Introduction to Dr. Nellis
Dr. M. Duane Nellis became Kansas State University's Provost beginning in June 2004, after serving for seven years at West Virginia University as Dean of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, WVU's largest academic college.
As Provost, Dr. Nellis serves as Chief Academic Officer of Kansas State University, which has more than 23,000 students, 1500 faculty, a budget of over $683 million, and research funding that exceeds $197 million. Twelve deans and ten other units, including the offices of the Vice Provost for Information Technology Services and the Vice Provost for Research, report directly to Provost Nellis. Provost Nellis also serves as a representative of the President and in place of the President during his absence.
As Provost, Dr. Nellis is committed to building on the legacy of successes that have characterized President Wefald's tenure at K-State. Dr. Nellis's priorities include moving the university to among the top 10 nationally relative to similar land grant institutions; strengthening K-State's national leadership in selected strategic areas through targeted excellence investments; continuing to strengthen K-State's position in forward-looking faculty profiles and individualized assignments; bolstering K-State's recognized leadership position as a student-centered university through restructuring and through creation of new programs that augment student learning opportunities (such as through greater student engagement, a revitalized honors program, and through more innovative extended learning programs); continuing to enhance diversity and civic engagement among faculty, staff, and students; fostering creative uses for information technology to better serve the university community, Kansans, and the region; and aggressively pursuing outside resources that will help K-State achieve new levels of achievement.
Upon completing his Ph.D. from Oregon State University in 1980 in geography, with a specialization in remote sensing and natural resource systems, Dr. Nellis accepted his first academic appointment at Kansas State University, where he moved up rapidly in rank and administrative responsibilities. Prior to his departure in 1997 for WVU, Dr. Nellis had served as head of K-State's Department of Geography, and then Senior Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. At WVU, Dr. Nellis led a highly successful capital fund raising campaign, oversaw the planning and construction of a new $50 million Life Sciences building, provided leadership that led to numerous college faculty and student successes, including the establishment of a new National Geospatial Development Center, a Center for Writing Excellence, and a Math Learning Institute; revitalized the WVU Press; and strengthened social justice and related diversity programs across the college and university.
In his professional role, he has served in various leadership positions as well. Dr. Nellis recently served as President of the Association of American Geographers, one of the largest professional geography organizations in the world. He is also past President of the National Council for Geographic Education, past President of Gamma Theta Upsilon, the International Geographic Honor Society, past President of the Kansas Academy of Sciences, and served as one of ten members of the National Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences Research Universities Committee.
Provost Nellis is recognized nationally and internationally for his research utilizing satellite data and geographic information systems to analyze various dimensions of the earth's land surface. This research has been funded by more than 50 grants (as principal investigator and co-principal investigator) totaling more than $3.0 million dollars from sources such as NASA, National Geographic Society, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This research has taken Dr. Nellis to such far away places as Botswana, where he has analyzed processes of desertification due to overgrazing on the fringes of the Kalahari Desert. His research has led to over 100 articles and reports in a wide range of professional journals, and 11 books and book chapters. He has given over 100 professional presentations and has been invited to speak at over 60 universities and related settings internationally.
Dr. Nellis has been further recognized internationally for his research and teaching through numerous awards, such as receiving national honors from the Association of American Geographers (AAG) in 2001, the AAG's John Fraser Hart Award for Excellence in Research, and the Outstanding Contributions Award by the AAG's Remote Sensing Specialty Group. In addition, Dr. Nellis received the Young Research Scholar Award by the Institute of British Geographers, and K-State's University Outstanding Teaching Award and University Advisor of the Year Award, during his earlier tenure at K-State.
Provost Nellis is pleased to be part of the leadership team at Kansas State University and to be part of the dynamic and high-quality land grant institution that serves Kansas, the United States and the world on numerous fronts.