Chancellor Hardin giving a speech.

Clifford Hardin at the ground breaking for the Children's Rehabilitation Center in Omaha, Nebraska.

             What is perhaps regarded as his most important contribution, Chancellor Clifford Hardin was the principal architect of the merging of the University of Nebraska with the Municipal University of Omaha to create the University system (Sawyer 216). In 1966, the Municipal University of Omaha was in severe financial trouble. The city refused to fund it, and no tax system existed to support it. Rather than have two universities competing against each other, Hardin viewed it more practical to merge the two under a single management. However, because of the speed at which the merger took place, Hardin's intentions were questioned, many suspecting it a power play to get legislative support from Omaha (Knoll 143). Hardin stood by his decision and the merger became official in July 1968. With the decision of the merger, it appeared that the general public now recognized the ability and willingness of the University to contribute to the quality of life in Nebraska and increased the faculty morale.


Sources

     Knoll, Robert E. Prairie University: A History of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1995. Print.

     Sawyer, McLaran R. Centennial History of The University of Nebraska: The Modern University 1920-1969. Lincoln: Centennial Press, 1973. Print.