Use this website and the additional ones linked below to find the meaning of an unfamiliar campus or higher education term, acronym, and abbreviation. Do you have a term, acronym or abbreviation to add? Email us at training@unl.edu.
Find building abbreviations here:
Campus Map WebpageFind common higher education terminology here:
The Ultimate College Terminology GuideFind the campus Writing Style Guide here:
Writing Style GuideUniversity-Specific Language
A
| ACE | Achievement-Centered Education (general education requirements) |
| AEC | (Durham School of) Architectural Engineering & Construction |
| AFIRE | Advocating For Inclusion Respect and Equity |
| AG ECON | Agricultural Economics |
| AGHT | Agronomy & Horticulture, Department of |
| ALEC | Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication |
| ANSC | Animal Science, Department of |
| APU | Afrikan Peoples Union |
| ARD | Agricultural Research and Development Center |
| ASEM | Academic Services & Enrollment Management |
| ASUN | Association of Students of the University of Nebraska (student government) |
| AVC | Assistant Vice Chancellor |
| AY | Academic Year |
B
| B&F | Business and Finance |
| BCUG | Business Community Users Group |
| BMR | Building Maintenance Reporter |
| BPDF | Biological Process Development Facility |
| Bridge LMS | University of Nebraska's Learning Management System |
| BSE | Biological Systems Engineering |
| BTAA | Big Ten Academic Alliance |
C
D
| DENT | College of Dentistry |
| DLC | Digital Learning Center |
| DWFI | Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (also known as Water for Food) |
E
| EAP | Employee Assistance Program |
| ECE | Electrical & Computer Engineering |
| ECEC | Engineering Computing & Education Core |
| eduroam | Education Roaming, the primary secure wireless network (WiFi) for University of Nebraska and participating eduroam institutions. |
| ENREEC | Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center |
| ENTO | Entomology, Department of |
| ePAF | Electronic Personnel Action Form |
| ERA | Emeriti & Retirees Association |
| ESAB | Engineering Student Advisory Board |
| ESS | Employee Self-Service (see Firefly) |
| ETS | Educational Talent Search |
| EVC | Executive Vice Chancellor |
| EZ# | Extension Engagement Zones 1-12 |
| EZC | Engagement Zone Coordinator |
F
| FAFSA | Free Application for Federal Student Aid |
| FERPA | Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act |
| FDST/FST | Food Science and Technology |
| Firefly | Online portal (firefly.nebraska.edu) for the University of Nebraska and Nebraska State College System. It serves as your single access point to business-related information and Employee Self-Service (ESS). |
| FML | Family/Medical Leave |
| FMLA | Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 |
| FTE | Full Time Equivalent means the fractional amount of time that the duties and responsibilities of a position are to be performed by an employee. 1.00 FTE is considered full-time. |
| FSDS | Faculty Staff Disability Services |
| FWS | Federal Work-Study |
| FY | Fiscal Year |
| FYRE | First Year Research Experience |
G
| GBR | Go Big Red, often used in social media as #GBR |
| GPA | Grade Point Average |
| GPVEC | Great Plains Veterinary Education Center (Clay Center) |
| GRA | Graduate Research Assistant |
| GSC | Gender & Sexuality Center |
| GTA | Graduate Teaching Assistant |
H
I
J
| JGMC | Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center (pronounced 'gone') |
K
L
M
| MATC | Mid-America Transportation Center |
| MME | Mechanical and Materials Engineering |
| M/P | Managerial/Professional employment category includes persons serving in nonacademic professional positions including nurses, technical specialists, directors not in the academic-administrative staff, and all departmental managers. |
| MPE | Math Placement Exam |
| MwRSF | Midwest Roadside Safety Facility |
| MyRED | Student information system portal at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln |
| MyUNL | Username that is the first initial of your first name followed by your last name and a number (e.g., hhusker2) |
N
O
| OASIS | Office of Academic Success & Intercultural Services |
| ODT | Organizational Development & Training |
| OLLI | Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (pronounced all-ee) |
| OOO | Out of Office |
| ORI | Office of Research and Innovation (formally ORED) |
| O/S | Office/Service employment category includes all persons who perform work that by custom in business, industry, and other institutions of higher education is managed on an hourly basis with such work compensated according to hours worked or earned, including clerical and office employees, foremen, general service workers, and other personnel paid on an hourly basis. |
| OSFA | Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid |
| OSP | Office of Sponsored Programs |
P
| PAF | Personnel Action Form |
| PBA | Pinnacle Bank Arena |
| PD | Position Description |
| PDP | Professional Development Plan |
| Plant Path | Plant Pathology |
| PoP | Professor of Practice (non-tenure track position) |
| Post Doc | Post Doctoral Research Associate |
| PREEC | Panhandle Research, Extension and Education Center |
| PSI | Center for Plant Science Innovation |
| PTS | Parking & Transit Services |
Q
R
| RA | Resident Assistant |
| RAP | Research Assistant Professor (non-tenure track position) |
| RD | Residence Director |
| RHA | Residence Hall Association |
| RSO | Recognized Student Organizations |
| RTMO | Request to Make Offer (form completed by the unit head with offer/funding information) |
| RTS | Request to Search (form used to provide details on a faculty position) |
S
| SAP | Enterprise resource planning (ERP) system for business processes |
| SCAL | South Central Ag Lab in Clay Center, NE |
| SLICE | Student Leadership, Involvement & Community Engagement |
| SNR | School of Natural Resources |
| SoC | School of Computing |
| SOFS | Student Organization Financial Services |
| SRA | Senior Research Associate |
| SSD | Services for Students with Disabilities |
| SSH | Student Success Hub, online platform for student advising scheduling found in my.unl.edu |
| STATS | Statistics, Department of |
T
| TrueYou | Identity Management system for online authentication for the University of Nebraska system |
| TT | Tenure-Track (faculty positions eligible for tenure through a review process) |
U
V
| Varner | Varner Hall is where many central administrative offices are located, including the Office of the President of the NU System |
| VC | Vice Chancellor |
| VMBS | Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, School of |