The Land Grant University Movement and the Future of IANR UAAD

Good afternoon. It is a real pleasure for me to be here with you today, and I thank you for inviting me. I also, as I begin my remarks today, want to thank each of you for the work you do, everyday, to help make this a better university. Please know that work is both valued and appreciated. I'd like to talk with you about a couple of topics today, and after that I'm going to open the floor for questions and comments. I look forward to hearing what you have to say, too. The first topic I'm going to talk about in the next few minutes is our land grant mission. People who know me at all can tell you I am passionate about land grants because I believe being part of a land grant university and helping to advance the land grant mission is one of the great privileges and responsibilities of our times.

Leveraging Technology for the Future of Nebraska: Creating a Statewide Broadband Plan

In Nebraska, some areas of the state S primarily in the most rural areas of the state S may be underserved or unserved in terms of broadband access. Rural areas of the state also lag in economic development and are experiencing population losses. Additionally, broadband adoption and Internet usage among certain income and population groups remains low. Increasing adoption of broadband and Information Technology (IT) services is one way to create economic opportunities, attract new residents to rural areas and address economic inequalities among population groups.