UNMC Interim Chancellor H. Dele Davies, MD, discussed next steps for Project Health, as well as upcoming changes in benefits and budget issues, at a wide-ranging chancellor’s forum on Oct. 15.
Dr. Davies was joined by Jen Bartholomew, UNMC assistant vice chancellor of facilities, management and planning, and Chad Vokoun, MD, chief of the UNMC Division of Hospital Medicine, at the forum, which was held at the UNMC College of Nursing.
Bartholomew discussed construction timelines for Project Health following the University of Nebraska Board of Regents’ recent approval to begin building the core and shell of the facility.
“We’re going to be building the outside of the building,” she said. “The interiors will come at a later approval, likely at nine-12 months.”
Initially, the community will see increased digging, establishment of soil retention walls to create a safe construction site and then work on the outside of the building.
“Upward movement is likely not to happen until after the first of the year,” she said.
She offered a “fun fact”: 95,000 cubic yards of soil already have been removed from the site, with another 20,000 to go. When finished, the building will be 1.4 million square feet with 30% of that devoted to education.
Dr. Vokoun, who is the physician executive for the project, is part of a team that oversees a number of subject matter expert groups informing leaders on their vision for the project.
“I am trying to get as many opinions and voices heard as possible,” he said. “If someone’s voice wants to be heard, we have an avenue for that.”
Bartholomew said an intranet page would soon be live that would allow the UNMC community to track progress on the project.
When discussing benefits, Dr. Davies said that increasing health insurance costs are challenging for every institution and employee, adding that the university’s increases are lower than most other workplaces in the country.
“I recognize that this is a burden for faculty and staff,” Dr. Davies said, saying the system office has done a remarkable job working to mitigate the increases. “This is a difficult increase right now for everyone, and the changes were not made lightly. A lot of thought went into this, and some of the costs were absorbed by the NU System.”
See details on the benefit changes here.
Dr. Davies also addressed budget issues, saying that UNMC remains committed to ensuring long-term stability amid a shifting financial landscape, including a previously announced 4% budget reduction for every college and institute for the 2025-26 fiscal year.
“We cannot cut ourselves to growth,” he said. “We want to continue to retain and recruit the best faculty, staff and students, which we have right now in my opinion.”
He said he has been working with the leadership team to reduce costs through increased efficiencies, including rolling out a process improvement program for the campus.
“We see this as something hopeful for the campus,” he said, adding that improved efficiencies would not only save money but improve job satisfaction, reducing bottlenecks and allowing resources to be allocated to staff and faculty support.
Dr. Davies also urged members of the UNMC community – as well as alumni and fans across the state – to participate in the Big Ten “We Give Blood” Challenge as the university defends its 2024 title. Although participants can donate blood anywhere in the U.S. and log donations to count toward Nebraska’s total, upcoming on-campus opportunities include:
- Oct. 20: College of Pharmacy | noon-3 p.m.
- Oct. 30: Center for Healthy Living | 9 a.m.-noon
- Nov. 25: The Lied Transplant Center | 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Dr. Davies encouraged attendees to watch UNMC Today for an upcoming promotion with Big Grove Brewery to help drive blood donations.
On other matters, Dr. Davies:
- Spoke about the scheduled elimination of Grad Plus Loans on July 1, 2026, saying leaders are engaged in ongoing efforts to identify new loan avenues with local banks.
- Reminded the audience that on-campus influenza immunizations are offered free to faculty, staff and students through Nebraska Medicine’s drop-in clinics, which run through Nov. 24. COVID-19 vaccinations also will be available.
- Thanked members of the campus community who helped as UNMC hosted the October Board of Regents meeting, adding he’d gotten compliments about the event.
- Congratulated Teresa Cochran, DPT, and Kristen Cook, PharmD, for being named distinguished educators by the UNMC Interprofessional Academy of Educators.
- Reminded the UNMC Omaha campus community that UNMC and area law enforcement agencies will conduct a full-scale exercise Friday (Oct. 17), in the Maurer Center for Public Health, and that people should not enter the exercise area in and around the building.
- Said UNMC continues to monitor the federal shutdown, as well as issues surrounding the H1B visa and health/education initiatives in the Unicameral.
- Discussed UNMC’s new HR processes and new jobs website. There will be forthcoming information regarding the jobs website in next week’s UNMC Today.