UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., and Ron Schaefer, director of planning and construction, hosted a group from the Nebraska legislature in early November, touring the campus and discussing needed capital improvements.
State Sen. Dan Watermeier of District 1, who serves on the building and maintenance committee and the appropriations committee in the unicameral, said he was pleased to be back on the Omaha campus.
“I know we’re going to have a capital proposal that’s coming with the bonding issue, so it was really important for me to come up here today,” he said. “Even though I had seen the proposal already, I want to at least step on campus. It’s been quite a while since I’ve actually been on campus.”
Sen. Watermeier, along with Sen. Merv Riepe of District 12 and Spencer Head from the office of Sen. Jim Scheer of District 19, met with College of Allied Health Dean Kyle Meyer, Ph.D., while touring Bennett Hall. The group also visited the nursing college and the college of pharmacy buildings.
“My background is as a hospital administrator for 30 years, so I have a keen interest in health care, health care education and health care reform in terms of where do we go in the future,” Sen. Reipe said. “That’s my driving force.”
Head said he enjoyed a chance to meet face-to-face with campus leaders to discuss UNMC’s needs.
“It’s our responsibility in the legislature to oversee the university and make sure your needs are met,” he said.
Touring the campus and seeing where capital improvements are needed “just puts a picture to how complex and important it is,” Sen. Watermeier said. “When you have $1.1 billion worth of needs, we cannot let these things get away from us. It’s no different than my own business — I know I have to put money back in my own business all the time.”