30-person search committee convened to find next UNL chancellor

LINCOLN — The University of Nebraska has convened a 30-member advisory committee to search for the next permanent chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

NU Executive Vice President and Provost David Jackson, NU’s chief academic officer, announced the formation of the committee in an email to the UNL community on Wednesday. Jackson will chair the committee, and he said 29 others will join him.

Jackson said the committee members offer a “broad range of perspectives and experiences,” including faculty, staff, students and leaders at NU, the three other NU chancellors for campuses in Omaha and Kearney and community members across Nebraska.

“I am grateful to these individuals for their willingness to serve and for the time and expertise they will contribute to this important process,” Jackson wrote.

Previous UNL Chancellor Rodney Bennett took over as chancellor in July 2023 after UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green retired. The UNL Faculty Senate voted to express “no confidence” in Bennett as he led the flagship campus through significant budget cuts last year, including the elimination of four departments that the NU Board of Regents approved. 

Bennett abruptly resigned in January, about six months before his three-year contract expired. NU paid Bennett $1.1 million as part of a separation agreement.

NU President Jeffrey Gold tapped former UNL College of Architecture Dean Kathy Ankerson as interim chancellor. She is the second woman to lead UNL, both times in an interim capacity. She has expressed an interest in pursuing the permanent position.

The search firm WittKieffer will help guide the search and seek to identify potential candidates.

UNL students, faculty and staff and those in the broader community can participate in listening sessions Nov. 12-13 to help create a position description for the next UNL chancellor. Jackson said the committee plans to release the description in late December or early January. Zoom information and further details on the sessions will be provided in the coming weeks here.

The listening sessions are targeted to specific constituencies but open to the public as follows:

• Nov. 12, 4-5 p.m., Swanson Auditorium, Nebraska Union (targeted to students).
• Nov. 13, 11 a.m.-noon, Prairie Room, Nebraska East Union (targeted to faculty and staff).
• Nov. 13, 12:45-1:45 p.m., Platte River Room, Nebraska Union (targeted to faculty).
• Nov. 13, 2-3 p.m., Platte River Room, Nebraska Union (targeted to staff).

“Your input and engagement are important to the success of this search,” Jackson said in his email. “Selecting UNL’s next chancellor is a significant opportunity to build on the university’s strengths and position it for continued success in the years ahead. We are committed to a thoughtful, inclusive process that reflects the perspectives of those who care about UNL and its future.”

Questions about the process can be sent to Jackson ([email protected]), and anyone wanting to recommend candidates can send nominations to [email protected].

The search committee members:

• David Jackson, NU executive vice president and provost (chair)
• Jason Ball, president of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce
• Anne Barnes, NU senior vice president and chief financial officer (she also serves as the chief financial officer for UNL and the University of Nebraska Medical Center)
• Christian Binek, professor in the UNL Department of Physics and Astronomy
• Jeffrey Bradshaw, director of the UNL Doctor of Plant Health Program
• Troy Dannen, athletic director of Husker Athletics at UNL
• H. Dele Davies, UNMC chancellor
• Ryan Downs, president of Unison
• Tracy Edgerton, president and CEO of the Lincoln Community Foundation
• Peter Eklund, professor in the UNL Glenn Korff School of Music
• Kathy Farrell, dean of UNL College of Business
• Vanessa Gorman, professor in the UNL Departments of History and Classics and Religious Studies
• Jerri Harner, president of the UNL Staff Senate and a program and operations specialist in UNL Human Resources
• Tiffany Heng-Moss, NU vice president and vice chancellor of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at UNL
• Bill Johnson, senior vice president of advancement with the NU Foundation
• Neal Kanel, president of Agriculture Builders of Nebraska
• Kelli King, program officer with the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation
• Rich Leiter, president of the UNL Faculty Senate and professor in the NU College of Law
• Joanne Li, University of Nebraska at Omaha chancellor
• Martha Mamo, department head of the UNL Department of Agronomy and Horticulture
• Mark McHargue, president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau
• Laura Miller, director of education for the Walter Scott Family Foundation
• Rob Robertson, chief administrator and secretary-treasurer for the Nebraska Farm Bureau and chair of the Ag 40 Group
• Kurt Schneider, UNL student regent
• Neal Schnoor, University of Nebraska at Kearney chancellor
• Lepaine Sharp-McHenry, dean of the UNMC College of Nursing (which has programs at UNL, too)
• Susan Sheridan, professor emeritus and director emeritus of UNL’s Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools
• Larry Witzer, CEO and CFO of the Johnny Carson Foundation
• Joseph Young, president and CEO of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Shelley Zaborowski, executive director of the Nebraska Alumni Association