Tyler Ellyson
UNK Communications
KEARNEY – Following a national search, the University of Nebraska at Kearney has selected Julie Shaffer as its next senior vice chancellor for academic affairs.
Shaffer has served as interim senior vice chancellor for academic affairs since August 2023. Her appointment to the permanent position is pending approval from the NU System president and Board of Regents.
“Julie has shown her commitment to UNK through a variety of activities, from mentoring student researchers to serving as interim senior vice chancellor during an important time. I’m very pleased that she has accepted this position, and I know UNK is in good hands,” Chancellor Doug Kristensen said.
Shaffer joined the UNK Department of Biology in 1999 and was promoted to associate professor in 2004 and professor in 2010. She served as the department’s graduate program chair for seven years and online director for one year before becoming the department chair in 2017.
Shaffer has taught undergraduate and graduate courses – online and in person – while mentoring countless student researchers. With interests in microbial ecology and tickborne pathogens, she’s presented at numerous conferences and had her work published in a variety of academic journals. Her research projects have received more than $6 million in grant funding.
She’s also served on several campus committees and academic program review teams and is a current fellow for the National Strategic Research Institute at the University of Nebraska.
“I’m honored to be the next SVCAA of UNK,” Shaffer said. “I look forward to working with the deans, directors and faculty to strengthen the academic programs and support the UNK mission.”
Among her many awards and honors, Shaffer received the Pratt-Heins Award for Teaching in 2010 and Leland Holdt/Security Mutual Life Distinguished Faculty Award – the university’s most prestigious faculty honor – in 2014. She was instrumental in revising the curriculum for her department’s undergraduate and graduate programs while creating several courses in her area of expertise.
Shaffer earned bachelor’s degrees in biology and English from the University of Sioux Falls and a doctorate in biology with an emphasis in microbial physiology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She’s a past president of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Missouri Valley Branch of the American Society of Microbiology and also has membership in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, National Science Teaching Association, Association of College and University Biology Educators, Entomological Society of America and National Association of Biology Teachers.
The senior vice chancellor for academic affairs is the chief academic officer at UNK, overseeing three academic colleges, general studies and Graduate Studies and Academic Outreach. The position also oversees the library, Academic Resources and Institutional Research, assessment, Sponsored Programs and Research, UNK Global, registrar and academic programs such as undergraduate research, the Honors Program and Thompson Scholars Learning Community. Additionally, they serve as a liaison to the Higher Learning Commission and OneIT.