LINCOLN – Following an extensive national search, the Board of Trustees for the Nebraska State Colleges voted unanimously to approve the contract of Dr. Michael Evans from an impressive pool of candidates to serve as the 34th President of Peru State College.
This is an exciting time in Peru State College’s history. The comprehensive search process involved input and deliberation from a wide range of constituents and stakeholders, including the faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members, and allowed the Search Committee to choose the best leader for Peru State College and its future.
"I am truly honored to be given the opportunity to lead such an amazing institution in continuing to build a strong and prosperous future,” said Dr. Michael Evans, next president of Peru State. “Peru State College is clearly a special place, and it will be a joy to work with the faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members to ensure its success."
“Dr. Evans personifies the qualities we looked for in selecting a new president. He is committed to supporting the whole student, values the community served by the College, recognizes the vital role of faculty and staff in achieving our mission, and understands the importance of partnerships in continuing to provide opportunities to our students,” said Dr. Turman, Chancellor of the Nebraska State College System (NSCS).
On March 24, 2021, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved Dr. Evans to be the next President of Peru State College. Evans will succeed President Dan Hanson, who announced his plans to retire last October. Hanson’s last day will be June 30, 2021. Dr. Evans will begin his role as Peru State President on July 1, 2021.
About President Michael Evans
Dr. Michael Evans served most recently as the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer for Southern New Hampshire University’s campus-based program. Prior to SNHU, he was the Provost of Unity College in Maine, and before that, he was the Interim Dean of the Indiana University School (IU) of Journalism. He served on the IU School of Journalism faculty for 14 years, earning tenure and promotion there.
Dr. Evans is a graduate of the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard, earned a certificate in higher-education diversity from Cornell, and completed a nonprofit leadership program from Northwestern. His research explores indigenous communities’ expressions of culture through mass media. With the support of a Fulbright, he has conducted ethnographic fieldwork with Inuit videographers in the eastern Canadian Arctic, and he has conducted similar research with Aboriginal video and radio professionals in the Australian Outback and Native American journalists in several North American nations.
Evans earned his doctorate and masters in Folklore from Indiana University and his bachelor's in English and philosophy from Bowdoin College.
NOTE: Photo of Dr. Evans | Application materials linked here.
