Chancellor Christensen receives Alumni Achievement Citation
The UNO Alumni Association bestowed its
Citation for Alumnus Achievement upon UNO Chancellor John Christensen during
the university's spring commencement Friday, May 9, at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.
Christensen was named UNO's 14th chancellor on May 8, 2007,
becoming the first UNO graduate and first Omaha native to lead the
institution. He had been serving as interim
chancellor since September 2006.
The Citation, inaugurated in 1949, is presented at each UNO
commencement. The association's highest honor, it encompasses career
achievement, community service, involvement in business and professional
associations, and fidelity to UNO. Association Chairman of the Board Rod Oberle
(pictured, right) presented the award to Christensen (left), the 146th Citation
recipient.
"Chancellor
Christensen's appointment is a point of pride for all of our alumni," said Association President Lee Denker. "It is symbolically
fitting that a UNO graduate is at the university's helm as it prepares to
celebrate its centennial anniversary.
"Chancellor Christensen's
talents, experience, passion, integrity and openness this past year have
rejuvenated our campus. And, as NU President James Milliken has noted, his
ambitious vision for UNO's future sets the stage for great things to come."
Christensen, 59, earned
a master's degree in special education/speech pathology from UNO in 1974. He
has spent nearly his entire academic career at UNO, beginning in 1978 as a
faculty member in the College of Education's department of special education
and communication disorders. He subsequently served as chair of that department
for 12 years. He was dean of the College of Education from 1998 to 2003 and
vice chancellor for academic and student affairs from 2003 until his
appointment as interim chancellor in 2006.
As
chancellor Christensen oversees eight colleges, 3,000 faculty and staff, 15,000
students and an annual budget of $172 million.
A graduate of Omaha
Benson High School, Christensen earned a bachelor's degree in speech
communications and drama at Dana College in 1971. From 1972
to 1973 he was an instructor in special education and communication disorders
at now-defunct JFK College in Wahoo, Neb.
After
earning his UNO degree, Christensen in 1975 was a speech-language pathologist
in Omaha with Educational Service Unit #3, responsible for elementary and
secondary public school children and youth with communication disorders. From 1976 to 1978 he was
co-director of the adult stuttering program at the University of Kansas
department of speech pathology/audiology. The program provided
fluency disorders services for the Kansas City and Topeka metropolitan areas
and the central states region. In 1977 Christensen was co-instructor for the University
of Alaska (Fairbanks) summer programs dealing with speech-language pathology
interventions.
Christensen
earned his Ph.D. in 1980 from the University of Kansas in speech
pathology/audiology. His research and scholarly activity includes numerous publications
and professional reports, book reviews and conference presentations. He has
served widely on more than 75 college, departmental and university committees
at UNO.
Christensen has served
on committees or as a board member for numerous professional, community
and state organizations, including: Omaha Community Partnership; Omaha Public
Schools; Millard Public Schools; Omaha 2000 Steering Committee; Metropolitan
Omaha Educational Consortium; Central High School; Boys Town National Research
Hospital; Omaha Home for Boys; Stuttering Foundation of America; Nebraska ADHD;
Westside Community Schools and others.
He and his wife, Jan,
have three adult sons. All three are UNO graduates.
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