Postwar, the faculty became outraged when the budget was kept at the same levels in 1945 as it had been in 1941, despite the hike in consumer goods and the overall cost of living. Professor James Sellers arranged a meeting of the faculty, who, after much deliberation then signed a petition for adjustment of salaries for all members of the staff, a dangerous move. It was largely ignored by the administraion, and never saw the legislature, effectively shut down and destroyed by chancellor Boucher.

Another "General Statement" that questioned the entire future of the university was sent around, and managed to get distributed to the legislature, who, aware of the politics involved, promptly adjusted the budget to keep the peace for the univerisity. The salaries of the staff increased to appropriate levels. The faculty were bold in their actions during the 1940s, aware that they could easily have lost their positions. This boldness came with good reason: if they hadn't stepped forward and advocated for themselves, little would have been done to help their cause.

Another major change in the faculty of UNL was the new dean of the college of agriculture, W.V. Lambert. He was a highly renowned researcher who revolutionized the college of agriculture and made UNL a well-respected center of research for the state of Nebraska. His work was widely applauded by the populace of the state.

Chancellor Gustavson also recruited Theodore Jorgensen in 1946 to revolutionize the physics program at UNL, and begin large-scale research. Jorgensen used his money to build a world-class labratory that made the students and faculty proud of their alma mater.