UNL Names Donde Plowman Executive Vice Chancellor, Chief Academic Officer

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has announced Donde Plowman (news.unl.edu) as executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer. Plowman, the James Jr. and Susan Stuart Dean of Nebraska’s College of Business Administration, begins her new role at the university on Jan. 1. The appointment is pending Board of Regents approval.

The executive vice chancellor reports directly to the chancellor, is the chief academic officer and is the responsible authority in the absence of the chancellor. Formerly known as the senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, the executive vice chancellor is the intellectual and academic leader at the university with the mission and responsibility of achieving excellence across all areas. Nebraska’s academic deans, other than those in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Student Affairs Office and the Office of Research will directly report to Plowman.

Plowman came to Nebraska in 2010. Under her leadership as dean, the business college has experienced steady growth, including construction of a new $84 million, 240,000-square-foot building to open next August. In 2016, the University of Nebraska Foundation awarded Plowman the Harlan J. Noddle Award for Distinguished Development Service for her efforts in raising $150 million for the college, including more than $80 million for the new building. She was also instrumental in forming the Don O. Clifton Strengths Institute made possible by a $30 million gift from the Clifton Family and Gallup organization.

During Plowman’s tenure, several new programs have been initiated at the college. They include the CBA Honors Academy, Career Services at CBA, a certificate program in sales excellence, a new master’s program in intercollegiate athletics administration that partners with Nebraska Athletics and a new Department of Business Analytics and Supply Chain Management. College enrollment has increased the last six years by 22 percent with a 14 percent increase in graduate students in fall 2016. Additionally, 50 new faculty members joined the college during Plowman’s tenure.

Kathy Farrell, who is chair of the Department of Finance, will become interim dean of the College of Business Administration. She served as associate dean of the college for four years and has been at Nebraska since 1993.