Students interested in working where Nebraska needs them most could be awarded scholarships of at least $8,000 per year under a new program being launched at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and other University of Nebraska institutions.
The new scholarships will be available as early as January 2021 to incoming Husker freshmen and transfer students with strong academic potential who are interested in careers such as engineering, mathematics and computer information systems. Recipients are required to complete a Nebraska-based internship before they graduate.
The scholarships were created through the Nebraska Career Scholarships Act proposed by Gov. Pete Ricketts in January and passed by the Legislature in August.
“Supporting our students and growing our workforce are top priorities here at the state’s flagship, land-grant institution,” Chancellor Ronnie Green said. “Our strategic vision for 2025 includes economic development, research and innovation, lifelong experiential learning and inclusive excellence. The Nebraska Career Scholarships Act provides a much-welcomed tool that will further enable the university to strengthen our Nebraska communities, while transforming lives and learning.”
The scholarships will be offered to undergraduate students at all four University of Nebraska institutions — the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Nebraska at Kearney, the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Approved as Legislative Bill 1008, the initiative allocates $2 million per year to the NU system for undergraduate students pursuing high-demand careers to help fill Nebraska’s critical workforce needs. LB 1008 also allocated scholarship funds to state and community colleges.