After a national search involving exceptionally strong candidates, the Search Committee recommended Nieman for the position. The committee included representatives from a variety of campus groups and gave its unanimous support to Nieman after evaluating all candidates and weighing feedback and support from all constituencies.

“In my short time at Binghamton University, I have been impressed by Dean Nieman's approach to problem solving, his collegial management style and his focus on academic excellence,” said Harvey G. Stenger, president of Binghamton University.  “It will be a great pleasure to work closely with him in his new role as provost.”

Nieman will assume the role of provost effective July 1.

“I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to serve this great University as provost,” said Nieman. “I look forward to working with an energetic and visionary president as well as terrific vice presidents, deans, faculty, staff, students and alumni to build on Binghamton's rich tradition of excellence as we strive to become the premier public university of the 21st century.”

A native of Iowa, Nieman is a historian specializing in law and race relations, and civil rights in the United States. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Drake University and earned his doctorate from Rice University. He has authored two books and edited four others. His book Promises to Keep: African-Americans and the Constitutional Order, 1776 to the Present (Oxford University, 1991) has been called the first Afrocentric history of the U.S. Constitution.

Nieman taught at Kansas State University, Hunter College, Brooklyn College and Clemson University before becoming professor and chair of the History Department at Bowling Green in 1994. He served as dean (of the College of Arts and Sciences there?) from 2000 to 2008, and joined Binghamton University as the dean of Harpur College of Arts and Sciences in July 2008.

As dean at Binghamton University, Nieman has worked with campus partners to create a first-year writing program designed to improve student’s college-level writing, launched the Harpur Fellows program to provide students an opportunity to pursue an interest while serving the community, helped create the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and created the Liberal Arts to Career Externship Program, which allows students to complete externships with alumni sponsors.

Stenger will appoint an interim dean of Harpur College of Arts and Sciences in the near future who will serve until a national search for a permanent replacement can be completed.