NU has asked the state to recover $ 60 million from the project, which would expand the existing health science education complex in Kearney, with the remaining $ 25 million to come from private donations.

“We really struggle with rural health professionals, and it’s likely to get worse rather than better,” Carter said.

The new UNK-UNMC rural health complex would aim to create an attractive school in a rural part of the state and connect students with internships and clinics in rural areas, Carter said, which would go a long way in helping address current shortages.

UNK Chancellor Doug Kristensen said the Health Sciences Education Complex, a partnership between UNK and UNMC that opened seven years ago and provides education from high quality in the paramedical professions, has reached its full capacity.

“If you educate students in rural Nebraska, they’re more likely to stay here,” Kristensen said. “To change rural Nebraska, health care must be a starting point. Here is our chance to recruit students from all over.

NU also launched $ 25 million for a new research building at the Nebraska Innovation Campus that would serve as a companion to a U.S. Department of Agriculture research center that is in its early stages of development.

Congress has allocated funding for the USDA research building, which will span 100,000 square feet at Innovation Campus, and has included partial funding in the budget currently under consideration.