University of Nebraska Eliminates Climate Research Department

The University of Nebraska Board of Regents voted last month to eliminate the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. The move is part of a larger effort to erase a budget deficit at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). UNL, the largest campus in the state, faces a $21 million structural budget deficit.

Regent Tim Clare acknowledged the difficulty of the decision during a December 5 meeting. "My family, we’ve got 26 degrees from this institution, so to say that this decision comes lightly is as far from the truth as it can be," Clare said. "We’re confronting a serious budget challenge that threatens the long-term stability of our university system."

University leadership stated that action was necessary to ensure financial stability. The elimination of the department is estimated to save $1.85 million. The vote also eliminated three other programs at the university.

The elimination of the department means UNL will no longer be able to produce homegrown meteorologists and geologists. These professionals monitor severe weather and study groundwater, both critical for Nebraska's agricultural economy. Eric Hunt, an assistant extension educator at the University of Nebraska Extension, warned of the long-term consequences.

"Outside of cutting agronomy, animal science or plant pathology, I don't think you could have another department at the university that was more important to agriculture, because that’s your groundwater, that’s your weather," Hunt said. "We just cut something that is vital to the long-term viability of agriculture in the state."

Farmers like Quentin Connealy rely on scientific information to manage their land. Connealy, whose family has farmed in Nebraska for 131 years, has faced increasing weather extremes, including floods in 2011, 2019, and 2024. "The weather’s so unpredictable, we need as many resources around as possible," Connealy said.

Supporters of the department argue that its closure disrupts a crucial pipeline of qualified professionals. Nine professors from the University of Wisconsin-Madison wrote a letter of support stating the program is "nationally recognized." They noted the need for trained meteorologists in "Tornado Alley" and geologists for national security concerns regarding critical minerals.

Experts emphasize that local knowledge is irreplaceable. Martha Durr, a former state climatologist, explained that human forecasters use local expertise to adjust model outputs. "There is still a human at the forecast desk, and they are using their local knowledge and expertise to nudge that forecast model output in a certain way," Durr said.

Rusty Dawkins, Chief Meteorologist at KLKN-TV, wrote that alumni of the program offer "context-sensitive forecasts and risk assessments that out-of-state professionals may miss." The state has already experienced 36 billion-dollar disasters since 2005, and weather patterns are shifting, with temperatures rising and rainfall increasing.