University of Nebraska Board of Regents
The University of Nebraska Board of Regents will meet on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The meeting begins at 9 a.m. in Room 120 of the Regional Engagement Center, located just south of U.S. Highway 30 on the UNK campus.
The meeting is open to the public and will also be live-streamed at www.nebraska.edu.
A detailed agenda for the Board meeting is available here.
The Board will consider allowing alcohol sales and consumption at all University of Nebraska athletic events. If approved, university leaders would be able to move forward with selling alcohol at athletic events once they have a plan in place to do so, without coming back to the Board for case-by-case approvals.
Contingent on Board approval next week, Husker Athletics intends to move forward with plans to offer alcohol at athletic events for the 2025-26 season, including football and volleyball games beginning next fall.
“The University of Nebraska has put a great deal of thought and care into how we approach alcohol at our athletic events. I’m very pleased that we have shown we can do this safely, responsibly and in a way that makes sense for our fans, our student-athletes and the institution as a whole,” said President Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. “This is the next step as we consider how best to meet our fans’ expectations, carefully monitor safety and at the same time bring Nebraska in line with our peers in today’s changing college athletics landscape.”
Dr. Gold added that the university will use a portion of the revenues generated from alcohol sales to increase its investment in alcohol safety programs.
Athletic Director Troy Dannen said: “We are committed to providing a first-class game-day experience and amenities in all our athletic venues. Alcohol sales have been successfully and safely implemented at Pinnacle Bank Arena and Haymarket Park in recent years. Our success in those venues with alcohol sales, combined with our recent and planned infrastructure upgrades, has informed us we are prepared to provide the same opportunity at Memorial Stadium, the Bob Devaney Sports Center, and our other facilities, beginning with the 2025-26 athletic season.”
In 2022, the Board amended its policy regarding alcohol on university property to allow alcohol at designated athletic events, with the caveat that the administration would come back to the Board for approval for each individual event or venue.
Since that time, the Board has approved alcohol sales at Pinnacle Bank Arena for Husker men’s and women’s basketball, as well as Haymarket Park for Husker baseball and softball. In addition, regents approved alcohol sales at the 2022 Big Ten Wrestling Championships at Pinnacle Bank Arena, and at Volleyball Day in Memorial Stadium in 2023. No major alcohol-related incidents have occurred at any of these events. Alcohol has also long been sold safely at Maverick hockey games.
Nebraska is the only Big Ten institution that is not currently approved to sell alcohol at football games.
Other items for the Board’s consideration include:
· Creation of a bachelor’s degree in applied leadership studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. (Addendum XI-A-3)
· Allowing the president to finalize a contract to replace two grass practice fields for Husker Football located north of the Osborne Legacy Complex. The project will result in improved safety for student-athletes and overall maintenance of the practice fields. (Addendum XI-B-2)
· A budget increase for the outdoor track replacement project at Husker Athletics which would allow for phase II of work to proceed. The second phase includes a press box, stadium seating, restrooms, concessions and IT infrastructure work. (Addendum XI-B-3)
Dr. Gold will also offer remarks, expanding on the opportunities he discussed when he was installed as NU’s ninth president earlier this month and updating the Board on current priorities.