Chancellor Dan Ritchie (right), Joy Burns (center), and another individual pose at the groundbreaking of the Ritchie Center on the University of Denver campus in Denver, Colorado.
Introduction
Daniel L. Ritchie (1932- ) served as the sixteenth chancellor of the University of Denver from 1989 to 2005. As Chancellor he managed the transformation from an institution dealing with serious financial issues to one with an attractive campus, growing student population, and a multitude of benefactors. During his tenure as Chancellor Ritchie personally donated over $50 million of his own funds to the University. He strove to improve the academic standards and opportunities offered to DU students. Both test scores and GPA for incoming students increased during his tenure while class sizes at the University were reduced.
Background
Daniel L. Ritchie was born in 1932 in China Grove, North Carolina. His father sold farm and construction equipment and Ritchie grew up learning how to farm. He attended private schools in Virginia and later graduated from Harvard University in 1956 with both a bachelor’s degree and an MBA. He then served in the U.S. Army and afterward started his own organic-food corporation. He made his fortune as a stock-market securities analyst and a cable-industry chief executive. Ritchie also owned one of California’s largest avocado operations. He then served as CEO of Westinghouse Broadcasting for eight years before “retiring” to his Colorado ranch in 1987.
University of Denver Career
Chancellor Dan Ritchie (center), poses with Greg Dewey (Chair, Chemistry) and Bob Dores (Chair, Biological Sciences) during the Olin Hall groundbreaking ceremony on the University of Denver campus in Denver, Colorado.
Ritchie served as vice-chair of the Board of Trustees for the University of Denver and also chaired the Development Committee before he was approached by fellow Trustee Bill Coors in 1989 and offered the position of Chancellor, which he accepted. He became the only chief officer of a United States college or university who served without a salary. He was paid an honorary $1 per year. [1] Ritchie served as Chancellor for 16 years and guided the University out of debt. He led a $400 million fund raising campaign that resulted in the construction of the athletic and events center that bears his name. Ritchie also initiated the remodeling of the Business Administration Building and the General Classroom Building into Sturm Hall and the construction of the Newman Center for the Performing Arts.
In June 1994, Ritchie sold his ranch near Kremmling, Colorado, and donated the $15 million in profits he made from the sale to the University. With this donation he set a philanthropy record not only in Colorado but for the entire Rocky Mountain Region. He was of the opinion that “one shouldn’t wait till you die to do something. Everybody else then will have the enjoyment of it.”[2] In 1998, Ritchie was honored with a Citizen of the West award by the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo.
During his chancellorship Ritchie initiated the process of conducting personal interviews with all undergraduate applicants, making the University of Denver the first university in the country to do so. [3] He also helped develop a program allowing DU students to study abroad for one quarter at no additional cost. Ritchie was also responsible for inspiring the University’s move to Division I athletics, stating that “athletics is an important part of learning, discipline, teamwork, learning to be good. That’s part of what’s involved here and why it’s important.”[4]
In 2005, Ritchie resigned from the Chancellor position to become Chair of the Board of Trustees, a position he held for one term. In addition to leading DU as Chancellor, Ritchie also served as President of the Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation in Denver, Chairman of the Central City Opera, and President of the Independent Higher Education of Colorado.
[1] Olinger, David. “Still in the Saddle.” The Denver Post, January 11, 1998, Empire section.
[2] “DU’s Big-Hearted Ritchie.” The Denver Post, October 16, 2006.
[3] Curtin, Dave. “Career Detour DU’s Salvation.” The Denver Post, June 27, 2005, section A.
[4] “DU’s Big-Hearted Ritchie.” The Denver Post, October 16, 2006.
Sources
“Citizen of the West is University of Denver Chancellor,” Bozeman Daily Chronicle, 1998.
Dave Curtin, “Career Detour DU’s Salvation,” The Denver Post. June 27, 2005, Sec. A.
“Daniel L. Ritchie: Biography,” University of Denver Office of Communications, 1997.
“Daniel L. Ritchie: Chancellor University of Denver”, Denver Business Journal, August 11, 2000.
“DU’s Big-Hearted Ritchie,” The Denver Post, April 18, 1998.
John Ingold, “Ritchie Will Depart DU Board,” The Denver Post, October 16, 2006. Sec. B.
David Olinger, “Still in the Saddle,” The Denver Post, January 11, 1998. Empire section.
Tags: Athletics, Chancellors