Published: May 3, 2018

Boulder Provost Russell Moore has announced the retirement of William “Bill” Kaempfer as senior vice provost and associate vice chancellor for Budget and Planning, effective June 30.

Bill Kaempfer

Bill Kaempfer

In his role, Kaempfer is responsible for a variety of initiatives across the campus ranging from academic prioritization and new degree approval to managing the annual budget process for all schools and colleges, developing new revenue sources and strategic planning for space management and allocation. He recently was awarded the BFA Lifetime Leadership and Service Award and the Faculty Council Administrator of the Year award in recognition of the positive impact he has made on the Boulder campus.

He has agreed to work part-time to chair the Academic Reorganization Committee—announced by Moore last week—until Nov. 30, 2018, when the final report is delivered.

“Bill Kaempfer has been a model scholar, colleague and administrator at Boulder,” said Moore. “There is simply no one in our community who knows more about higher education administration, structure, financing and functioning than Bill. His candor, honesty and understanding have been vital to me during his time in the provost’s office and to this university for more than three decades.”

Kaempfer was responsible for the reaccreditation of the campus by the North Central Association in 2000, and currently serves as accreditation liaison officer for the campus's upcoming reaccreditation visit by the Higher Learning Commission in 2019.

Prior to his current position, Kaempfer was chair of the Department of Economics from 1995 to 1997 and associate chair from 1991 to 1995. He joined the faculty at the University of Colorado in 1981 after earning his doctorate in economics from Duke University in 1979. His research focus is in the area of international political economy, especially on the topics of trade policy, international economic sanctions and the transmission of policy influence between nations.

Other topics on which he has written papers include international voter turnout, NAFTA, trade in ivory, congressional regulatory legislation, college football and salary arbitration in Major League Baseball.

“It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve the University of Colorado community as a faculty member, colleague and administrator,” said Kaempfer.

In addition to his professional activities, Kaempfer is an avid birdwatcher who has seen over 430 species of birds in Colorado. He is past president of the Colorado Field Ornithologists.

A retirement celebration for Kaempfer is planned from 4 to 7 p.m. May 9 at the Koenig Alumni Center. Friends and colleagues are invited to this private event, and an RSVP is required for admission. .