Rebecca Chopp, 2014 September - 2019 July

Series

Identifier: U136.21

Staff Only

Abstract

This series contains the Chancellor's records of Rebecca Chopp (born in 1952). Chopp was the 18th Chancellor of the University of Denver, from September 2014 to July 2019.

Dates

2014 September - 2019 July

Conditions Governing Use

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Biographical / Historical

Rebecca Chopp was born in Kansas in 1952. Chopp received her B.A. from Kansas Wesleyan University, a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from Saint Paul School of Theology and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

Chopp was the president of Colgate University from 2002-2009. Before arriving at Colgate in 2002, Chopp was Dean and Titus Street Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School. She spent fifteen years at Emory University before her tenure at Yale. Chopp served as the President of Swarthmore College from 2009-2014.

In 2014, the University of Denver inaugurated Rebecca Chopp as its 18th chancellor. Rebecca served DU for five years, retiring in 2019.

With a focus on building community, helping students prepare for the changing demands of the 21st century, and ensuring the university affirms its vision to serve the public good, Chopp led the creation of DU IMPACT 2025, the university’s landmark and innovative strategic plan. By enlisting the voices, opinions, and vision of everyone at DU, DU IMPACT 2025 is a strategic plan built by the entire community.

Beyond DU IMPACT 2025, Chopp defined the next phase of building projects at DU through the Denver Advantage Campus Framework Plan. This plan for the future of the DU campus uses cutting-edge research on what helps students thrive and build belonging. It also breaks the barriers between campus and the surrounding communities, opening the doors of DU to Denver and beyond.

Chopp also worked to expand opportunities for student support in the classroom and beyond, creating holistic student services, as well as advancing the institution’s work related to diversity, inclusion, and equity on-campus. During her tenure, faculty research expenditures increased by nearly 80 percent, continuing DU’s long history of academic excellence. Under her stewardship, the university thoughtfully considered what it means to be a community today and what it means to be a private institution dedicated to the public good.