|
The University of Nebraska Public Policy Center
In January 1998, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents established a Public Policy Center with the mission of contributing to public policy by developing and making available objective analysis of public issues for the public, elected officials, executive agencies, and others who represent the diverse interests of Nebraskans.
From the Center's inception, we have worked with policymakers at the state and local levels-as well as at the national level-on a broad range of significant and timely issues. Unlike other university-based policy centers, the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center is unique in that it serves all three branches of the state's government. Our work has resulted in important changes to state statutes and administrative policies, new collaborative partnerships for economic development, and more effective systems for human services delivery. In work that extends beyond Nebraska, Center products have been highlighted as national "psychological first-aid" curriculum models for hospitals and also as the basis for anticipating more benefits than costs for states planning adoption of a three-digit dialing code (2-1-1) for health and human services information. Our approaches to collaboration and networking have been praised by national experts and officials in the behavioral health and health information technology areas. The effort to eliminate racial and ethnic bias in the state's judicial system has been highlighted at national conferences. The Center enriches Nebraska public policy by:
- Catalyzing policy change.
- Creating effective partnerships.
- Conducting policy-relevant research.
- Deploying University expertise.
- Facilitating public participation.
Center staff and students conduct original research, advise based on experiences and knowledge, cull existing academic literatures for ideas and information, and create processes whereby multiple expertise and perspectives may be brought to bear on policy issues. We rely heavily on students: half of the Center staff are graduate or undergraduate students at the University, and their studies are in a wide variety of fields. The Center researchers also come from diverse disciplines, including Business, Economics, Family and Consumer Sciences, Law, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology.
Because the Center was created as a system-wide unit, engaging all the University's campuses (University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Nebraska Medical Center, University of Nebraska at Omaha, University of Nebraska at Kearney, and the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources), the Center is able to link University experts throughout the system to assist policymakers. We have worked with hundreds of faculty and staff from across the five campuses on our projects, drawing on a rich array of expertise present at the University of Nebraska .
I invite you to take a few minutes to look through this website to see what we have been doing recently to provide policymakers with the most accurate and current information available to help them better make informed decisions. You will see how the Public Policy Center has made a difference to Nebraska and why our work has, in several instances, become a model for the nation.
Following is information on PPC services, project funding, methodology, and dissemination. For specific information on how the PPC can assist on your project, contact ppc@nebraska.edu or 402.472.5678.
|
