NU President Ted Carter named to national group set to redefine higher education for future workforce

LINCOLN — The head of the University of Nebraska system, Ted Carter, has been named to a newly formed national coalition charged with finding ways that higher education campuses can produce a more globally competitive workforce.

The “Council on Higher Education as a Strategic Asset” includes about 40 leaders of U.S. education, government, business, military and nonprofit sectors. Over the next year, the group aims to develop a plan to ensure that graduates are better prepared to tackle economic, security and other national priorities.

“In Nebraska alone, more than 80,000 jobs today are unfilled — and similar challenges exist across our country,” Carter said. “America’s great institutions of higher education must lead the way in delivering solutions.”

Higher education has not always adapted quickly enough to changing realities, he noted, and said he’s honored that Nebraska will have a leadership voice in “reimagining higher education for the future.”

Being home to nationally recognized research programs in medicine, national defense and agriculture, Nebraska brings locally-grown ideas to be shared with the group, Carter said in a statement.

The NU system is Nebraska’s only public university system, made up of four campuses that enroll about 50,000 students and employ about 16,000 faculty in Lincoln, Omaha, Kearney and at its Omaha-based medical center.

The announcement of the group this week by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges noted that higher education has historically been key to national prosperity and security, particularly during intense industrial and technology progress. 

“Technology and global interconnectivity are fundamentally uprooting workforce priorities,” Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University and co-chair of the new council, said in a statement. “The United States is falling behind in its vision for higher education, which is already endangering our security and competitiveness.”

The National Governors Association reports more than 10 million job openings, but 5.7 million unemployed workers actively looking for work. 

The new group said it hopes to act swiftly to develop a new path to gain a global edge.

The council starts meeting June 6 and is to deliver a plan to President Joe Biden, Congress and states by June 2024.