayne Drummond, F.A.I.A., Dean of the College of Architecture

Joan R. Giesecke, D.P.A., Dean of University Libraries

Matthew J. Hecker, Ph.D., Dean of Students

Rita Kean, Ph.D., Dean of Undergraduate Studies

Marjorie J. Kostelnik, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences

David Manderscheid, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences

Cynthia H. Milligan, J.D., Dean of the College of Business Administration

Will Norton, Jr., Ph.D., Dean of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications

Giacomo M. Oliva, Ed.D., Dean of the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts

Steven S. Waller, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

Ellen M. Weissinger, Ph.D., Dean for Graduate Studies

Steven L. Willborn, J.D., Dean of the College of Law

[edit] Graduate Studies Governance

Graduate studies at UNL are organized and conducted according to the rules and bylaws of the Graduate College of the University of Nebraska. The Dean of Graduate Studies is responsible for coordinating and administering graduate-level programs and policies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The UNL Dean of Graduate Studies also maintains a close liaison relationship with the Executive Dean of the Graduate College of the University of Nebraska. The governance of graduate programs that are principally lodged at UNL is by and through the graduate program committees and the UNL Graduate Council, in accordance with the policies and regulations of the University-wide Graduate College.

The UNL Graduate Council serves as an advisory body to the Dean of Graduate Studies. The Council is composed of eight Graduate Faculty and two graduate students from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

[edit] Graduate Committees

Each administrative unit authorized to offer major work leading to the masters or doctoral degree has a Graduate Committee consisting of not fewer than three Graduate Faculty, one of whom is designated as a chair of the Graduate Committee.

Membership of the Graduate Committee is recommended by the administrative unit through its departmental chair, chair of the interdepartmental area, director, or academic dean, as appropriate, for appointment by the Dean of Graduate Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Each new graduate student should consult the chair of the Graduate Committee of his/her major department for assignment to an adviser. General supervision over graduate studies in each department is vested in the Graduate Committee.

[edit] Emeriti Graduate Faculty Rights and Privileges

Graduate faculty who have been appointed to emeritus status may retain the rights and privileges associated with their membership on the Graduate Faculty. These rights and privileges include permission to teach graduate courses, to serve as members of graduate programs, or to co-chair the supervisory committees of doctoral students with a resident member of the Graduate Faculty.