Gov. Dave Heineman has appointed two new commissioners to the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education. Lori Warner of South Sioux City will represent District 3, which covers northeast Nebraska. Dwayne Probyn of Papillion will be an at-large member of the commission.

Warner is president and CEO of the South Sioux City Area Chamber of Commerce. She held the same position with the Beatrice Area Chamber of Commerce from 2005 to 2012. Warner earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from Peru State College.

• Read more about CCPE hires new finance and administrative officer

Due to inclement weather in parts of the state, the Coordinating Commission has cancelled its work session scheduled for the evening of Wednesday, Dec. 4, in Lincoln. The Commission's regular meeting is still scheduled for Dec. 5.

The Coordinating Commission recently welcomed two new employees to its research staff.

Jill Heese is the commission's new research coordinator. She comes to the commission from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where she was a survey data analyst. Heese earned her bachelor's degree in Business Administration and master's degree in Survey Research and Methodology, both from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The Coordinating Commission's Ritchie Morrow recently met with White House officials in Washington, D.C., to discuss a variety of student financial aid issues, including those that may result from the potential re-authorization of the federal Higher Education Act.

Coordinating Commission Vice Chair Riko Bishop of Lincoln has been appointed to the Nebraska Court of Appeals, 1st District. As a result, Bishop resigned as a commissioner, a post she held since 2007.

Bishop most recently worked as an attorney with Perry, Guthery, Haase & Gessford, P.C., L.L.O. Her work has focused on general civil litigation and appeals, with the last five years focused primarily on domestic matters, worker’s compensation, and school law issues.

Marshall Hill has resigned as executive director of Nebraska’s Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education.

The Coordinating Commission has received an application from Kaplan University-Omaha to offer a new degree program in Nebraska.

Kaplan seeks authorization to offer a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) in Pre-licensure Nursing. The commission will consider Kaplan's application at its Aug. 1, 2013 meeting at Central Community College in Grand Island Sept. 19 meeting in Lincoln.

Coordinating Commission Executive Director Marshall Hill has played a prominent role in a select national group responsible for plans that will streamline regulations and allow universities and colleges to more easily offer online courses across the country.

The Coordinating Commission has received applications from Bryan College of Health Sciences and the University of South Dakota to offer new degree programs and courses in Nebraska.

Bryan College of Health Sciences seeks authorization to offer an Education Doctorate in Nursing Education and a Baccalaureate of Science in Health Professions-Healthcare Studies.

The University of South Dakota seeks authorization to offer a master of arts in Speech-Language Pathology, three graduate courses in Reading Recovery®, and a course in Science, Culture and History of the Missouri River.