Undergraduate Education Team and Councils

Amy Goodburn

Amy Goodburn

Senior Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of Undergraduate Education

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Amy Goodburn leads university-wide student success and degree completion initiatives and provides strategic direction to academic support and engagement units focused in three areas: advising and career development; teaching and learning; and student success and retention programs. She leads campus-wide councils and advisory boards charged with eliminating institutional barriers to degree completion and formulating recommendations and policies that promote an inclusive campus culture of learning, belonging, and engagement. These include the Academic Solutions Council, the Retention Leaders Council, First Generation Nebraska, and the Faculty Fellows for Student Success Program.

Goodburn also serves as the university’s representative in national consortia such as the APLU Powered by Publics initiative to increase degree completion and close equity gaps; the NASPA and Suder Foundation First Forward Program for institutions committed to first generation scholars; and Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities (UERU, a national network of U.S. research universities dedicated to strengthening undergraduate education). She is a board member of UNIZIN, a multi-institutional consortium focused on learner success, access, and affordability through digital teaching and learning ecosystems. More...

Undergraduate Academic Support and Engagement

  • Joe Brownell

    Director, Military and Veteran Success Center

  • Chad Brassil

    Faculty Director, Undergraduate Data Analytics; Associate Professor of Biological Sciences

  • Courtney Hillebrecht

    Faculty Coordinator, William H Thompson Scholars Learning Community; Associate Professor of Political Science

  • Lesley Esters

    Director, William H Thompson Scholars Learning Community

  • Patrice McMahon

    Director, University Honors Program; Professor of Political Science

  • Nick Monk

    Director, Center for Transformative Teaching

  • Lori Romano

    Director, Center for Academic Success and Transition

  • Patricia Sollars

    Director, Undergraduate Education Programs; Associate Professor of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

  • Bill Watts

    Associate Dean, Undergraduate Advising and Career Development

Academic Solutions Council

The Academic Solutions Council is charged by the Executive Vice Chancellor’s Office to review academic policies and practices in order to increase student retention and eliminate institutional barriers to degree completion. It is comprised of an associate dean from each academic college, a Faculty Senate representative, and leaders of Academic Affairs and Enrollment Management. The Council meets monthly to gather input from campus and make recommendations related to issues such as:

  • Scheduling and course delivery models that enhance learning and assist department planning
  • Transfer credit policies and practices to support seamless transition
  • Curricular processes and criteria for transcripted credentials (minors, majors, emphases)
  • University-wide enrollment and curricular processes and requirements (registration holds, the ACE program, the N 2025 experiential learning requirement, etc.)

Retention Leaders Council

The Retention Leaders Council is charged by the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor to identify and address key issues related to student retention across academic and student affair units and discuss, develop and share best practices. The RLC regularly reviews data to collectively assess and improve university-wide and college-specific retention programs and services.

First-Generation Nebraska Advisory Board

The First-Generation Nebraska Advisory Board promotes visibility of first-generation scholars, organizes networking, mentoring, and social programs, and provides professional development workshops for faculty and staff on supporting first -gen scholars’ needs.

Faculty Fellows for Student Success

This program is designed to help faculty gain expertise and build university networks around issues related to student success. Fellows meet monthly to discuss research literature, review data, and discuss university initiatives with Student Success Team members. The call for applications happens annually in spring. Fellows for the 2021-22 academic year are:

  • Ajai Ammachathram

    Assistant Professor, Food and Beverage Extension Specialist, Hospitality Tourism & Management

  • Tamy Burnett

    Associate Director, University Honors Program, English & Women's and Gender Studies

  • Souparno Ghosh

    Associate Professor, Statistics

  • Melissa Gomis

    Associate Professor of Practice, University Libraries

  • Georgia Jones

    Associate Professor, Extension Food Specialist, Nutrition and Health Sciences

  • Kathleen Lacey

    Academic Advisor and Lecturer, English & Women's and Gender Studies

  • Mark Lakamp

    Captain and Chair, Naval Science

  • Taylor Livingston

    Assistant Professor of Practice, School of Global Integrative Studies

  • Susan Ourada

    Associate Professor and Director, Dance Studies

  • Ryan Patrick

    Lecturer, Computer Science and Engineering

  • Mardi Schmeichel

    Associate Professor, Teaching, Learning, & Teacher Education

  • Witawas Srisa-an

    Professor and Vice Chair, Computer Science and Engineering

  • Alexander Zupan

    Associate Professor, Mathematics