The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's senior vice chancellor for academic affairs is about to become the top dog somewhere else.

The New Mexico State University Board of Regents called a special meeting Thursday to introduce UNL's Barbara Couture as its next president.

Couture, who has held her post at UNL since 2004, begins her new duties Jan. 1. Her salary will be $385,000, with additional perks like use of a presidential residence, a car, a country club membership and, at the end of five years, a privately funded $500,000 retention bonus.

Couture came out on top thanks to her strong resume and deep understanding of faculty and staff issues, New Mexico State Regents Chairman Blake Curtis said during Thursday's meeting, which was streamed live online.

"She has heard the cry for leadership, just as we have," Curtis said.

As Couture was introduced, the meeting room in Las Cruces broke into applause and someone shouted, "Welcome to NMSU!"

Couture responded in kind.

"From the very beginning, as soon as I set foot on this campus, we knew it was the place for us," she said, with her husband, Paul, at her side.

In stressing her commitment to access, academics and diversity, Couture vowed to help New Mexico State become "the absolute best it can be."

Couture also e-mailed UNL colleagues to express thanks for their support as she interviewed for multiple presidencies in recent months.

Earlier this week, Couture was passed over for the top job at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. She also had been a finalist for the presidency of the University of Albany in New York earlier in the year.

Now that she has secured a presidential position, Couture leaves UNL's senior ranks with yet another vacancy.

UNL is searching for permanent deans for its law, business and journalism schools, and Chancellor Harvey Perlman said Thursday he expects each of those searches to extend at least until January or February.

And John Owens, vice chancellor of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, will step down next year. A search committee has been formed to identify Owens' replacement.

Perlman didn't specify immediate plans for naming Couture's successor.

He said he saw no reason for concern for the number of vacancies among his senior staff, noting when he first became interim chancellor UNL had five interim deans and three interim vice chancellors.

"These things tend to go in cycles," he said.

Perlman praised Couture's tenure at UNL, especially her leadership of an overhaul of the campus' general education curriculum and her help in building new international programs, such as UNL's Confucius Institute, a Chinese language and cultural education center.

"I'm disappointed for us but very excited for her," Perlman said. "She's clearly ready to lead an institution."

Reach Melissa Lee at 473-2682 or mlee@journalstar.com.