Doug Kristensen will retire after 22 years as UNK chancellor

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The leader of the University of Nebraska at Kearney will step down at the end of the school year.

Chancellor Doug Kristensen announced Wednesday that he will retire after 22 years at the helm of UNK.

“Central Nebraska is home to me,” he said in a press release. “I couldn’t have asked for a better place to live, work and raise our family. It has been a great privilege to be part of a community that cares so deeply about UNK and the University of Nebraska’s mission to educate the people of our state.”

Chris Kabourek, who will become NU’s interim president on Jan. 1, said he will act quickly to find the next chancellor.

“Especially as we bring our rural health education facilities to full operation and move forward with our goals to grow enrollment and excellence, we can’t afford to lose momentum,” he said in the release. “It will be crucial that we find someone who can seamlessly pick up where Chancellor Kristensen will leave off.”

Kristensen, who was appointed in July 2002, is the longest-serving chancellor in the history of the NU system.

Before his time at UNK, he spent 14 years in the Nebraska Legislature, where he rose to the speakership.

“There is no better champion for UNK and rural Nebraska than Doug Kristensen,” NU President Ted Carter said in the release. “His selfless leadership and relentless dedication to UNK’s mission will benefit students and Nebraskans for generations to come.”