The University of Nebraska's chief financial officer and former interim system president will step away from his position at the end of the month.
Chris Kabourek, a 27-year veteran of NU who was named vice president for business and finance in 2018, announced the "difficult but necessary decision" to leave NU in a letter to NU President Jeff Gold on Monday.
His last day at NU will be Sept. 30.
"I feel confident in our accomplishments, and I believe this is the right time for me to explore new opportunities that will further challenge my curiosities," Kabourek said. "I leave knowing that the university is on solid financial ground and well-positioned to continue its forward momentum."
A native of David City and a first-generation college student, Kabourek graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University with a degree in business administration. He later earned an MBA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Along with managing NU's $3.3 billion operating budget, Kabourek has advised several presidents, campus chancellors, campus business and academic officers and facilities managers.
Outside of Varner Hall, Kabourek has served as a liaison between NU and the Nebraska governor's office and worked with lawmakers to better understand the NU system's structure and finances.
Kabourek played a key role in NU securing support from the Legislature to launch an ambitious program to tackle its $800 million deferred maintenance backlog, eventually securing $400 million in bond financing at historic low rates — the largest sale of bonds in university history.
He was also instrumental in the creation of a "building renewal fund," which used money saved from refinancing existing debt to independently pay for future building upgrades and replacements.
Late last year, following the departure of former NU President Ted Carter to Ohio State University, the NU Board of Regents named Kabourek interim president, citing his ability to be "a strategic thinker, a trusted adviser, and a creative and responsible steward" of the state's public university system.
As NU's interim leader, Kabourek set a biennial budget that eliminated a deficit and achieved a reaffirmation of the university's AA1 bond rating from Moody's.
In his letter to Gold, which was shared with the Journal Star, Kabourek said he pushed NU to "rethink how higher education should serve Nebraska, no matter how uncomfortable those conversations may be."
"In reflecting on my time in this role, I have asked myself whether I, after serving over half my life at the university, have become too comfortable," he wrote. "Is it time for me to get uncomfortable again?
"Over time, I've found clarity — the answer to that question is yes."
Replacing Kabourek as interim chief financial officer for the NU system will be Anne Barnes, who joined the University of Nebraska Medical Center as vice chancellor for business, finance and business development in June 2022.
Before that, Barnes was the senior dean for administration and finance at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine for 25 years.
Barnes holds a degree in business administration with a major in accounting from Oklahoma Baptist University and a master's in business administration from the Meinders School of Business at Oklahoma City University.
Kabourek's departure is the third by a member of the central administration since Gold was hired as president earlier this year.
In March, shortly after Gold's hiring was announced, Phil Bakken, the chief of staff to the NU president and corporation secretary for the Board of Regents, announced his departure to the University of Pittsburgh.
And Kristen Hassebrook, who was named associate vice president for government relations — NU's chief lobbyist — in July 2023, returned to lobbying and governmental relations firm Mueller Robak LLC earlier this year.
Kabourek said he expects NU's business and finance team "will continue to manage day-to-day operations seamlessly" as he steps away for personal reasons over the next two weeks ahead of his resignation.
"As a native Nebraskan, serving my alma mater has been the honor of a lifetime, and I will be cheering for the university's continued success," he wrote.
Chris Kabourek, the University of Nebraska's vice president for business and finance, announced his resignation in a Sept. 16, 2024, letter to President Jeff Gold.