Lincoln, Neb. — The University of Nebraska has convened a 30-member advisory committee to search for the next permanent chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Nebraska Examiner reports that 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.
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.
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 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.
