Phil Distefano reflects on returning to the School of Education after 15 years as Chancellor
In 1974, a young man from Ohio joined the CU Boulder School of Education as assistant professor. This July, Phil DiStefano returned to the faculty of the School of Education after 50 years at the university and a storied journey through leadership across campus.
DiStefano stepped down after a remarkable 15 years as chancellor for CU Boulder. Before that, he was the campus’s first provost and executive vice chancellor following—dare we say it aloud—his “favorite” position as dean of the School of Education from 1986-96.
For the former high school teacher and first-generation college graduate, DiStefano rejoining the education faculty is like a special homecoming — this one doesn’t involve marching bands or Ralphie or alumni reunions, but it is exciting moment in his next chapter at CU Boulder.
We asked five questions for the newly minted Chancellor Emeritus to see what he is most excited about in “coming home.”
You have mentioned that your time in the School of Education includes some of your fondest memories at CU Boulder. What are you most excited about upon returning to the faculty?
When I became Interim Dean in 1986, the school was at a crossroad. At the time, the Colorado Commission on Higher Education was looking at consolidating programs at different universities and colleges and one proposal was to move the School of Education at CU Boulder to the University of Northern Colorado or the University of Colorado Denver. Along with faculty led by Professors Lorrie Shepard and Ernie House, we hired a consultant, David Berliner, from the University of Arizona and later Arizona State University to assist us. We had to make difficult decisions, such as supporting teacher education while requiring undergraduates to pair teacher certification with Arts and Sciences majors and focusing on four graduate programs of excellence—Instruction & Curriculum; Research, Evaluation and Methodology; Bilingual/Special Education; and Policy Studies—and eliminating or moving other programs.
The commission accepted our recommendations, and the chancellor allowed us to recruit on all vacant positions. When I left the deanship in 1996, the School of Education was in the top 25 nationally.
I am eager to see the various programs that now exist in the School of Education and how programs have evolved over the years. Of all the positions I have had at CU Boulder, being dean of the School of Education was the best, because I had the opportunity to build the school with the faculty to one of the top schools in the country.
Is there anything new about the School of Education since the time of your appointment as Chancellor that you are particularly interested in learning about?
The quality of any university, school or college is measured by the quality of the faculty. I don’t know many of the faculty who have been hired in the last ten to fifteen years but am eager to meet them to get to know their research and teaching agendas and how their agendas fit the vision and goals of the School of Education.
We understand you are continuing to focus on leadership studies. What have you learned from after your chancellorship that you hope to share with School of Education faculty and students and CU Boulder at large?
This past spring, I spent a week in Dharmshala, India with the Dalai Lama and the Dalai Lama fellows on a conference focusing on leadership. The theme of the conference was “Leadership through Compassion and Courage.” While there, I added two other values—integrity and humility in my presentation on leadership. Although values of compassion, courage and humility might seem to be at odds with each other, they are needed with integrity to be the leaders that we need for our democracy to survive.
In addition to your many roles on campus past and present, you and your wife Yvonne are cherished donors for the school from student scholarship support to participation on donor committees and more. Why do you and your family choose to give to the School of Education?
Yvonne and I are both first-generation college students in our families. We understand firsthand the value of education in today’s world. We meet with first-generation students throughout the year to share our experiences on the value of higher education and what can be accomplished with an undergraduate and a graduate education.
Now that you have passed the torch as chancellor and will hopefully have more free time, what are you looking forward to most?
For me, I am interested in taking some classes as a senior auditor. There are amazing faculty on our campus, and I would like to spend some time in their classes and continue the learning process. Together, Yvonne and I want to spend more time with our grandchildren in Arizona. One is in high school, and the other is in middle school. We would love to be part of their middle school and high school experience.
