By Robyn Murray
The opening of the Douglas A. Kristensen Rural Health Education Complex in Kearney was formally celebrated by the University of Nebraska Medical Center and University of Nebraska at Kearney May 14. The $115 million complex is the largest rural healthcare teaching facility in the country.
“Having access to this kind of education means that we can start training health professionals in greater Nebraska, so they stay in greater Nebraska,” said Brodie Mitchell, a rising senior at UNK from Cambridge, Nebraska. Mitchell will study to be a physician in the new building in the fall of 2027. “Not having to move across the state to Omaha is a game-changer for students like me.”
The complex includes the new Health Science Education Center II, which opened in January, along with the original Health Science Education Center I, which opened in 2015. The new facility enables UNMC to offer medicine, pharmacy and public health programs in Kearney for the first time while also expanding programs in allied health and nursing.
Mitchell is not sure which specialty he will focus on when he graduates. He has job shadowed in numerous hospitals and so far has loved it all. “While I may not know exactly what specialty I’d like to pursue quite yet, I am certain that I will end up practicing in rural Nebraska one day,” he said.
Leadership expects UNMC’s enrollment in Kearney to grow to approximately 625 students at full implementation, nearly doubling its current presence on campus.
Like Mitchell, these healthcare professionals, upon graduation, will help address workforce shortages across Nebraska. That’s a top priority for UNMC and UNK, which first began their healthcare partnership in 2010 with the launch of the Kearney Health Opportunities Program.KHOP is a cooperative initiative between UNK and UNMC that recruits students from greater Nebraska and prepares them to practice healthcare in rural areas. KHOP students receive full tuition scholarships to UNK and are conditionally guaranteed admission to their specified program at UNMC.
KHOP and the Health Science Education Center I have seen tremendous success. More than 80% of UNMC graduates educated at UNK have begun their careers in rural Nebraska, and health science enrollment at UNK has grown by 30% in the past five years.
Mitchell said even with increased enrollment, the new building will offer a smaller-scale experience for rural education, maintaining what he sees as one of UNK’s biggest advantages.
“I believe having a smaller cohort on the Kearney campus will allow for extremely close relationships to be built between peers and faculty,” Mitchell said. “That is one of the biggest reasons I love UNK so much. People truly matter here. I have never been just another student in the classroom. Professors and staff know my name, and we have a personal relationship beyond the classroom.”
The Health Science Education Center II building was funded through a highly successful public-private partnership. It received $60 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding allocated by the Nebraska Legislature. The City of Kearney and Central Community College also served as partners on the project.
The philanthropic community, including several University of Nebraska Foundation Trustees, generously committed $28.5 million to support the building project. An additional $5.8 million has been committed thus far to support the UNK Endowed Fund for Rural Health Initiatives, which will provide ongoing funding for any rural health program or initiative at UNK, with initial support benefiting students in KHOP.
The William and Ruth Scott Family Foundation was the lead donor for the project, and the Scotts requested the Kristensen Complex be named in honor of UNK Chancellor Emeritus Doug Kristensen. The Scott family was recognized for their generous support through a proclamation to celebrate May 14 as Ruth Scott Day at UNK and UNMC.
“Not having to move across the state to Omaha is a game-changer for students like me.”
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