Finish Strong – and Thank You

Fellow Bears,

As we close the spring 2026 semester, I realize this will be my last end-of-semester message to you as president of UNC. That makes this note especially meaningful to write.

Earlier this semester, I shared that I will step down as president on August 1. I also shared something I believe deeply: I want to leave UNC at the right time – strong, stable, and ready for its next chapter. As we reach the end of this academic year, I am more convinced than ever that this university’s future is bright.

Serving UNC has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. From the beginning, I have tried to lead with a few clear convictions: stay anchored in our mission, stay connected to our community, and never stop advocating for UNC. Above all, I have tried to keep students at the center of our work, because students are the reason our work has purpose.

Over the past eight years, we have accomplished a great deal together. We expanded access and affordability through the UNC Tuition Promise, the Colorado First-Year Admission Guarantee, and District 6 Direct Admissions. We achieved record student outcomes, with fall-to-fall retention reaching 78% and the four-year graduation rate rising to 47%, surpassing our original 2030 goals well ahead of schedule. We earned 10-year reaccreditation, achieved Carnegie R2 designation, exceeded our research expenditure goals, and became Colorado’s newest Hispanic-Serving Institution. We opened the Center for Student Well-Being, expanded the Bear Pantry, strengthened our digital presence, invested in our people, advanced major public and private support for the university, and laid the groundwork for one of the most important milestones in UNC history: the College of Osteopathic Medicine.

I am proud of what we have accomplished. Even more, I am proud of how we accomplished it – together. None of this progress belongs to one person. It reflects the work of an extraordinary university community.

I want to thank our cabinet for their leadership, partnership, steadiness, and unwavering commitment to UNC. Their judgment, resilience, and care for students and this institution have helped guide us through challenges and opportunities. I also want to thank our faculty and staff from across the campus. You teach, mentor, support, create, research, problem-solve, and serve in ways that make this university better every day. Your work often happens quietly and without fanfare, but it changes lives.

And to our students: thank you. Your ambition, resilience, and promise inspire this community. To those graduating this spring, congratulations. We are proud of you, and we cannot wait to see what you do next.

As we finish the semester, I hope you will join me for our campus Bear Well on Thursday, April 30, from noon to 1:30 p.m. on the University Center West Patio. I would be grateful for the opportunity to gather, reflect, and celebrate this community with you. I also hope you will join us again on July 24, for the grand opening of the UNC College of Osteopathic Medicine – a historic step forward for our campus, for our students, and for the future of health care in Colorado.

Between now and my final day as president, I will remain fully engaged in leading this university. I will be working through the summer, focused on the work ahead and on helping ensure a strong transition. There is still important work to do, and I am all in through the end.

Thank you for the trust you have placed in me and for the partnership you have extended over these eight years. It has been an honor to row alongside you. UNC is stronger because of you, and I believe with complete confidence that the best days are ahead. 


Sincerely,

Andy Feinstein
President