Jon Jensen receives UMACS Leader Award

The Upper Midwest Association for Campus Sustainability (UMACS) presented its UMACS Leader Award to Jon Jensen, professor of philosophy and environmental studies at Luther College, at the organization’s annual conference. Jensen was recognized for advancing the work of UMACS as an organization and supporting sustainability across the region.

Jon Jensen, professor of philosophy and environmental studies at Luther College, received the Upper Midwest Association for Campus Sustainability (UMACS) Leader Award on Sept. 26, 2026.

“Jon’s commitment to UMACS has been instrumental in ensuring that UMACS has existed for 20 years and is in good shape to continue for another 20 years,” said UMACS Executive Director Megan Voorhees. “Jon is a thoughtful and knowledgeable sustainability leader who has helped our organization provide meaningful programming for more than 140 campuses. I am always grateful for his mentorship and ideas for how we might better support all higher education campuses to advance a more sustainable and just region.”

UMACS is a network of staff, faculty and students from colleges and universities working together to promote sustainability throughout the Upper Midwest. UMACS is a membership organization of 51 campuses in nine states and engages people in professional development opportunities throughout the year. Nearly 300 people representing 42 college campuses attended the 20th annual conference on Sept. 24-26, 2026, hosted by the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University in Minnesota.

“I’m deeply honored to receive this award from UMACS, an organization that does so much good work in the Midwest,” Jensen said. “It’s really a recognition of Luther College, and the leadership role that Luther has played throughout the region over the last two decades.”

Jensen currently serves as treasurer on the UMACS Board of Directors. Jensen was instrumental in Luther College’s involvement in UMACS. Along with being a fiscal sponsor of the association, Luther has hosted the organization’s annual conference three times (2008, 2013 and 2025) during Jensen’s tenure.

“Jon exhibits a remarkably accessible style of leadership. Decades of hands-on work and academic pursuit have made him both a sustainability content expert and a savvy administrator,” said Alan Turnquist, president of the UMACS Board of Directors and director of sustainability and resilience at Michigan Technological University. “The humanity, humility and honesty he brings to his work make him a pleasure to collaborate with and an inspiration to others.”

Since 2021, Jensen has served as director of the Center for Sustainable Communities at Luther. In this position, he manages the center’s work in all areas of sustainability on campus and through outreach to the region. This is Jensen’s second time leading the center. When the Center for Sustainable Communities launched in 2013, Jensen was named founding director.

Jensen has helped lead Luther College to a position of regional and national prominence in campus sustainability. Currently, Luther is #5, with a gold rating, among baccalaureate institutions nationally on the Sustainable Campus Index Version 2.2 (AASHE 2025 Sustainable Campus Index). Rankings are measured by the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS). Additionally, Luther was ranked #24 in America in the Princeton Review’s Top 50 Green Colleges (2026 edition), scoring 95 out of 99 points.

Kara Holmstrom, Luther’s sustainability coordinator, works alongside Jensen at the Center for Sustainable Communities.

“Jon is a strategic and long-term thinker who has a gift for cutting to the chase on important issues in order to move them forward,” Holmstrom said. “He is thoughtful and kind, but suffers no fools, and has a wonderfully dry sense of humor. This, coupled with a philosopher’s approach, has enabled him to keep up the momentum in this vital work we call sustainability. He has worked for years to embed sustainability into the community and community into sustainability. He teaches his students how, not what, to think and has inspired many to create more sustainable communities.”

Jensen has taught at Luther since 2002. He teaches a wide range of courses with a common theme that applies ethics and philosophical perspectives to contemporary issues. Jensen has led study away programs in Honduras, Malta, Tanzania, Vietnam and Holden Village in Washington state.

“Part of the work of improving sustainability for the world around us is teaching the next generation to think deeply about our actions and how to create change in the larger system. Jon is a gifted teacher and has accomplished these goals, drawing out intentional thinking and discussion, and opening new ways to approach sustainability challenges,” said Luther College Associate Professor of Biology and Natural Areas Manager Molly McNicoll. “A continuous thread of comments from many students over the years has been that Jon’s classes were frame-shifting, thought-provoking, and for many, put them on a path to careers related to sustainability.”

Jensen holds master’s and doctoral degrees in philosophy from the University of Colorado Boulder. He received his bachelor’s degree from Luther College in 1989.

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