Education

Education is under the control of the state department of education. The department is headed by a commissioner appointed for an indefinite term by an elected board. School attendance is compulsory for children from age 7 to 16.

The University of Nebraska is a state-controlled, coeducational institution with campuses at Lincoln, Omaha, and Kearney. It was chartered in 1869 as a land-grant college and opened at Lincoln in 1871. The campus at Omaha (formerly the University of Omaha) became part of the university in 1968; the campus at Kearney (formerly Kearney State College), in 1991. All three campuses have programs in arts and sciences, business, and education. The University of Nebraska Medical Center is in Omaha.