UNMC Vice Chancellor for Research Ken Bayles, PhD, joined UNMC Interim Chancellor H. Dele Davies, MD, for the November Chancellor’s Forum, held Nov. 10 at Bennett Hall.
On the day before Veterans Day, the chancellor opened the meeting with words of thanks, first thanking the veterans who have served the country, along with the service members who currently serve, and then thanking the UNMC community.
“As we near Thanksgiving, I want to express my gratitude to all faculty, staff and students,” he said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead this extraordinary organization.”
Drs. Davies and Bayles discussed the new UNMC Office of Industry Engagement, an effort to lead a more coordinated approach to interacting with the biomedical research industry and strengthening the bonds between UNMC and industry.
“As you might expect, federal grants and contracts were down last year,” Dr. Bayles said. “(But) with the good work that is being done on the clinical side, with clinical trials and largely through industry sponsored trials, we made up for a lot of that.
“In early 2025, we began to realize that we need to take action to diversify our portfolio,” he said. “As a biomedical research institution, we are heavily reliant on the NIH (National Institutes of Health), which makes us vulnerable. So, we acted” to create the Office of Industry Engagement.
Pointing out that money lost in federal grants was being recouped in industry grants and contracts, Dr. Bayles said he was looking for a leader for the new office “who comes from industry who can market UNMC’s capabilities.
“There’s a lot more to this office, but that’s the main goal.”
UNMC’s state-of-the-art facilities and talented researchers are a draw for industry partners, Dr. Bayles said, with Dr. Davies mentioning the Catalyst building and UNMC’s core facilities.
“We have expertise here that is second to none,” Dr. Bayles said. He added that by bringing all UNMC facilities up to “Good Laboratory Practices” compliance, more opportunities to partner with industries would emerge.
Dr. Davies likened the creation of the office to the type of foresight that led UNMC and Nebraska Medicine to create the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, a decision that had a dramatic and positive impact years later.
“That was an inflection point for us, a decision that we benefited from 10 years later,” he said. “Now, we’re a nationally recognized center for highly infectious diseases because of that decision that was made more than 20 years ago.”
Dr. Bayles also said he hoped for a lot of engagement from UNMC faculty as the office and its goals evolve.
The chancellor also discussed the issue of food insecurity, announcing that the University of Nebraska at Omaha Maverick Food Pantry, a resource to all UNMC students, now is open to UNMC faculty and staff, as well.
A campuswide food drive has been launched to support the Food Bank for the Heartland – and the drive will continue for as long as the need persists, Dr. Davies said. The drive is held in collaboration with the “Omaha Leads and Feeds” citywide food drive.
During the forum, Dr. Davies also:
- Congratulated researchers recognized at the Distinguished Scientist ceremony on Nov. 6, as well as the UNMC research community in general.
- Reminded everyone that Nebraska Medicine’s on-campus influenza and COVID immunizations run through Nov. 24.
- Reminded faculty and staff to enroll, make updates or change to their NUFlex benefits by Friday, Nov. 14, at 5 p.m. CST.
- Gave an update on the university’s efforts to comply with Title II of the ADA, saying that this was a shared responsibility and many university employees are working hard on the effort.
- Said that NU is seeking to retain its title in the Abbott and Big 10’s “We Give Blood” challenge, which runs through early December. NU currently is in a tight race with Wisconsin for the lead. Dr. Davies encouraged all donors to log their donations and shared upcoming opportunities to donate.
- Discussed some promising occurrences surrounding a possible end to the government shutdown. “We’re going to learn more even by the end of today,” he said,” but it will be a few days before the Senate and House can clear these legislative hurdles and send this agreement to the president.”
- Spoke about state-level government initiatives, including LR 191 to examine ABA services, LR 221 to examine barriers to dental care in Nebraska, LR231 to examine access to oral health in rural Nebraska and LR 232 to examine regulatory restrictions and opportunities in medical education in rural Nebraska.
- Discussed a recent report by the Flatwater Free Press on university salary spending, saying the story misrepresented key areas of academic and administrative spending, as well as overstated university administrative compensation by including managerial/professional salaries, which includes nearly all non-academic positions, including athletic positions and many others.
- Noted that Don Klepser, PhD, interim dean of the UNMC College of Pharmacy, provided his vision to serve as permanent dean of the college during Nov. 6 presentation. Next, the review committee will compile feedback and prepare a final recommendation/report.
- Noted that UNMC’s EDGE District was the recipient of a Neighborhood Revitalization Award from Omaha By Design.
- Applauded the renewal of the INBRE grant.
- Noted that NU leadership testified Oct. 31 before the Nebraska Legislature’s Appropriations Committee on the growing fiscal impact of unfunded, state-mandated tuition waivers and the need for sustainable solutions that preserve access and affordability for all students.
- Noted the Kearney expansion work is on track.
- Said that the search for a new dean for the UNMC College of Allied Health Professions would begin within a month or so.