The University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) is a public university in Kearney, Nebraska, United States. It is a part of the University of Nebraska system. The university was formed in 1903 by the Nebraska State Legislature as Kearney State Normal School. The school would later join the University of Nebraska system in 1989 and would re-brand to its current name in 1991.
The University of Nebraska at Kearney was originally formed in 1903 as the Kearney State Normal School. It was formed by the Nebraska State Legislature after $50,000 was appropriated to build the normal school. The school was originally a part of the Nebraska State College System.[4] The school was originally located in different public facilities until the completion of its first building in October 1905.[5] The first president was Augustus O. Thomas.[6]
In 1921, the state legislature changed all normal schools, including Kearney State, to being teachers colleges. This also allowed for the college to offer four-year degrees. Additionally, it changed its name to Kearney State Teachers College.[7] In 1963, the legislature again changed the name of the college, this time to Kearney State College.[8]
In 1989, it was announced that Kearney State College would be transferred from the Nebraska State College System to the University of Nebraska system. Said decision was blocked by then-Nebraska Attorney General Robert Spire.[9] The lawsuit was then brought to the Nebraska Supreme Court where it was later cleared the following year. Kearney State College officially re-branded to the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 1991.[10]
In common with other campuses in the NU system, the university faced financial distress in the early 2020s, necessitating schoolwide job and program cuts. In 2023, university leaders planned to eliminate over 24 faculty positions and nine degree programs to begin to mitigate the university's $4.3 million budgetary shortfall.[11]
Campus
The University of Nebraska at Kearney's campus is located in Kearney, Nebraska, United States. The campus includes 58 buildings and Foster Field. The oldest building on campus is the Alumni House, which was built in 1907.[12] The university also has an eCampus offering online undergraduate and graduate degree programs as well as a blended-learning (online and face-to-face) Driver Education endorsement program.[13]
Museums
The Museum of Nebraska Art, founded by the state legislature and located in Kearney since 1986, is administered as a department of the university.[14] The G.W. Frank Museum of History and Culture is a Richardsonian Romanesque mansion on the western edge of campus, formerly the residence of the administrator of the Nebraska State Tubercular Hospital. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, G.W. Frank Museum of History and Culture is open to the public, as well as being used for University functions.[14][15]
The University of Nebraska at Kearney is a public university operated by the University of Nebraska system. As of 2025, the university enrolls 4,130 undergraduate students. The university includes 39 undergraduate fields of study. Major fields of study include Business Administration, Teacher Education and Professional Development, Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Family Cand Consumer Economics and Related Studies.[16]
Structure
The University of Nebraska at Kearney has three colleges for undergraduate degrees. These include the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business and Technology, and the College of Education.[17] Additionally, through a partnership with the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the university offers nursing and allied health programs.[18]
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