Five UNL faculty members participated as fellows in the Committee on Institutional Cooperation’s Academic Leadership Program during the 2011-12 academic year. They are Beth Doll, Kathy Farrell, Ravipreet Sohi, David Jones and Ronald Yoder. They were nominated by the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, who this year sponsored their participation.
The program is one of the CIC’s most successful leadership initiatives. Established in 1989, the program develops the academic leadership and managerial skills of nominated faculty who have ability and academic promise. Many of the more than 1,000 fellows who have participated have advanced into leadership roles as college presidents, provosts or deans. David Manderscheid, dean of UNL’s College of Arts and Sciences, participated in the program while he was a faculty member at the University of Iowa.
This year’s fellows attended three seminars hosted by Ohio State University, the University of Chicago and Pennsylvania State University. UNL will be hosting the third seminar in next year’s program in April 2013. In addition, ALP Fellows may be required to participate in on-campus activities throughout the academic year that vary by institution. The program is specifically oriented to address the challenges of academic administration at major research universities and to help faculty members prepare to meet them.
Doll is associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Education and Human Sciences. She has held cross-disciplinary responsibilities for course instruction, advising and service in school psychology, special education, and general education. Her principal research and teaching interests are in enhancing the natural systems in schools and communities that support the mental health of children and adolescents.
Farrell is senior associate dean and State Farm Professor of Finance in the College of Business Administration. She joined UNL in 1993. Farrell’s primary research interests are executive compensation, executive turnover and succession, board composition, and other corporate governance issues. She teaches courses in corporate finance, managerial finance, and bank management at the undergraduate and graduate levels. She draws on her experience from KPMG Peat Marwick where she was involved with audit engagements. She serves on the board of directors for Nelnet Inc., a NYSE company headquartered in Lincoln.
Sohi is the associate dean of the College of Business Administration and Steinhart Foundation Distinguished Professor of Business in the Marketing Department. He oversees the college’s graduate programs and research efforts; he chaired the Department of Marketing from 2010-2011. His areas of expertise are in business-to-business marketing, international marketing, marketing channels management, and sales management. He is widely published and has been recognized several times for his outstanding teaching and service to students.
Jones is a professor in the Biological Systems Engineering Department and is associate dean in the College of Engineering. He has taught and developed courses across the entire curricula. He performs research in the area of mathematical modeling of complex biological and engineered systems. He joined UNL in 1989 and since then has received numerous citations and awards for outstanding teaching, advising and mentoring.
Yoder is associate vice chancellor in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. His professional interests are in the areas of agricultural water management, measurement and estimation of evapotranspiration, water and solute movement in the vadose zone, and land use impacts on water quality. He was president of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers in 2009-2010. His career includes extensive field research and work in Brazil, Zambia, and China.
For information about the CIC ALP, contact UNL’s ALP liaison, Lance Pérez, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs, at lperez1@unl.edu or 402-472-3751.