ASA Connect

Dear Statistics Community,

              You are probably aware that the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) decided on December 5, 2025, to eliminate its statistics department along with three other academic departments. This includes the closing of all degree programs and the firing of tenured and tenure-track faculty in these units. Their last day of employment with UNL will be the 14th of May, 2027. The decision of elimination by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents was taken arbitrarily, without any warning, based on a flawed analysis of historical performance data. Members of the statistics department and supporting units have pointed this out to the UNL administration repeatedly, with emphasis on the many strong and supportive letters from the statistics community, but to no avail. This action sets a poor precedent for statistics as a discipline, threatens the academic principles of tenure, and is an infringement on the academic freedom to research topics without administrative interference. The budget reduction model used at UNL could easily be replicated at other universities.

Our colleagues at UNL have excellent credentials and documented strengths in both teaching and research. Details of their achievements, research, and teaching interests can be found on their respective websites (see https://lnkd.in/eFpxBznd). They are looking for timely employment opportunities and, in some cases, support for pending applications for permanent residency. We appeal to the broader statistical community for information regarding professional opportunities, both domestic and international. Information can be sent to the individual faculty via email or to the Department Head, Bhaskar Bhattacharya (bbhattacharya8@unl.edu).

Thank you.

Dear Statistics Community,

              You are probably aware that the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) decided on December 5, 2025, to eliminate its statistics department along with three other academic departments. This includes the closing of all degree programs and the firing of tenured and tenure-track faculty in these units. Their last day of employment with UNL will be the 14th of May, 2027. The decision of elimination by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents was taken arbitrarily, without any warning, based on a flawed analysis of historical performance data. Members of the statistics department and supporting units have pointed this out to the UNL administration repeatedly, with emphasis on the many strong and supportive letters from the statistics community, but to no avail. This action sets a poor precedent for statistics as a discipline, threatens the academic principles of tenure, and is an infringement on the academic freedom to research topics without administrative interference. The budget reduction model used at UNL could easily be replicated at other universities.

Our colleagues at UNL have excellent credentials and documented strengths in both teaching and research. Details of their achievements, research, and teaching interests can be found on their respective websites (see https://lnkd.in/eFpxBznd). They are looking for timely employment opportunities and, in some cases, support for pending applications for permanent residency. We appeal to the broader statistical community for information regarding professional opportunities, both domestic and international. Information can be sent to the individual faculty via email or to the Department Head, Bhaskar Bhattacharya (bbhattacharya8@unl.edu).

Thank you.

UNL is having roundtable discussions for its "Our Bold Path Forward" - what the Interim Chancellor calls its "strategic framework." Interim Chancellor Katherine Ankerson has a website encouraging university faculty, staff and students to "submit your ideas." This website does not appear to be open to non-UNL people, but Jonathan Shuster's idea of writing to upper administration is a good one. I would suggest sending comments to the Interim Chancellor. Just as an FYI, President Gold proved himself to be unmoved by the considerable feedback he received last Fall in the run-up to the Board of Regents meeting. He did admit in January that he felt "misled" by the metrics used by the former Chancellor, Rodney Bennett, who resigned shortly after the Regents meeting, and about whom the Faculty Senate passed a near-unanimous "no confidence" vote last November. President Gold said that although he was misled, the Regents' decision stood (and by implication, he stood by the decisions). Anyway, if letters from ASA members have any effect (I'm not optimistic) it will probably be ones to Interim Chancellor Ankerson. Her email address is chancellorankerson@unl.edu.

Walt Stroup, Emeritus Professor of Statistics, UNL

Dear Statistics Community,

              You are probably aware that the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) decided on December 5, 2025, to eliminate its statistics department along with three other academic departments. This includes the closing of all degree programs and the firing of tenured and tenure-track faculty in these units. Their last day of employment with UNL will be the 14th of May, 2027. The decision of elimination by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents was taken arbitrarily, without any warning, based on a flawed analysis of historical performance data. Members of the statistics department and supporting units have pointed this out to the UNL administration repeatedly, with emphasis on the many strong and supportive letters from the statistics community, but to no avail. This action sets a poor precedent for statistics as a discipline, threatens the academic principles of tenure, and is an infringement on the academic freedom to research topics without administrative interference. The budget reduction model used at UNL could easily be replicated at other universities.

Our colleagues at UNL have excellent credentials and documented strengths in both teaching and research. Details of their achievements, research, and teaching interests can be found on their respective websites (see https://lnkd.in/eFpxBznd). They are looking for timely employment opportunities and, in some cases, support for pending applications for permanent residency. We appeal to the broader statistical community for information regarding professional opportunities, both domestic and international. Information can be sent to the individual faculty via email or to the Department Head, Bhaskar Bhattacharya (bbhattacharya8@unl.edu).

Thank you.