A message from Interim Dean Elizabeth Dutro

Dear colleagues,

A month ago, I couldn’t have imagined that I would be sending you a message in the role of Interim Dean of our School of Education. No one predicted or expected this short-term shift. When Provost Moore called to ask me if I would fill this role for the next three months, I told him I care deeply about this school and that meant the answer was ‘yes.’

This summer marks 20 years since I arrived at CU Boulder as an assistant professor. This is where I celebrated career milestones, shifted from mentee to mentor, and continue to build relationships with faculty, student, and staff colleagues who profoundly shape who I get to be and want to be in this profession and in my life outside of this school. Some reading this know me and the critical commitments that animate my work and community partnerships, whether you have witnessed my life over years, or we have more recently shared space in classrooms, joint work, and the day-to-day of life in the School of Education. But I know that is not true of everyone in our school. Please know I mean it when I say that my door is open. I welcome you to schedule a time for conversation (please reach out to Grace Maniscalco to support scheduling), and I value your perspective. That was true when my office was in the Literacy Studies suite down the hall, and it is true for these months as Interim Dean. Can I promise responses that will feel satisfying to all? Of course not. But I vow to listen with openness and compassion. I promise to ground any decisions in careful deliberation centered on individual well-being and the health and sustainability of the collective SOE, as well as in consultation with school leaders and members of our community, including incoming Dean Thein.

I am also keenly aware that I am stepping into this role at a very challenging and unsettled time for our school, our campus, and higher education. Over the last 15 months, we have made significant progress in addressing our SOE’s fiscal crisis under Interim Dean Fernando Rosario-Ortiz’s leadership. I am very grateful for Fernando’s leadership, the vision from the staff, students, and faculty members of the budget committee, and the hard work across many quarters of our school toward building clearer structures and processes that will help us sustain as a school. However, we could not have conjured the extreme and accelerating threat to the existence of higher education and public education that is driven by hate, retaliation, and cruelty for cruelty’s sake. The brutality is aimed squarely at members of our SOE community, our loved ones, the communities with whom we work, and the very heart of what drives our research and teaching mission. I want you to know that I recognize the terrible dovetailing of the federal assault and the increasing budget realities that also pose an existential threat to our school. The closing of CU Engage is deeply destabilizing to members of our community, and colleagues losing their jobs is the hardest and most painful impact we can experience as a campus and school. That pain is only compounded as we watch the growing wave of similar impacts across universities and K-12 districts.

Given all the impacts of this moment, I’m not going to pivot to a positive note on which to end this message. I will simply close with what is true for me, as a longtime member of our School of Education. I am hopeful. My hope is fueled by the unwavering committed work and fierce humanity that unfolds every day in every corner of this school. As we look to our future, we are very fortunate to welcome Dean Thein who brings a career of work aligned with our mission and a wealth of committed experience to light our hopeful path.

Warmly,

Elizabeth Dutro, School of Education Interim Dean