2017 Outstanding Service Award
Outstanding Service Awards were presented to John and Jan Christensen and Sarah Waldman during the 2017 UNO Alumni NI. Established in 1974, Outstanding Service Awards honor faculty, staff, alumni or friends who have shown long, outstanding service to the Alumni Association and/or university. Since then, 111 individuals have received the award.
John and Jan Christensen
John Christensen was UNO chancellor from May 2007 to May 2017. He is the only UNO graduate to have served as chancellor, doing so after service as a professor, department chair, dean and vice chancellor during a UNO career spanning 39 years.
In Christensen’s 10 years leading the university, UNO celebrated its centennial, moved its athletics program to Division I, became classified as a doctoral-research university by the Carnegie Foundation, grew overall enrollment by more than 12 percent, twice was named the No. 1 Military Friendly University in the nation by Military Times, and completed more than $480 million of capital projects, including first-of-their kind facilities Baxter Arena, the Biomechanics Research Building and the Weitz Community Engagement Center.
Christensen also initiated and helped guide the integration of the UNO Alumni Association and University of Nebraska Foundation, completed in January 2016. Christensen, who received the alumni association’s Citation for Alumnus Achievement in 2008, was named chancellor emeritus earlier this year.
Jan, his wife of 45 years, also is a lifelong educator and was integral to UNO’s success, assisting several UNO initiatives and attending numerous university events. Most recently she was honorary president of the UNO Women’s Club.
The Christensens have three sons, all of whom are UNO graduates. They also have six grandchildren.
The couple also will be celebrated at Night of Honor with the unveiling of Stephen Roberts’ painting of the Christensens. The UNO Alumni Association commissioned the painting in honor of the couple’s longtime service to UNO. It has not yet been determined where the painting will be displayed.
Roberts, a 1976 UNO graduate, is an award-winning Omaha artist with numerous credits to his name, including eight murals in the Nebraska State Capitol’s 14th floor Memorial Chamber.
Sarah Waldman
Waldman served the UNO Alumni Association Board of Directors from 2009 until 2017. During her tenure, she was secretary from 2011-13, a vice chair for two years, then chairman of the board in 2015-16.
The 92nd graduate to chair the board, Waldman played a key role in the association’s integration with the University of Nebraska Foundation, leading the association board’s strategic planning that preceded the agreement. More recently, Waldman led the foundation’s UNO Advancement Team and association board members in strategic planning sessions aimed at increasing alumni engagement.
A member of Chi Omega during her studies at UNO, Waldman earned a BSBA in 1994. She is executive director of the TeamMates Mentoring program.