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President of the University of Nebraska
Incumbent
Chris Kabourek
Acting since January 1, 2024
University of Nebraska system
Reports toBoard of Regents
AppointerBoard of Regents
Precursor Chancellor of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Inaugural holder Clifford M. Hardin
FormationNovember 1, 1968
First holder Clifford M. Hardin
Salary$934,600 [1]
Website Office of the President

The president of the University of Nebraska is the chief administrator of the University of Nebraska system and is selected by the university system's board of regents. Eight individuals have held the post as well as four others in an interim capacity. The position was last held by Ted Carter from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2023. It is now filled on an interim basis by Chris Kabourek. [2] On March 20, 2024, the Board of Regents selected Jeffrey P. Gold as the priority candidate to become the next president of the University of Nebraska after a 30-day vetting period. [3]

History

The Municipal University of Omaha (now the University of Nebraska Omaha) was founded in 1908, and by the 1950s was run-down and inadequately funded, threatening the existence of the school entirely. The Nebraska Legislature, faced with the prospect of its most populated city not having a major institute of higher learning of any kind, decided to merge the Municipal University with the larger University of Nebraska in Lincoln to form a state-wide university system and offer the Omaha school additional budget pools to draw from. The University of Nebraska's medical center, located in Omaha, was separated from the Lincoln school and brought under the direction of the new state-wide system.

Clifford M. Hardin, initially the chancellor of what was renamed the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, was critical to the creation of the University of Nebraska system and was named its first chancellor on July 1, 1968. [a] In sixteen years as an administrator at Nebraska, Hardin greatly increased enrollment and improved salaries and benefits for faculty. [4] After two years serving as the head of the University of Nebraska system, Hardin was named United States secretary of agriculture under President Richard Nixon. [4]

Durwood B. Varner was appointed chancellor of the University of Nebraska system in 1970, and a year later became the system's first "president" following a title change. As the president of a new university system with one very large school and two much smaller ones, Varner's primary task was to ensure the schools operated on "equal standing." [5] Varner left the post in 1976 to become president of the University of Nebraska Foundation, where he spearheaded fundraising for the Lied Center for Performing Arts, which opened in 1990. The Board of Regents selected Omaha chancellor Ronald Roskens as Varner's successor. Roskens became NU's longest-tenured president, serving from 1977 to 1989, and established strong overseas relationships with universities from Afghanistan and China. [6] During his term, the university's appropriations doubled and its endowment fund increased seven-fold. [7] However, Roskens was fired after a seven-to-one vote of the Board of Regents in 1989; [7] the reasoning for his removal is unclear as all parties involved were advised against making public statements. Just weeks after Roskens was fired as NU's president, he was appointed administrator of the United States Agency for International Development under George H. W. Bush. [7]

University of Nebraska–Lincoln chancellor Martin Massengale was named acting president of the NU system in 1989 and appointed to the full-time position in 1991. Massengale served for another three years, supporting agricultural research and overseeing the creation of NU's Center for Grassland Studies. [8] The NU system added a fourth school, the University of Nebraska at Kearney, during Massengale's tenure. He retired from administrative work in 1994 and was inducted into the United States Department of Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2004. [9] L. Dennis Smith was selected as NU's fifth president and quickly began a significant renovation of many NU facilities. During his ten years as president, over five million square feet of classrooms, laboratories, and dormitories were renovated or constructed. [10]

The Board of Regents named Fremont native James Milliken NU's president in 2004. Milliken prioritized tuition assistance programs for students from Nebraska, resulting in a significant increase in enrollment across the four NU campuses during his ten-year tenure. [11] Milliken announced his intention to leave NU to become chancellor of the City University of New York on January 16, 2014. Nebraska Medicine chief executive officer James Linder served as interim president until Hank Bounds was named NU's seventh president in 2015. Bounds served for four years before stepping down in 2019, though he was retained by the university as a consultant to help fundraise for its new football training facility in Lincoln. [12] Former superintendent of the United States Naval Academy Ted Carter was named Bounds' replacement. Shortly after Carter's tenure began on January 1, 2020, the United States was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic; in response, the University of Nebraska announced a two-year tuition freeze for its students. [13]

List of presidents of the University of Nebraska

No. Portrait President
(Birth–Death) 		Term End of tenure
Chancellor of the University of Nebraska (1968–1971)
1 Clifford M. Hardin
(1915–2010) 		November 1, 1968 –
January 19, 1969 		Appointed United States Secretary of Agriculture
Acting Merk Hobson [14] [15] January 20, 1969 –
February 1, 1970
President of the University of Nebraska (1971–present)
2 Durwood B. "Woody" Varner
(1917–1999) 		February 2, 1970 –
December 31, 1976 [b] 		Resigned to become president of the University of Nebraska Foundation
3 Ronald Roskens
(1932–2022) 		January 1, 1977 –
July 31, 1989 		Fired by the Board of Regents
4 Martin Massengale
(b. 1933) 		August 1, 1989 –
February 28, 1994 [c] 		Retired
5 L. Dennis Smith
(1938–2021) 		March 1, 1994 –
July 31, 2004 		Retired
6 James Milliken
(b. 1957) 		August 1, 2004 –
May 31, 2014 		Resigned to become chancellor of the City University of New York
Interim James Linder June 1, 2014 –
April 12, 2015
7 Hank Bounds
(b. 1967) 		April 13, 2015 –
August 15, 2019 		Resigned
Interim Susan Fritz August 16, 2019 –
December 31, 2019
8 Ted Carter
(b. 1959) 		January 1, 2020 –
December 31, 2023 		Resigned to become president of Ohio State University
Interim Chris Kabourek [2] January 1, 2024 –
present
Candidate Jeffrey P. Gold [3]
TBA

Notes

  1. ^ Initially, the heads of the individual universities were termed "president" and the head of the state-wide system was the "chancellor." These terms were swapped in August of 1971
  2. ^ From January 1970 to July 1971, Varner's title was "chancellor." This was changed to "president" on August 1, 1971
  3. ^ Following the firing of Ronald Roskens, Massengale served as interim president from August 1, 1989, to January 11, 1991, before being appointed to the full-time position

References

  1. ^ Chris Dunker (6 August 2021). "Regents to give Carter a $140K performance bonus, consider critical race theory resolution". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  2. ^ a b "NU Interim President Chris Kabourek". University of Nebraska System. January 1, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024. Chris Kabourek began his term as the interim president of the University of Nebraska System on January 1, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Cordes, Henry J. (March 20, 2024). "Nebraska university president pick Jeffrey Gold wants to build system for future generations". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Douglas Martin (6 April 2010). "Clifford Hardin, Who Cut Subsidies at Agriculture Dept., Dies at 94". New York Times. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  5. ^ Dane Stickney (1 November 1999). "Former NU system president, 82, dies". The Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  6. ^ Nancy Gaarder (28 February 2022). "Ronald Roskens, NU's longest-serving president and former UNO chancellor, dies at 89". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Rogers Worthington (26 October 1989). "SECRECY IN UNIVERSITY FIRING FUELS ANGER". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  8. ^ "Martin A. Massengale Recognized by Marquis Who's Who for Excellence in Agriculture and Educational Administration". 24-7 press release. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  9. ^ Josh Swartzlander (2 November 2004). "Former chancellor inducted into agricultural hall of fame". The Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  10. ^ Josie Loza and Leia Baez (12 September 2003). "University of Nebraska President L. Dennis Smith announces retirement". The Gateway. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  11. ^ Melissa Lee (16 January 2014). "Milliken leaving NU to become CUNY chancellor". University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  12. ^ The Associated Press (13 October 2019). "Outgoing NU President Hank Bounds gets $250K consulting deal". 1011 News Now. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  13. ^ David Earl (14 February 2021). "Ted Carter 'optimistic' despite pandemic after year one as NU president". KETV 7 News Omaha. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  14. ^ "Merk Hobson Acting NU Chancellor". Kearney Daily Hub. January 21, 1969. p. 1. Retrieved January 15, 2024. Dr. Merk Hobson... became acting chancellor of the University of Nebraska Monday [Jan. 20, 1969].... Dr. Hobson replaces Dr. Clifford Hardin....
  15. ^ "Calls resignation of Varner a "painful loss"". Columbus Telegram. December 16, 1969. p. 7. Retrieved January 15, 2024. The board of regents of the University of Nebraska selected Varner to replace Merk Hobson who has been acting chancellor since former Chancellor Clifford M. Hardin was named secretary of agriculture.
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