Governor Proclaims University of Nebraska Charter Week

In honor of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the University of Nebraska, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts proclaims February 8-15, 2019 as "University of Nebraska Charter Week." Chancellor Ronnie Green received the document in a ceremony at the Nebraska State Capitol. The text of the proclamation reads: WHEREAS, On February 15, 1869, the Nebraska Legislature unanimously passed and Nebraska Governor David Butler immediately signed legislation enabling founding of the University of Nebraska; and WHEREAS, The University Charter established Nebraska as a university, not a college, provided for six original colleges and stated: “the object of such institution shall be to afford inhabitants of this state the means of acquiring a thorough knowledge in the various branches of literature, science and the arts;” and WHEREAS, The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has a $2 billion total annual economic impact on the state of Nebraska; has experienced a three-year high in student enrollment; granted 5,529 degrees in 2018 – more than ever before; and disburses more annually than $300 million in research expenditures; and WHEREAS, The University of Nebraska has facilities or activities in all 93 Nebraska Counties via Nebraska Extension, the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station, and Distance Learning; and WHEREAS, The University of Nebraska’s cultural offerings such as the Lied Center for Performing Arts and Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center; the Glenn Korff School of Music; and museums like Sheldon Museum of Art, Center for Great Plains Studies, International Quilt Center and Museum, Larsen Tractor Test Museum, and the University of Nebraska State Museum enrich and enhance lives; and WHEREAS: University of Nebraska Husker Athletics creates pride and joy both on the fields of play and in the hearts of alumni and fans, is a proud member of the Big Ten Conference, and has a nation-leading 333 Academic All-Americans; and WHEREAS, More than 290,000 individuals have earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees and alumni come from every state and nearly every nation and continent on the planet, making enormous achievements in their chosen fields; and WHEREAS, Current students (future alumni) are inspired by these achievements, and are ready to write their own stories and to make their mark on society; and WHEREAS, There Is No Place Like Nebraska, NOW, THEREFORE, I, Pete Ricketts, Governor of the State of Nebraska, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM the week of February 8-15, 2019, as UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA CHARTER WEEK in Nebraska, and I do hereby urge all citizens to take due note of the Sesquicentennial observance.