UNL has selected Tom Farrell as its first senior adviser to the chancellor for international affairs. Farrell, vice provost for global engagement in the University of Nebraska system’s central administration, will join UNL on May 19.
In his new position in the office of Chancellor Harvey Perlman, Farrell will create, expand, nurture and advise upon international partnerships that advance UNL’s interests and growth objectives. This includes growth in international student recruiting and enrollment, research collaborations and partnerships, opportunities for students to study abroad, opportunities for faculty to engage in collaborative research projects and the creation and advancement of alumni networks outside the United States.
“I have had the pleasure of working and traveling internationally with Chancellor Perlman and working closely with vice chancellors Prem Paul and Ronnie Green and their teams as well as with other members of the faculty and administration at UNL,” Farrell said. “This is a perfect moment to move from NU-wide responsibilities to devote my experience and understanding of the global scene to a single institution with the research and teaching capacity of UNL.”
Farrell also will work with the leadership of NU’s Robert B. Daugherty Water For Food Institute to expand its global reach and to strengthen UNL ties to international and U.S. higher education associations, as well as foreign and U.S. government agencies and departments.
In a letter to NU central administration staff, outgoing President James B. Milliken said Farrell was instrumental in developing NU’s global engagement strategy and in “creating the global university our community needs to prepare students, faculty and a broad range of citizens to play responsible and mutually beneficial roles on the international stage.”
Perlman said Farrell’s international experience and connections would further elevate UNL’s global engagement undertakings.
“(Tom) has initiated several international activities while working for President Milliken and has been an integral part of the international components of the Daugherty Water for Food Institute. I am pleased we were able to retain him at the university to give continuity to those efforts,” Perlman said.
Farrell will work closely with David Wilson, UNL’s senior international officer, who is responsible for the coordination of international agreements, partnership degree programs, international student exchanges and degree-completion programs. Wilson also oversees education abroad and programs in English as a second language.
With Wilson as senior international officer and Farrell helping to formulate the university’s strategy for global engagement, “UNL is well positioned to assist students and faculty in making the world their classroom and laboratory,” Perlman said.
