The first thing DU students may notice about Chancellor Jeremy Haefner is that he’s a fan of wearing converse sneakers. He traces his love of converse shoes back to a photo of him when he was eleven years old, and continues to wear them so that everyone can feel comfortable coming up to him and starting a conversation.
“They reflect my personality, especially when I have enough pairs and colors and so forth,” he said. “I’m not a person to put on big airs, and so for me to wear converse is a way for me to tell people that you can come up to me and you can approach me.”
Chancellor Haefner continues to promote his advocacy for approachability through his future plans for DU. One way he’s going about this is by creating a blog page on his website that focuses on the DU community, and allows for people to give feedback directly.
“It’ll mostly be about moving this institution forward faster and accelerating,” he says. “That’ll be a great input.”
And with DU IMPACT 2025, Chancellor Haefner is looking forward to creating more changes at DU. Structures such as the Community Commons will be able to bring students and faculty together in one place in order to bring the DU community closer together, and more is being done than just the new buildings currently under construction. The launch of the Ethnic Studies program and Grand Challenges has also been part of the DU IMPACT 2025 plan.
“I’m thinking about how do we focus, and accelerate and amplify to really make sure that we fulfill our aspirations in the plan, but also really get ready for that change,” he says. “That’s part of the dialogue we’re having on campus.”
Chancellor Haefner’s background in mathematics has also contributed to his role at DU. He notes that everyone perceives mathematicians as problem solvers, but points out that mathematicians also look for patterns to try and explain why mathematics is structured the way it is. Building theoretical frameworks is also important to explain why mathematics is the way it is and understand how mathematics solve problems.
“Those three skills is what I’ve identified over my years of what I like to tell people this is the way I think,” he says. “So that when you’re scratching your head about why I’m doing what I’m doing, it’s because of that.”
Chancellor Haefner is putting his mathematics skills to use when looking at future improvements for DU. He says he’d love to see a more intentional approach around the total educational experience for students. Having students reflect on all academic experiences, from classes to studying abroad, would be able to show future employers and graduate schools a full picture of the student, not just past work experience or their GPA.
“I want you to be able to tell a really compelling story about what you took away,” he says. “In those chances outside the classroom, you’re learning competencies classes aren’t able to teach you. Chances are you’re learning about teamwork or you’re learning about project management of some kind during an internship. Those are the competencies that employers are going to be listening for. I want you to have a leg up ahead of all the other graduates out there.”
And stories are what Chancellor Haefner enjoys hearing. In fact, one famous person he’d love to hear stories from is Abraham Lincoln. He calls Lincoln a “voracious learner,” and someone who was able to pull people together overtime, which included making tough decisions.
“There’s a little bit of uncertainty as to why Lincoln created the Emancipation Proclamation,” he says. “I’d love to ask him about that.”
Those in the DU community wanting to ask Chancellor Haefner questions themselves can find him walking to work with his wife and his dog Gromit every day.
“It’s a wonderful time to connect with each other,” he says.
To hear more about the work Chancellor Haefner is doing at DU, visit his Remarks & Statements page on DU’s Chancellor website.
