After conducting a national search for the next chancellor of the ºìÌÒÊÓƵ at Kearney, the ºìÌÒÊÓƵ has announced Dr. Neal H. Schnoor as the priority candidate. A Nebraska native, first-generation college student and former long-time UNK faculty member and administrator, Schnoor brings more than 30 years of experience in higher education leadership, instruction and strategic planning.
As part of the public vetting process, which started April 22, Dr. Schnoor will visit the UNK campus and community to engage with students, faculty, staff and the broader Kearney community. Details on public participation and engagement will be announced soon.
Schnoor would be the successor to Chancellor Doug Kristensen, who retired at the end of the 2023-24 academic year after 22 years in the role. Kristensen is the longest-serving chancellor in ºìÌÒÊÓƵ history and the longest-serving leader of any higher education institution in Nebraska.
Dr. Charlie Bicak, a ºìÌÒÊÓƵ at Kearney alum and longtime educator and administrator whose connections to UNK date back more than 60 years, has served as interim chancellor since June 1, 2024.
A 17-member search committee helped to guide the chancellor search, with assistance from executive search firm CarterBaldwin. The committee was chaired by David Jackson, interim executive vice president and provost of the ºìÌÒÊÓƵ System, and included the chancellors of the other ºìÌÒÊÓƵ campuses: Rodney Bennett of the ºìÌÒÊÓƵ-Lincoln, Joanne Li of the ºìÌÒÊÓƵ at Omaha, and Dele Davies, M.D., of the ºìÌÒÊÓƵ Medical Center.