The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s downtown campus. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)

It’s always stirring to watch Interstate 80 swell with fans on a Saturday. But this fall, the university that the Big Red faithful pass on their way to Memorial Stadium teeters on a slope to academic devastation.

UNL Chancellor Rodney Bennett’s proposal to eliminate six academic programs —including the entire Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department — is no routine budget balancing. It signals the potential collapse of Nebraska’s claim to having a flagship university worthy of the name.

Think about it.

As Nebraskans, we’re proud of the land, the water and the skies overhead. We’re proud of the crops that grow on the land. Are we going to sit back and watch our university eliminate its meteorolog

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