Phemister, Robert - Senior Scholars oral history interview

Abstract

Robert Zimdahl interviews Robert Phemister on February 18, 2010. Robert Phemister, Ph.D. - Dr. Phemister received his D.V.M. from Cornell University in 1960. Following time in the service, Dr. Phemister came to Fort Collins in 1964 as part of a U.S. Public Health Service team assigned to collaborate with Colorado State University faculty on a research project. In 1967, Phemister earned a Ph.D. in Pathology from CSU and left government service to join the University's Department of Pathology. In 1977, he became Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. As dean, he achieved credibility with the state legislature. Likable, pragmatic, and genuinely loyal to CSU, he commanded the faculty's respect. He became interim president of CSU in 1983. In this capacity he carried forward the Colorado Department of Higher Education's mandated planning process and a conceived an undergraduate studies program that significantly enhanced the quality of general education for CSU students. Dr. Phemister left CSU in 1985 and became the Dean of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University. He retired in 1995.