Each year, up to six Nebraska faculty members are selected as ALP Fellows and participate in the Big Ten Academic Alliance Academic Leadership Program. The Academic Leadership Program is one of the most successful leadership initiatives of the Big Ten Academic Alliance. Established in 1989, the program develops the academic leadership and managerial skills of nominated faculty who have demonstrated exceptional ability and academic promise. The program addresses the challenges of academic administration at major research universities while helping faculty members prepare to meet those challenges.
ALP Fellows from across the Big Ten attend a virtual welcome session and three in-person seminars at different Big Ten campuses and the Big Ten Conference Center. Nebraska’s ALP Fellows also participate in on-campus meetings throughout the academic year with members of our university's academic leadership.
Learn more about the Big Ten Academic Alliance Academic Leadership Program.
2024-25 ALP Fellows
Toni Anaya
Professor, University Libraries
Associate Director, Information Services and Learning Spaces
Toni Anaya is Professor and Associate Director of Information Services and Learning Spaces in the University Libraries. Her area of research is in information literacy skills development and the intergenerational knowledge transfer of those skills by first-generation, non-traditional, and international students, as well as the impact of misinformation and disinformation on democracy. Anaya has served on nationally elected library-related boards and campus committees, including the Student Conduct and Appeals Board and Investigations Team. She is also a lecturer at the Emporia State University School of Library and Information Management, teaching information seeking behavior and reference services. Anaya holds a bachelor's degree in Spanish language and literature and a Master of Library and Information Sciences from the University of Arizona. She is pursuing a doctorate in Library and Information Management at Emporia State University and is a member of the American Library Association Spectrum Doctoral Fellows Program.
Kristen Blankley
Henry M. Grether, Jr. Professor, Law
Kristen Blankley is Henry M. Grether, Jr. Professor in the College of Law. She teaches and researches in the areas of alternative dispute resolution, legal ethics, and sports law. Her research interests are in the intersection of ADR and ethics, both ADR ethics and legal ethics. She has written on topics including arbitration, mediation, family mediation, collaborative law, and access to justice, is a co-author on three casebooks on dispute resolution, and has served in leadership positions in statewide and national organizations involving dispute resolution. Blankley served six years on UNL's Intercollegiate Athletics Committee; two years as chair. She has chaired an Academic Freedom and Tenure hearing, and she served on the Ad Hoc Committee on Academic Freedom. Blankley has also served as a consultant on issues involving conflict in the workplace. Blankley received her bachelor's degree in history and political science from Hiram College and her juris doctor degree from Ohio State University.
Kelsy Burke
Professor and Undergraduate Chair, Sociology
Kelsy Burke is Professor and Undergraduate Chair in the Department of Sociology and an affiliate faculty member in Women’s and Gender Studies. As an affiliated scholar with the Public Religion Research Institute, their research focuses on religion, gender, sexuality, and politics in the U.S. They are also the Editor of Contemporary Sociology, a journal of the American Sociological Association that publishes nearly 300 book reviews and other essays each year. Burke's work has been funded by both internal and external grants, including the National Science Foundation, and has been featured in top academic journals as well as popular outlets, such as PBS and NPR, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and The Guardian. Burke is currently completing their third book, which is forthcoming with Pantheon. They received their bachelor’s degree in sociology from Eastern Connecticut State University and their master’s degree and doctorate in sociology from the University of Pittsburgh.
Carl Nelson
Professor, Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs, College of Engineering
Carl Nelson is Professor and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering and College of Engineering, where he oversees curriculum and engineering student services. Previously, he was Associate Chair for Undergraduate Programs in Mechanical and Materials Engineering. Nelson's research area covers mechanical design and robotics, with an applications focus including medical devices and systems. He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a senior member of the National Academy of Inventors. Nelson received his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Oklahoma and his master's degree and doctorate in mechanical engineering from Purdue University.
Elizabeth Niehaus
Associate Professor, Educational Administration
Elizabeth Niehaus is Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Administration. Her research explores how higher education environments can support student learning, with a recent emphasis on the complexities of free speech and academic freedom on college campuses. Her work examines how institutions navigate the balance between open expression and inclusive learning environments, and how they can create the conditions necessary for the practice of academic freedom. She previously served as a 2020-21 fellow and the 2022-23 senior fellow with the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement and was lead facilitator for the 2023 Lumina/UC Center Institution on Advancing the Mission of Higher Education in a Polarized Environment. She earned her bachelor's degree in linguistics from the University of Virginia, her master's degree in American culture studies from Washington University in St. Louis, and her doctorate in college student personnel administration from the University of Maryland, College Park.