As Huskers return to campus for the fall semester, we're bringing you up to speed on what you may have missed this summer. From student achievements and community engagement to a new Runza restaurant and chance to showcase your Husker pride, these 10 headlines (presented in no particular order) helped define the season at Dear Old Nebraska U.
Campus updates
In every season, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln continues to grow and advance — and this summer that includes the opening of the new Westbrook Music Building for the Glenn Korff School of Music.
The 103,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility officially opened in May and will host classes for the first time this fall. It replaces the former facility of the same name, which opened in 1967. The space includes an immersive performance hall, recording studio, rehearsal space, music library, 16 classrooms and 65 offices.
The School of Music will hold an open house for its new building at 10th and Q streets, 4 to 6:30 p.m. Aug. 22. The event is free and open to the public.
Other new additions to the campus community include Runza in the Selleck Hall food court; the Legacy Plaza Meadows project on East Campus; and ongoing renovations to the Nebraska Union food court.
Mueller Tower renovation
A major renovation is underway on Mueller Tower, the 84-foot limestone landmark that has stood at the heart of City Campus since 1949. Funded through state maintenance dollars allocated by the Nebraska Legislature under Legislative Bill 384, the work includes replacing deteriorating limestone, reinforcing structural anchors and upgrading waterproofing systems. Construction is being led by Kehm Contractors, a family-owned building restoration company based out of Omaha. Work began May 19 and is expected to be completed in the fall.
Budget is being addressed
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln will implement a plan by the end of this calendar year to reduce its budget by approximately $27.5 million, covering a structural deficit and anticipated new budget cuts, Chancellor Rodney D. Bennett said Aug. 4. The university’s formal budget reduction process, which includes the Academic Planning Committee, has been initiated. Learn more here.
Art Chapel opens
One of summer’s biggest community impacts featured work by College of Architecture students helping transform a 150-year-old chapel at Lincoln’s F Street Neighborhood Church into a vibrant community arts center.
Students designed and installed new cabinetry and shelving and built tables that include outlets to plug in equipment like sewing machines and other tools. Most dramatically, they created a sliding wall that opens to create an indoor-outdoor space for events. The Art Chapel opened in July and was featured in stories by the Lincoln Journal Star, KOLN and KLKN.
Learn more about the Art Chapel in the video above and here.
Science Olympiad draws 2,000 to campus
Around 2,000 of the country’s sharpest young scientific minds converged on UNL for the 41st annual Science Olympiad National Tournament May 23-34.
All 50 states and two nations were represented at middle and high school-level competitions. The students spent both days on campus showing off their scientific knowledge and skills while learning about all Nebraska has to offer.
Learn more about the competition.
Top 10% in the world for ag
According to new QS World University Rankings announced in July, University of Nebraska–Lincoln agriculture and natural resources programs rank in the top 10% of nearly 500 institutions worldwide.
Overall, the university’s programs placed 46th among 475 universities worldwide as ranked by Quacquarelli Symonds, a global higher education company that produces the annual ranking.
“It’s exciting and encouraging for us to be ranked in the top 10% on a worldwide scale,” said Tiffany Heng-Moss, interim Harlan Vice Chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and interim vice president of agriculture and natural resources for the University of Nebraska system. “This recognition affirms the meaningful work happening across IANR — in our research laboratories and statewide platforms, classrooms and experiential learning settings, Extension offices and communities.”
Racing to win
Roaring engines and tight turns marked the high-octane debut of the Cornhusker Figure 8 Racing team this summer. Fueled by a passion for speed and mechanical ingenuity, the student-run club spent months transforming a 1980 Pontiac Firebird into a mud-slinging race machine inside the new Kiewit Hall's Garage. The hard work paid off as the team competed in a variety of racing events at county fairs. Check out their progress in the video above and in the photo story here.
Huskers earn Fulbright awards
Irina Filina, associate professor of Earth and atmospheric sciences, has been selected as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar and will travel to Iceland in summer 2026 to collect data for her ongoing research into the proposed continent of Icelandia.
Filina will partner with the Iceland Geological Survey team and colleagues from the University of Iceland to study felsic lavas and other geological formations across Iceland. The data collected will be used in the ongoing geophysical modeling Filina and her team are conducting to help answer the Icelandia question.
Three other Huskers — two recent graduates and a current graduate student — received Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards for the 2025-26 academic year. Those honored are:
- Jillian Kurovski, doctoral student in biological sciences, who will go to South Korea through the U.S.-Korea Presidential STEM Initiative Award;
- Carson Haberyan, a French major who graduated in May with a Bachelor of Arts, will travel to France on a Fulbright-French Government English Teaching Assistant Award; and
- Brigid Toomey, a biological sciences major who graduated in May with a Bachelor of Science, will go to France on a Fulbright-Grenoble Alpes University Award.
Read more about the student awards.
Turfgrass team up
University of Nebraska–Lincoln turfgrass researchers teamed up with Husker Athletics to tackle the installation of bermudagrass as part of the new football practice fields. At the heart of this collaboration is Amanda Folck, an assistant Extension educator in turfgrass management, who led a year-long research project evaluating the performance of hybrid bermudagrass. Folck’s trial was strategically designed to simulate the intense wear and tear experienced on collegiate sports fields, helping Nebraska Athletics make evidence-based decisions on turf management for the future.
Learn all about the work in the video above and here.
Husker faithful sought
We’ve rolled out the red carpet for a new video series celebrating the university’s biggest Big Red fans. First up in the Cornhusker Superfans series: the one and only Ashley Dohe, an administrative coordinator for the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Step into her office and you’ll find a full-on Husker wonderland: custom collages, vintage pennants, and yes — a life-size, handmade papier-mâché Herbie Husker. We continue to seek the next Cornhusker Superfan to feature! Nominate yourself or a colleague who’s all-in on Husker spirit by sending an email to tfedderson2@unl.edu. Help us celebrate the people who make this university more than just a workplace — they make it a Big Red family.
