Justin Solomon
Non-partisanQ19 What opportunities, if any, do you see for partnerships between state government, universities, industry, and nonprofit organizations to strengthen scientific education?
“I see many and a lot of the pieces are in place to take these partnerships to the next level. In March, NU’s National Strategic Research Institute re-signed with U.S. Strategic Command for $500 million, the largest agreement in the university’s history. We have Offutt down the road and a Business Innovation Act that has turned roughly $60 million in state dollars into $1.17 billion in annual economic output. What we don’t have is anyone whose job it is to turn that access into Nebraska companies and startups.
Purdue shows how. Its DIAL Ventures program brings agriculture companies to the table, identifies their toughest problems, and recruits entrepreneurs to build companies around the answers, with industry putting up real money. Iowa State connected its entrepreneurship programs into one system open to every major. We should do both.
Partnerships should start before college, too. I’m an OPS kid and a first-generation graduate. Nonprofits and school districts can work with NU to put K-12 students in labs and summer programs before they decide science isn’t for them. And employers across the state should be at the table helping us launch workforce-ready programs in months rather than years.
The talent is here. The capital is here. We need a university that puts them together.”
KEYWORDS: Affordability, Access, Research, Academic Freedom, Modernization
Q23 Both research universities and government-funded research programs play a critical role in advancing scientific discovery, training the future workforce, and driving economic development. How would you approach funding and oversight of research universities and government-funded research programs, and what outcomes would you hope to achieve through those investments?
“Research is one of the best investments Nebraska makes. Every state dollar in a UNMC or UNL lab pulls in federal and private dollars, trains the next generation of scientists, and creates jobs here. That funding is under threat, federally through proposed caps on indirect-cost recovery and cuts to NIH and NSF, and at home through repeated attempts to sweep the Health Care Cash Fund. I know that fight firsthand. I served on the board of Nebraska Cures, formerly the Nebraska Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, which was founded to protect that fund and promote biomedical research at UNMC. As a Regent, I’d make protecting research central to the Board’s advocacy with our congressional delegation and the Legislature.
Oversight matters too. Every dollar my organization spends gets audited, and NU should meet the same standard, starting with a zero-based review of administrative spending so more dollars reach the lab and the classroom. I’d also change the report card: instead of only counting patents, count Nebraska students trained, companies formed, capital raised, and jobs created here. Most of all, I want to keep that talent home. Right now, the largest group leaving Nebraska is college graduates aged 30 to 34.”
KEYWORDS: Affordability, Access, Research, Academic Freedom, Modernization
Q24 In order to avoid sweeping cuts and promote long-term financial stability, some academic departments at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have been eliminated, which has raised concerns about the consequences to educational quality, workforce preparedness, and loss of life-saving data (Wendling, 2025). Are you concerned about the immediate and long-term effects of cuts to research and education- why or why not? How should university leaders evaluate budget reductions and what are your suggestions?
“Yes, I’m deeply concerned. The Regents voted to eliminate Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Statistics, Educational Administration, and Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design, affecting 329 students. The campus committee recommended keeping Statistics and Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, and the Regents cut them anyway. In an agriculture state, weather and climate data drive planting decisions, crop insurance, and emergency response. Statistics supports nearly every research program on campus. These cuts save money this year, but the opportunity costs are incredibly high.
Process matters. As a student, I served on UNL’s Academic Planning Committee, the group charged with overseeing campus budget reductions, so I know how this should work. This one was poorly conceived and poorly executed, and people felt it was done to them rather than with them.
My suggestions are straightforward. Fix the process. No major cut without genuine, good-faith consultation with faculty, staff, and students. Count the full cost of a cut, including the grant revenue and teaching capacity that walk out the door with it. Cuts should be born by administration before the academic core.”
KEYWORDS: Affordability, Access, Research, Academic Freedom, Modernization
Q25 The federal government is pursuing large-scale changes to student visa approval, including increased visa denials, revoking existing visas, restricting travel from certain countries, and decreasing student visa durations. How, if at all, should Nebraska respond to federal visa changes affecting international STEM students and researchers?
“Every student who comes to Nebraska should feel like they belong here. Right now, international students are getting a very different message. When a student fears losing their visa mid-semester, how the university responds tells them whether we value them.
I believe our university is stronger when diversity is celebrated and protected. That means standing behind the offices, programs, and student organizations that help students from every background succeed, whether they’re international, first-generation, or students of color. Those programs aren’t extras. They’re how we recruit and keep talented students and faculty in a state that needs both.
For international students, NU should provide real immigration advising and legal support, flexible timelines to finish a degree, and bridge funding so a research project doesn’t collapse when one person’s visa does. Regents should also speak up, publicly and bring awareness to these issues.
International graduate students do much of the lab work in our STEM programs, and many stay to fill jobs and start companies Nebraska needs. We need more people who want to come here, work hard, and build something, not fewer. Our campuses and its leaders should say so loudly.”
KEYWORDS: Affordability, Access, Research, Academic Freedom, Modernization
Q26 What programs, if any, should the University of Nebraska school systems implement to attempt to reduce the financial burden of attending a college or graduate school for STEM-affiliated degrees in Nebraska?
“Affordability isn’t abstract to me. I got to UNL with the help of a Pell Grant and a Regents Scholarship.
The first step is to stop raising tuition. NU just raised tuition for the fourth straight year, more than 17% in total. Purdue has frozen tuition since 2013 while growing enrollment and raising faculty pay. We can do the same by getting NU’s fiscal house in order before asking families to pay more. That includes housing and food, which now cost more than tuition at UNL and get far less scrutiny.
Second, protect and grow need-based aid, including fighting federal proposals to cut Pell. Third, make transfer from community colleges seamless, so students can start closer to home and finish a degree without losing credits.
Fourth, pay students for real work. Paid research positions, internships, and industry-sponsored projects keep students enrolled, reduce borrowing, and connect them to Nebraska employers. Right now our best programs are small and walled off. A student in nursing, agronomy, or engineering deserves the same shot. And for graduate students, stipends should cover the cost of living and shouldn’t be eaten up by fees.”
KEYWORDS: Affordability, Access, Research, Academic Freedom, Modernization