OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — In this edition of the Morning Lift, University of Nebraska Chancellor Joanne Li Ph.D. gives 3 News Now's Zach Williamson a tour of campus.
Chancellor Li is nearing the completion of her fourth year as the head Maverick. She says she has fallen in love with the people of Omaha. That includes the love and pride she has in the university's more than 15,000 students.
She says a big initiative when she came to Omaha was to focus on gainful employment. We are seeing that in several programs.
Chancellor Li first talks about how the university is meeting the demand for shortages in pilots. The Aviation Instituehas a state-of-the-art Boeing 737 simulator that can land at any airport in the country. It also has partnership with major airlines throughout the United States. The university is also continuing to work on combating the teach shortage in Nebraska. Chancellor Li says two-thirds of Omaha metro teachers have at least one degree from UNO.
The biggest project right now is for the College of Information Science & Technology — with the expansion of the Peter Kiewit Institute (PKI). She says, in order to state competitive as a state we need more engineers and IT professionals.
Continuing to look towards the future and technology, UNO began offering a bachelor's degree in Artificial Intelligence — the first to do so in the state. Chancellor Li says they are working on creating a master's program in AI, and are encouraging faculty and staff to use AI in their line of work to help convice students of the importance of it.
Chancellor Li says UNO is home to arguably the number one Biomechanic Department in the country. They have done lots of work to improve child prosthetic care and in cardiovascular biomechanics. The department has also hosted professional athletes from across the country to be studied and to improve their craft. The Health & Kinesiology department works hand-in-hand with biomechanics.
She talks about how great it is to have Elmwood Park and Aksarben Village in the neighborhoods, saying that Aksarben Village is a prime example of the future model of high education by fully integrtaing learning, teaching, and working into the community. As a first-generation college student, she says this helps take away the intimidation of high education, and that if it wasn't for UNO, a lot of the students wouldn't be able to go to school.
We drive by Baxter Arena and talk about the university's success in athletics, including the UNO Men's Basketball team which clinched a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.
When asked about the university's biggest challenges, Chancellor Li said 87 percent of the student body requires financial aid. She says the federal environment is very concerning right now, as the university's biggest focus is on creating opportunities for students to chase their dreams. Cuts could take away paid research opportunities for students or make it difficult for them to attend school all together.
FUN FACT: Koji is Chancellor Li's favorite restaurant in Omaha. Though she says she was surprised at how many good restaurants there are in the metro.
