FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 27, 2026
LINCOLN, Neb. — Today, faculty and staff in four University of Nebraska–Lincoln departments slated for elimination received formal termination notices confirming that their contracts will not end until May 14, 2027, allowing them to complete the entire 2026–27 academic year. The University of Nebraska–Lincoln chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) calls this outcome an important victory for faculty, staff, and, most critically, students.
The letters were sent to approximately 50 faculty members in the departments of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Educational Administration, Statistics, and Textiles, Merchandising, and Fashion Design, all of which were cut following a December 2025 decision by the Board of Regents.
This timeline directly contradicts what faculty and staff were told by university administrators last semester, when the administration indicated that contracts could end earlier, raising serious concerns about faculty being removed mid-academic year and students losing instructors and advisors without warning.
“This outcome did not happen by accident,” said Elizabeth Niehaus, UNL AAUP chapter member. “Faculty, staff, students, and allies across the university made it clear that ending contracts mid-year would cause serious harm to faculty and students. The administration reverted to the full academic-year timeline only after sustained and collective pressure.”
The confirmation that faculty will remain through the full academic year is also a significant win for students, who will now be able to make progress on coursework, degree requirements, and advising relationships without disruption.
“Students should never be collateral damage in administrative restructuring,” said Kelsy Burke, UNL AAUP chapter member. “This decision ensures that students will not lose their teachers and advisors mid-term. That matters for learning, for retention, and for trust in the institution. However, it is important to recognize that students still have many unanswered questions about how they will finish their degrees after next year once their faculty have all been fired.”
While the AAUP chapter acknowledges this outcome as a meaningful correction, it stresses that it does not resolve the underlying harm caused by the program eliminations themselves.
“The deeper problem remains,” Regina Werum, AAUP chapter member, said. “These cuts were unnecessary, damaging, and made without genuine shared governance. We continue to call on President Gold, the Board of Regents, and the UNL administration to reverse these decisions.”
Barring a full reversal, the UNL AAUP chapter is calling on university leadership to provide continued employment for all affected faculty and staff, rather than forcing experienced educators and staff members out of the university community.
“If the administration is serious about repairing trust,” Niehaus added, in reference to the recent listening session hosted by President Gold and Interim Chancellor Ankerson, “it must take responsibility not only for the timeline of these terminations, but for the human and academic costs of the cuts themselves. We cannot move forward as a campus community until our leaders repair the harm that has been done.”
The UNL AAUP chapter will continue organizing and advocating for faculty, staff, and students, and for a university decision-making process grounded in transparency, shared governance, and respect for the people who make the university function.
