6-year term, $0The duties of the Board of Regents include providing strategic leadership to the four-institution university system, promoting and advocating for the advancement of the system’s mission of education, research, and outreach. Among its duties is the selection of the system president and approving budgets, and tuition rates. The board is made up of eight voting members.
Education
Bachelors in Business Science
Current Public Office, dates held
Nebraska Information Technology Commission - since 2022
Military experience
14 year Air Force brat - no other service
Volunteer experience
Boy Scouts of America, Junior Classical League, St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry
We are struggling in retaining college graduates. According to a UNO study, our "brain drain" has quadrupled in the last decade and is still climbing.
The NU system has a long history in innovation that needs to be revived. Through my experience on the Nebraska Information Technology Commission, I am deeply familiar with our strengths in education, such as AI and its use in agriculture and medicine.
If elected, I intend to reduce tuition for in-state students so we can increase retention of our next generation. In order to attract these students, continued investment in cutting edge programs such as medicine and technology is key. We have some of the greatest Fortune 500 companies in Nebraska- continued collaboration feeds innovation.
College is meant to challenge us and introduce us to new concepts. The most critical use of the First Amendment and free speech is on college campuses- there is no platform that must be more protected.
Each of us are challenged by concepts and people that differ from our own. If students do not have the opportunity to be presented with differing thoughts and opinions, we are setting them up for failure in life. At the very least, contrasting opinions force students to consider and rationalize their own stances.
Dialogue should be respectful and students must be afforded a safe environment. None of these ideals are exclusive.
The most critical challenge is our "brain drain" and its continued growth. We have a net loss of college graduates every year, despite our strong economy and world-class companies and hospitals.
Nebraska students must be given affordable education and the best way to achieve this is to make in-state tuition as low as possible. In addition, we need to work to place graduates in good jobs in Nebraska.
As we all know, the world is advancing at a rapid rate. Nebraska must be a hub for innovation and cutting-edge fields of study. This is how we attract students from both inside and outside of the State. This is how we leave our mark on our country and the world.
Education
BA, Carleton College, MPA, New York University, MSW, University of Nebraska Omaha
Current Public Office, dates held
University of Nebraska Board of Regents, District 8, elected 2018 - current
Past Public Office, dates held
None
Military experience
None
Volunteer experience
Founding Board Chair for the Samaritan Counseling Center of the Midlands, national board member of the Samaritan Institute, and has been involved in various church-related committees. She showcased her leadership skills through Board participation, i
I am committed to keeping tuition as low as possible. The shortfall of the state budget revenue cannot be covered through tuition increases.
We are proud of new programs that were started during COVID such as Nebraska Promise scholarships which eliminated tuition for students from households with less than $65,000 in income. That has allowed us to reach at least 1,000 students who otherwise would not be attending college.
We joined a national program that cuts the costs of textbooks, saving students more than $3 million. The Chronicle of Education ranked Nebraska third for students graduating with the least amount of debt.
Through public and private partnerships we can do more.
The Constitution protects the right to free speech. Any restriction, particularly on public campuses, would deprive students of the opportunity to hear diverse points of view, to argue their position, to hear opposing points of view, or to practice the art of civil discourse.
The role of higher education is to support the development of student’s critical thinking abilities. Free speech allows students and faculty alike to examine ideas to allow the ability to truly test their current frameworks with new perspectives and new language and create new theories as they push and examine collaboratively new knowledge.
I do not support, behavior on campus that is harassment or threats, or that creates a hostile environment.
The world has changed Higher education is changing along with it. Partisan politics have been inserted into our governing bodies despite the fact the Board of Regents and other institutions are nonpartisan. Securing a leader of the University of Nebraska is the most important responsibility for any member of the board. We are facing a $54-million operating budget shortage that will impact all our campuses. Our state faces a shortage of people to fill 10,000 vacant jobs which, by the year 2026, 65 percent will require at least a bachelor’s degree.
People must value education and understand the upward social mobility it brings to individuals and their families. Nebraska receives $9 for every $1 in tuition.We must increase the ROI as we grow
