UNMC Chancellor Emeritus Harold M. “Hal” Maurer, MD, a transformational leader and pediatric oncologist, died Aug. 8. He was 89.
UNMC’s longest-serving chancellor from 1998 to 2014, Dr. Maurer also served as dean of the UNMC College of Medicine from 1993 to 1998.
“It was Hal Maurer who first hired me at UNMC,” said H. Dele Davies, MD, chancellor of UNMC. “As fellow pediatricians, we shared a deep belief in the importance of improving the health of children and families in Nebraska and beyond. Dr. Maurer was the driving force behind such building projects as the Durham Research Center towers, the Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science Education, the Center for Nursing Science and many others during his time as chancellor.
“He worked with university leaders, state leaders and the philanthropic community not only to transform the UNMC campus but to raise UNMC’s stature nationally and internationally, largely through his focus on building the university’s infrastructure and research profile and by recruiting top faculty. The Harold M. and Beverly Maurer Center for Public Health on campus bears his name, but Hal Maurer left his mark on UNMC across all colleges, institutes and campuses, including his role in developing the first Health Sciences Education Building in Kearney. We are grateful for all he did to shape the UNMC we know today, and Beverly and his family are in our thoughts and prayers.”
NU President Jeffery P. Gold, MD, who succeeded Dr. Maurer as UNMC chancellor, agreed. “Dr. Hal Maurer was the longest-serving chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, but even more importantly, he was a visionary leader. Under his leadership, the campus grew tremendously, as did its externally sponsored research programs, enrollment and global reputation. His leadership set a solid foundation and was an incredible inspiration to many during his time and my time as UNMC chancellor, and he continues to inspire us today. Our very best wishes to Beverly and his family.”
Through extraordinary vision, energy and remarkable people skills, then-chancellor Dr. Maurer kicked off and oversaw an unprecedented building boom at the medical center, which continues to this day.
“Small ideas are uninspiring,” he said in 2009. “They generally die. So why not develop big ideas? They generate excitement and enthusiasm.”
Friends and colleagues say he transformed UNMC into one of the nation’s rising academic health science centers. He emphasized research – leaning into the motto “breakthroughs for life” – and saw UNMC’s annual external research funding triple under his leadership. He was a tireless recruiter of both top faculty and philanthropic support.
Dr. Maurer changed the way UNMC was perceived, first locally, then nationwide. He his wife, Beverly, did this, in part, by embedding themselves within the Omaha and Nebraska community, dining out often with donors and potential donors.
The late Michael Yanney and his wife Gail Walling Yanney, MD, were among those who helped Dr. Maurer establish a “kitchen cabinet” of Omaha and Nebraska business leaders, power brokers, philanthropists, movers and shakers. And, while there was no shortage of titans in Omaha, winning the trust and admiration of the late Chuck Durham may have been most pivotal. “He gave our research mission instant credibility in the Omaha community,” Dr. Maurer once said.
Dr. Walling Yanney spoke of the Maurers’ impact as a team.
“I have huge respect for Beverly and Dr. Harold Maurer, especially for Dr. Maurer with his wisdom and bravery in getting us started with the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, and Beverly Maurer for helping start Nebraskans for Research. They were a wonderful team, and I am sorry to lose him after all he and Beverly have done for their fellow Nebraskans,” she said.
Durham announced that he believed in Dr. Maurer’s vision and wanted to do what he could to bring that vision to life. “Behind everything is Hal,” Durham said in 2004. “He sweet-talked me into my part … the medical center is the greatest asset I can think of in Omaha.”
His fellow titans came to agree; the Durham Research Center (DRC) towers rose and the Maurer building boom began, eventually including the Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science Education, the Center for Nursing Science, the Ruth and Bill Scott Student Plaza, the Weigel Wiliamson Center for Visual Rehabilitation, the College of Nursing building in Norfolk, and more, as well as dedicating time, as chancellor emeritus, to fundraising for the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center.
Bob Bartee, who served as Dr. Maurer’s vice chancellor for external relations, said he had a unique insight into building public/private partnerships that included private philanthropy and public support from elected officials.
“A superb trait of Dr. Maurer’s was building community support and advocacy for UNMC‘s mission. These support networks helped UNMC thrive during periods of economic growth and during challenging times that threatened our research mission. … One of the brightest stars in UNMC’s galaxy has fallen from the sky. He will be missed.”
“I am proud to have been a builder,” Dr. Maurer said in 2013, as he prepared his transition to a new role, as chancellor emeritus. “I am an infrastructure guy. Infrastructure is important. Infrastructure lasts, and infrastructure changes behaviors.”
Over his tenure, Dr. Maurer was feted with numerous honors and accolades. He was the Omaha World-Herald’s 2004 “Midlander of the Year,” inducted into the Omaha Business Hall of Fame, crowned 109th king of Ak-Sar-Ben, named among the “Men of Honor” by 100 Black Men of Omaha, and Citizen of the Year by the Mid-America Council of Boy Scouts of America, to name a few.
Please share your condolences and memories of Dr. Maurer in the comments below.
Many accomplishments-he leaves an incredible legacy! A great visionary leader.
As is well outlined in this article, Hal was a true visionary and transformed UNMC beyond anyone’s imagination. Hal supported the basic sciences. Soon after he arrived and saw that Physiology and Biochemistry were housed in what is now Bennett Hall he said, “you can’t do research in this space”. With Beverly by his side, that was the genesis of the DRC buildings. The expansion of research space really began with Hal as Chancellor. He was a friend and colleague and a real “mensch”! He will be missed. Condolences to the familly.