Since his arrival at the University of Colorado Denver, Dr. David Engelke has been laser-focused on training graduate students to become the next generation of researchers and professors within academe.
“For 20 years, I’ve become increasingly involved in creating and improving Ph.D., master’s and certificate graduate programs across campus,” says Engelke, who became Graduate School dean in 2015 after serving in a number of administrative roles at the University of Michigan. “The position offered a chance to work with faculty and students to find creative solutions for opportunities and challenges.”
Engelke’s role as dean has largely been influenced by his own graduate school experience.
“My graduate and postdoctoral training were terrific for teaching me how to plan and conduct research,” says Engelke. “However, at that time, programs were not aimed at imparting some of the teaching, financial and personnel management skills academics need to be successful faculty members from the start, let alone serve in administrative roles. We eventually learn this through mentorship by more senior faculty, but it limits a person’s effectiveness in their early career.”
On Engelke’s watch, the university has aggressively courted and retained students of color, preparing them for a variety of careers in industry as well as academe.
“The reasons for pursuing graduate training are incredibly diverse, ranging from personal enrichment to career advancement, either in the private sector or academe,” says Engelke. “Even in a single program, students frequently have quite different motivations and aspirations, and these can evolve over the course of study. The challenge for the graduate programs is to design their training to be highly effective for these diverse needs.”
Officials at CU Denver say that they have been intentional about boosting their underrepresented student populations. With Engelke’s support, they have focused their attention on creating new academic programs centered on access, equity and social justice.
