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Dr. Jeremy Hosein joins Business Builders w/ Rebecca Pearson: October 3rd, 2026 I recently joined 'Business Builders' with Rebecca Pearson on 93.7 The Ticket. We discussed my journey from a political science major to neurosurgery, the importance of independent practice in Nebraska, the challenges facing higher education, and my vision for the future of the University of Nebraska. Education is the great equalizer, and I believe that in my soul. I come from a generation of leaders who understand that character, integrity, honesty, and how you conduct your life are not old-fashioned values. Throughout my career, I’ve worked to be someone who not only stands by his beliefs but also delivers results. That's more important now than ever because of the significant changes we need—the structural reform, the partnerships and relationships it takes to make something as big and important as our university change for the better. Listen online or watch on YouTube. About Business Builders Business Builders with Rebecca Pearson and Matt Warner | Saturdays 9-10AM Where grit meets strategy, featuring local business owners, community leaders, and conversations on how good ideas grow into great companies. Where to Watch/Listen: You can listen live over the air, via 93.7 The Ticket, the station's mobile app, or watch video streams on Facebook, X, YouTube, and Allo Channel 961.

A Rare Disease, a Remarkable Surgery, a Second Chance Tadd Schmid is a husband, father of three, and lifelong Nebraskan. He loves the outdoors and everything about the Nebraska way of life. Four years ago, on Father’s Day, Tadd developed a fever, followed by numbness in his fingertips. Assuming he had caught a cold, he tried to push through it. But as his fatigue and other symptoms worsened, he decided to go to the emergency room. A CT scan revealed an abnormality in his chest, and Tadd was scheduled for a follow-up appointment with pulmonology the following week. But a few days later, his fever persisted, and Tadd knew he needed to return to the emergency room. As he and his wife prepared to leave, he suddenly collapsed while walking toward the car. His wife called 911, and Tadd was rushed to the hospital. Doctors ordered a CT scan to rule out a concussion. Instead, they discovered an infection in his brain. That’s when Tadd met Dr. Jeremy Hosein. Tadd was scheduled for surgery, and Dr. Hosein removed multiple brain abscesses. His initial recovery was going well—until the next day, when Tadd experienced excruciating pain in his upper back. An MRI revealed that the infection had spread to his spinal cord. A spinal cord abscess is a rare infection of the central nervous system—and even more unusual when it occurs alongside brain abscesses. Tadd began losing function in his lower extremities, particularly on his left side. It was Fourth of July weekend, but there was no time to wait. A surgical team was assembled immediately for a second operation. “The pain was unbelievable, but Dr. Hosein was confident he could perform the surgery,” Tadd recalled. The infection Tadd was fighting was extraordinarily rare. His particular type of infection had been documented only a few dozen times since the 1800s. The prognosis was grim. Tadd and his wife researched what they were facing, and the possibilities were frightening: death, paralysis, or, at best, significant difficulty walking with a cane. But Tadd defied the odds. “I have no disabilities. Nothing holds me back now. I had to relearn how to walk and relearn how to use utensils, but I’m so grateful to Dr. Hosein and his team.” His recovery meant more than simply regaining his independence. Tadd’s wife had hoped he would one day be able to walk his two daughters down the aisle. Both daughters were engaged to be married the following year. “I’m not a dancer,” Tadd joked, “but I did do a Father-Daughter dance at their wedding.” Tadd’s story—and his remarkable recovery—is a testament to what happens when education, research, and determination come together. It is also a reminder of why the University of Nebraska matters. We must ensure our university remains accessible and affordable, while attracting and retaining the best and brightest minds in our state—people who can solve Nebraska’s most complex challenges across medicine, science, agriculture, technology, business, and every other field of study. For Dr. Hosein, Tadd’s story represents the very best of what a university can make possible. “The ability to use my hands as an extension of my mind to save lives, to make an incredible difference in a relatively short time—to save someone’s life, give them the ability to walk again, or give them more time with their loved ones—this was the most meaningful experience I had at UNMC and it's a gift to be of service to others everyday." I want to help ensure that experiences like Tadd’s and the learning, innovation, and exceptional people that make them possible remain part of Nebraska’s future for generations to come. That’s why I’m running for Regent.

Dave Nabity Live in the KCRO Studio every Saturday Morning from 6-9am This past weekend I spoke with Dave Nabity on pressing issues facing the University and my plan for its future. The stakes are high and this next generation of Regents are going to be making big decisions ahead on how to create a more sustainable and prosperous University Nebraska. "When I talked to voters, they ask, "Why should I care?" An example I share is that one of the most amazing clinical trials that helps stave off pancreatic cancer. That's the things helping to keep Ben Sasse alive and that trial is happening right here at the University of Nebraska. These are the things that our University is a part of and that's why I remain bullish about the University of Nebraska's future. That's why leadership matters." I still believe in the transformative power of higher education. Click below to take a listen. https://www.590wow.com/episode/saturday-morning-with-dave-nabity-10-3-26/

The Aksarben Foundation Floor Committee Podcast Not every career follows a straight line. For Jeremy Hosein, the path from public service to becoming a neurosurgeon started with discovering a new sense of purpose. In the latest episode of the Aksarben Foundation Floor Committee Podcast, Jeremy joins LaShonna Dorsey and Floor Committee co-chair Shayla Kelly to share a career journey that has taken him from Papillion to New York, Washington, D.C., Nebraska state government, University of Nebraska Medical Center and ultimately medicine. While working in public policy, Jeremy had the opportunity to meet physicians whose work inspired him to completely change direction. As he puts it: “When you find a new mission, new purpose, you’re just suddenly goal-directed.” That idea runs throughout the conversation. Jeremy talks about the transformative power of education, why he joined the Aksarben Foundation Floor Committee and why he believes the time we give outside of our careers and families should be meaningful. He also shares one of our favorite answers yet to a question we ask every guest: Why Nebraska? Because Nebraska’s greatest natural resource may simply be its people. ▶️ Watch Jeremy’s full episode on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/dCDnYPNC About Aksarben Foundation Aksarben was built by business and community leaders dedicated to the work of identifying challenges, seizing opportunities for innovation, and offering the best and most lasting impact for all Nebraskans. Since 1895, the Aksarben Foundation has played a major role in meeting Nebraska’s changing needs and promoting the well-being of the heartland by working tirelessly to keep the organization vibrant, viable, and contributing to “The Good Life.” Today, Aksarben’s leaders are doing more than ever and reaching new heights to achieve great success and improve life for communities large and small throughout Nebraska.

The University of Nebraska helped open doors for Dr. Jeremy Hosein from a career in medicine to opportunities in public service. Today, he and his wife, both graduates of the University, are raising their family in Lincoln. In this new campaign video, Jeremy shares why he believes the University must remain affordable and academically strong for the next generation and why he is seeking to bring his experience tackling difficult problems to the Board of Regents. His focus is clear: strengthening the University, supporting its students, and helping build a brighter future for Nebraska. For Our Students. For Our Future.

Lincoln Journal Star | September 23, 2026 Nebraskans invest in the University of Nebraska with their tuition, taxes, work and loyalty. They deserve a university that puts students first, uses public resources responsibly, and protects opportunity. I'm the son of immigrants whose University of Nebraska education opened doors I could not have imagined. My wife, Dawn, and I are raising our three children here, and I want Nebraska families to have that same opportunity. Our university’s greatest challenge is not its budget, but a growing doubt that higher education can still transform lives. I believe it can. With the right leadership, NU can be more affordable, academically ambitious, and ready for Nebraska’s next generation. I believe our best days are ahead of us. Keep the university affordable Tuition has climbed 17% since 2023. An NU education is increasingly becoming out of reach for a generation of Nebraskans. Before asking students and families to pay more, we need to streamline the bureaucracy, examine leadership compensation and remove unnecessary costs. I've proposed consolidating administrative overhead across campuses into unified colleges and departments. This means one dean for our teachers colleges and one chair for our English departments. Breaking down department silos will also foster more interdisciplinary learning and intercampus collaboration rather than competition. Reform should not mean disruption for its own sake but rather careful changes that strengthen the people and programs doing the University’s essential work. University leaders are public employees. Their compensation should be competitive but also appropriate for a public institution. A $1.1 million exit package for an outgoing chancellor is difficult to reconcile with years of frozen salaries for faculty and staff. Put students and academic excellence first Students deserve a university where academic excellence is every bit as ambitious as athletic excellence. Their degrees should open doors and prepare them for the workforce. My “NIL for academics” proposal would attract and reward high-achieving students and faculty. We also need AI capability across majors so graduates are career-ready and can harness this technology in their fields. Our university should be home to Nobel laureates researching cures to cancer, precision agriculture, and advancing the arts and humanities that strengthen our state. The university can increase enrollment by recruiting nontraditional students, career changers, working parents, veterans, and others seeking advancement through online learning and flexible scheduling. That means accepting community college credits, professional certifications, and relevant work experience wherever academic standards allow. A modern university should serve students where they are, not the other way around. Be honest, transparent and accountable Nebraskans deserve transparency. People are understandably concerned about the costs of a stadium remodel, a hospital buyout, and other capital projects while tuition rises and academic programs face cuts. As regent, I will explain what is on the agenda, why it matters, and how I intend to vote. The board should not be a political stage, but neither should it be a rubber stamp. The University’s mission affects all of us, and Nebraskans should not be in the dark about its future Protect fairness and Nebraska's loyalty Fairness matters on the playing field. Women’s athletics gives young women opportunities to compete, lead, and build skills that last a lifetime. Protecting fair competition and dedicated opportunities for female athletes is a matter of fundamental equity. We can protect those opportunities while treating every student with dignity. Loyalty matters, too. Working families have invested generations of time, passion, and hard-earned dollars in supporting Husker athletics. As ticket prices and required donations rise, Nebraskans risk being priced out of traditions they helped build. Husker fans are not simply consumers. They are the foundation of the program. Ticketing should honor long-term dedication, and donors who support the University’s academic mission should receive meaningful access to athletic benefits. I believe in our University because I have experienced its transformative power firsthand. I'm a graduate, former Student Regent, and neurosurgeon who has worked in the U.S. Senate, the State Capitol, and the White House. I'm grateful for the education NU gave me, and its impact is reflected in the patients and families I serve every day. Our University is facing unprecedented challenges, and the stakes are high. NU will need bold leadership, fresh ideas, and change; a new generation of leaders for the next generation of Nebraskans to open doors of opportunity and help Nebraska become the place they choose to call home. Dr. Jeremy Hosein is a board-certified neurosurgeon in Lincoln and a candidate for the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. He and his wife, Dr. Dawn Hosein, are both University of Nebraska graduates and are raising their three children in Lincoln. He is a former White House Fellow with experience in state and federal public policy. https://journalstar.com/opinion/columnists/article_03086823-c3d3-442f-aed3-2430b7a4a03c.html

Nebraska 2026 candidates for public office attend forum and respond to higher education survey A candidate forum was hosted on September 19 by the Nebraska AAUP State Conference and the Academic Freedom Coalition of Nebraska Annual Fall Meeting. It’s never been more important to restore public trust and transparency in higher education, and yesterday’s forum is an important part of having meaningful conversations with our faculty. "As Regent, I’ll advocate for radical transparency, clear institutional priorities, and meaningful faculty participation in major system decisions—from technology modernization to structural change. Faculty should not simply be informed of change. They should help lead it." Nebraska AAUP chapters have deployed a survey to candidates for office on issues related to funding and support of higher education. Take a look at where I stand on these importance issues: AAUP Higher Education Candidate Survey

Dr. Jeremy Hosein, Board of Regents Candidate Interview Earlier this month, I spoke with Jack Mitchell on KLIN Drive Time Lincoln about a number of issues, ranging from tuition affordability to quantum computing to administrative efficiencies. I shared with Jack a bit about my background and what led me to enter public service, starting with the Air Force, taking my family around the globe, and being a student in downtown Manhattan during 9/11. The University of Nebraska faces many challenges; solving them starts with good leadership. It's critical that our leaders build relationships. I've worked with governors, state senators, and our congressional delegation. "If you can't pick up the phone and call folks who will answer on the other side, how can you expect to get the job of the University done? How can you support our institution? I don't see anyone else in this race who can do those things; who has that depth of policy experience; who has relationships that I've built organically. It's not because I decided to run for Regent that folks are coming out and supporting me. It's because I've known them for 20 years. You don't just make up those relationships in a couple of months’ time. That's my value add in this race." Listen to my interview on KLIN News Talk 1400 AM / 99.3 FM Drive Time Lincoln.

Last week I joined Mike Smith on 93.7 The Ticket Culture + Coffee . We talked political discourse, issues in higher education, and a lack of creativity in leadership thinking. Nebraskans value common sense and straight talkers. They value trust and honesty. They know authenticity when they see it, and they feel when you genuinely you care about them. With the state of discourse today, people aren’t talking about the hard stuff. Polarization breeds malaise, a lack of creativity, and stifles the vision of where we can go, what we can be, and who we are. Right now, there’s opportunity to restore what makes people believe that higher education is the pathway to opportunity and its power to transform lives. When Mike asked me what makes Nebraska special place, I told him it’s about the people. We don’t have mountains. We don’t have oceans, But our people are our greatest natural resource. Watch my conversation with Mike Smith on 93.7 The Ticket’s YouTube.

A two-part discussion on running for Regent, the most pressing issues facing NU, and what it takes to be a neurosurgeon Recently, I sat down with Tony Bock at Omapod to discuss a variety of topics facing the University of Nebraska. Listen to my two-part interview below. "I decided to run, because I think leadership is needed now more than ever, that we have tough problems ahead of us, and we need a new generation of people looking to that next generation the university, but more importantly, that next generation for Nebraskans." Listen to Part I: Running for Regent; reseating, recruiting, A.I. + N.I.L. for academics PART II: Dr. Jeremy Hosein on UNMC, Clarkson, Project Health, ascendant women’s sports, the White House Fellowship & grueling neurosurgery About Omapod OMAPOD is Omaha’s Daily Morning Podcast & Newsletter. Omaha native Tony Bock is a writer and entrepreneur who specializes in using multiple mediums to creatively tell memorable stories about distinctive people, disruptive brands and distinguished organizations.

Getting back to civil discourse to ensure universities are where disagreement sharpens thinking rather than destroy relationships LINCOLN, Neb. —I remember watching the 2008 presidential campaign when a woman at a town hall told Senator John McCain she could not trust Senator Barack Obama because he was “an Arab.” Senator McCain took the microphone back and replied, “No, ma’am. He’s a decent family man and citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues, and that’s what this campaign is all about.” Years later, after being diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor, Senator McCain asked President Obama to deliver a eulogy at his funeral. It is difficult to imagine moments like this in today’s political environment. According to a recent NPR/Marist poll, 30 percent of Americans believe political violence may be necessary to “get our country back on track.” That reality should alarm us all. Nearly one-third of Americans now view violence as a potentially acceptable political tool. Sadly, it’s not hard to see how we arrived here. The hostility in our political culture continues to escalate as our divisions deepen. In Minnesota, former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed by a man impersonating a police officer. Political activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated on a college campus. We have witnessed multiple assassination attempts against President Trump. There was even the recently thwarted domestic terror plot targeting the UFC Freedom 250 event held on the White House grounds, and according to the FBI, spearheaded by a Nebraska resident. Seeing each other as enemies has profound consequences. It fuels mistrust, misinformation, and political gridlock. It weakens civic institutions, damages personal relationships, undermines our sense of community, and erodes public trust during moments of national crisis. Yet, most Nebraskans are not ideological extremists. We all want safe neighborhoods, good schools, economic opportunity, and a stable future for our children. We likely have far more in common with one another than our politics would suggest. Yet we increasingly speak to one another as though we are confronting the most radical caricature of the opposing side. I have experienced this firsthand during my campaign for the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. In what is supposed to be a nonpartisan race focused on higher education, I have seen social media posts, emails, and messages that showed little interest in the university itself and instead sought to personally dismantle and discredit me. Some crossed the line into harassment and flirted with violence. The attacks come not only from anonymous accounts, but also from people within our own community who should know better. I have spoken with elected officials who describe two common reactions to this environment: either it hardens their resolve and pushes them deeper into political combat, or it leaves them exhausted and discouraged about the pursuit of public service altogether. This is not healthy for our community or our democracy. Our universities should be places where disagreement sharpens thinking rather than destroys relationships. Healthy disagreement is both necessary and valuable in a democracy; it is how we test ideas, strengthen institutions, and move our society forward. Decency also requires integrity – the strength to be transparent about our principles, accountable for our words, and honest about our actions for the future we hope to build together. We are stronger when we engage opposing viewpoints, widen our circles, and wrestle honestly with the difficult challenges facing our communities. Strong convictions are not the problem. Losing our ability to see one another’s humanity is. That is why I have committed to running a campaign focused on issues rather than personal destruction. I will still be serving this community as a neurosurgeon long after this election is over, and I have no interest in sowing division in my home city. My wife and I are raising our three young children here, and it matters deeply to me that they see a father who believes decency, integrity, and statesmanship can coexist with public service. I want them to understand that our neighbors are not our enemies. They are people trying to build meaningful lives, raise families, and create opportunities for future generations, just as we are. Politics does not have to become a blood sport for us to care passionately about the future of our state. We can disagree without dehumanizing one another. We can debate without abandoning basic dignity. But if we cannot recognize the humanity in people with whom we disagree, we will lose far more than elections. But if we choose to model a politics rooted not in contempt, but in character, I still believe Nebraska, and America, can become a more united, more hopeful, and more decent place for the next generation. About Dr. Jeremy Hosein Dr. Jeremy Hosein is a Nebraska neurosurgeon and policy adviser who's running for a seat on the NU Board of Regents.

Universities are among our most powerful public assets, yet too often we judge their success by internal metrics—rankings, citations, and “US News & World Report” prestige—rather than by whether they solve the urgent problems facing the people who support them. It is time to redefine the University not as an ivory tower, but as a problem-solving institution. Consider healthcare. When my wife and I first moved back to Lincoln in 2021, we could not find a primary care physician who was accepting new patients. Our state is among the majority that faces a critical shortage of physicians, especially in primary care and rural communities. Patients wait months for appointments (as my wife and I did) or are forced to drive hours for basic care. Universities can help alleviate this burden—now—by a radical rethinking of the medical education timeline. A three-year undergraduate pathway paired with a three-year MD program would responsibly accelerate training for students committed to primary care. This is not about lowering standards; it is about removing unnecessary delays. Creating a more efficient training apparatus means doctors can care for patients sooner, reduce burnout from prolonged schooling, and provide desperately needed care in rural clinics and community hospitals. The current law degree environment presents a parallel crisis. Rural areas are becoming legal deserts, with too few attorneys to handle family law, housing, probate, small business formation, and basic civil matters. When lawyers retire, there is often no one to replace them. Law schools should be part of the solution. Imagine a model where law schools serve as “senior partners” to recent graduates in their first year of practice. Faculty could provide structured mentorship, review filings, advise on strategy, and even sit second seat in early court appearances. This would give new lawyers confidence, clients competent representation, and underserved communities access to justice. However, fundamental changes like these require a deeper shift: realigning incentives within the university’s core. Faculty are rational actors. When tenure and promotion depend almost entirely on scholarly articles with subsequent grant funding—often read by a handful of specialists—faculty will focus there. Yet a law review article, however rigorous, does not resolve today’s eviction crisis or help a rural hospital stay open. If mentoring rural doctors and lawyers, supervising real cases, and building community partnerships counted meaningfully toward tenure and promotion, universities would unleash extraordinary talent in service of the public need. The question is not whether universities can solve today’s challenges: They can. The real question is whether we are willing to redefine success—away from insular prestige and toward demonstrable public value. Our communities are asking for solutions. It is time for universities to answer.