University of Nebraska President J.B. Milliken says a proposal to expand the university's medical facilities will deliver long-term economic benefits in a state that lacks rural doctors and nurses.

Milliken told the Legislature's Appropriations Committee
Thursday that the proposal was a one-time expense.

The university's "Building a Healthier Nebraska" proposal
would combine $91 million from the state's cash reserve fund with
more than $300 million in private donations and other sources to
support the projects in Omaha, Lincoln and Kearney.

The plan includes a new nursing college facility in Lincoln, a
new cancer research facility at the University of Nebraska Medical
Center in Omaha, and an expansion of the nursing facility at the
university's Kearney campus. It also proposes a Veterinary
Diagnostic Center in Lincoln.