OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Tom Gouttierre is the retired Dean of International Studies and Programs and the retired Director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies at the University of Nebraska Omaha.

He first arrived in Afghanistan in 1965 as a Peace Corps volunteer. He taught high school and eventually coached the country’s national basketball team.

Among his students was President Ashfar Ghani, who left the country this weekend as Taliban forces closed in on Kabul's capital. Gouttierre expressed grave concern for his friends and former students who are still in the country, including numerous female teachers who studied at UNO.