By Cheril Lee
Omaha, NE – UNO Chancellor John Christensen gave the 2010 State of the University address during fall convocation this morning.
After thanking faculty and staff for a job well done, Christensen discussed UNO's accomplishments this year, including the opening of the new Mammel Hall and the increase in the university's student diversity. Additionally, Christensen talked about the current economic woes the university is facing. He said, "This is not the time to hunker down and wait for this storm to pass. This is the time to be bold. We cannot temper our aspirations for the future and we must seize the moment. We will necessarily make the hard decisions, preserve and strengthen our core mission and continue to move this great institution forward."
Christensen said the university's ability to manage these budget challenges will largely be dependent on the college's ability to collaborate within and across the campus. Additionally, Christensen felt it was important to look at UNO's role as a metropolitan university in a national context. He said UNO's Office of Institutional Research provided a preliminary look at comparisons between UNO and other metro universities of similar size. Early results indicated that UNO compares favorably with its metropolitan peers.
Ultimately, Christensen said UNO is heading in the right direction.