Husker Nation turned 20,000 units of blood into $1 million last year when it claimed victory in the “We Give Blood Drive” competition among its Big Ten Conference peers.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln said it plans to put the gift from health care giant Abbott to work funding a series of initiatives that improve students’ physical and emotional health.
Amy Lanham, director of UNL Campus Recreation, said the money will allow the university to be creative in how it addresses issues like belonging, mental health and financial literacy.
“This is our chance as a university to focus upstream — to use these funds to prevent problems before they become crises for our students,” Lanham said. “These dollars are giving us room to be innovative in how we support student well-being.”
Approximately $450,000 of the gift will be used to support three major initiatives.
First, UNL will hire a full-time well-being coordinator focused on financial literacy, which Lanham said will address a common concern raised by students, many of whom find themselves on their own for the first time in their lives.
Those individuals may need help in developing a grocery budget, paying rent or managing costs centered on tuition and books. The coordinator, which is being funded for an initial two-year period through the grant, will help students learn to address those challenges.
“Students come to higher education not only to learn but to develop a growth mindset,” she said. “We want to help these folks be successful in achieving their full potential.”
UNL will also use funds to support as many as nine student-led programs — cooking classes, peer support training and off-campus psychiatric services not covered by student insurance, to name a few — that will be announced soon.
The third initiative will create the Abbott Access Fund, which will provide flexible financial support for students who need help addressing the small costs that pop up throughout the school year.
Lanham said the fund is modeled from a similar program at Colorado State University and will provide up to $120 to as many as 1,000 students to cover goods and services students can choose from a memo.
Husker students can apply for funds to get transportation to the airport to make it home for Thanksgiving, Lanham gave as one example, or to purchase a group fitness pass to participate in a physical activity with friends, or to cover the costs of a bike pass.
The idea was to create a direct support for students without much gatekeeping, Lanham said, while also ensuring students are getting the help they need that will keep them enrolled.
“It’s not a wide-open checkbook,” she added. “It’s an amenity they can ask for that would have a positive influence on their well-being.”
According to the “How America Completes College 2024” report from Sallie Mae and Ipsos, financial challenges (30%), life changes (24%) and mental health challenges (18%) were the top reasons students considered dropping out of higher education.
Among those who did leave, 31% said finances were the primary reason they did not complete college, while 48% said it played a contributing factor.
Lanham said UNL students are asked to complete a survey in the first four weeks of the semester outlining the obstacles they are facing. One of the most common responses is a “yes” answer to questions about experiencing financial distress, she said.
Finding a way to help students prevent a small challenge — being unable to afford to repair a flat tire, for example — from becoming a reason students leave UNL is the goal behind the Abbott Access Fund, Lanham added.
Students will fill out an application explaining how the fund can improve their experience on campus.
Later, those students will be asked how the small grant helped them, if their stress levels went down or if they met a new friend, giving UNL a chance to calibrate the program better to students’ needs.
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UNL will deploy the remaining $550,000 of the Abbott award to the university’s Healthy Nebraska initiative and a new round of Student Health and Well-being grants, which are currently under review.
Lanham said UNL is exploring financial options to keep its new initiatives running beyond the next two years, either through philanthropic gifts or grants that support community health and well-being.
“We’re trying to think of every way we can ensure students have a positive experience,” she said. “This is something tangible they can see and use.”
UNL will have another chance to win funding through the “We Give Blood Drive,” which will be held throughout the 2025 Big Ten football season ending Dec. 5 with the conference title game.
Nebraska currently trails the University of Wisconsin on a 3,221-2,292 unit margin.
Each pint of blood can save up to three lives. University leaders said Nebraskans saved as many as 60,000 lives with last year’s winning total.
“This isn’t just about recognition,” said NU President Jeff Gold. “It’s about showing up for others and continuing Nebraska’s proud tradition of service. Last year, Nebraskans made a difference in tens of thousands of lives.
“We have the chance to do that again.”
Donors can visit Nebraska Community Blood Bank locations at 4900 N. 26th St., 1631 Pine Lake Road or 100 North 84th St. to participate in the fund, or visit several on-campus blood donation events in Lincoln and Omaha.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Sept. 29 to Oct. 2: Homecoming Blood Drive sponsored by Student Life and the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska.
Sept. 29: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., City Campus.
Sept. 30: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., City Campus.
Oct. 1: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., East Campus.
Oct. 2, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., City Campus.
Oct. 10: Nebraska Innovation Campus, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., sponsored by the American Red Cross.
Nov. 14: Memorial Stadium, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., sponsored by Husker Athletics.
Nov. 19-21: St. Mark’s on the Campus, sponsored by the American Red Cross.
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Sept. 23: Lied Transplant Center, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Oct. 30: Center for Healthy Living, 9 a.m. to noon
Nov. 25: Lied Transplant Center, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Reach the writer at 402-473-7120 or cdunker@journalstar.com.
On Bluesky @chrisdunker.bsky.social
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