CU-Boulder Chancellor Philip DiStefano, third from right, meets with President Barak Obama during his Jan. 6 visit to the White House. Photo courtesy of the Associated Press.

Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano was front and center on Jan. 6 at the White House when leaders of four research universities representing 120 universities presented a letter to President Barack Obama pledging to address the national shortage of science and mathematics teachers.

The letter was signed by leaders of 79 public research universities or systems and pledged, among other things, to prepare an additional 7,500 teachers over the next five years. Thirty-nine institutions, including CU-Boulder, have pledged to at least double the number of science and mathematics teachers graduated by 2015.

“Working through [the Science and Mathematics Teacher Imperative], DiStefano says, “will enable our institutions to significantly impact science and mathematics education in our states and across the nation. It is a matter of security and global competitiveness.”

President Obama seconded the effort, saying he was pleased to expand the “Educate to Innovate” campaign and create new partnerships “that will help meet our goal of moving American students from the middle to the top of the pack . . . .”

CU-Boulder leaders say the university stands alone in the breadth of its integrated campuswide Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) initiatives that transform the way undergraduate courses are taught and favor the sciences and mathematics. The initiatives encourage professors to conduct leading research in STEM education and recruit the best math and science students into teaching.

Phil DiStefano, who has worn many hats at CU-Boulder during 35 years, has made it to the top: Boulder campus chancellor.

DiStefano, 62, former provost, stepped up as interim chancellor on April 1 when previous chancellor Bud Peterson left after less than three years to become president of the Georgia Institute of Technology. DiStefano became the sole finalist after a committee representing internal and external campus stakeholders conducted an internal search.

On April 20 President Bruce Benson (Geol’64, HonDocSci’04) announced DiStefano as sole candidate for the chancellor position. DiStefano spent two weeks meeting with key campus and alumni constituencies. On May 5 Benson appointed him permanent chancellor.

“Phil DiStefano has the integrity, experience and skills to lead our Boulder campus at this important time in its history,” Benson says. “He is a team player and a proven leader who is respected on campus and in the community, and I have a great deal of confidence in his abilities and trust in him personally.”

Benson says conducting an internal search allowed CU to tap into campus talent and provide continuity as CU-Boulder addresses key issues such as budget challenges, a national re-accreditation process and implementation of the campus Flagship 2030 strategic plan.

DiStefano has served CU-Boulder in several capacities during his many years on campus: professor of education, associate dean, dean, vice chancellor, provost and twice as interim chancellor.

A first-generation college graduate, DiStefano earned a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State and a master’s degree in English education from West Virginia University. He holds a doctorate in humanities education from Ohio State University, where he served as a teaching and research associate. Read about Phil’s history on campus and his thoughts on Page 50.

Not long after I started as an assistant professor of education at CU-Boulder in 1974, Dain Fritz (Comm’77) and Hillary Kramer Fritz (Engl’78) graduated. On May 8 their son Matt became a newly minted graduate.

Seeing the family at commencement reminded me of the late summer day four years ago when I bumped into the Fritz family as they helped Matt move into Farrand Hall — the same hall where his mother lived as a freshman in 1974. Perhaps with nostalgia sweeping over her, Hillary said, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

There is charm when the ivy-covered places on campus that nestle into our memories remain unchanged. But the fact is, things are changing more rapidly now than at any time during my 3½ decades at CU.
If you return to campus, you will see familiar sights you fondly remember. But like our classrooms, our residence halls are being reinvented for education in the 21st century.

We are moving forward with innovative residential colleges called for in our Flagship 2030 strategic plan. Freshmen through upperclassmen with common interests and ambitions will reside in combined living and learning environments alongside a resident professor who conducts lectures, seminars, recitations and tutoring in the residence hall.

This gives students the opportunity to pursue their academic passions together in both a structured and social environment, studying together and exchanging ideas. It also creates a small-college environment within a comprehensive research university.

The first residential college, the Kittredge Honors Program, opened this year at Arnett Hall. The Engineering Honors Program will open next fall in Andrews Hall with a faculty-in-residence. Soon, the Global Studies program will move into Smith Hall after it’s renovated.

Eventually students will be able to study with a resident professor, choosing from residence halls that focus on everything from natural sciences, fine arts and the American West to international interests, business, global leadership and liberal arts.

Some of the fondest memories for the next generation of students may come from experiences in their residential college or from other Flagship 2030 initiatives, such as experiential learning, civic engagement and studying abroad.

Watching two generations of the same family graduate from CU fills my heart. I have had the pleasure of watching all three become part of the Buff family. Now, Matt’s younger sister, Jacquelyn, has her eye on CU!

Phil DiStefano is the chancellor at the University of Colorado at Boulder. You may contact him at chanchat@spot.colorado.edu.