The University of Colorado Boulder has named Justin Schwartz, the current provost at Pennsylvania State University, as the sole finalist in its search for its next chancellor.
The announcement marks the beginning of the final stages of CU Boulder’s chancellor search, which kicked off in September after Philip DiStefano, the university’s longest-serving chancellor, decided to retire after 15 years in the role.
In an email sent to CU faculty, staff and students, CU System President Todd Saliman said Schwartz stood out among a long list of qualified candidates.
“[Schwartz] is a leader who deeply understands the power and promise of the education, research and service that are at the heart of CU Boulder,” Saliman said. “He has a proven commitment to diversity and to supporting a community that embodies different cultures and perspectives.”
A search committee sent Saliman seven names to be considered for the role, but in the end, Saliman opted to name just one finalist.
“I had hoped to forward more than one finalist, depending on the willingness of candidates to be part of a multi-candidate finalist pool,” Saliman said in a release. “After discussions with candidates, it became clear a multi-candidate pool was not an option.”
Schwartz holds a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which he earned after obtaining his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Before taking on an executive position at Penn State, he was dean of the university’s engineering department. He has also held faculty positions at Florida State University and North Carolina State University.
If offered the position, Schwartz will inherit the leadership of a prosperous flagship university. The Boulder campus has seen enrollment and applications grow, as its sister campuses in Denver, Aurora and Colorado Springs struggle to return to pre-pandemic enrollment levels. DiStefano also oversaw several successful fundraising campaigns to support scholarships, infrastructure and new programs.
Still, DiStefano’s eventual successor will face their own challenges. Many workers at CU, from tenure-track professors to support staff, have been vocal about poor working conditions and low wages. And while CU’s student population has soared, university leadership has largely failed to grow its number of diverse students, as well as in-state students, with many opting to attend out-of-state universities in search of more lucrative scholarships.
The CU community is being invited to several open forums on Thursday to meet with Schwartz. A survey will be conducted after the meetings to gauge the campus’ opinion of him. Following that, Saliman is expected to present his final selection to the Board of Regents, as per CU policy.
