Voters will decide several University of Nebraska Board of Regents races in Tuesday’s general election, including contests for two open seats and a special election in the district that includes the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
The Board of Regents is the governing body for the University of Nebraska system. Its responsibilities include setting tuition rates, approving university budgets and appointing the system’s president, currently President Jeffrey Gold.
Three districts have unusual contests
The regents serve six-year terms and are elected from eight districts. The board has no term limits. The 2026 election is unusual because the incumbents in Districts 1 and 2 are not seeking reelection, while District 4 has a special election after former Regent Elizabeth O’Connor resigned in January.
The District 4 race is especially relevant to UNO because that campus is in the district. Candidates Justin Solomon and Susanne Shore are competing for the seat. The regent position is officially nonpartisan, so party labels do not appear beside candidates’ names on the ballot, although the candidates have promoted political affiliations during the campaign.
- Solomon is the chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Integrated Life Choices, a human services company that supports people with disabilities.
- He is a two-time University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate and previously served as the university’s student regent and student body president.
- Shore attended Oklahoma State University and Creighton nursing school, worked in university systems and later worked as a nurse.
Solomon’s campaign website identifies affordability and access as priorities. It also calls for programs developed with local companies, renewed emphasis on climate and agricultural science at UNL and protections for instructors to teach without political pressure.
Shore is the wife of Sen. Pete Ricketts, a former Nebraska governor, and served as Nebraska’s first lady while Ricketts was governor. Her campaign has highlighted affordability among its priorities. The election will determine who represents District 4 on a board that makes decisions affecting all four University of Nebraska campuses.
Student representation
The board also includes a student regent. At UNO, student body president Aditi Rai serves as students’ direct representative on the board and participates in votes involving the university system and individual campuses.
Regents’ decisions apply across the University of Nebraska system, while individual members also represent the interests of their districts. The results of Tuesday’s races will shape the board’s elected membership as it continues to oversee the system’s tuition, budgets and leadership.
