Chancellor Justin Schwartz has big aspirations to someday run with Ralphie before a University of Colorado Buffs football game.

He’s been told no, but that won’t stop him from hoping those in charge of Ralphie will one day change their minds.

Schwartz’s dream to run with Ralphie came up at the beginning of a chancellor welcome event at CU Boulder on Tuesday. Schwartz talked about how he’s been exploring Boulder, plus some of his priorities for his first year.

Stefanie Johnson, director of CU Boulder’s Center for Leadership, moderated the conversation and asked Schwartz questions about diversity, sustainability, graduation rates and retention of students, staff and faculty.

One of his top priorities is sustainability.

“Sustainability is one of the reasons why I’m here,” he said.

Schwartz said he wants to accelerate the progress of the university’s Climate Action Plan and expand it. He would also love to eliminate single-use plastic on campus.

“I also recognize if Boulder became the most sustainable campus in the world … the world is still a mess,” Schwartz said. “I’d like to see the impact of what we do at Boulder in the city, the state and the globe.”

Schwartz launched a national search for a vice chancellor for sustainability, a new position on campus. He wants to amplify faculty’s work and research in sustainability, promote understanding among staff for their role and encourage students to pursue sustainability in their studies.“Humans are amazingly resistant to change even though it’s in our best interest … so being mindful about how we can do something differently is important,” Schwartz said.

He’s asking if there are ways the university can operate differently, looking to identify structural deficiencies where funds can be reallocated. This month, CU Boulder launched a voluntary retirement program that may result in the restructuring of different departments on campus.

“What we don’t want to do is wait until we have a budget problem to put our resources to the best use,” he said.

Junior Grace Covney has met with Schwartz a few times in her role as a leader in CU Boulder’s Student Government. She was excited to see him officially welcomed to campus on Tuesday.

“Hearing the way he speaks about what he wants changed, he seems to care a lot for the students, staff and faculty,” she said.

He’s a personable guy, she said, and he wants to be involved on campus and help people as much as he can.

“I think it’s really important to see his face around,” Covney said. “He’s really excited to start and you can tell.”

Schwartz encouraged faculty to recognize their colleagues’ work and nominate them for awards.

“Let’s talk about each other more and let’s have a community that elevates each other,” he said.

By doing that, Schwartz said it will help elevate the reputation of the university, get all faculty recognition for their work and build community, which helps with retention and a sense of belonging.

“I feel like that’s very empowering for all of us, faculty and staff,” Johnson said.

Another goal Schwartz has is to have CU Boulder’s graduating classes match the diversity of Colorado.

“Bringing students in and not bringing them through graduation is not doing them any favors,” he said.

He plans to examine the university’s data on graduation rates and identify the source of why students aren’t making it through. He also wants to improve faculty demographics to match the state’s and retain those faculty.

“Fundamentally if we don’t do the cultural work … the demographics won’t be sustainable,” he said.

Schwartz said he’s excited every day because CU Boulder is “such an awesome place.”

“Let’s double down on these priorities and go all in,” he said.