By KRISTEN KIRTLEY
Assistant Editor
Northwestern alumni, Shane Hansen, will officially be inducted into the Northwestern Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Hansen has served as the department chair for the health and sports science department since 2020. Hansen attended college at Northwestern from 2004-2008, and played basketball all four years. He also played baseball his junior year.
Hansen’s wife, Kaylyn Hansen, also attended Northwestern and serves as the director of assessment and institutional effectiveness/ academic support. Shane and Kaylyn met at Northwestern, and married before their senior year.
“We became best friends our freshmen year and then decided to start dating,” Shane Hansen said.
After graduating in 2008, Shane served as the head coach of both the men’s and women’s cross country teams and also served as an assistant coach of the men’s basketball team for five years. Hansen served as the director of the wellness center for a year and then served as the director of students and housing for three years.
He also taught as an adjunct in the health and sports began faculty in health and sports science and then became his chair role in 2020.
Hansen said Brad Franz, director of athletics, called Hansen to tell him he was had been accepted into the Hall of Fame.
“Initially, I was a little bit speechless,” Hansen said. “I was very honored to even be thought of in that way and surprised to be nominated and accepted.”
Hansen explained that both him and his wife realized pretty quickly that Alva is a really good community to raise a family in.
“Northwestern is a great place to work,” Hansen said. “Both my wife and I love the people and the campus, and the priorities of Northwestern and Alva really align with what we value for our family.”
Hansen mentioned that both him and his wife are grateful for the opportunities Northwestern has given them.
He also mentioned that he thinks both Northwestern and Alva are the perfect size, and that he still meets new people all the time.
“Northwestern is big enough for many experiences, yet small enough that one can build strong relationships with a wide variety of people,” Hansen said. “It’s a good place.”
The Sports Hall of Fame Luncheon will begin at 11:00 AM on Saturday, January 27.
New members will be inducted, give speeches and a lunch will be served to the attendees.
A Hall of Fame scholarship will also be presented to a current Northwestern student athlete.
The luncheon will end before the Northwestern women’s basketball game that begins at 1:00 PM.
During halftime at the game, current Hall of Fame members that are in attendance will be introduced.
During halftime of the men’s game, the official induction of the new Hall of Fame members will take place.
“This is a tremendous honor,” Hansen said. “It’s very humbling.”
