Join us on October 22nd at 9:00 am CT / 8:00 MT or October 23rd at 2:00 pm CT / 1:00 pm MT for a gathering between UNL campus units looking for community partners to collaborate on experiential student projects, research projects, or to build relationships.
This virtual open house provides the opportunity for community stakeholders to visit with multiple UNL Divisions discussing projects for spring and summer 2026 semester. UNL is hosting a series of centralized events so community members, non-profits, business owners, and government officials from across the state can attend one event and learn about all the opportunities they could host.
Register for an Open House
October 22, 9:00 am CT / 8:00 am MT
October 23, 2:00 pm CT / 1:00 pm MT
Participating Units
School of Computing: Senior Design Project Sponsorship
- Overview: The University of Nebraska School of Computing’s Senior Design runs a capstone program for junior and senior students majoring in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Software Engineering. This program provides students with real-life experience and prepares them for an industry career.
- What is needed: We are looking for 20+ industry organizations or UNL departments to sponsor a computing-design project for our students. As a project sponsor, you will receive around 1,500 student hours of development time over two semesters, plus 100% ownership of the Intellectual Property following the project's end. The students work in teams of 5-6 during the two semesters beginning in August and finishing in May of the following year. This program is an excellent way for your company to interact with UNL, create lasting relationships, and give back to the community by supporting the next generation of innovative talent. The cost is approximately $20,000 for industry partners.
College of Architecture: Community and Regional Planning Program
- Overview: The Community and Regional Planning program engages student teams in community service projects aligned with the university's land grant missions. These projects encompass various areas, including land use planning, economic and housing planning, as well as environmental and hazard mitigation planning. Through these initiatives, tangible benefits can be directly delivered to communities across Nebraska, bolstering community economic development, downtown revitalization, hazard mitigation efforts, and environmental sustainability. Recent projects have had a positive impact on various locales, including David City, Beatrice, Syracuse, Peru, Winslow, and others.
- What is needed: We are seeking 2-3 new projects for each academic year. These projects may involve land use planning, downtown revitalization, economic and housing development, hazard mitigation planning, transportation planning, healthy community planning, environmental and recreation planning, to address critical community needs. Projects can be operated through courses such as CRPL 990 Planning Studio, CRPL 991 Capstone Studio, CRPL 840 Planning Methods and Analysis, and other elective courses.
College of Business: Department of Marketing
- The Marketing Capstone class works with businesses, start-ups, and nonprofits as clients to develop Marketing Plans. The students work as teams of 5 to 6 with the client throughout a 15-week spring semester or a 5-week summer session to develop a marketing plan that can address real short-term or long-term needs or opportunities for each client.
- What is needed: We are looking for 10-12 businesses (including start-ups) or non-profit organizations who want to develop a marketing strategy, including a marketing plan. We ask that the organization make a presentation to each of the two classes and are willing to spend 4 to 5 hours throughout the semester working with the students and attend a final presentation in early May if possible. The students will work with your organization and do outside research to develop an actual marketing plan, including action recommendations, a budget, and a marketing calendar. There is no dollar cost to the client. We do ask for a time commitment from the client of 4 to 6 hours over the semester.
Biological Systems Engineering for Middle Schools
Nicole Iverson from Biological Systems Engineering leads a group that has developed hands-on activities to teach middle school students (grades 6 - 8) about Biological Systems Engineering. They are especially interested in connecting with students at rural schools. They worked with three schools in 2024 and had great feedback; they are hoping to expand the number of schools to work with.
What is needed from the community:
They are looking for teachers/administrators willing to partner for this project. They need one class period (40 - 60 minutes) for students in grades 6 - 8. Last year, they spent an entire day at each school to teach multiple classes during the day (typically a science class), but they are open to different options. Middle school students who participated last year seemed to enjoy the hands-on engineering activity!
College of Law Immigration Clinic
The Immigration Clinic has partnered with the community of Schuyler to help it and its residents navigate the complicated area of immigration law. Although our primary point of contact is the Schuyler Community School system, we have also worked with community groups and individuals to provide resources and, where appropriate, specific advice regarding immigration issues. We would like, and anticipate having, continued involvement with the Schuyler Public School system in order to connect us with students and families who are facing immigration questions and issues. We are also hoping to connect with the larger community, whether it be community organizations, local government, or other constituencies who seek guidance in explaining immigration law and processes and, where appropriate, representation in individual cases. One example of a past project is a Know Your Rights presentation that our students put together, in both Spanish and English, to inform individuals about their rights when dealing with immigration authorities.
Know Your Rights ExampleRegister for an Open House
October 22, 9:00 am CT / 8:00 am MT
October 23, 2:00 pm CT / 1:00 pm MT