Officials appointed Jeffrey Gold, MD, chancellor of the Omaha-based University of Nebraska Medical Center, to temporarily lead the University of Nebraska Omaha campus, in addition to his role at the medical center.
Dr. Gold will assume leadership of the UNO campus May 8, pending approval by the university's board of regents. His appointment follows a six-month-long national search by a 15-member search advisory committee commissioned by University of Nebraska President Hank Bounds, PhD.
Dr. Bounds said two primary factors challenged the university's search for a successor: the highly competitive marketplace and some candidates' hesitancy regarding the state's current fiscal challenges and its impact on the university.
"Our goal was to find the right person who could pick up where Chancellor Christensen will leave off and continue UNO's momentum," said Theresa Barron-McKeagney, PhD, associate dean of public affairs and community service at UNO. "We spent countless hours evaluating candidates. While the position attracted interest from across the country, ultimately none of the candidates [were] the right mutual fit. We're excited to have Dr. Jeff Gold lead our campus forward."