Lincoln (Neb.) - Oct. 4, 2000 - John C. Owens, executive vice president and chief academic officer at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, has been named vice chancellor and vice president for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Nebraska system, respectively. Pending approval by the NU board of regents, Owens is scheduled to begin his new duties Jan. 1.
Owens, who has been at New Mexico State since 1977, has been the university's executive vice president and chief academic officer for three years, the first two in an interim appointment. Prior to 1997, he served 12 years as dean and chief administrative officer for the College of Agriculture and Home Economics, the New Mexico Cooperative Extension Service and the New Mexico Agricultural Experiment Station.
"I am very pleased to have John Owens join the senior administrative team of the University of Nebraska," said NU President L. Dennis Smith. "He has experience in a number of key roles at highly respected universities, both in agriculture and in leadership of the academic enterprise. I am confident he will make significant contributions to this university and to Nebraska agriculture."
Harvey Perlman, interim chancellor at UNL, also welcomed Owens to Nebraska.
"We are fortunate to have convinced John Owens to accept this position," Perlman said. "He brings both an experience in agriculture and in university administration. He understands the central role that the institute plays in serving the needs of the state of Nebraska."
Owens said there are three main things that draw him from Las Cruces to Nebraska and IANR - the quality of the faculty and students, the support the university and the institute enjoy in the state of Nebraska, and the opportunity to again be directly involved in agriculture.
"I went to school and was on the faculty at Iowa State and while I was there I always held the University of Nebraska and IANR in the highest regard; and I always admired the dynamic agricultural system that exists in Nebraska," Owens said.
"I'm very excited about getting back into agriculture. I've been in academic administration for 16 years and I found that my years in the agricultural area were the most rewarding in my career. It's not easy to leave New Mexico State after 23 years, but the timing is perfect. I'm at a point where I'm able to pursue an opportunity like Nebraska offers."
Owens said the chance to play a leadership role in agriculture and higher education in Nebraska made NU's offer very attractive, but he said two experiences during the interview process probably clinched the deal for him.
"I had sessions with leaders of the agricultural industry in the state - farmers, co-ops, members of the legislature - and their commitment to the university and the institute was so obvious. They are passionate in their support," he said.
"And the last night I was in Lincoln, I had dinner with six or seven undergraduates and it was an absolutely wonderful evening. Everyone was excited, everyone was enthusiastic, they were all so polite, and they were all very funny. We had a great time and I came away thinking what a wonderful student body Nebraska has."
Owens began his career as an assistant professor of entomology at Iowa State from 1971 to 1975, then served one year as an associate professor of entomology at Texas Tech and one year as an entomologist for Pioneer Hi-Bred International before going to New Mexico State. At NMSU, he rose to the rank of professor and served one year as head of the department of entomology and plant pathology before becoming dean. He is immediate past president of the Southwestern and Rocky Mountain Division of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Owens earned his bachelor's degree in biology at West Texas State
University (now Texas A&M University at Canyon, 1966), his master's in
entomology at Texas Tech (1969) and his doctorate in entomology at Iowa
State (1971). He will replace Irv Omtvedt, who retired last year after 11
years in the post. Edna McBreen, associate vice chancellor for IANR, is
the institute's interim vice chancellor and vice president.
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