Founded in 1869, the University of Nebraska was given the awesome responsibility of educating a new state barely connected by roads and rail lines. Established as a comprehensive university, uniting the arts and sciences, commerce and agriculture, and open to all regardless of "age, sex, color, or nationality," it has as its motto Literis dedicata et omnibus artibus--dedicated to letters and all the arts. The University at first was confined to four city blocks and didn't have a building until 1871. Cows grazed the campus. But soon the high aspirations of the state began to be realized. Nebraska boasted the first department of psychology west of the Mississippi River, and its faculty included national prominent scholars like botanist Charles Bessey and linguist A. H. Edgren (later a member of the Nobel Commission). Willa Cather, Roscoe Pound, Mari Sandoz, and Louise Pound ranked among its early graduates. And it developed a reputation for excellence in collegiate athletics. Written by a beloved member of the faculty, this history shows both why Robert E. Knoll is so devoted to the University as well as the tests such devotion must endure. Its history is hardly one of placid growth and unimpeded progress. Its regents, administration, faculty, and students have periodically fought one another: sometimes over matters as crucial as the University's purpose, shape, and destination. More often, battles waged over personalities. It is to these personalities that Knoll directs most of his attention. The author focuses on the men and women who made a difference, for good or ill. He locates the University's place in the changing intellectual and academic context of the United States and charts its passage through hard times and prosperity. He notes the contributions of the University to Nebraska, from the early experiments in sugar beet cultivation to the national fame of its football team. Most important, its education of generations of Nebraskans has lifted state goals and achievement, and its outreach has made the University an international community.

Dirty Knowledge explores the failure of traditional conceptions of academic freedom in the age of neoliberalism. While examining and rejecting the increasing tendency to view academic freedom as a form of free speech, Julia Schleck highlights the problem of basing academic freedom on employment protections like tenure at a time when such protections are being actively eliminated through neoliberalism's preference for gig labor. The argument traditionally made for such protections is that they help produce knowledge "for the public good" through the protected isolation of the Ivory Tower, where "pure" knowledge is sought and disseminated. In contrast, Dirty Knowledge insists that academic knowledge production is and has always been "dirty," deeply involved in the debates of its time and increasingly permeated by outside interests whose financial and material support provides some research programs with significant advantages over others. Schleck argues for a new vision of the university's role in society as one of the most important forums for contending views of what exactly constitutes a societal "good," warning that the intellectual monoculture encouraged by neoliberalism poses a serious danger to our collective futures and insisting on deliberate, material support for faculty research and teaching that runs counter to neoliberal values.

Unforgettable people. Beloved places. Enduring memories. From its beginning in 1869 as a land-grant institution on the edge of the prairie, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln has expanded the frontiers of opportunity for nearly three hundred thousand graduates. This lavishly illustrated volume celebrates Nebraska’s first 150 years with a look back at the alumni, faculty, and staff whose work has made an enduring impact on the world, from Willa Cather’s Pulitzer Prize–winning literature to James Van Etten’s groundbreaking research in virology. This book also highlights the iconic buildings and landmarks on campus and the activities and experiences of students, from the East Campus Dairy Store and the Daily Nebraskan to a celebration of the Big Red sensation of Husker athletics, recognizing outstanding coaches and student-athlete achievements. Dear Old Nebraska U highlights creative inventions and groundbreaking research, from Charles Bessey’s botany classes to the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management. The University will continue to have a profound influence on the state of Nebraska and the rest of the global community for generations to come. For instance, initiatives such as Nebraska Innovation Campus—a site dedicated to ambitious research and technology ventures, including the Nebraska Food for Health Center and the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute—are working to improve the health and well-being of people worldwide. The Center for Plant Science Innovation similarly provides research leadership in the use of biomass as an energy resource, and the National Strategic Research Institute partners with U.S. Strategic Command to strengthen our national security. The University’s official motto is “Literis Dedicata et Omnibus Artibus” (Dedicated to Letters and All the Arts). Nebraska has fulfilled that aspirational motto and will continue to be a place of pride for Huskers everywhere. There is no place like our dear old Nebraska U.