LINCOLN- University of Nebraska President Jeffrey Gold on Wednesday spoke out against some $25 million in annual budget cuts Gov. Jim Pillen has proposed for the university system, saying they would harm the institution that serves as a key economic driver for the state. In his two-year budget plan, Pillen proposed cutting $14 million, or 2%, from the state’s current annual $717 million appropriation to the university system.

In addition, Pillen, who once served on the NU Board of Regents, proposed taking away $11 million in annual state tobacco settlement dollars that fund biomedical research at the university. That makes the governor’s budget equate to a 3.5% general fund cut, Gold said — and at a time when the university and nation are facing 3% annual inflation.

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