The University of Colorado hired Justin Schwartz, the executive vice president and provost at Pennsylvania State University, to be the new chancellor at the University of Colorado Boulder on Friday.
“I think he’s going to be an outstanding leader for the campus,” CU President Todd Saliman said, adding, “I’m really excited about him coming to join us in July.”
The University of Colorado Board of Regents, the elected board that oversees the CU System, unanimously approved a three-year employment agreement for Schwartz effective July 1.
“I’ve heard a lot of excitement in the community for Dr. Schwartz and him coming and building on the strong foundation at CU Boulder,” Regent Ilana Spiegel said. “He’s an extraordinary leader to lead us into the future.”
Schwartz will be paid a base salary of $829,800 beginning July 1, according to his employment memorandum. He will receive $50,000 for moving allowance and a $125,000 sign-on bonus. He will live on the Boulder campus in the chancellor’s residence provided by CU Boulder.
A search committee made up of 21 faculty, staff, students and community members evaluated nearly 90 applications for the position. The process was led by the AGB Search firm and the committee delivered seven candidates to the president. Saliman announced Schwartz as the sole finalist for the position on April 2.
“I am very excited after meeting Dr. Schwartz. I think he’ll do great things for CU Boulder,” Regent Wanda James said. “I would be amiss, though, if I did not bring up the fact that we now have no people of color at the head of any of our universities and this is an ongoing issue with the University of Colorado in general.
“So I am hoping that diversity becomes a cornerstone of what we are doing and that CU as a whole begins to figure out ways of putting more Black and Brown people, more Black and Latinos, and the very top of the food chain and I look forward to seeing that happen.”
The second chancellor of CU Boulder, appointed in 1976, was the first Black and first female chancellor of the university. Mary Frances Berry served for one year and remains the only woman and only person of color to ever hold the position.
“My vote will signify how excited I am about Justin Schwartz coming as the chancellor,” Regent Glen Gallegos said, adding, “I would echo on what Regent James said that we need to make sure that we’re fulfilling some of our other goals. I think the search went well, we cast a net long and wide, but I also think at that point that we also need to continue to fulfill that we look like the rest of Colorado in our leadership.”
CU Boulder Chancellor Phil DiStefano will continue in his position as chancellor until Schwartz takes over in July. DiStefano has held the position for 15 years, making him the longest-serving CU Boulder chancellor, and he’s been at CU Boulder for 50 years and counting. DiStefano plans to rejoin the School of Education as a faculty member.
“I, too, am thrilled with Dr. Schwartz, his impeccable research qualities, he seems like a very good human being and I look forward to seeing him build on the solid foundation Chancellor DiStefano has laid,” Regent Callie Rennison said.
Schwartz is the executive vice president and provost at Pennsylvania State University. Previously, he was the Harold and Inge Marcus Dean of Engineering at Penn State. Before Penn State, Schwartz was a faculty member at Florida State University and department head at North Carolina State University.
Schwartz earned a doctorate in nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor of science in nuclear engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He has more than 30 years of experience in higher education as a faculty member, dean and administrator.
“This is the end of the search process, but it’s just the beginning of Justin’s work,” Saliman said. “I can’t wait to roll up our sleeves together and move CU Boulder forward.”
