Chancellor: Research, innovation key

FAIRBURY - Forced to deal with budget cuts several years ago, University of Nebraska Chancellor Harvey Perlman said the university focused its sights in, concentrating on ways to continue to improve in two areas: undergraduate education and research.

“We think those address the two biggest needs in the state of Nebraska,” he said.

Perlman spoke to a joint meeting of Fairbury’s Kiwanis and Rotary clubs on Wednesday as he took a short tour of this area of the state, stopping to visit Endicott on his way.

“My purpose here is to find out how the university can be of better service to you,” he said. “Sitting in Lincoln, you don’t always get a good view outside that city.”

Perlman said the university helps draw young people to the state, an important thing as Nebraska’s population in general ages.

“We know if students are attracted to UNL or any college in the state they’re more likely to stay,” he said.

In addition, Perlman said one-third of UNL’s non-resident students, those who come from outside Nebraska, who attend UNL are still in the state contributing to the economy five years after they graduate.

Within the university, he said the faculty recently adopted new general education requirements, basically what a student should know in order to be a graduate of UNL.

As a result, for the first time in UNL’s history, students who start in one area of the university, such as the fine arts college, and transfer to another, such as engineering, will not have to adjust their general education requirements because they will be the same for both, he said.

Perlman also said the research component is important as the state needs to diversify its economy.

“Nebraska will always be an agriculture state, but agriculture uses fewer and fewer people,” he said.

Perlman said the country in general can’t compete on the basis of providing cheap labor anymore, but where it competes the best is in having the best innovations.

“We try to infuse in our undergraduates what research is and innovation, that’s how they will make their mark in the world,” he said.

Perlman said research at the university brings in $104 million a year.

An example of the work being done at UNL is the laser facility, which can create more energy than the sun for a split second, he said. It is a development that has tremendous applications for areas such as medicine and homeland security.

“That’s one example of the kind of research being done at the university,” Perlman said.

He also addressed the university’s interest in state fair park as a result of the state fair going to Grand Island.

Perlman said as a member of the fair board, he saw first-hand what was happening financially with the state fair.

The fact of the matter is the state fair needed $30 million in construction and renovations to be done at the state fair park, he said.

At the same time, the state fair loses $1 million a year, Perlman said.

“I, and others, believe the fair would not have been successful where it was,” he said.

Perlman said even with attendance rising in the last few years, revenue continued to decline.

This ties into the university, he said, because while UNL didn’t need the fair park to do what it wanted in terms of continuing to grow its research, it did need it so the public can share in the benefits.

Perlman said private-sector companies don’t have the money to invest in long-term research, so often they will consider locating next to a university where they can engage with faculty on research projects.

The vision for the state fair park is to create Nebraska Innovation Park as an environment where businesses can locate adjacent to university facilities and as a result generate jobs and economic activity.

“We know we can be successful there, we’ve already had some inquiries,” he said.