Latest news with #UniversityofNebraskaBoardofRegents
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Lincoln entrepreneur running for open NU Board of Regents seat in 2026
Brent Comstock of Lincoln is the first announced 2026 candidate for the District 1 seat on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents held by Regent Tim Clare of Lincoln, who says he will not seek a fourth term on the board. (Candidate photo courtesy of Comstock campaign | University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus photo by Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — A Lincoln entrepreneur born and raised in Auburn announced his 2026 candidacy Wednesday for an open seat on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. Brent Comstock, 29, is the CEO of the Lincoln-based marketing firm BCom, which he started a decade ago, after having thought up the idea for the business while he was in school. The District 1 seat Comstock is running for is held by Regent Tim Clare of Lincoln, who told the Lincoln Journal Star in April that he would not seek a fourth six-year term next year. NU Board of Regents District 1 includes the northern half of Lincoln, as well as the surrounding communities of Emerald, Malcolm, Agnew, Raymond and Davey. Comstock said it's important to preserve Clare's legacy of being principled and that he hopes to continue Clare's ability to bring all Nebraskans to the table. 'With the current political climate and the current budget environment, I think the next decade is going to shape how future generations choose to work and live here in the state,' Comstock told the Nebraska Examiner. 'All of that future depends on a strong, forward-thinking university system that brings everyone to the table and recognizes that every Nebraskan is impacted by what happens through the university system.' Comstock said NU is the 'most important public institution in the state,' from Nebraska Extension and 4-H in rural communities to degree programs across NU campuses and world-class research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. 'I think it touches every person in Nebraska,' Comstock said. Comstock, the son of a plumber and a former special education teacher, is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He said he made his own college decision similar to other small town Nebraska kids: on finances, dreams and aspirations. A scholarship made it more economically viable to go to school in North Carolina, Comstock said he returned home and invested in BCom, which partners with start-up companies, a bipartisan group of candidates and other causes or organizations. Comstock's campaign announcement included endorsements from Nebraskans, including Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird, community leader and philanthropist Connie Duncan, former State Sen. Matt Williams of Gothenburg (who ran for the regents in 2022) and former U.S. Sens. Bob Kerrey and Ben Nelson, who both also served Nebraska as governor. In a statement, Gaylor Baird said Comstock 'helped put Lincoln on the map' and has played a key role in shaping Lincoln's 'growing entrepreneurial ecosystem.' He lives and works in the downtown and Haymarket space in Lincoln. 'Brent understands that the success of the university and the success of Lincoln are deeply connected. He brings people together — across politics, industries and generations — to focus on what really matters: education, opportunity and progress,' Gaylor Baird said. 'He's exactly the kind of regent we need right now.' Jeff Raikes, the former Microsoft executive and Nebraska native who co-founded the Raikes Foundation, also endorsed Comstock. The Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is named after Raikes, the former CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Raikes said in a statement that Comstock understands that NU 'is not only a world-class institution, but also a vital economic engine for our state.' 'His ability to work across sectors and across the aisle makes him exactly the kind of regent we need to lead with vision, integrity and purpose,' Raikes said. Clare ran unopposed in 2014 and 2020 and won in 2008 with 58% of the vote. New district boundaries took effect in 2021 and match those of the State Board of Education District 1, which in November elected newcomer Kristin Christensen. Races for the education boards are officially nonpartisan, and Comstock is a registered nonpartisan, while Clare is a registered Republican and Christensen is a registered Democrat. Christensen won with 58% of the vote in a highly watched election in November, succeeding former State Board of Education member Patsy Koch Johns, a Democrat first elected in 2016. Comstock said that while he would bring a 'fresh perspective,' he also brings a decade of leadership in building a company in the Cornhusker State. 'I told people, if I were ever to seek elected office, I would want it to be in a place that we can make impact that touches as many people as possible,' Comstock said. 'I think that this is the moment to do that.' The top two vote-getters in May 2026 will advance to the November 2026 election. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
University of Nebraska regents amend bylaws to comply with federal anti-DEI mandate
FILE — The University of Nebraska Board of Regents meets Oct. 5. 2023, at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) OMAHA — The University of Nebraska Board of Regents approved multiple bylaw changes Friday in response to President Donald Trump with some opposition from students, faculty and two elected regents. In two 6-2 votes, the NU Board of Regents amended various policies, including those on 'equal opportunity' in employment, admission of students and cultural diversity in setting nonresident tuition remission programs. NU's four student regents did not support the changes, though their votes are non-binding under the Nebraska Constitution. The changes came after the Trump administration in February warned colleges and universities that federal funding could be at risk if they didn't end diversity, equity and inclusion programs. NU Regent Elizabeth O'Connor of Omaha, who opposed the changes along with Regent Barbara Weitz of Omaha, said the decision 'weighed heavily' on her after an emergency Feb. 25 meeting, less than two weeks after the Trump letter, to let the bylaw changes to come up for a vote in time. O'Connor said the federal action against DEI didn't specifically define the targeted programs. She noted DEI isn't just race or ethnicity but is also about women, first-generation college students, nontraditional students, veterans, low-income students and students with disabilities. 'The practices targeted are often research-based practices with decades of education research that indicates numerous benefits to individuals, community and society,' O'Connor said. Student Regents Elizabeth Herbin (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), Ishani Adidam (University of Nebraska at Omaha) and Pranita Devaraju (University of Nebraska Medical Center) said they publicly opposed the changes on behalf of their student bodies. Herbin and Adidam have spoken out on past actions on their campuses to shut down DEI-related offices. Zackary Bursh, a 19-year-old sophomore at UNL, said the regents had a choice to decide how to respond and show they care. UNL faculty Stephanie Bondi and Crystal Garcia, who said they study higher education and the proposed changes on students, told the regents Friday that amending the bylaws could hurt students. Garcia said the Trump 'anti-civil rights guidance' wasn't law and that other universities that have complied in response to similar threats have still lost federal funding. 'Complying with this administration will not save us,' Garcia said. 'It will only open our campus communities to years of continued scrutiny, surveillance and coercion.' Adidam, whose UNO campus hosted the regents Friday, said there has been a 'culture shift' since the closure of DEI offices. She and Herbin said the policies were more than 'language.' 'Yes, this is language, but language is the first step to creating more action that could potentially have negative consequences for students,' Adidam said. 'I personally don't think UNO students would want that.' The fourth student, Sam Schroeder (University of Nebraska at Kearney), abstained from one of the votes but opposed the second. He will return as UNK's student regent next year, while this is the last scheduled meeting for the three other student regents. Regent Jim Scher of Norfolk said he didn't necessarily disagree with the students or O'Connor but that he was concerned about the 'extent of damage' that inaction could cause. 'I don't want to cause a financial problem that is much greater than the verbiage problem that we're talking about,' Scheer said. Noting the groundswell for underrepresented students that the students and O'Connor defended, Scheer said it could be the same students who lose Pell Grants or federal funding. 'The same students that we're talking about being recognized and feeling inclusive or important and helpful, without those Pell Grants, wouldn't be here,' Scheer said. 'I'm not going to be cavalier enough to say I'm going to take a stand symbolically because when those people, those students, don't get their Pell Grants and their funding, they're no longer students.' He continued: 'I think the education of those students outweighs the value of this symbolic vote to withstand the pressures put on us.' Regent Kathy Wilmot of Beaver City echoed Scheer that her 'overarching responsibility' was to ensure NU could continue to offer educational opportunities. O'Connor said she recognized those arguments but disagreed with Scheer that she was being 'cavalier.' She said that seemed 'rude.' Scheer said he was only talking about himself. 'Reasonable minds can have different votes here,' O'Connor said in response. Devaraju said she understands concerns that without the changes NU could lose funding but said she wanted to use even her 'symbolic' vote to speak out. She added that the 'intentionally unclear guidance' came after NU had made many DEI-related changes to appease the federal government and seemed to be leaning toward potential 'over compliance.' 'I also feel that in 50 years we will look back and wonder why we didn't protest at all as our hand was being forced,' Devaraju said. O'Connor said she worried Friday's action wouldn't be the end. 'While today is just one piece of unraveling support for students in research supported by DEI,' O'Connor said, 'I believe that it is just the beginning, and it will be hard to reverse the damage done in the future.' Regents on Friday also approved: Establishing the Nebraska Children's Justice and Legal Advocacy Center in the Nebraska College of Law on UNL's campus. Creating a graduate certificate for emergency nurse practitioners at UNMC. Approving collective bargaining agreements for unionized employees at UNK and UNO. Naming the volleyball court in the Bob Devaney Sports Center the 'John Cook Arena' and putting up a bronze statue of the former Huskers volleyball head coach outside. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
