Good Afternoon-

I am very pleased to announce today that I have recommended to President Bounds the appointment of Dr. Michael Boehm as the next University of Nebraska-Lincoln Harlan Vice Chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and University of Nebraska vice president for Agriculture and Natural Resources. 

Many of you met Mike during the selection process, and input from across campus was overwhelmingly supportive of his vision, passion and experience. Mike’s energetic and inclusive style will be a great addition to our university. 

As you likely remember, Mike is respected for his research in plant pathology, and as a teacher and leader in higher education.  He joins us from Ohio State University, where he is currently vice provost for academic and strategic planning and professor of plant pathology.

Mike’s upcoming position is a dual role: IANR vice chancellor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Nebraska vice president for Agriculture and Natural Resources. This means Mike leads all the campuses in the University of Nebraska system for all agricultural, natural resources and related affairs. It is a big job, and one where I am confident Mike will excel.

Pending Board of Regents approval, Mike will join us in January. Until then, we continue to rely on the excellent leadership of Ron Yoder, who has been IANR’s interim vice chancellor since earlier this year. Ron has been an outstanding leader of IANR during this transition, and for the past 5 years, as associate vice chancellor, Ron has provided exceptional and strategic leadership. As an example, with Ron’s direction and vision, IANR’s faculty expanded by nearly 30 percent in recent years. We deeply appreciate his work, and I am looking forward to Ron continuing to have a great impact here at the university.

I also want to thank the search committee of 29 individuals led by co-chairs Tiffany Heng-Moss and Mike Johanns. The committee provided outstanding service to drive this successful and timely search, which, importantly, involved much input from across our university and the state. We had an impressive pool of candidates, which reflects our strong reputation in agriculture and natural resources.

Please join me in welcoming Mike and his wife Connie, who is also a leader at Ohio State, to Lincoln and in supporting his transition to the University of Nebraska.