Dear colleagues,

I am writing to share with you that School of Public Affairs (SPA) Dean Paul Teske recently notified Chancellor Kenneth T. Christensen and myself of his intent to step down from the deanship to rejoin SPA’s faculty, effective July 1, 2025. Before sharing the news broadly, we met with the faculty and staff of SPA to discuss Paul’s announcement and a transition of leadership in the short term. We will soon initiate an internal search for an interim dean with support from a small search committee. We anticipate that once a new provost joins us in the summer or early fall, they will help determine the next steps regarding a search for permanent leadership for SPA. 

Paul has led SPA since 2008 and is CU Denver's longest-tenured dean. He has been an exemplary leader for the university and was instrumental in elevating SPA’s strong national reputation—underscored by the school’s perennial top-30 U.S. News & World Report ranking. He stewarded the launch and growth of three new degree programs. He also led growth in student advising, fundraising, and community engagement, and established a First Fridays seminar series that attracts Denver-area influencers and speakers of national renown. 

In 2005, two years after joining CU Denver’s faculty as an urban policy and education policy scholar, Paul won the Distinguished Research Award from the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (encompassing 300 schools), and in 2008, the CU Board of Regents named him the Denver campus’ first Distinguished Professor. Paul now plans to resume his scholarship and teaching at CU Denver and looks forward to continuing to advance vital public affairs disciplines in SPA and for the university as a whole.

Paul has accomplished so much for CU Denver, and we are grateful for his service that has directly benefited our students, community, and state. I look forward to initiating the search for a new leader who will help SPA continue to thrive and grow moving forward.

Pamela Jansma, PhD
Interim Provost