New University of Colorado chancellor seeks to ‘amplify, ‘elevate’ CU’s greatness

BOULDER — The University of Colorado is a world-class educational and research institution, and the Boulder campus’ new chancellor wants the whole world to recognize that. 

One of the early goals for Justin Schwartz, who took over leadership of CU Boulder about a month ago after the retirement of long-time chancellor Philip DiStefano, is to foster “understanding of where we have greatness and finding ways to help amplify it and elevate it,” Schwartz told BizWest in a July interview. 

“We can have one of the strongest cohorts of Nobel Prize winners and one of the biggest cohorts of startup companies,” Schwartz, who was previously the executive vice president and provost at Pennsylvania State University, said, so CU is well-positioned to play a leadership role in commercializing cutting-edge science. 

In certain fields such as quantum computing, that’s already happening. 

“You don’t have outcomes like we recently saw in quantum overnight. Those are built on long trajectories of world-class science and engineering,” said Schwartz, an Illinois native who studied nuclear engineering and helped found several startup companies in that space. 

Last month, Elevate Quantum, a nonprofit consortium of about 70 stakeholders in the quantum space who represent industry, academia, capital and laboratories in Colorado and New Mexico, beat out a similar group from Illinois to win a phase two Tech Hub designation from the DOC’s Economic Development Agency, unlocking $127 million in state and federal funds, which are expected to generate several billion more dollars of private investment in the region’s quantum industry. CU is an important player within the Elevate Quantum initiative.

“Colorado is the center of the quantum technology ecosystem and we are thrilled that the Biden administration is supporting our work to develop the best minds, research, and innovation in the country,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a prepared statement last month.

Quantum theory attempts to explain the behavior of matter at atomic and subatomic levels. Because quantum computers take advantage of special properties of quantum systems such as superposition, their computing power and speed is exponentially greater than a traditional computer. 

Applications of quantum science could revolutionize the way humans discover new drug therapies, map the cosmos, protect sensitive data, combat climate change and maybe even discover new forms of life in deep space.

The Boulder Valley — with the world-class University of Colorado Boulder physics department, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and JILA (formerly known as the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics) — has become, over the past three decades or so, the epicenter of quantum research. 

“The ecosystem in Boulder with the national laboratories plus the entrepreneurial spirit of the Mountain West” bodes well CU to occupy a space in the center of academia’s technology-transfer and spinoff ecosystem in the quantum field and beyond, Schwartz said.

Academics and research, of course, play an important role in campus life at CU, but so do athletics. With Deion Sanders about to begin his second campaign at the helm of the Buffs football team and the men’s basketball team winning a thrilling first-round matchup in this spring’s NCAA Tournament, students and alumni have reason for optimism.

“People look at our football coach and go, ‘Well, that’s different than other football coaches.’ I think that we’re one of the innovative and entrepreneurial campuses in the country, so why shouldn’t we have the innovative and entrepreneurial football coach in the country?” Schwartz said. 

While it’s important to recognize and celebrate CU’s successes, Schwartz said university leadership doesn’t plan to simply rest on its laurels. 

“This is day three of week three, and week one was short with the (July 4) holiday. So I’m still figuring things out. …(I’m) learning the real strengths and culture of the campus, overlaid and integrated with what I think higher-ed at a large flagship university needs to go,” he said. “It’s not a question of me coming and saying, ‘Hey, this is what we need to do, stop doing everything you’ve been doing.’ It’s also not me coming in saying, ‘Ok, I see where we’re going, let’s just keep going in the same direction.’”

Higher-education leaders across the nation and world have to navigate “a rough patch,” Schwartz said, as the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered classrooms in 2020 and a protest movement that was at times met with aggressive resistance from administrators and law enforcement swept campuses last year. 

“The protest issue that emerged on a lot of campuses is a global issue, a manifestation of attitudes across the nation and across the globe,” he said. “It’s not new for higher ed to be in this position. The topics (of protest) change,” but college campuses are often flashpoints for broader societal debates. 

It’s important to think proactively about “how we build strong relationships across all of our communities so that we have an environment that strongly supports free speech, but understands the responsibility that comes with free expression,” Schwartz said. “…Building through relationships and through empathy is a key approach from my perspective. (CU leaders must make) it clear what is allowed and what is not allowed up front, and you have to be consistent.”

Schwartz said he expects to spend much of his first year at CU “getting to know lots of different people on campus. Learning the culture and expertise that’s here on campus is critical. …If you see me on campus, don’t hesitate to stop and say hello. Just don’t ask me for directions because I’m probably lost.”

DiStefano, who last September announced his plans to retire after nearly 15 years in the chancellor role and a half century on campus, returned to the faculty in the School of Education, where he began his CU Boulder career in 1974, and became senior executive director of CU Boulder’s Center for Leadership. DiStefano was named to the Boulder County Business Hall of Fame’s 2024 class and will be inducted in September. Last year, he received the Boulder Chamber’s Franny Reich Lifetime Achievement Award.

Before his latest roles at Penn State, Schwartz was dean of engineering there. He came to State College, Pennsylvania in 2017 from North Carolina State University, where he was a professor and department head for materials science and engineering for eight years. From 1993 to 2009, Schwartz held faculty positions at Florida State University, including serving as a professor of engineering and senior research adviser to the vice president for research. He began his academic career as an assistant professor at the University of Illinois in 1990 after earning a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering there and a doctorate in nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

So far, Boulder has been “extremely welcoming,” Schwartz said. “The community is excited about who Boulder is now and excited to see where we go next. There’s definitely enthusiasm … (that is) very genuine.”