Chancellor Phil DiStefano (Photo/Larry Harwood)

The beginning of the academic year brings a sense of excitement as we usher in a new freshman class and welcome returning students. This year in particular holds much promise for new beginnings for faculty and staff as well.

In my first six months as chancellor, I've experienced several challenges. There also have been many accomplishments to celebrate. I'd like to share with you a few noteworthy items that occurred during the past three months.

• A team from the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics received $12.2 million to participate in NASA's upcoming Magnetospheric MultiScale mission


• In addition, NASA awarded graduate fellowships to five CU-Boulder students for earth system science studies in 2005, the most awarded to any university in the nation


• Dennis A. Ahlburg, senior associate dean of the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, was named dean of the Leeds School of Business


• Several faculty members were recognized nationally and internationally for their achievements, including Mark Ablowitz, applied mathematics department; Bernard Amadei, civil engineering department and Engineers Without Borders-USA; Mark Bekoff, ecology and evolutionary biology department; Linda Cordell, University of Colorado Museum director and anthropology professor; Eric Cornell of JILA and physics; Kenneth Foote, geography department; Deborah Jin of NIST and physics; and Linda Watkins, psychology department and Center for Neuroscience.


• The School of Journalism and Mass Communication received unanimous approval for re-accreditation from the Accrediting Council on Education for Journalism and Mass Communications, the athletics program attained NCAA certification without conditions and Wardenburg Health Center received accreditation from the College of American Pathologists


• CU-Boulder is once again the top choice for Colorado high school seniors receiving prestigious all-expense-paid Boettcher Scholarships, with 12 new Boettcher Scholars attending the University this fall. In addition, 20 Daniels Scholars have confirmed their intention to enroll at CU-Boulder.


• Confirmations are on the rise for incoming students and the size of the freshman class may be larger than previously anticipated


• A reward program was established and a suspect arrested in a racially motivated assault on one of our students


• Boulder City Council passed a resolution in recognition of the importance of the University to the city

Keys for Success
This is a great university and has been for nearly 130 years. The core is made up of outstanding faculty, staff and students, the strong foundation needed to set the course for a successful future.

In addition to recruiting and retaining exceptional employees and students, it's important that we enhance our connections with Colorado communities. Athletic Director Mike Bohn and I have held four local town meetings to talk with community members about athletics and other university issues. In addition, I visited in June with school officials, legislators, alumni, parents, students and the media in four towns on the Western Slope – Durango, Montrose, Grand Junction and Steamboat Springs. I plan to visit several Front Range cities in September and October as well.

Our top priorities for the coming year include continuing to provide a high-quality educational experience for students across all areas of the University, implementing strategies to make the campus environment more welcoming, and continuing to recruit and retain top faculty, staff and students, among others.

I know that the publicity the University has experienced over the past year and a half has affected many in our campus community. I want to thank you all for maintaining high standards in your classrooms and departments during these stressful times. I want to assure you that should additional issues arise, we will address them immediately and with integrity and honesty.

There are many reasons to be optimistic about CU-Boulder‘s future – our stellar faculty are on the cutting-edge of discovery and teaching, the University is a vital economic engine producing remarkable returns to the state, our outstanding staff provide great support and leadership, and the quality of our students is impressive. Certainly, some organizational changes are in store for us this year and I believe that they will provide new direction and opportunities that will help to make CU-Boulder an even better place to live, learn and work.

Chancellor's Open Forum
I am committed to maintaining open and frequent communication with faculty, staff and students. To that end, I will hold a Chancellor's Open Forum on Tuesday, Sept. 27, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Old Main Chapel, followed by a reception in the Heritage Center. This event will take the place of the former State of the Campus address and I will continue the tradition of recognizing faculty who were promoted and/or tenured in the past year. I am looking forward to this opportunity to meet with the campus community and I hope to see many of you there.

In the meantime, best wishes for a great start to a new and exciting academic year. Thank you for all you do on behalf of the University of Colorado at Boulder.