Phil DiStefano
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Activities and Accomplishments, 1998-2000
Examples of accomplishments listed below are the result of collaborative efforts with the chancellor, associate vice chancellors, deans, and faculty during the past three years (one year of being the interim vice chancellor; two years of being the permanent vice chancellor).
Faculty Recruitment & Retention
- In the past three years, my office received funding for approximately 40 new tenured-track faculty, including Special Opportunity Positions (SOP), reversing the trend of hiring non-tenure track faculty to fill vacant positions.
- At the same time new tenure-track faculty lines were being allocated to schools and colleges, my office worked with the Boulder Faculty Assembly to develop and implement "The Instructors' Bill of Rights," which guarantees a minimum starting salary for instructors and senior instructors and a contract for lecturers who teach a fifty-percent load.
- To enhance diversity, my office established a fund in Faculty Affairs for Deans and Department Chairs to use to offer outstanding minority candidates incentives to accept our offers. These incentives include summer stipends, graduate student funding, and funding for travel to professional conferences.
- Although faculty salaries still lag behind our peers, the salary and compensation pool has been between 1 to 1 ½ percent above inflation in comparison to previous years when increases were 1 to 1 ½ percent below inflation.
- This year, I requested and received $2 million in funding for faculty start-up packages over the next three years.
Undergraduate Education
- In an effort to increase the number of talented students enrolling at CU-Boulder, my office developed the Norlin Scholars Program to recruit the top 5 percent of high school graduates nationally to the campus, doubled the number of honors courses for our students, increased merit funding for talented students, and implemented a summer research program for new students.
- Reallocated approximately $500,000 from a reorganization of the Undergraduate Academic Affairs office to the new Advising Center in the College of Arts & Sciences.
Graduate Education
- Allocated $450,000 to colleges and schools for additional GPTI's and teaching assistants.
- Developed a plan to offer international graduate students on appointment a lower tuition rate. The plan will be implemented in the next academic year.
- Worked with faculty on a number of interdisciplinary graduate and research programs between units on the campus and between units on the campus and others campuses.
Faculty Governance
- Expanded the Academic Affairs Budget Advisory Committee, which hears all of the Deans' budget proposals and advises me on all budget-related issues, to include 12 distinguished faculty representing the schools and colleges.
- Restored shared governance between the campus administration and the Boulder Faculty Assembly. BFA membership is involved in all campus committees including the Academic Affairs Budget Advisory Committee, PRP, and VCAC.
Other Accomplishments
- Received approval from the CCHE on the following degrees: BA in Women's Studies, BS in Environmental Engineering, BA in Astronomy, Ph.D. in Cognitive Studies. A new MA and Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences should be approved in the next month.
- Formed three task forces to study faculty recruitment/retention, research, and graduate education. Recommendations from two of the task forces are now on the Web and my office is awaiting recommendations from the third task force.
- Completed a ten-year NCA reaccreditation for the campus with a superior ranking.
Questions?
E-mail Uriel Nauenberg,
Chair, AAP Committee, or
PBA staff for Administrator Appraisal Program