Add another accolade to University of Nebraska President Ted Carter’s distinguished U.S. Navy career.
The retired vice admiral and 1981 alumnus of the United States Naval Academy was one of five people who received the academy’s Distinguished Graduate Award last weekend.
Carter, a former superintendent of the academy, joins the likes of the late U.S. Sen. John McCain; former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen; former Commander of the U.S. Strategic Command James Ellis; and Apollo 13 mission commander Capt. Jim Lovell as a distinguished Naval Academy graduate.
To receive the Naval Academy’s Distinguished Graduate Award, recipients first must be nominated by a member of the academy’s alumni association and foundation and then be selected by a distinguished panel of alumni.
In a news release from the University of Nebraska, Carter said that “humbled†doesn’t begin to describe the emotions he and his wife, Lynda, are feeling.
“Public service has been our life’s calling. In anything that we’ve done, we have tried our best to give back some small measure of the opportunities that have been given to us,†Carter said. “We are grateful to the Naval Academy family, and to Nebraskans, whose support for members of the military is second-to-none and who have welcomed us so warmly over the past several years.â€
NU Regents Chair Bob Phares said Carter’s latest honor is an affirmation of Carter’s character.
“This honor confirms that Ted Carter is a leader of the very highest caliber,†Phares said. “I am reminded yet again of how fortunate we are to have attracted President Carter to Nebraska to lead our university.â€
Between graduating from the Naval Academy and becoming NU president, Carter served 38 years as a naval flight officer. He also served as president of the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, and went on to become the Naval Academy’s 62nd superintendent from 2014 to 2019. Carter also is a graduate of the Navy Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun) in Miramar, California.
Matt Tracy, director of general education and dual enrollment, left, chats with Walter "Ted" Carter and his wife, Lynda, in the Thompson Alumni Center at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Carter and his wife visited UNO in November.
Walter “Ted†Carter, priority candidate for the NU system’s presidency, with his wife, Lynda, during a forum at the Thompson Alumni Center at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. A statewide tour will take the Carters to Columbus, Norfolk and Fremont on Monday and Scottsbluff on Tuesday.
Walter "Ted" Carter speaks during a forum at UNO's Thompson Alumni Center on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019. The photo is provided by the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Walter "Ted" Carter, then the priority candidate for the NU presidency, speaks during a November forum at the Thompson Alumni Center at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Walter “Ted†Carter, second from left, and his wife, Lynda, visit with NU Regent Tim Clare, UNO and UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey Gold, and UNO Athletic Director Trev Alberts in the Thompson Alumni Center at the University of Nebraska at Omaha during a November visit.
Walter E. 'Ted' Carter, priority candidate for the NU presidency, is introduced by a few members of the selection committee during a press conference on Friday, Oct. 25, 2019, at Varner Hall in Lincoln.
Ted Carter was the sole finalist for the NU system's presidency. Here's a look back at his 30-day public review period speaking to Nebraskans in communities across the state.
Walter “Ted†Carter, the former superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy, won confirmation Thursday as the University of Nebraska's next president.
KAYLA WOLF/THE WORLD-HERALD
Walter “Ted†Carter will receive base pay of $934,600 as NU president.
KAYLA WOLF/THE WORLD-HERALD
Walter "Ted" Carter speaks at UNO in November.Â
REBECCA GRATZ/UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Matt Tracy, director of general education and dual enrollment, left, chats with Walter "Ted" Carter and his wife, Lynda, in the Thompson Alumni Center at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Carter and his wife visited UNO in November.
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT OMAHA
Walter “Ted†Carter, priority candidate for the NU system’s presidency, with his wife, Lynda, during a forum at the Thompson Alumni Center at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. A statewide tour will take the Carters to Columbus, Norfolk and Fremont on Monday and Scottsbluff on Tuesday.
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT OMAHA
UNO grad student Hameidah Alsafwani asks Ted Carter a question at UNO’s Thompson Alumni Center.Â
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT OMAHA
Walter "Ted" Carter speaks during a forum at UNO's Thompson Alumni Center on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019. The photo is provided by the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
REBECCA GRATZ/UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Walter "Ted" Carter, then the priority candidate for the NU presidency, speaks during a November forum at the Thompson Alumni Center at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT OMAHA
Walter “Ted†Carter, second from left, and his wife, Lynda, visit with NU Regent Tim Clare, UNO and UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey Gold, and UNO Athletic Director Trev Alberts in the Thompson Alumni Center at the University of Nebraska at Omaha during a November visit.
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT OMAHA
Walter E. 'Ted' Carter, priority candidate for the NU presidency, is introduced by a few members of the selection committee during a press conference on Friday, Oct. 25, 2019, at Varner Hall in Lincoln.