A New Chairman Positions DU for Changes in the Educational Environment

In fall 2009, the University of Denver Board of Trustees elected Trygve Myhren as chairman, replacing Joy Burns, who held the position for nearly two decades.

Myhren, who has been a DU trustee since 1995, is president of Denver-based Myhren Media Inc., a private investment firm concentrating in media, telecommunications, software and other enabling technology. From 1990–96, he served as president of Providence Journal Co., a diversified media company. Myhren also served as chairman and chief executive officer (1981–88) of American Television and Communications Corp., the cable television subsidiary of Time Inc. (now Time/Warner Cable). He is co-founder of six cable networks, including Food Network, E! Entertainment and Northwest Cable News, and served as chairman of the National Cable Television Association.

Myhren is a member of the Cable Television Hall of Fame and was recently elected to the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame. As a University trustee, he has chaired the audit, budget and finance, and faculty and educational affairs committees.

Question: Have your professional experiences influenced your perspective on higher education?

Answer: They have. I believe that learning to recognize trends is critical for success in both business and higher education. That’s very relevant for DU because the U.S. model for higher education is quite mature, and student needs are changing quickly. Today’s students adroitly use the Internet, social media and an array of electronic tools. I don’t advocate knee-jerk change to our educational model, but if we astutely accept and integrate change, our students will benefit. As DU gets ahead of these inevitable changes and becomes even more adept at serving student needs, we will outflank our academic competitors.

Also, I believe higher education, like business, should draw on diverse disciplines for inspiration and improvement. Mass communication technology and new research in brain biomechanics are certainly applicable to the process of learning. The communications business has learned how to gain people’s interest and then effectively impart information. We can leverage these other disciplines to understand the learning process better and, thus, educate better.

Q: How has the global recession impacted U.S. colleges and universities?

A: The recession reduced endowments across the board. Public universities are being negatively impacted by the drop in state resources. Many private colleges and universities, which have historically drawn heavily on their endowments to fund operating budgets, have also experienced dramatic cuts. Some campuses have closed special institutes of study, faculty tenure promotions have been put on hold and athletics budgets cut.

DU is weathering the storm well with astute management of resources and strategic initiatives. I am counting on our alumni and friends to help even more through these leaner times.

Q: What are DU’s major strengths?

A: We have an exemplary academic product, a fast-growing reputation for excellence and a gorgeous campus. We also have enviable athletics and recreation programs that strive for distinction but, at the same time, maintain their integrity. A lot of people lose sight of the importance of maintaining integrity. DU won’t.

Q: Why does DU continue to thrive in the rankings?

A: It’s been a steady uphill climb. First, the University stabilized while Dwight Smith was chancellor. Then Dan Ritchie masterfully guided DU for more than a decade and a half, vastly improved the campus and facilities, sharpened operating procedures and restored our confidence. Then Bob Coombe took the reins five years ago, bringing stellar academic credentials and an excellent management experience from his four years as provost. With the accordant guidance of the board, he has significantly improved our academic product. We’re quite good now, and we are going to get better.

Q: What opportunities and challenges do you see for DU on the international stage?

A: Challenges include currency shocks, political surprises and competition. The United States used to be the higher education capital of the world, but that’s less true today. What can DU do to attract the best international scholars and better prepare our students who want an international experience? We can continue to tighten and improve Cherrington Global Scholars. It’s a good program, and we can make it better. Also, we can expand our joint degree programs. We must integrate silos. The world our students will enter on leaving DU cannot be navigated successfully with constricted thinking.

Q: What would you like your legacy as chairman of the Board of Trustees to be?

A: When you get to the end of it all, I’m really focused on student learning. We want our graduates to be significantly more able than they were when they enrolled. We must help them liberate their minds. We want them to be fully open to new ideas, yet questioning, analytical and disciplined.

I’d like to leave DU strategically aimed to the future—even more capable of delivering quality to our students, even more highly regarded than it was when I started and secure in the knowledge that it has the academic quality and financial resources to continue improving.