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NU ranks 27th in research spending

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By MELISSA LEE / Lincoln Journal Star

Wednesday, May 16, 2007 - 05:45:12 pm CDT

More evidence that the University of Nebraska’s quest for star power is paying off: NU announced Wednesday it has climbed six spots in the National Science Foundation’s rankings of top spenders on research and development.

The rankings show NU was No. 27 among public universities in research and development spending for fiscal year 2005, the most recent year for which data was available. The university’s four campuses spent $333.1 million on things like laboratory space, research equipment and faculty salaries, an 11 percent increase over fiscal year 2004 spending.

The University of Michigan was ranked No. 1 among public schools, spending $808.9 million.

Story Photo
J.B. Milliken (LJS File)

“This remarkable improvement reflects the high priority placed on research at the University of Nebraska,” NU President J.B. Milliken said in a statement. “Moving up even one spot per year would be an accomplishment, given how competitive this ranking is.

“Success brings more success, and this dramatic improvement in our ranking is important to our efforts to recruit and retain top faculty.”

In recent years, NU administrators have made research growth a top priority. As numbers go, they’ve succeeded: Last year, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln hauled in more than $100 million worth of research grants for the first time, meeting an ambitious goal set by research vice chancellor Prem Paul.

Grants to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha also are expanding; UNL and UNMC are responsible for the bulk of research spending across NU.

“This is great for the university, great for the state,” Paul said of the rankings. “I’m very pleased... The growth is happening all across the university.”

More grants mean more flexibility to buy top-notch research equipment and lure the best faculty, a battle that never ends among first-tier universities.

And more spending, in turn, means higher national rankings, noticed by top researchers and schools alike, Paul said.

Of course, NU’s high rank comes with mixed blessings: Now there’s a bit of pressure to stay near the top.

Paul likes to believe NU is ready for the challenge.

“We’ve got to keep going up,” he said. “We’re moving forward on all cylinders.”

Reach Melissa Lee at 473-2682 or mlee@journalstar.com.


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Nate wrote on May 16, 2007 6:05 pm:
" Woohoo! Academia is ranked higher than the football team! Truly a great day! (Not sarcasm, by the way. . .) "

 Ted wrote on May 16, 2007 6:50 pm:
" It is cool that we "are making the ranks on research spending"... how about now they work on cutting tuition costs? "

 UNL Alum wrote on May 16, 2007 7:42 pm:
" I think it's great that UNL is doing so well with their research. Maybe it's time they start focusing on their students. UNL graduation rate is a joke among the academic community. Its sad that UNL places football and research higher than it's students "

 Joseph P. Sokolovsky wrote on May 16, 2007 8:28 pm:
" Why can't you negative people support both academics and football? Afterall, do you realize Nebraska is one of only a handful of colleges at which the Athletic Department "pays it's own way," and doesn't dip into tax money. I am proud of our student/athletes and of Nebraska!And year after year Nebraska football has one of the highest graduation rates in the NCAA. "

 UNMC wrote on May 16, 2007 8:38 pm:
" This speaks volumes for UNMC as well! Of course everyone thinks of UNL first for a number of reasons ... but did you know that UNMC's College of Medicine ranks in the top ten in the U.S.News & World Report's "America's Best Graduate School" guidebook? Check out http://app1.unmc.edu/PublicAffairs/TodaySite/sitefiles/today_full.cfm?match=3421 "

 JT wrote on May 16, 2007 9:51 pm:
" Congrats UNL, this is a great achievement. "

 George wrote on May 16, 2007 10:10 pm:
" If everyone graduated the degree wouldn't be worth as much. "

 Erin wrote on May 16, 2007 10:12 pm:
" UNL Alum, what would you have your alma mater do differently? Are you suggesting that money spent on lab space, research equipment, and faculty salaries is of no benefit to students? "

 Alan wrote on May 16, 2007 10:13 pm:
" We spend more on research. My tuition goes up. My classes have more students in them per section. Yay!!! Research! Wait. I thought the main mission of the universe was to ready students for their upcoming careers. Guess not. "

 Matt Poulsen wrote on May 16, 2007 10:25 pm:
" UNL tuition costs are some of the lowest in the nation for comparable instituitons!! The reason it is so low also provides some of the reason that there is a lower graduation rate. Many students, who may not be so serious about school, attend and then drop out because the entrance barrier is relatively low. If the students were paying $25,000 a year I promise the graduation rate would rise! "

 Tony wrote on May 17, 2007 7:41 am:
" I don't believe it. "

 Matt wrote on May 17, 2007 11:45 am:
" Actually, UNL has three main missions - teaching, service, and research! Believe or not, some of the best students choose to attend a college based on the extent of research being conducted rather than how good the athletic department is or how cheap the tuition may be. "

 Locke wrote on May 17, 2007 2:18 pm:
" This is wonderful news for NU. (Though I do find it interesting that the University of Michigan is ranked by itself, while NU is ranked on the basis of the four units.) However, it should be a concern that for every dollar of research grants the university spent two more dollars on research. Other major universities have a much lower ratio of grants to spending. I would hope that NU ramps up its successful applications for grants even more. "

 Van Gump wrote on May 17, 2007 3:00 pm:
" WHat??!! (splut splut) 27th in spending? THAT came out of MY TAX DOLLARS!! Must be the liberal media. "

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