AI-Summary – News For Tomorrow
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Earth and Atmospheric Sciences department faces significant budget cuts, potentially impacting faculty, students, and program quality. Faculty express disappointment, emphasizing the program’s value to Nebraska’s workforce and climate knowledge. Students are grappling with the possibility of switching majors, facing difficult choices between their passions and job prospects. The department is the only one in Nebraska offering meteorology and climatology programs, leaving students with limited in-state options. The department is actively fighting the cuts, gathering data, contacting alumni, and urging supporters to advocate for its importance to the university and the state.
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“I think we all knew that we were possibly on the cutting board so on one hand, it wasn’t a complete shock, but you still sort of hope that reason will prevail, and you’ll not be the group that has to take a hit,” Sherilyn Fritz, an Earth and Atmospheric Sciences professor, said.
Students said they are struggling with the thought of their program being cut.
Both students and professors said they feel that, although the department is small, they provide high quality education. Fritz said students have been successful in finding a job and developing the workforce in Nebraska.
“We have an impact on things important to Nebraska and we feel like those things haven’t been adequately considered in deciding how to cut,” Fritz said.
“So many people in that program, they love what they do and everyone I’ve asked about it, they care so much about it,” Shaw said.
As of right now, the program is continuing as usual and moving forward as if the program will not be cut. While the university says that they will still allow all current students to graduate, Fritz said the program will be majorly affected by the proposed budget cuts and will not be able to provide the same quality as before.
Among the 77 faculty proposed to be let go, 12 are in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.
Due to budget cuts affecting the program and staffing, some students are deciding to switch majors.
“So I was like, okay cool, there goes my job,” Thomas said.
Other students are finding it very difficult to switch to a different major but are left with no other choice.
“I’d want to go into marketing, even though it’s really sad, because even though that’s something I like, it’s not what I’m passionate about as deeply,” Shaw said. “There’s no way I could transfer. I feel like I just couldn’t do that.”
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is the only university in Nebraska to offer graduate and undergraduate programs in meteorology and climatology, meaning students would have to go out of state to find a similar program.
“I don’t think it’s realistic for me to go out of state for a college, even if it is in the bordering states nearby, because also I’ve started a whole life here,” Shaw said. “I’m part of a sorority. I have friends and family here.”
“I think with the way the climate is changing, it’s just irresponsible,” Thomas said. “It’s irresponsible not to be teaching people how to recognize those patterns and warn people about that.”
The Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences is fighting back against the budget cuts.
Fritz said the college is in the process of forming an argument to present during the hearing process and has contacted alumni to fill out a survey about how the program positively affected them. They are also asking people to write to the university on their behalf and are collecting data on undergraduate placement, which the university has not taken into consideration.
“This department is vital to the school and if taken away, hundreds of students will be thrown off track and left stranded,” Tallon said.
“We’re not going to go down without a fight,” Shaw said, “we want to push for this because we know people care about it.”
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