Late Breaking Session 2: You Can't Do That with Statistics! How the University of Nebraska (Mis)used Statistics to Eliminate its Department of Statistics

On December 5, 2025, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents voted 7-1 to eliminate the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Department of Statistics as part of a $27.5M budget cut. The vote concluded the department's three-month long fight for its survival. How did this happen‽ The purpose of this session is to describe the conditions that led to the elimination proposal and to examine the department's efforts to remain. University administrators touted their "data-informed approach" to justify the elimination of multiple departments. However, Statistics faculty discovered numerous problems with the data used and the statistical analysis performed by these administrators. Further analyses performed by the faculty showed that Statistics (and other departments proposed for elimination) actually ranked as top 20 programs at the university, rather than "lower performing" as characterized by the administration. While all shared-governance groups voted overwhelmingly to retain Statistics, the elimination proposal went forward, leading to the Board of Regents vote. Almost all Statistics faculty have received termination letters with their employment ending on May 14, 2027. <br> SaveOurStats.com contains a timeline of events that includes news media coverage; campuswide presentations; protests; town hall meetings; and testimony by faculty, students, family, and friends at Board of Regents meetings.