Dr. Richard Jensen, an Arizona alumnus (B.A. English) who earned his Ph.D. in Latin and Greek at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, joined the Department as an Assistant Professor in 1961.
He served as Head of the Department of Classics in the 1970s, and was the editor and author of The Latin Poetry of Domenico Silvestri (Munich 1973). For most of his career, Dr. Jensen concentrated on instruction in Latin at all levels (Latin 101, 202, and Latin Paleography were among his favorite courses), and he also taught sections in the Humanities Program. Dr. Jensen made many enduring contributions to the curriculum in ancient and Medieval Latin, and he was instrumental in the development of the Arizona Junior Classical League, which he sponsored from 1961 to 1991. Dr. Jensen was extraordinarily generous with his time, with both students and colleagues. He retired and was awarded emeritus status in 1994, and immediately thereafter generous donations from former students, colleagues, and friends led to the establishment of the Richard C. Jensen Latin Prize, which is awarded annually to a Classics major for excellence in Latin. Dr. Jensen died on August 15, 2010 in Tucson
Dr. Richard C. Jensen Prize Winners
- 2024: Anders Niemi
- 2023: Seneca Stine
- 2022: Shane Gardiner
- 2021: Ailene Yee
- 2020: Felicia Gass
- 2019: Felicia Gass
- 2018: Joshua Ambre
- 2017: Milan Canak
- 2016: Duncan Yeatts
- 2015: Annie Huang
- 2014: Allison Benz
- 2013: Erica Holbrook
- 2012: Ian Merrill
- 2011: Scott Kennedy
- 2010: Stephanie Hanson
- 2009: Vishal Ganeson
- 2008: Dwanna Crain
- 2007: Jeremy Miranda
- 2006: Lee Maynard
- 2005: Maggie Cohn
- 2004: Jason Bowler
- 2003: Sherrylyn Branchaw
- 2002: Alex Bunz
- 2001: Damon Smith
- 2000: Jesse Showalter
- 1999: Cameron Paterson
- 1998: David Fiore & Sarah Meadows
- 1997: Erin Corbett
- 1996: Mark Moseley
- 1995: Valerie Jones