The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has announced three finalists in its internal search to hire the next Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

The candidates identified as finalists by the research committee are:

• Katherine ankerson, dean of the College of Architecture;

• Michael (Mike) Boehm, Harlan Vice-Chancellor of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and NAKED Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources; and

• Guillaume G. Thomas III, Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies at the College of Arts and Sciences, Professor of History and John and Catherine Angle Chair in Humanities.

Candidate interviews will take place Dec. 13-16 with public presentations from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Swanson Auditorium of the Nebraska Union. Public presentations (full schedule below) include opportunities to attend in person and via Zoom.

The Executive Vice Chancellor of Nebraska reports directly to the Chancellor, is the Academic Director and the responsible authority in the absence of the Chancellor. The position directs and coordinates the academic enterprise of the university. The academic deans of the university, other than those of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, report directly to the Executive Vice-Chancellor.

The research will replace Elizabeth Spiller, who recently left her post for family reasons. Spiller has been the university’s executive vice-chancellor since March 2020. Bob Wilhelm, vice-chancellor responsible for research and economic development, is acting as executive vice-chancellor.

The research committee was chaired by co-chairs Sherri Jones, Dean of the College of Education and Humanities; and Steve Kolbe, President of the Faculty Senate and Associate Professor at the Johnny Carson School of Theater and Film.

When the research was announced on October 15, Chancellor Ronnie Green said the university intended to announce a new executive vice-chancellor in time for the spring semester.

The biographies of the finalists, listed chronologically by interview date, are below.

Guillaume G. Thomas III

Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies at the College of Arts and Sciences | History teacher | Angle Chair in Human Sciences

Interview date – December 13

Public presentation – 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. December 13, Swanson Auditorium, Nebraska Union

Participate via Zoom

A national leader in digital history, Thomas pursues groundbreaking research on the we Civil war with a focus on southern states and slavery.

He joined the Department of History at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2005 and served as President from 2010-2016. Thomas is co-founder of the Nebraska Digital Workshop / Forum on Digital Humanities and has led the development of digital history courses on campus.

As a member of the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities, Thomas’ projects include the “Railroads and the Making of Modern America” ​​funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and “O Say Can You See: Early Washington, DC, Law and Family. ”The latter is the basis for his award-winning book,“ A Question of Freedom: The Families Who Challenged Slavery from the Nation’s Founding to the Civil War ”(Yale University Press, 2000), an award-winning film“ Anna, ”and the feature film (currently in production) “The Bell Affair.” He also co-directs History Harvest, a project in partnership with undergraduates and the local community to collect, digitize and archive historical artifacts.

A Guggenheim Fellow, Thomas co-chaired the Nebraska 150 Commission – which created a strategic plan for the university – and is an ex-officio member of the N150 the strategy team, which implements the plan.

Thomas received an MA and PhD from the University of Virginia, as well as a BA from Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut.

Katherine ankerson

Dean of the College of Architecture

Interview date – December 14th

Public presentation – 3 to 4 p.m. December 14, Swanson Auditorium, Nebraska Union

Participate via Zoom

An award-winning author and leader in design education, Ankerson has been Dean of the College of Architecture since July 2016. She was previously Professor and Head of Interior Architecture and Product Design at Kansas State University and was a Professor and associate dean. at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 1996 to 2011.

Ankerson, the 2020 International Interior Design Association Educator of the Year, advocates for interdisciplinary and interdisciplinary engagement, the value of design and manufacturing, and the adoption of new technologies to strengthen traditional design tools. His leadership is focused on enhancing inclusive innovation and celebrating differences and excellence between academic disciplines.

Ankerson led the Nuckolls 20th Anniversary Lighting Grant, which included nine educators in architecture, engineering and lighting design, and represented four major universities. The project produced the award-winning Web-based Lighting Across the (Design) Curriculum.

She completed a three-year presidential term with the Council of Interior Design Educators of North America. During her second three-year term, she chairs the Board of Directors of the Council for Interior Design Accreditation.

An architect and designer, Ankerson has held academic positions at Radford University and Washington State University.

Ankerson graduated from Washington State University with an MA, BSc, and BA in Architecture.

Michael (Mike) Boehm

Harlan Vice-Chancellor of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources | NAKED Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources

Interview date – December 16

Public presentation – 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. December 16, Swanson Auditorium, Nebraska Union

Participate via Zoom

A we Marine veteran and plant pathologist, Boehm has held a dual academic leadership position for the University of Nebraska since January 2017.

Boehm leads it all NAKED system efforts related to agriculture, natural resources, rural prosperity and related affairs. In total, he is responsible for more than 1,800 full-time employees, including 650 professors and 1,200 employees. He is also a board member of the Nebraska Innovation Campus Development Corporation, the Kimmel Orchard and Vineyard Educational Foundation, Bio Nebraska and NAKEDtechnology companies.

Previously, he was Professor of Plant Pathology and Vice-Chancellor of Academic and Strategic Planning at Ohio State University for six years. As vice-president, Boehm led strategic planning for the 15 Ohio State colleges and six campuses, K-12 partners and community colleges, the university library system, the College of Public Affairs and the Office of Research and Institutional Planning; appointments of deans and reviews of academic units; integrated capital planning; regional campuses; Discovery Themes (Ohio State Grand Challenge Initiative); and campus preparation. Boehm served as Associate Chairman and then Chairman of the Ohio State Department of Plant Pathology for six years before serving as Vice-President. He was Special Assistant to the Acting President for a year.

An authority on turf diseases, Boehm is widely published. It holds many we and international patents related to its Fusarium ear blight study, and has secured significant external funding to support its research. Boehm has received numerous awards for his teaching, including the National Excellence in College and University Teaching in Food and Agricultural Sciences Award from the United States Department of Agriculture and the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities.

Boehm received a Doctor of Philosophy and a Masters Degree (both focusing on Plant Pathology / Plant Pathology) from Ohio State, and a BS (Biological Sciences) from Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio.