Kristensen relishes campus connections

By Jay Sloan

After a brief conversation over a cup of Starbucks coffee, reporter Jay Sloan hit the sidewalks for a campus tour with the “man in charge,” Chancellor Douglas Kristensen. Dipping in and out of various campus buildings, Sloan and Kristensen discussed the ins and outs of his job and even stopped to chat with a group of potential UNK recruits and their parents.

Q and A with Kristensen
Q: How do you stay connected with the campus and it’s students?
A: In the spring, I often like to set aside a one-hour period over lunch time and just go walk around. I like to just walk and try and keep the big picture in mind. We all get really narrow and we worry about our meetings and our area, and it’s very easy not to have the big picture in mind. For me, it’s just as easy to walk around and get in the flavor of what’s going on.

Q: What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
A: The most rewarding part of my job is watching and getting to know students. You see students come in as freshmen, and they all like their shoes. They’re all looking down. By the time they’re seniors, they’re these mature, outgoing and successful people. That’s tremendous to see.

Q: What is the biggest challenge of your job?
A: Resources. With a little more resources we could do unbelievable things here. That’s the challenge of the chancellor and vice chancellor; find resources for people to do what they do really well.

Q: What do you think makes UNK an attractive university?
A: What’s tremendous here is that this campus can be as big or as small as you want it to be, because the staff and faculty’s attention to students. Everyone puts in their brochures that they’re student friendly, but that actually happens here. People say you always want to grow, but I don’t think you want 10,000 students here. That would change the complexion of who we are and what we’re offering.

Q: What are the biggest challenges for students as they leave UNK?
A: Students who are graduating need to put away all the noise. Don’t listen to all the news that the economy is going to pieces, that the world is going to implode environmentally or that our system of government is failing. If you listen to that, why would you go out into the workforce or real world? You’re better off hiding from it.

Q: What sets UNK graduates apart from other people entering the world after graduation?
A: You will see the world here. You have the opportunity to study abroad here, or the opportunity to interact with students from around the world on this campus, and do it in a meaningful way. You will have a broader prospective, a more global approach. I think that’s what’s going to set you apart.”
Q: What does the future hold for UNK?
A: It’s very bright. I think the future here is that we will become more of a regional institution. With competition, there are winners and losers. And I think we’re going to see some institutions struggle.

Q: What do students need to hear from you?
A: We’re going to keep trying to find the resources to make this a high quality institution; we’re not going to do just enough to get by. Don’t look a budget cuts; don’t buy into the idea that things are bad. The future is very bright and your degree is going to be valuable, and it will become more valuable.

About
Kristensen
Hometown: Minden
High School: Minden High School, Class of 1973
College: University of Nebraska- Lincoln, Drake University
Work History:
Practiced law In Carol, Iowa
Returned to practice law in Minden
1982-1989 Kearney County Attorney
Spent 14 years in the Nebraska Legislature
Started at UNK in 2002
Family:
Wife Terri Harder
Daughter Morgan (Freshman at UNK)
Daughter Paige (8th Grade)

Category: Features