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.
2026-27 ALP Fellows
Anthony Bushard
Professor and Interim Director, Glenn Korff School of Music, Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts
Tony Bushard is a Professor and Interim Director of the Glenn Korff School of Music. He was formerly Associate Dean for the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts and Associate Director for Faculty Affairs in the GKSOM. Bushard’s research interests are in contemporary American music with a special focus on jazz, blues, film music, and more recently, grunge. In particular, he is interested in representation of the Kansas City jazz and blues club scene in print media of the 1930s, as well as identity and the suburban experience in film scores from the 1950s-present. His developing research on grunge considers Pearl Jam concerts as sites of ritual and healing. Bushard received his bachelor's degree in music, piano from St. John's University. His master's degree and his doctorate in musicology are from the University of Kansas.
Valerie Jones
Fred and Gladys Seaton Professor, Advertising and Public Relations
Interim Associate Dean of Research and Faculty Affairs, College of Journalism and Mass Communications
Valerie Jones is the Fred and Gladys Seaton Professor of Advertising and Public Relations and Interim Associate Dean of Research and Faculty Affairs in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications. She is also a Fulbright Scholar, Fulbright Specialist, and founder of the SMART Lab (Social and Traditional Media Analytics and Research Tools). Jones studies new communication technologies and is currently collaborating with scholars from public health, neuroscience, and computer science to explore the influence of artificial intelligence on loneliness and social connection, particularly among aging adults. She began her career as a media strategist in San Francisco and Chicago and has served as a consultant on research, strategy, and branding projects for local and international clients. Jones earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northwestern University and her doctorate from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
Michael Merten
Gwendolyn A. Newkirk Professor, Child, Youth and Family Studies
Interim Dean, College of Education and Human Sciences
Michael Merten is the Gwendolyn A. Newkirk Professor of Child, Youth and Family Studies and Interim Dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences. His research examines the social, family, and community factors that influence youth and young adult development, health, and well-being. His work has addressed topics including adolescent health, mental health, family relationships, Latino youth development, occupational safety, and health disparities. Merten has collaborated extensively with scholars across disciplines, including psychology, sociology, public health, toxicology, epidemiology, and economics. His research has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Justice, and numerous state and community organizations. Prior to UNL, Merten served as Professor and Director of the Center for Family Resilience at Oklahoma State University. He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire and master’s and doctoral degrees in human development and family studies from Iowa State University.
Laura Muñoz
Associate Professor, History
Director, Institute for Ethnic Studies, College of Arts and Sciences
Laura Muñoz is an Associate Professor of History and Director of the Institute for Ethnic Studies. Prior to UNL, she was an Associate Professor at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Her book, Desert Dreams: Mexican Arizona and the Politics of Educational Equality won a New Scholar Book Award from the American Educational Research Association and an Honorable Mention from the National Association of Chicana and Chicano Studies. Muñoz is a founding member of the “Latinidades Collective,” a former National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellow, and a recipient of the American Historical Association’s Gilbert Award. She serves on the leadership team for AERA Historical Inquiry in Education, on editorial boards for the Review of Educational Research and the University of Nebraska Press, and has provided expertise to the History of Education Society, The History of Education of Quarterly, Chicana/Latina Studies, and UNL’s Center for Great Plains Studies. She earned her bachelor's degree at the University of Texas at Austin and her doctorate from Arizona State University.
Thomas Padilla
Associate Professor, University Libraries
Associate Dean for Research and Learning, University Libraries
Thomas Padilla is an Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Learning in the University Libraries. He leads a division of faculty and staff spanning research partnerships, teaching partnerships, information services, and learning spaces. Prior to UNL, Padilla served as Deputy Director, Archiving and Data Services at the Internet Archive, Public Interest AI Strategist at the Authors Alliance, and worked in a number of R1 university libraries across the United States. He serves on a range of national boards including the Roy Rozenzweig Center for History and New Media, Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage Program, and the Opioid Industry Documents Archive. He received his bachelor’s and master's degree in history from San Francisco State University and his master's degree in information science from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.