The University of Nebraska Board of Regents could name its priority candidate to become the system’s ninth president on Wednesday.
Late last week, the regents scheduled a special meeting to take place Wednesday morning with only a closed session on its agenda and no action items.
Early Tuesday morning, the agenda for the special meeting was updated to include: “Potential designation of a priority candidate for the position of president.”
The language of the agenda item leaves open the possibility that the Board of Regents does not name the lone finalist for the nationwide search to replace Ted Carter, who left NU to become president of Ohio State University.
But regents have held a series of closed-door meetings over the past few months as they have deliberated between two rumored finalists: University of Nebraska Medical Center Chancellor Dr. Jeff Gold and Nebraska Chamber of Commerce President Bryan Slone.
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Neither Gold nor Slone provided comment to the Journal Star last week. Regents also did not respond to phone calls and text messages.
According to people familiar with the regents’ process, the board has deadlocked between the two candidates as the search has crossed the seven-month threshold since Carter announced his departure.
Gold has been at NU for more than a decade leading the system’s academic medicine campus and serving as the chancellor for the University of Nebraska at Omaha for a time.
Slone, a Nebraska native and former Republican candidate for governor, holds degrees from UNL and worked for former congressman and Regent Hal Daub in Washington, D.C.
The search received increased scrutiny last week after the departure of Nebraska Athletics Director Trev Alberts, who attributed his move to Texas A&M University as “a unique opportunity at a great school with defined leadership.”
Gov. Jim Pillen, a former member of the Board of Regents who led the search committee that hired Carter in 2019, criticized the board for what he described as “failures of leadership” and called on the board to act.
Pillen in particular said the 206 days that had eclipsed between Carter being named Ohio State’s president and his call to action last week were too long. Wednesday would mark 211 days.
Regent Rob Schafer of Beatrice, the board’s chair, responded to Pillen late last week saying the board owed it to NU students, faculty, staff and all Nebraskans “to take the time we need to find the best possible leader” for the university.
Another individual whose name has been circulated to fill the president’s office at Varner Hall is interim President Chris Kabourek, a 27-year employee of NU who has served as the vice president for business and finance since 2018.
Last week, Kabourek named Dennis Leblanc as the interim athletic director to replace Alberts and announced on a radio show earlier this week that there had been interest in the position.
When Kabourek, a David City native, agreed to take on the interim role, he said he would not apply to become the permanent president, but that would not exclude regents from naming him the next system leader.
The last time NU promoted an interim president to permanent president was in 1991, two years after Martin Massengale was elevated from UNL chancellor to interim president. He served in Varner Hall until 1994.
If the board does name a priority candidate on Wednesday, that person would be subject to a 30-day vetting period before their hire can be made official, according to state statute.
The board has a regularly scheduled meeting on April 19, which would be 30 days after Wednesday’s special meeting.
Wednesday's meeting is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. in Varner Hall at 3835 Holdrege St.