Chris Kabourek (Interim President)
2024-2024
Chris Kabourek served as interim president of the University of Nebraska System from January 1 to June 30, 2024. Prior to and after his tenure as interim president, Kabourek served as NU’s senior vice president and chief financial officer. Kabourek earned his MBA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He joined the university in 1997 as a budget and research analyst and rose through progressive leadership roles before being named CFO in 2018. During his tenure, Kabourek launched the NU System’s Presidential Scholars program in partnership with Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen, helping to keep more of Nebraska’s top students in the state. He also led key athletics leadership hiring and contract extensions and formed a partnership with Google to provide career certificates to Nebraskans. He transferred leadership to Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. on July 1, 2024.
Ted Carter (President Emeritus)
2020 - 2023
Walter “Ted” Carter served as the president of the University of Nebraska from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2023. Carter came to the University of Nebraska from the U.S. Naval Academy, his alma mater, after a 38-year military career. A retired Vice Admiral, Carter has logged more than 6,300 flying hours and holds the American record for carrier-arrested landings. He led the university through the unexpected challenges presented by COVID-19 while focusing on access and affordability. He launched the Nebraska Promise, a financial aid program guaranteeing free tuition for low- and middle-income Nebraskans, and implemented a multi-year budget plan that included a two-year tuition freeze. He also oversaw the establishment and growth of research centers around counterterrorism, national defense, and infectious disease. Upon his resignation, the Board of Regents named him president emeritus of the University of Nebraska.
Dr. Susan Fritz (Interim President)
2019 - 2019
Susan M. Fritz, Ph.D. served as interim president of the University of Nebraska from August 16 to December 31, 2019. Prior to and after her tenure as interim president, Dr. Fritz served as NU’s executive vice president and provost from August 2012 to July 2021 and was granted the title of emerita executive vice president and provost upon her retirement in 2021. Her other past positions include associate vice chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and associate dean of the UNL College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Dr. Fritz is a three-time alum and a 30-year veteran of NU. During her tenure, she launched a statewide "Commit to Complete" campaign and established the Nebraska Statewide Workforce & Educational Reporting System (NSWERS) in collaboration with Nebraska public higher education partners and the Nebraska Departments of Education and Labor. She transferred leadership to Walter "Ted" Carter on January 1, 2020.
Hank M. Bounds, Ph.D. (President Emeritus)
2015 - 2019
Dr. Hank Bounds served as the president of the University of Nebraska from April 13, 2015 to August 15, 2019. Bounds came to the University of Nebraska after serving as Mississippi’s commissioner of higher education. His tenure has been marked by a focus on student access and success, growth and collaboration, including: record high enrollment, graduation rates and research expenditures, a commitment to affordable access, continued focus on public-private partnership and workforce development, greater efficiency and collaboration among the NU campuses, completion of key leadership searches across the university, and the highly-successful “Our Students, Our Future" fundraising initiative—among other transformational milestones for NU. The Board of Regents named him president emeritus of the University of Nebraska upon his resignation.
James Linder, M.D. (Interim President)
2014 - 2015
Dr. James Linder served as interim president of the University of Nebraska from 2014-2015. While interim president, he also served as president of the University Technology Development Corp. (UTDC). Previous roles included CEO of UNeMed Corp—the technology transfer arm of the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC)—and a number of administrative positions at UNMC, including interim dean of the College of Medicine, and associate vice chancellor for research. During Linder’s tenure, he expanded University-wide institutes, oversaw completion of a major university fundraising campaign and advanced the momentum of the university before transferring leadership to Hank M. Bounds, Ph.D., in April 2015.
James B. Milliken, J.D. (President Emeritus)
2004 - 2014
James B. Milliken was the first native Nebraskan and first University of Nebraska graduate to be named president of the university, a position he held from August 1, 2004, to May 2, 2014. He resigned to become chancellor of The City University of New York, the nation’s leading urban public university system. Milliken’s nearly 10-year tenure at NU was marked by unprecedented success for the university including expanded access for Nebraskans, growing enrollment, record research funding, significant physical expansion of the campuses, a highly successful capital campaign, creation of a number of university-wide institutes, an increased commitment to global engagement, and expansion of the university’s distance learning programs. The Board of Regents named him president emeritus of the University of Nebraska upon his resignation.
L. Dennis Smith (President Emeritus)
1994 - 2004
L. Dennis Smith became president of the University of Nebraska in 1994 and stepped down in 2004. During Smith's tenure, which included the completion of the Foundation's successful $727 million Campaign Nebraska, more than 5 million square feet of facilities were renovated and constructed, including residence halls, classrooms and research laboratories. Unique public-private partnerships were also created during his service as president, including the Rural Initiative, Peter Kiewit Institute, and Center for Biosecurity. Smith's priorities included a stronger emphasis on research and faculty recruiting.
Martin Massengale (President Emeritus)
1989 - 1994
Martin Massengale joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as vice chancellor for agriculture and natural resources in 1976, and became chancellor of the Lincoln campus in 1981. In 1989, he was appointed interim president of the University of Nebraska and was named president in 1991. He served in that capacity until 1994. Massengale was known as an effective leader and supporter of the concept of integrating research, education, and extension. He also authored or co-authored over 70 scientific papers and was a consultant to several foreign governments.
Ronald Roskens
1977 - 1989
After serving as chancellor of the University of Nebraska at Omaha from 1972-77, Ronald Roskens was named president of the University of Nebraska in 1977, a post he held for 13 years. During that time he brought an international perspective to the university, developing programs with universities in Asia, Latin America, Europe and China. Roskens also negotiated an exchange program with Kabul University in Afghanistan, and oversaw development of the center for Afghanistan studies at UNO.
Durwood B. Varner (President Emeritus)
1970 - 1976
Woody Varner became chancellor of the University of Nebraska system in 1970; in 1971, the title was officially changed and he became the first person to hold the title of president of the University of Nebraska. He served in that position until 1976, and strongly supported an expansion of the university's academic and cultural outreach efforts. In 1976, he became president of the University of Nebraska Foundation. He led the first major capital campaign, raising more than $52 million, and spearheaded the fund drive that resulted in the construction of the Lied Center for Performing Arts.
Clifford Hardin
1968 - 1969
From 1954-68, Clifford Hardin served as chancellor of the University of Nebraska, which at that time included the Lincoln campuses, the College of Medicine in Omaha and extension and research sites throughout the state. Under Hardin's tenure as chancellor, the university's enrollment rose from 7,000 to 19,000 students, and funding was appropriated for many new university buildings. In 1968, the University of Nebraska system was established and Hardin was named chief executive officer (he was designated as the chancellor and the heads of the campuses were called presidents). Hardin left the university in 1969 to become U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, a post he held until 1971.