By Kim Bryant
Ask Assistant Professor Chris Allen what his favorite part of the job is and he will say his students.
“The students are the best part of the job without a doubt,” he says. Whether it is in class, in lecture or in his office, Allen thrives on daily interaction with his students.
This is Allen’s sixth year in the department of communication at UNO. Allen received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Iowa State University and his Ph.D from the University of Missouri.
Prior to coming to UNO, Allen taught at the University of Missouri while earning his Ph.D.
Currently, Allen is teaching two classes for the spring semester –History of Mass Communications and International Communications. When asked what the hardest part of his job was, Allen says it is writing exams and grading papers.
“Grading papers can be time-consuming, but writing the exams is the hardest,” Allen says. “You can challenge students, but you can’t trick them — at least, you shouldn’t.”
While teaching is a priority to Allen, he is also involved in department business.
“I think it is important to play a role on committees — to take a role in the way the department is run,” he says. “I try to think of ways to keep the department growing and going forward. I have to be more than just a teacher, I have to play a role in the department.”
The workday for Allen usually begins between 8:30 and 9 a.m. “There really isn’t a typical day,” Allen says. “Class days are spent getting ready for class and gathering last-minute materials.”
After class, Allen takes a break before resuming his teaching duties. The rest of his day is filled with meetings with students, administrative duties, phone calls and grading papers.
In his spare time, Allen likes to cook and play golf.
He is married and has two children, a son in seventh grade and a daughter who is a sophomore at UNL.
Allen views his job with a great amount of enthusiasm.
“This is the best job in the world,” he says. “I love the school, my colleagues are wonderful to work with and I like the town. This is such a rush to teach students and to meet them. It is a lot of fun and I’m having a great time.”
