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Transcript: Chancellor John Christensen Announces His Retirement

Chancellor John Christensen has announced that he will be stepping down as Chancellor as soon as University of Nebraska President Hank Bounds names his successor. There is no doubt that Chancellor Christensen’s contributions to our university will be felt long after his retirement.

Below is a full transcript of his farewell speech.

Good morning,

I want to thank you all for joining this morning.

We invited our cabinet, our council, the chancellor’s office staff, and the family who could attend today as I wanted to share the news that I am going to be stepping down as Chancellor on June 30th; that will have been ten years and ten months almost to the day.

This is a campus and a community that I love, and I don’t think I’m capable of even describing that adequately. I know I am going to continue to serve UNO, albeit in a somewhat different fashion.

President Bounds indicated he will immediately begin developing plans for a national search to identify my successor.

What I want you to know is there's never a perfect time to leave your dream job, but there is a right time.

And, this year, it’s the right time.

In the past ten years I’ve had little time to spend with my wife Jan and three sons and their families. In just a few weeks we will welcome our seventh grandchild.

This change in duties and scheduling will provide more opportunities for the Christensen family and friends to get together. Given our age, Jan and I see this as an opportunity and as a need.

Now with that said, let me make it clear: I have no intention of leaving the Maverick family.

I will transition into a special role reporting directly to President Bounds and I will work to support special projects on the UNO campus. The bottom line is I can focus on a few important projects for our kids and our community.

I chose Roskens Hall today because it’s home to UNO’s College of Education, and it’s where I got my start at UNO.

This is the college where I was a student, which literally changed my life. The faculty and staff from my student days have been life long friends. I trust they know their high standards pushed me hard, very hard. However, it was their support at every turn that gave a first generation student an opportunity to succeed.

What I want you to know is there's never a perfect time to leave your dream job, but there is a right time.

 Chancellor John Christensen

Upon returning to UNO from the University of Kansas, working in the college and then in the administration, I quickly realized the quality of the faculty and staff on this campus also changed my life.

When I gave my first state of the university address in 2006 I asked the faculty and staff to join me on a journey. Specifically I said, “This is our moment in UNO’s distinguished history. Our moment to make a difference, to set a course, and to determine the future.”

Simply said, that course was to support our kids and our community as a premiere metropolitan university. Looking back today, all faculty and staff jumped on board for that journey and shared my love for the Maverick family and the Omaha community.

Together, and let me say that again, together is the key word. It’s not about directive leadership. It’s about teamwork. It’s about collaboration, on all fronts, to serve the greater good for our kids and community.

This university has transformed because of the faculty, staff and community support for our kids. Being educators, researchers, and lifeguards for a diverse student body has increased the quality of life for all, and highlights why I am so darn proud of the Maverick family success.

  • A historic number of students have graduated in the past four years, and during the last two years we have had records for the most diverse class in UNO’s history.

  • Remarkable growth in critically important areas of research, which moved us to a Carnegie Foundation Doctoral University.

  • Several national awards for community engagement and service, as well as building the first freestanding community engagement center in the country.

  • Two consecutive years of being the number one military friendly university in the nation, serving those who serve and protect us.

  • Transitioning to Division I athletics and having student-athletes who are performing in the classroom at one of the highest levels amount Division I schools.

  • Building around one half of a billion dollars of places and spaces on campus, and the intention of those places is this: to maximize teaching, learning, research, and campus life. This includes building the Baxter Arena that is serving athletics, as well as our campus and community.

  • Creating opportunities to have the President of the United States, U.S and foreign dignitaries, current and former military leaders, world famous authors, educators, and community engagement professionals come to UNO and share their perspectives with the Mav family.

This list goes on, and on, and on.

Maybe it’s just me, but I tend not to look back. I look to the future. UNO has an incredibly bright future. It’s full of optimism, Maverick momentum, and excitement around our core mission as a premier metropolitan university. We will continue helping people in this community live a better tomorrow and raising the quality of life for everyone.

I know there are some of you that may be tired of hearing this again, but I want you to know I’m the luckiest guy in the world. Bless this place and the people who have changed my life.

I hope those coming to campus know this is a place that will change their lives as well.

I’m a Maverick for life, my friends, and I will close with my two favorite words. Go Mavs!