The Proposed and Misguided Closure of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Patrick H. Szopinski, SA-8499
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) is the flagship university in all of Nebraska. It’s an R1 research institute that is home to over 25,000 students, plus a few thousand more during home football games. I myself am proud to call myself a UNL alumnus, where I earned my Bachelors in Geology in 2019 and had the phrase “Go Big Red!” forever etched into my heart. And I felt part of my heart break when I heard the announcement on September 12, 2025, that UNL was planning to terminate its Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS).
This grave decision arose the way most grave decisions do. From financial troubles. With declining enrollment and tuition dollars, the attrition of state government funds, and rising costs in healthcare and insurance, the Nebraska University system (NU) found itself $40 million in debt, and in dire need of a correction.1 UNL, the biggest university campus within the NU system, went under review and found that its budget deficit was $21 million alone, and media coverage of its financial crisis led to UNL committing to an additional $6.5 million in proactive savings.2 As a way to address the eye- watering $27.5 million budget deficit, NU president Jeffrey Gold and UNL Chancellor Rodney Bennett hatched the momentous plan for UNL; the proposal to shut down six academic programs, with EAS being the most egregious choice. The other five programs were Statistics; Educational Administration; Landscape Architecture; Community and Regional Planning; and Textile, Merchandise, and Fashion Design. The plan also called for merging together the Entomology and Plant Pathology programs, and a mega-merger between Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication, and Agricultural Economics. To top it off, the university would also withdraw $550,000 in state-funded graduate assistantships for College of Engineering and College of Arts and Sciences students.2 UNL’s Academic Planning Committee (APC) was put in charge of nailing down the details of the budget reduction plan.
One salient detail is that the University also offered a Voluntary
Separation Incentive Fund (VSIP) to tenured faculty who are over 62 years old and have taught at UNL for over 10 years. They would get 70% of their base salary and an early retirement if they took the offer.1 The loss of the six academic programs would save UNL $7.7 million, and the remaining debt is planned to be cut through “administrative action and efficiency.” The only part of that statement that came with any certainty was that it would negatively affect the class options for students. Classes with low enrollment would be cancelled, fewer options for electives would be provided, and class sizes overall would increase.1 Despite what it would mean for their students, media coverage confirmed the University’s
conviction to their budget reduction plan, stating that “UNL has to cut $27.5 million from its budget this year, no matter what.”3
As a UNL alum, I couldn’t even imagine how they got $27.5 million in debt. A cynical part of me thought that it was just an emotional ploy to solicit more donations from alumni. But as the headlines kept rolling, it was clear that this wasn’t just a talking point. They were serious about the idea of getting rid of these six programs, and EAS stood out like a lighthouse. In the Cornhusker state, with the Ogallala Aquifer and the Elk Creek carbonatite underneath and Tornado Alley above, the University was okay with there being no more Meteorology or Geology degrees from UNL.
Figure 1. One of the slogans made to support the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences on their GitHub page.
This struck a nerve with me. I owe my geological career to UNL. I
wasn’t just a regular old alumnus, but I bore the name of “Nebraska grad” with pride (admittedly it helped that I entered the workforce in a different state, where hailing from Nebraska wasn’t the norm). I can still recall how it felt to tour the campus as a seventeen-year- old, sifting through college applications, and feel the overwhelming yet decisive sense of “yep, this is the one!” I recall being blown away by the Smithsonian-level of quality of the Nebraska State Natural History Museum, where I would volunteer multiple times throughout my undergraduate career. It’s thanks to the chance to serve the Conservation and Survey Division in their groundwater well drilling program as a summer intern that I learned to appreciate the amount of coordination, documentation, and travel involved in a career as a geologist. The curriculum for the Bachelor’s of Science in Geology was also instrumental in allowing me to take (and ultimately pass) both the FG and PG exams. But one thing I’m most proud of – and most grateful to UNL for – is for allowing me to conduct an undergraduate senior thesis, which used multiple geophysical methods to map the boundary of the Midcontinent Rift System in the southeast corner of Nebraska. When I began interviewing for jobs after graduating, multiple companies told me they were impressed that I had conducted research and published my findings with the university, which absolutely helped me stand out from the crowd of applicants.
1. Lewis, Justin Diep and Izzy. “Breaking: UNL to Eliminate Multiple Programs as Part of $27.5 Million Budget Cut.” The Daily Nebraskan, 12 Sept. 2025,
www.dailynebraskan.com/news/breaking-unl-to-eliminate-multiple-programs-as-part-of-27-5-million-budget-cut/article_271e48ea-3d90-4518-82d8-
de0b0f06a5c0.html. (Oct. 2025).
2. Peal, Jolie. “UNL Proposing to Eliminate Six Academic Programs.” Nebraska Public Media, 12 Sept. 2025,
nebraskapublicmedia.org/es/news/news- articles/breaking-unl-proposing-to-eliminate-six-academic-programs/. (Oct. 2025).
3. Johnson, McKenzie. “UNL Students, Professors Hold Demonstration as $27.5 Million Budget Cut Looms.” KLKN, 11 Oct. 2025,
www.klkntv.com/unl- students-professors-hold-demonstration-as-27-5-million-budget-cut-looms/. (Oct. 2025).
www.aipg.org Jan.Feb.Mar 2026 • TPG 19
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