--- title: Retired UNK chancellor reflects on 42 years of public service as living proof of NU mission description: KEARNEY — University of Nebraska at Kearney Chancellor Doug Kristensen retired May 31 after four decades of public service that he said represents “living --- [Skip to content](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/development-council-for-buffalo-county-blog/news-center/p/item/58012/retired-unk-chancellor-reflects-on-42-years-of-public-service-as-living-proof-of-nu-mission#main-content) [![Development Council for Buffalo County logo](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/hubfs/Development%20Council%20Logo_1-23-23_V1.png)](https://growbuffalocounty.com) - About Buffalo County - [Communities](https://growbuffalocounty.com/communities) - [Livability](https://growbuffalocounty.com/live) - [Labor](https://growbuffalocounty.com/work) - Site Selectors - [Sites & Buildings](https://growbuffalocounty.com/sites-buildings) - [Target Industries](https://growbuffalocounty.com/target-industries) - [Regional Data](https://growbuffalocounty.com/regional-data) - [Location Advantages](https://growbuffalocounty.com/location-advantages) - Strategic Initiatives - [Build Buffalo County](https://growbuffalocounty.com/build-buffalo-county) - Business Support - [Incentives](https://growbuffalocounty.com/incentives) - [Resources](https://growbuffalocounty.com/resources) - [Entrepreneurs](https://growbuffalocounty.com/big-idea-buffalo-county) - About DCBC - [Services](https://growbuffalocounty.com/services-1) - [Staff](https://growbuffalocounty.com/staff) - [Board](https://growbuffalocounty.com/board) - [Investors](https://growbuffalocounty.com/membership) - [News](https://growbuffalocounty.com/news) - [Contact Us](https://growbuffalocounty.com/contact-us) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. # Retired UNK chancellor reflects on 42 years of public service as living proof of NU mission [Admin](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/development-council-for-buffalo-county-blog/author/admin) Published Jun 22, 2024 Reading Time 1 min read KEARNEY — University of Nebraska at Kearney Chancellor Doug Kristensen retired May 31 after four decades of public service that he said represents “living proof” of NUs mission. Kristensen left UNK after 22 years at the post, a capstone to his career that included nearly 14 years in the Nebraska Legislature and six years as Kearney County Attorney. He hasnt determined what lies ahead — officiating golf tourneys could be one past time — but he looks back fondly on a career that elevated focus on rural health, tax equalization, court of appeals and residential education. “Im a Nebraska kid who got to be involved in the two most important things in the state,” Kristensen said, pointing to the Legislature and NU. “Are you kidding me? I got to do that.” **The pendulum will swing** Kristensen has said NU might be one of the most important institutions for how it daily impacts residents, including through his own education. He said critics who have doubted the value of higher education “will come to their senses.” “The pendulum will swing and there will be a need again to go, Oh my God, weve got to highly train people to keep them here because the jobs are going to demand it,” Kristensen said. [**Read the full article here.**](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/06/22/retired-unk-chancellor-reflects-on-42-years-of-public-service-as-living-proof-of-nu-mission/)   [Admin](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/development-council-for-buffalo-county-blog/author/admin) Share #### Let's Connect We’d love to hear from you—reach out anytime and let’s start the conversation. ## Related Posts [UNK recognized as national leader in advancing first-generation student success KEARNEY – The University of Nebraska at Kearney is a destination for first-generation college studen...](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/development-council-for-buffalo-county-blog/news-center/p/item/58878/unk-recognized-as-national-leader-in-advancing-firstgeneration-student-success) [Development Council, Partners Welcome Community to New Building Kearney, NE | February 20, 2025 – The Development Council, Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce, and Vis...](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/development-council-for-buffalo-county-blog/news-center/p/item/61573/development-council-partners-welcome-community-to-new-building) [UNK breaks ground on Regional Engagement Center KEARNEY – This isn’t your average office building. The University of Nebraska at Kearney’s Regional ...](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/development-council-for-buffalo-county-blog/news-center/p/item/51020/unk-breaks-ground-on-regional-engagement-center) ![edcc-logo-1](https://blog.growbuffalocounty.com/hubfs/edcc-logo-1.svg) **Development Council for Buffalo County** 220 11th Avenue Kearney, NE 68845 [(308) 237-9346](tel:+1308-237-9346)[mailto:info@growbuffalocounty.com](mailto:info@growbuffalocounty.com) [info@growbuffalocounty.com](mailto:info@growbuffalocounty.com) - [Buffalo County](https://buffalocounty.ne.gov/) - [City of Kearney](https://cityofkearney.org/) - [Kearney Area Chamber](https://www.kearneycoc.org/) - [Kearney Visitors Bureau](https://visitkearney.org/) - [Contact](https://growbuffalocounty.com/contact-us) - [Site Map](https://242034849.hs-sites-na2.com/sitemap.xml) © 2025 Development Council for Buffalo County. All rights reserved. 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