Dr. Carl and Debbie Christensen Endowed Scholarship

Dr. Carl Christensen, founding dean of the Buntain College of Nursing, went home to be with Jesus on Saturday, January 27, 2024. He was a humble and dedicated servant of Christ, and he used his unwavering passion for the field of nursing and Christian education to teach, mentor, and inspire hundreds of nursing students at NU.

Dr. Christensen was born on October 8, 1952, in Seattle, Washington. His interest in health care led him to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Anderson University in 1973, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the Oregon Health Sciences University in 1978, and a Master of Nursing from the University of Oregon Health Sciences in 1980.

His nursing career began in the 1970s, and he married his wife, Debbie, in 1980. Shortly after they were married, they moved to Washington D.C. so he could begin work on his PhD in Public Administration at George Washington University. As part of his PhD experience, he received a Fulbright Scholarship to study for a year in Norway to work on his thesis. Their two sons, Peter Kenneth Christensen and John Todd Christensen, were born in the Washington D.C. area. Carl completed his PhD in 1990.

Over the course of his professional life, he held many vocational positions: nursing assistant, registered nurse, nursing administrator, nursing home administrator, and academic dean.

His deanship at Northwest University began in 1999. As the founding dean of the Mark and Huldah Buntain School of Nursing, Dr. Christensen’s work was critical in establishing one of NU’s most well-recognized and sought-after academic programs. He was instrumental in guiding the Christ-centered culture of the department, the academic prestige of the degrees that are offered, and the cross-cultural medical missions component that makes NU’s nursing program unlike any other. Because of his missional heart and academic leadership, our nursing students have traveled all over the world to destinations such as India, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Mexico, the Philippines, the Republic of Georgia, Taiwan, and the Yup’ik region of Alaska on various medical mission trips. Dr. Christensen’s career vividly demonstrated NU’s value of empowered engagement with human need, and he inspired his students, staff, and faculty to embody this important value as well.

Dr. Christensen retired from his role as dean in 2018, paving the way for Dr. Erin-Joy Bjorge, the current dean, who shared these words about him: “Carl was the epitome of servant leadership: selfless, humble, and faithful. He was faithful to his calling as a nurse, educator, and leader, but most importantly to his calling as a child of God to bring glory to Him in all that he did. He genuinely reflected Philippians 1:6: ‘And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus’” (NIV).

Dr. Christensen was a lifelong learner, an avid reader, and a loving husband, father, and grandfather. After retiring, he earned a Master of Ministry degree from NU in 2020. He also remained an active part of the Buntain College of Nursing as a professor emeritus, research fellow, and adjunct faculty member. He volunteered at Fairview Ministries in Seattle, and served on many state boards in Olympia. He is survived by his wife, Debbie, two sons, two daughters-in-law, and two grandsons.