Robert S. Nelsen

Robert S. Nelsen
Born	(1952-01-21) January 21, 1952 Brigham City, Box Elder County Utah, USA
Alma mater	Brigham Young University University of Chicago
Occupation	Administrator
Spouse	Jody Nelsen

Robert S. Nelsen (born January 21, 1952) is Special Advisor to the University of Texas System’s Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Before taking on this position, Nelsen served as the eighth President of The University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) from January 2010 to August 2014. He has a demonstrated commitment to higher education and a distinguished career in educational leadership and community service.

Prior to his arrival at UTPA, he was an Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMUCC). He was responsible for oversight of the Academic Affair's budget preparation, the implementation of the University’s Business Incubator, and the Center for Academic Athletic Success, and other NCAA related matters. In addition, he was a professor of English at TAMUCC.

Before working at TAMUCC, Nelsen was a distinguished faculty member at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) for almost two decades where he started the creative writing program and nurtured the development of an arts and humanities curriculum. For many years, he served as the Speaker of the Faculty at UTD, and he also chaired The University of Texas System Faculty Advisory Council for two terms. 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 accomplished author with numerous publications of fiction in journals which include the Story Quarterly, Other Voices, Chariton Review and Southwest Review.

Education

Nelsen earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science from Brigham Young University and his Ph.D. from the Committee on Social Thought at The University of Chicago. His Ph.D. fields of specialization were modern literature, modern philosophy, and modern political theory.

Administrative and Academic Appointments

• Special Advisor, The University of Texas System, 2014–present
• President, The University of Texas-Pan American, 2010–2014
• Professor of English, College of Arts and Humanities, The University of Texas-Pan American, 2010–present
• Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, 2008-2009
• Professor of English, College of Liberal Arts, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi,
• 2008-2009
• Vice Provost, University of Texas at Dallas, 2007-2008
• Associate Provost, 2006-2007
• Professor, Literary and Aesthetic Studies, School of Arts & Humanities, University of Texas at Dallas, 2008
• Associate Professor, 1996-2008
• Director of Creative Writing 1996-2006
• Assistant Professor, 1990-1996
• Lecturer, Department of English, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1989-1990
• Guest Research Associate in the Social and Human Sciences, Wolfgang Goethe Universität der Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany, 1987

Honors and Awards

• Rio Grande Valley Walk of Fame, BorderFest, Hidalgo, Texas, March 5, 2014
• Golden Eagle Award, Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, McAllen, Texas, March 1, 2014
• Man of the Year Award, Edinburg Chamber of Commerce, Edinburg, Texas, October 24, 2013
• Good Samaritan Community Services Award, Good Samaritan Community Services, Pharr, Texas, August 7, 2013
• Edinburg Rotary Leadership Award, Edinburg, Texas, June 26, 2013
• Community Literacy Champion, South Texas Literacy Coalition, Edinburg, Texas, September 22, 2012
• Literacy Champion Award, South Texas Literacy Coalition, Historias de la Vida 3rd Annual Gala, Palmhurst, Texas, September 24, 2011
• “Chancellor’s Council Award for Outstanding Teaching,” University of Texas System and University of Texas at Dallas, 2004-2005
• “Special Faculty Development Award,” University of Texas at Dallas, 2003-2004
• “Victor Worsfold Teacher of the Year,” Arts and Humanities, University of Texas at Dallas, 2002
• "Best Journal in Humanities, Social Studies, and Social Sciences, 1993," Common Knowledge, The American Association of Publishers, January 1994
• "Ten Best Journals," Common Knowledge, May 1, 1993, Library Journal
• The Pushcart Prize

--Best of the Small Presses: Distinguished Stories Award, 1991: "Ronnie Big Wolf Tooth" and "Two Points of a Blue Star"

--Finalist Nominee: 1996, 1995, 1990, 1989 (eight stories)

Early Childhood

Nelsen was raised on a small cattle ranch in the "Big Sky Country" of Montana near Madison Valley just outside of Yellowstone Park. Like the majority of students at UTPA, Nelsen faced great financial hardships while seeking to get his degrees. He put himself through college by working as a janitor in the predawn hours before classes and by selling fishhooks and western clothing in the evenings.

External links

• Official University of Texas-Pan American Profile