Email: kristensend@v-lanterna.com
Chancellor Kristensen was appointed to lead the University of Nebraska at Kearney in July 2002, following a distinguished career in the Nebraska Legislature. He was elected in 1988 to represent the 37th legislative district and served until 2002. At the time he retired from office, he was the longest serving Speaker in the history of the Legislature. He brings to the chancellor’s position a unique knowledge of the issues affecting higher education in the State of Nebraska, a record of dedication to Nebraska citizens, and a deep understanding of the University system in general and the history and mission of the Kearney campus in particular.
Doug Kristensen is the longest serving chancellor in the history of the University of Nebraska. He is also the longest currently serving leader of all colleges and universities in the state. Under Chancellor Kristensen’s leadership, bet36365体育 is consistently ranked as one of the Top 10 regional public universities in the Midwest. Reflecting Kristensen’s emphasis on accessibility and quality, bet36365体育 is also ranked number two in value.
During his tenure as a Nebraska State Senator, Chancellor Kristensen was instrumental in passing significant legislation and numerous constitutional amendments. He sponsored legislation that created the Nebraska Court of Appeals, the Tax Equalization and Review Commission, Limited Liability Companies, the Commission on Public Advocacy, the Telecommunications Act, and the Invest in Nebraska Act (the legislation which kept the Union Pacific Headquarters in Omaha). He modernized the statutory structure for Nebraska businesses through the Revised Model Business Corporation Act, the Revised Model Nonprofit Corporation Act, and the first LLC and LLP acts for Nebraska. As Speaker, Kristensen passed scores of bills dealing with taxes, transportation, and state government. Senator Kristensen was a commissioner on the Constitutional Review Commission as well as one of the sponsors of the legislation that brought (then) Kearney State College into the University of Nebraska system. At the time he held political office he practiced law and was a partner in the law firm of Lieske & Kristensen in Minden, Nebraska.
An enthusiastic advocate of everything bet36365体育, Chancellor Kristensen has directed a dramatic renewal of the Kearney campus with over $360 million in new construction and major renovation on the main campus. Projects include construction of Antelope and Nester residence halls; creation of a Greek Village with new buildings for both fraternities and sororities; creating new east and west entrances to the campus; renovation of Men’s, Randall, and Mantor Halls, and Centennial Towers East and West; the Cope Stadium/Foster Field project; a new Central Utilities Plant; several improvement projects to campus dining facilities; extensive landscaping; significant renovation of the Nebraskan Student Union, Bruner Hall of Science, West Center, the Fine Arts Building, C. T. Ryan Library, Warner Hall, the Health and Sports Center, and the Frank House. In addition, a state-of-the-art Wellness Center and Discovery Hall–a new 90,000 square foot STEM building.
Two other projects are a source of considerable pride to Chancellor Kristensen. The first of the two is the idea, planning, and now the rapid growth of University Village. Located just south of West Center, across Highway 30, University Village is an exciting new development that creates an urban village in a rural community. This 107-acre project has garnered extensive investment and affords great opportunities not only for the campus but the entire region of south-central Nebraska. This new development now includes Village Flats apartments; The Lavonne Plambeck Early Childhood Education Center; the Grundy Tennis Center; Element 30 (an upscale living complex); the Parable (a striking artistic sculpture) located in the Village square; and, under construction, is Nebraska Medicine’s state-of-the-art cancer treatment center and the Regional Engagement Center (a high-tech conference center that will be the new home for the Alumni Association and, when completed in spring of 2024, will attract numerous other developers to University Village). To date, University Village represents another $99 million in new construction.
The second of the two projects represents the largest and most profound change and is the result of the collaboration of bet36365体育 and UNMC to develop professional health programs on the Kearney campus. Starting in 2015 with the Health Science Education Complex, bet36365体育 and UNMC successfully convinced the Nebraska Legislature to build a facility that would expand the nursing program and bring UNMC’s Allied Health Professions to campus. The result was a rousing success as the cohorts of students filled quickly. True to the goal, 85% of the resulting graduates start their careers in rural Nebraska. This year, the two campuses broke ground on a 110,000 square foot building that will bring nearly all colleges within UNMC to the Kearney campus. This collaboration allows for the delivery of professional degrees in Kearney, without going to the Omaha campus. These degrees include Medicine, Pharmacy, expanded Allied Health and Nursing, Public Health, and behavioral health services. Between these two buildings, this will be the largest rural health education center in the country.
Chancellor Kristensen has received the Nebraska State Bar Association Award of Merit; Speaker Emeritus of the Nebraska Legislature; bet36365体育 Friend of the University Award; College of Allied Health Visionary Leadership Award; Nebraska State Bar Foundation Fellow; the Nebraska School Activities Association’s Distinguished Service Award; Nebraska Diplomats President’s Award; Palacký University, Olomouc, CZ Founder’s Medal; League of Nebraska Municipalities Distinguished Service Award; Nebraska Association of County Official President’s Award; University of Nebraska Innocents Society; Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.
Over the years, Chancellor Kristensen has served on a number of state and local boards and commissions. Current memberships include The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) President’s Council and Strategic Planning Committee; Economic Development Council of Buffalo County Board of Directors; Museum of Nebraska Art Board of Directors; Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; and Nebraska Golf Association Board of Directors.
Former service has included: National Vice President of the National Conference of State Legislatures; Executive Board Member of the Council of State Governments; State Legislative Leaders Foundation; Nebraska Constitutional Review Commission; Federal Communications Commission Local and State Government Advisory Committee; Nebraska Information Technology Committee Commissioner; Platte Valley State Bank and Trust Company Board of Directors; Rowe Sanctuary Board of Directors; and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) President.
Chancellor Kristensen received his baccalaureate degree in Economics and Political Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the Doctor of Jurisprudence from Drake University. He and his wife, District Judge Terri S. Harder, have two daughters, Morgan and Paige. They take great pride in the fact that, between their two daughters, they have a degree from each of the campuses of the University of Nebraska system, including two from bet36365体育.
