{"id":124609,"date":"2025-08-15T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=124609"},"modified":"2025-08-14T14:39:03","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T19:39:03","slug":"dr-davies-hosts-staff-advisory-council-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/08\/15\/dr-davies-hosts-staff-advisory-council-president\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Davies hosts staff advisory council president"},"content":{"rendered":"
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UNMC Interim Chancellor H. Dele Davies, MD, helped to welcome the new UNMC Staff Advisory Council by hosting its president on Tuesday during his August all-campus forum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stacey Coleman, the council’s inaugural president, discussed some of the workings and structure of the new 32-member council. Coleman said the council gives UNMC staff a vehicle to have a voice on campus issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have a faculty senate, we have a student senate,\u201d said Coleman, who serves as culture and sustainability manager within the UNMC College of Public Health. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have that similar arm for staff.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coleman invited other staff to attend the regular council meetings, which are held on the fourth Friday of the month at noon. More information is available on the UNMC Staff Advisory Council webpage<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also encouraged people to share ideas and feedback with the council via its official email<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Davies said he is delighted that UNMC has the council, calling UNMC\u2019s staff the fabric of the organization. He told Coleman that he meets monthly with faculty senate leadership \u2013 and he looks forward to meeting with the council leadership, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coleman thanked Dr. Davies, adding that council leaders are \u201chappy to help however we can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch the forum recording at this link<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a time when UNMC faces budget challenges, Dr. Davies also stressed the importance of focusing on UNMC\u2019s core mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Davies said he is aiming to be proactive in considering cuts in anticipation of UNMC\u2019s potential loss in federal grant funding for indirect research costs. He also pointed out the university received less state funding than it had requested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By implementing targeted and specific budget cuts in its colleges and institutes, as determined by deans and directors, UNMC will be able to redirect funding to support research efforts that are critical to the organization, Dr. Davies said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re reinvesting in certain areas,\u201d he said, \u201cand we\u2019re making sure that we continue to protect our core mission of research.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Davies addressed the voluntary separation incentive program being offered to eligible tenured faculty members through Sept. 30, noting careful consideration would be given to make sure that a person\u2019s voluntary separation wouldn\u2019t cause undue pressure on others. In some cases, that may mean an application could be denied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Davies addressed the importance of growing UNMC\u2019s entrepreneurial impact to expand future revenue opportunities through biomedical innovation. That is why the new EDGE District \u2013 which he called an investment in UNMC\u2019s future \u2013 is important, Dr. Davies said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed to research breakthroughs at other Big Ten universities \u2013 the drug Warfarin out of the University of Wisconsin and FluMist from the University of Michigan \u2013 that have generated billions of dollars in research funding for those campuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is part of our core mission,\u201d Dr. Davies said. \u201cThis is something that\u2019s going to hopefully transform what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Davies recognized recent significant achievements among UNMC staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These three UNMC faculty members are winners of the University of Nebraska\u2019s 2025 President\u2019s Excellence Awards:<\/p>\n\n\n\n