The University of Nebraska President Hank Bounds said Thursday that he has indefinitely paused the chancellor search at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and appointed UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey Gold, M.D..
Dr. Gold will lead both the UNO and UNMC campuses on an interim basis. This is appointment is a way to deepen collaboration between NU's Omaha-based institutions and ensure solid leadership.
Dr. Gold has been the chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical center since 2014, and will expand his responsibilities on May 8, if approved by the Board of Regents at its June meeting.
Current Chancellor John Christensen announced his decision to step down after more than a decade with UNO.
"Jeff Gold is a proven leader who, together with talented faculty, staff and students, has put UNMC on a remarkable trajectory," Bounds said. "He knows Omaha and our state well, he has built deep connections with university stakeholders, and he appreciates the unique - and in many cases complementary - missions of Nebraska's public academic health science center and its metropolitan university."
Dr. Gold said, "Over the past three years I have been impressed and inspired by the work being done at our neighboring University of Nebraska campus. UNO is on the move, and that is a credit to Chancellor Christensen's leadership along with the faculty, staff, students, and community and private sector partners who share in the vision of what it means to be a premier metropolitan university. Our campuses have a long record of collaboration and I am humbled and honored to get to know UNO and its people even better in the months ahead. This is an opportunity to work together to change the world - and we will."
