Daniel L. Ritchie, Chancellor Emeritus
Back from the Brink | A Tide of Renewal
In these oral history interviews, Chancellor Emeritus Daniel L. Ritchie, shares stories of his early life experiences and his work at the University of Denver.
Interview abstracts
Daniel L. Ritchie was born in China Grove, North Carolina at the beginning of the great depression. He attended Harvard University where he became involved in various leadership roles. Daniel attended Harvard Business School and after graduation, launched a successful business career.
In his December 6, 2018 interview, Daniel discusses his early childhood, experiences at Harvard and his business career with Lehman Brothers, MCA (Music Corporation of America) and Westinghouse Broadcasting. He describes what brought him to Colorado and how he became a member of the Board of Trustees at the University of Denver (DU). He reflects on the troubling times the University was experiencing when he joined the board and how he was eventually tapped to become Chancellor, a position he held for sixteen years. Daniel shares the ethics and principles he follows and his life-long commitment to quality. He highlights his efforts to develop first-rate buildings on the DU campus and the fundraising efforts involved. Daniel discusses the development of the Study Abroad program at DU and touches on his unique efforts to identify prospective students who displayed the qualities of character, grit, determination and motivation.
In his December 13, 2018 interview, Dan discusses his first visit to Colorado during his freshman year of college. He shares how he came to love Colorado during a summer spent at Colorado University in Boulder studying economics on his own. Daniel describes his life-long interest in health and wellness along with stories of his friends Eddie and Margo Albert. He discusses bringing athletics at the University of Denver up to Division One and the efforts of himself and board members Joy Burns, Bill Coors, Otto Tshudi and Marion Gottesfeld to restructure athletics at DU including bringing back skiing and golf as well as adding Lacrosse. Daniel shares his perspective on his relationship with the board during his 16 years as Chancellor and his principle of a bottoms-up leadership style. He reflects on how he came to own an avocado ranch in Santa Barbara, California and the largest cattle ranch in Colorado. He shares his values and what motivated him to sell both ranches and donate roughly $100,000,000 to the University of Denver.