UNK College of Education
Inspiring Tomorrow’s Educators. Like Only Nebraska Can.
The College of Education’s reputation as a premier institution in Nebraska for future teachers is truer today than ever before. Since our founding in 1905, the college has been distinguished by a student-centered, inclusive culture with a faculty dedicated to student success. The education we deliver helps address key workforce needs in Nebraska and further strengthens our communities.
Relentless Focus on Student Access and Success
The driving focus of the College of Education is student success. Donors can play a key role in making education accessible to students from a wide variety of backgrounds and in helping to ensure this education is an enriching, supportive experience that prepares students for the opportunities and challenges ahead.
Enhancing Faculty and Academic Excellence
Attracting the best faculty is essential for the college to reach its ambitious goals. Endowed chairs and professorships enable the college to recruit and retain top quality experts. The college also strives to increase enrollment in its graduate programs to help address the shortage of educators in Nebraska, creating the need for additional faculty.
Transformational Research and Innovation
Donor support of key research programs can help the college to better understand and address the needs of rural Nebraska. Current research includes the study of differences in the health care needs of rural Nebraska and the use of telepractice in providing counseling to children and adults in rural areas.
FOR THE FUTURE WE’LL BUILD
INVESTING IN OUR
SHARED VISION.
Nebraska colleges are not graduating enough teachers to fill the growing need for educators in the state. By investing in students, faculty and research, donors can help the college grow and provide more opportunities for those who will serve Nebraska through their critical work in the fields of education and mental health.
A MESSAGE FROM LEADERSHIP
“We appreciate donor support immensely because it allows us to do the best possible job of preparing the students who will play crucial roles in communities all across Nebraska, now and for generations to come.”
– Mark Reid, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Education
TOP CAMPAIGN PRIORITIES
Student Access and Success
Donors can play a key role in making education accessible to students from a variety of backgrounds through the creation and support of undergraduate student scholarships. They also can help ensure that students are successful through their support of enriching experiences that prepare students for the opportunities and challenges ahead.
Faculty and Academic Excellence
Endowed chairs and professorships are critical to attracting the highest-quality faculty. They are needed in every program, including the Department of Communication Disorders, which seeks to create an endowed chair to lead the college’s online master’s degree program. The shortage of speech-language pathologists in rural Nebraska and nationally is real, and this position will help attract more students to the program.
Internships, Externships and Service Learning
The college is proud of its long-standing history of outstanding field placements and intern experiences with high-quality supervision. Donor support is needed to further enrich and support this coursework and to develop students’ potential.
Next Generation of Nebraska School Leaders
The NexGen Leadership Academy was created to develop and support current and future leaders in Nebraska’s educational system. This innovative program supports current and future leaders in Nebraska’s educational system to enhance leadership capacity in schools at all levels.
International Collaborative Research Initiative
The International Collaborative Research Initiative with Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania continues to provide international interactions for graduate students and faculty in school psychology and counseling. This forum helps broaden the perspective of future mental health professionals who are in great demand.
