University of Nebraska Interim President Chris Kabourek announced today that he is seeking nominations for the search advisory committee for the next chancellor of the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
All members of the UNK community and public are invited to submit nominations to Kabourek at president@nebraska.edu. Nominations are requested by Friday, Feb. 2.
The search advisory committee will be tasked with helping to find a successor to current Chancellor Doug Kristensen, who is retiring at the end of the academic year after 22 years in the role. Kristensen is the longest-serving chancellor in University of Nebraska history and the longest currently-serving leader of any higher education institution in Nebraska.
The search committee will assist the President’s Office in gathering stakeholder input on what qualities the university should seek in the next chancellor, developing a job description, and recruiting and vetting nominations and applications. The committee will be broadly representative of key constituencies of the UNK chancellor, including students, faculty, staff and community members.
“Chancellor Kristensen is leaving big shoes to fill, but he has put UNK on a remarkable trajectory, and we can’t afford to lose momentum,” Kabourek said. “The chancellor’s position is a great leadership opportunity for the right person who understands UNK’s unique role and mission and can continue where Doug will leave off in educating students and improving economic development and quality of life across rural Nebraska.”
Kabourek is currently seeking expressions of interest from search firms to help guide the process and expects to select a firm soon.
Once a search committee and search firm are named, the President’s Office will convene a series of public listening sessions in Kearney to gather input on what the university should look for in the next chancellor and the future vision for UNK. Details on the listening sessions will be announced when they are scheduled.
