A Quigg and Virginia S. Newton Endowed Chair in Leadership has been established at the University of Colorado at Boulder to honor the former CU president and mayor of Denver.
The chair will guide a diverse array of existing campus leadership programs, Interim Chancellor Phil DiStefano and Provost Susan Avery announced today. A search committee is being formed and the chair could be filled as early as September.
"The chair was established to create an enduring testament to the leadership of former Denver mayor and CU President Quigg Newton, guaranteeing that his legacy will continue by aiding the enrichment and development of ethical leadership traits in future University of Colorado at Boulder students and faculty," said Michael Grant, associate vice chancellor for undergraduate education.
The Newton chair will provide intellectual and scholarly leadership for the Chancellor's Leadership Residential Academic Program, the President's Leadership Class, the Institute of Ethical and Civic Engagement, campuswide programs leading to the Certificate in the Study and Practice of Leadership and any additional programs or initiatives designated by the CU-Boulder provost or created by the chair.
Newton was the eighth president of CU, serving from Dec. 15, 1956 through June 30, 1963. His presidency marked a period of great growth in the university's physical facilities and academic quality. Institutes that were established at CU-Boulder during Newton's presidency included the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics in 1962, now known as JILA, the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, the Institute of Behavioral Science and the Institute for Computing Science.
Newton also launched the Office of International Education, the cyclotron and an expansion of programs at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research. During Newton's tenure, the university was instrumental in attracting the National Center for Atmospheric Research to Boulder.
Newton died in 2003 at the age of 91.