USU Remembers Val R. Christensen for Impact on Community

Val R. Christensen, a longtime and influential leader at Utah State University known for his legacy of service, died Oct. 31, 2022.

Christensen, who worked in various capacities at USU between 1967 and 1996 before retiring as the vice president of Student Services, is perhaps best known by current students for his namesake, the Val R. Christensen Service Center, which celebrated 50 years on campus in 2020.

However, his influence extends to many facets of USU. In his 30-year career, Christensen served as director of recruitment, director of student activities, and director of the Taggart Student Center before taking the vice president for student services position for 15 years. He started the USU Ambassador Program and was the impetus behind USU being the first institution in the state to host recruitment open houses.

Additionally, Christensen was involved in the TSC expansion, the Bear Lake Training Center, and much of what’s now known as Connections. He was responsible for the development and continuation of the Robins Awards, a prestigious event that honors students and faculty for excellence in a variety of areas.

“Val was a well-respected and beloved leader at USU,” said USU President Noelle E. Cockett. “Tens of thousands of students and employees have benefited from his service at the university across decades of time. We recognize his legacy and are immensely grateful for his time as an Aggie.”

In his obituary, Christensen is said to have taken satisfaction “in the hundreds of hours he spent training students, community, and university leaders throughout the West. He was grateful for the recognition received by a number of organizations for his service, including the Distinguished Service Award presented by Utah State.”

The Service Center saw its beginnings in 1970, when much of the community was involved in the Vietnam War in some way and needed a unifying initiative. The result was the Volunteer Organization for Involvement in the Community and Environment (VOICE). Christensen was USU’s Director of Student Activities at the time and oversaw the founding of VOICE after observing a similar program while pursuing his doctorate at Michigan State.

The first VOICE project involved raking and gathering leaves all over town but quickly grew into other events and programs.

“They (students) were always so willing to volunteer and wanted to be involved,” Christensen said in an interview in 2020. “Many of our students already come with a commitment and culture of service. This is also consistent with the USU’s mission to be engaged in service.”

Christensen continued to be heavily involved with VOICE but made sure it was student-directed. He was known for giving his student leaders the reins, encouraging them to think big and not limit themselves or their ideas.

“Val R. Christensen believed in the power of community engagement and service and the changes this work can bring not only to the community, but to the lives of students engaged in this work,” said Kate Stephens, USU’s director of the Center for Community Engagement. “Val’s legacy continues through the USU Center for Community Engagement’s Christensen Community Scholars and the Christensen Office of Social Action and Sustainability.”

Stephens said that each month, students involved with these programs organize a “Legacy of Val” Service Project that is open to the entire USU community.

“Last month, students planted native plants for Stokes Nature Center. In honor of Val R. Christensen, we hope that students, faculty and staff will volunteer for Community Rakes and Shovels,” Stephens said.

Nelda Ault-Dyslin, USU’s assistant director of community-engagement learning and Val R. Christensen Service Center coordinator, said Christensen enjoyed hearing about student success in the community.

“He would often tell me, ‘To think that all of this came from raking leaves one day!’” Ault-Dyslin remembered.

As the adviser for the Val R. Christensen Service Center for eight years, Ault-Dyslin worked alongside many student leaders who dedicated time from their busy schedules to make a difference.

“Even though many of those student leaders never got a chance to meet Val in person, they regularly tapped into the community energy that Val championed,” Ault-Dyslin said. “The Service Center, now combined with the Student Sustainability Office to become the Christensen Office of Social Action and Sustainability, gives students the skills to listen to community needs and opportunities to practice doing something about those needs.”

Christensen’s son-in-law, Eric Olsen, is currently USU’s interim vice president for student affairs. The two first met when Olsen was a student leader at USU in the 1980s. He remembers Christensen’s genuine kindness.

“I remember the first time we met, he greeted me by saying, ‘Hello friend,’” Olsen said. “Even though he worked hard to earn his Ph.D. at Michigan State, he always asked students to call him by his first name, Val.”

Olsen has tried to lead in the same ways he saw worked so well for his father-in-law.

“He taught me the principle of ‘management by walking around,’” Olsen said. “There is so much to miss by just sending emails or now text messages. Taking the time to go to someone’s office and sitting down with them, for me, has made all the difference.”

Christensen was born in 1935 in Hooper, Utah, on a farm. He attended USU before and after serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to western Canada from 1955-57. At USU, he received a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in secondary education administration from USU. He subsequently earned a doctorate at Michigan State University. After marrying and spending four years in the U.S. Army, he began his career in education.

After retiring in 1996, Christensen served in several leadership roles for the LDS Church, including as a mission president, General Authority Seventy, temple president, and within the Sunday School General Presidency.