10/9/96 UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA COMMUNICATIONS PROFESSOR RECEIVES AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICE CEDAR FALLS-- Marvin Jensen, assistant professor of communication studies at the University of Northern Iowa, was awarded the Iowa Communication Association Citation Award (ICA) for Outstanding Service at its annual conference September 14 in Newton. The ICA Citation Award is given each year to a recipient that has consistently demonstrated exceptional service to the communications and/or performing arts in Iowa over an extended period of time. It is the highest award bestowed by the ICA. Jensen has been a member of the ICA since its inception in the mid-sixties, then known as the Iowa Council of Teachers of Speech. Jensen received his B.A., magna cum laude, from Midland Lutheran College in 1965, majoring in speech and minoring in philosophy and English. He was named "The Most Successful Forensics Competitor in the History of Midland College."
Jensen received his M.A. from the University of Kansas in 1967, majoring in speech communication. He conducted post graduate work at UCLA, the University of Nebraska, and the University of Minnesota. He has been an assistant professor of communication studies at UNI since 1969. At UNI, Jensen has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in many areas of communications, including rhetoric and public address, interpersonal communication, speech composition, and communication education. He has been active in curriculum development and academic advising, having constructed the original UNI academic emphasis in radio and television. He developed an academic emphasis in interpersonal communication and created courses in nonverbal and intercultural communication, and served as the Department Coordinator of Undergraduate Advising from 1988 through 1995.
During his tenure, Jensen has authored some 50 pieces for publication and 35 conference papers and presentations. His work with the ICA includes serving on the Iowa Journal of Communication editorial board from 1980 through 1985, as editor from 1985 through 1988, and as business manager from 1989 through 1996. He also has served three years on the Association's executive board. Jensen also has been active in volunteer efforts, including serving as co-founder, newsletter editor, and treasurer of the Cedar Valley NAMES project and has presented the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt in such places as Iowa, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. He also worked with organizations such as Cedar Valley Hospice, Iowa Civil Liberties Union, Conestoga Council of Girl Scouts, Cedar Valley United Way, and the Cedar Falls Historical Society. Jensen is the 22nd recipient of the Citation Award and the seventh UNI faculty member to be recognized. Dr. Jon Hall, associate professor of communication studies at UNI, presented the award to Jensen at the Association's meeting.