The second week of the 2022 legislative session wrapped up Friday, and senators only have a few more days to introduce new bills. This column will highlight one of my bills this session that will have a direct, positive impact District 1– LB 887.

LB 887 authorizes Peru State College to provide a larger selection of master’s degree programs. Currently, Peru State offers two graduate programs: a Master of Science in Education and a Master of Science in Organizational Management. However, these two programs are the only programs that Peru State is authorized to offer under our state’s laws.

This bill has an interesting backstory to it, as all other public state colleges and universities in Nebraska are free to authorize new master’s degree programs as they see fit, while Peru State is forced to seek approval through the Legislature for any new advanced degree programs. That restrictive language was added decades ago to prevent Peru State’s programs from overlapping with other higher education institutions in Southeast Nebraska, like the University of Nebraska-Omaha and Lincoln. The reasoning was Peru State should remain strictly a “Teacher’s College.” A Peru State alum reached out to me this interim to explain the quirk in statute, and I introduced LB 887 to ensure Peru State has the same freedom to offer advanced degrees as any other public state college or university.

Our office worked closely with Paul Turman, the Chancellor of the Nebraska State College System, representatives from Peru State, and with the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education to get the research needed for us to draft the language for LB 887. Peru State is a key economic driver in District 1, and we will continue to work to get this bill across the finish line.

As always, I welcome your input on issues important to you. Follow along on my Facebook and Twitter pages, both entitled “Senator Julie Slama” for more updates, or contact me directly at Senator Julie Slama, District 1 State Capitol, PO Box 94604, Lincoln NE 68509-4604; telephone: 402-471-2733; email: jslama@leg.ne.gov.