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from the issue of December 16, 2004
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After 25 years of classes, Dentistry employee to earn bachelor's degree
If a journey of thousand miles begins with a single step, a journey to a bachelor's degree could be said to begin with a single class.
Kim Theesen took that step-by-step approach, fitting in classes here and there, from the time he came to the University of Nebraska in 1980 to his graduation coming up Dec. 18.
Counting time spent taking classes taken at Central Community College in the late 1970s, Theesen took 26 years as a part-time student to get his English degree, averaging about one class per semester.
Theesen is a graduate of Hastings High School. He has worked at the College of Dentistry, on the UNL campus, as a graphic artist and illustrator since he came to the University of Nebraska.
Theesen said he didn't initially intend to get a bachelor's degree. Rather, he saw the tuition remission program at UNL as an opportunity to further his education.
The idea of getting a degree emerged along the way, he said. He took his first class, introduction to broadcasting, in 1981. He took art and art history classes, English classes and anything else that piqued his interest. Five years ago, he found himself close to having enough classes to get a degree and formally set out on a path to graduation.
Theesen said the biggest challenge, in terms of time required, was meeting the foreign language requirement because he hadn't taken any languages in high school. He took five semesters of Spanish at UNL. Far from seeing the language requirement as a burden, Theesen said he found the classes to be some of the more enjoyable he took. And they had the added benefit of contributing to his understanding of English, he said.
Taking a broad approach, Theesen's studies included Romantic, Renaissance, Italian, women's and lesbian literature, and a wide-ranging exposure to 19th and 20th century novels.
Theesen said his experience proves it's important for the university to provide night classes. He was able to take most of the classes at night and worked with his supervisor to accommodate the few classes he had to take during the day.
"The Dental College has been very supportive in letting employees take time to take classes," he said.
Despite taking classes over such a long time, Theesen said he never considered stopping.
"The more time you take, the more you realize there are things out there you don't know," Theesen said.
One of the classes that continues to impact on Theesen's life was the history of rock and roll course taught by Randall Snyder, a professor in the School of Music. Theesen is working on a personal "sonic history," a combination of autobiography and music history. For this project, he is cataloguing his music library and compiling a written record of what he was doing when he listened to particular music.
Theesen's wife, Anita Jackson, also earned a degree while working at UNL. She was granted a master's degree in soil science in 1993 and now works as a lab supervisor in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture.
Theesen said he would take time off before considering a master's degree.
"According to Anita, I am forbidden to take classes for at least a year," Theesen said.
GO TO: ISSUE OF DECEMBER 16
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