The director of Wardenburg is retiring. (CU Independent file/Ilana Finer)
CU’s Director of Wardenburg and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Health and Wellness Gary Chadwick says he plans to retire at the end of this school year.
When asked what he considers to have been his greatest accomplishments during his time with Wardenburg, Chadwick said it would have to be overcoming the challenges with efficiency that he and others faced early on.
“When I came into Wardenburg about three years ago operationally we had some challenges as far as the physical structure of the building,” Chadwick said. “There were some challenges for us to be efficient and we had some financial problems. We were able to renovate the building so that, operationally, we could see a lot more patients.”
Chadwick says that his 31-year employment at CU has given him time to live up to what he is capable of, noting that retirement will lead to him missing some things more than others.
“I’ve been here 31 years. I felt like I reached a point where I’d done about what I’m capable of and it may be time for somebody with some other skill sets to come in and take it to the next level,” Chadwick said. “I’ll miss the people. I won’t miss the politics, but I’ll miss the relationships and the people.”
CU Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students Deb Coffin says that Chadwick has displayed certain qualities that will be sought after in finding his replacement.
“We’re looking for someone with, I think, a balance of a comprehensive knowledge and background in student health, as well as a strong general administrative professional,” Coffin said. “We’re also looking for someone who is highly motivated to work closely with student leadership.”
Coffin says other notable characteristics of potential replacements include a comprehensive understanding of wellness and student health, excellent business and administrative skills, a strong working knowledge of the national health care agenda, health care standards and issues and trends.
Coffin also says CU is looking for someone who is a great person, easy to get along with, a good communicator and effective with their interpersonal relationships at work.
“Those are all qualities we’re looking for and I do believe those are all reflected in Gary [Chadwick],” Coffin said.
Among Chadwick’s accomplishments include his ability to work closely with students and his work in advancing the vision of Wardenburg, Coffin said.
“I think he also has excellent personnel-people management skills,” Coffin said. “He’s energetic and fun, has a good sense of humor and listens to the people he works with. He’s also an excellent administrator when it comes to finance, policy development and business initiatives.”
Students said their experience with Wardenburg under Chadwick’s supervision has been a good one.
Danielle Junod, a 20-year-old junior psychology major, said her attitude toward Wardenburg has been overwhelmingly positive.
“I actually really like the way it’s run,” Junod said. “I’ve used it multiple times since I’ve been here and they have always helped me with whatever problems I’ve had, and the pharmacy, which I use at least once a month, is the most efficient one I’ve ever been to. Everyone I’ve come into contact with there has been so nice and wanting to help me.”
Chadwick says his replacement will need to be able to work closely with students.
“They will have to have somebody who is an operational manager,” Chadwick said. “The other thing that’s extremely important is you need someone who can be a student advocate. The position is student-oriented. The person is going to have to be extremely student-centered.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Ben Vallier at Benjamin.vallier@colorado.edu.
