Robert Steven Nelsen (born January 21, 1952) is an American academic administrator, who served as the eighth President of
California State University, Sacramento from July 1, 2015 to July 16, 2023.
On November 2, 2022, Nelsen announced his impending retirement as President of California State University, Sacramento and the CSU Board of Trustees subsequently announced their search for the ninth President of the University by the Trustees Committee for the Selection of the President chaired by Diego Arambula.
Early life and education
Nelsen was born in
Brigham City, Utah, and raised in
Madison County, Montana. He earned a
bachelor 1978 and
master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
in
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
1979 from
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...
and a Ph.D. from the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
1989, specializing in
modern literature,
modern philosophy
Modern philosophy is philosophy developed in the modern era and associated with modernity. It is not a specific doctrine or school (and thus should not be confused with ''Modernism''), although there are certain assumptions common to much of i ...
, and modern
political theory
Political philosophy studies the theoretical and conceptual foundations of politics. It examines the nature, scope, and legitimacy of political institutions, such as states. This field investigates different forms of government, ranging from d ...
.
Career
Prior to becoming president of CSUS, he was serving as special adviser to the
University of Texas System's Executive
Vice Chancellor
A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth countr ...
for Academic Affairs. Nelsen served as the eighth
President of the
University of Texas–Pan American from January 2010 to August 2014.
Prior to this, Nelsen was an associate vice president for academic affairs and
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...
of English at
Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi.
Earlier, Nelsen was a
faculty member at the
University of Texas at Dallas. He served as the speaker of the Faculty and chaired the University of Texas System Faculty Advisory Council. After winning the Chancellor’s Council Award for Outstanding Teaching, he was recruited into the Provost's Office and served as vice provost there.
Nelsen is an author of fiction in journals which include the ''
Story Quarterly'', ''
Other Voices'', ''
Chariton Review'', and ''
Southwest Review''.
Honors and awards
*
Pushcart Prize, Best of the Small Presses: Distinguished Stories Award, 1991: "Ronnie Big Wolf Tooth" and "Two Points of a Blue Star", 1991
* "Ten Best Journals," Common Knowledge, May 1, 1993, ''
Library Journal
''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...
''
* "Best Journal in Humanities, Social Studies, and Social Sciences, 1993," Common Knowledge, The
Association of American Publishers, January 1994
* Literacy Champion Award, South Texas Literacy Coalition, Historias de la Vida 3rd Annual Gala, Palmhurst,
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, September 24, 2011
* Community Literacy Champion, South Texas Literacy Coalition,
Edinburg, Texas, September 22, 2012
* Edinburg Rotary Leadership Award, Edinburg, Texas, June 26, 2013
* Good Samaritan Community Services Award, Good Samaritan Community Services,
Pharr, Texas, August 7, 2013
* Man of the Year Award, Edinburg Chamber of Commerce, Edinburg, Texas, Texas, October 24, 2013
* Golden Eagle Award, Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, McAllen, Texas, March 1, 2014
* Rio Grande Valley Walk of Fame, BorderFest,
Hidalgo, Texas, March 5, 2014
* Champion of the Year, Sacramento Black Chamber of Commerce 2022
References
External links
Official University of Texas-Pan American ProfileSpecial Tribute to Dr. Robert Nelsen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelsen, Robert S.
Presidents of California State University, Sacramento
1952 births
Living people
University of Illinois Chicago faculty
University of Texas at Dallas faculty
University of Texas System people
Brigham Young University alumni
Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi faculty
University of Chicago alumni
People from Brigham City, Utah
People from McAllen, Texas
20th-century American educators
21st-century American educators