LINCOLN — The University of Nebraska has named a new associate vice president to lead university-wide efforts to substantially increase NU’s global engagement.
Thomas Farrell, deputy assistant secretary for academic programs in the U.S. Department of State, will lead planning, development and implementation of the University of Nebraska’s international agenda. As associate vice president for international affairs, Farrell will work closely with administrators and faculty on the four campuses to advance NU’s international initiatives.
“Tom Farrell has extraordinary experience, relationships and skills that will enable him to provide leadership for this important strategic priority for the University of Nebraska,” said University of Nebraska President James B. Milliken. “Over the course of his 30-year career in the federal government and the private sector, Tom has worked successfully to expand educational opportunities for Americans abroad and to promote exchange opportunities for foreign students and scholars.
“He brings exceptional credentials and relevant experience that will help us develop important new relationships and expand opportunities for our students and faculty.”
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He came to the State Department with 14 years of experience at the Institute of International Education, a private non-profit organization that concentrates on education, professional development, training and exchange.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to work for Nebraska and its university system,” Farrell said. “In this time of unprecedented challenge, the value internationally of U.S. higher education is recognized and partnerships with our great American institutions are appreciated and sought after.
“Nebraska offers the resources, talent and leadership to enhance its excellent reputation in key global markets and to create the kind of innovative programs that will make it even more a leader in international education.”
Farrell will focus on three areas of strategic importance to the university and Nebraska including increasing study abroad participation for Nebraska students, growing international student enrollment, and expanding faculty exchanges and strategic relationships for Nebraska.
“It is critical that our students see themselves as part of a larger world — and that they experience different cultures and expand their educational horizons to prepare for a global economy,” Milliken said. “For Nebraska to succeed in the future, we must develop graduates who understand the world in which they live and work.
“Our nation’s challenges and their solutions are increasingly global; our businesses, including those in Nebraska, are increasingly international, and students with international experience will find their academic experience enriched and their employment prospects enhanced.”
Another goal, Milliken said, is to attract more international students to the University of Nebraska. According to estimates from the Institute of International Education, these students contributed more than $80 million to Nebraska’s economy in 2007.
But their contribution isn’t only financial — it’s also what they add to the university’s campuses and communities.
The University of Nebraska also hopes to expand opportunities for faculty exchanges and strategic relationships around the world. Among Farrell’s responsibilities will be leveraging the university’s programmatic strengths and developing new partnerships to expand teaching, research and service opportunities for university faculty, staff and students outside of the United States.
Among the current programs he cited are the Afghan Teacher Education Project, which has brought teachers from Afghanistan to participate in a training and education program on the UNO campus; long-standing UNL agricultural research exchange programs with universities in Brazil and other countries; and a new joint M.D./Ph.D. program that UNMC has initiated with a university in China.
Farrell will begin work at the university on Feb. 23.