Academics

Leah Crenshaw holding a western meadowlark.

Alumna Receives NSF Graduate Fellowship for Avian Conservation Research

August 24, 2023 — For Leah Crenshaw, M.S. ‘23 an active biologist and nature lover, finding harmony between the natural and human worlds is her dream.

a person siting at a desk at the end of a library aisle

The Power of a Humanities Degree

August 11, 2023 — Five years out, people with humanities degrees are making equivalent money to people from a STEM discipline. The kinds of things that folks in the humanities and the arts develop are the very things that corporations want in their employees

Vivian Guetler standing in Candelaria Hall

Cybercrime Expert Joins UNC’s Criminology and Criminal Justice Department

September 12, 2022 — Vivian Guetler’s research has taken her to some dark places. Specifically, the dark web, where she has spent considerable time analyzing communications on several forums commonly used by terrorist groups.

UNC Selects New Executive Vice President and Provost

February 23, 2022 — After a nationwide search launched last October, the University of Northern Colorado has selected Kirsten Fleming, Ph.D., as the university’s new executive vice president and provost. She begins her position in mid-May.

Doctoral Students Present Dissertation Projects in Three-Minute Competition

February 18, 2022 — Three minutes and a single presentation slide. That’s the challenge a handful of UNC doctoral students have accepted to describe their dissertation projects, using non-technical language anyone can understand.

UNC Graduate School Announces Student Awards for Fall 2021

January 14, 2022 — UNC's Graduate School has announced the recipients of awards recognizing superior academic achievement and outstanding research in graduate studies.

UNC Professor Secures Seventh Fulbright Award, Encourages Students to Apply for Similar Intercultural Opportunities

July 27, 2021 — Karen Barton, a professor in UNC's Geography, GIS and Sustainability department, is adding another intercultural experience to her long list as she embarks on a journey to Mexico, taking advantage of her impressive seventh award from the very competitive and prestigious Fulbright Program.

UNC Receives Colleges of Distinction Honors

July 8, 2021 — UNC recently received several recognitions for its commitment to engaged, hands-on education by Colleges of Distinction.

UNC Appoints Interim Provost for 2021-22 Academic Year

June 17, 2021 — University of Northern Colorado President Andy Feinstein announced on June 17 that Lisa Vollendorf, Ph.D., has been appointed as interim provost for the 2021-22 academic year. Vollendorf brings 26 years of higher education experience to UNC and has held numerous leadership roles, including provost, dean, department chair and Academic Senate chair. She will start her new role on July 1, 2021.

June 18 Webinar to Showcase Outcomes of Anthropology Program's Reclaiming Heritage Project

June 16, 2021 — On June 18 at 9 a.m., Michael Kimball, Ph.D., a professor in UNC's Department of Anthropology, will facilitate a webinar showcasing the work students in his applied anthropology class completed as part of a grant-funded community project, Reclaiming Heritage II: Building Social Bonds and Bridges with Cultural Heritage.

Emily Holt 2021 Sears Helgoth Distinguished Teaching Award recipient

Biology Faculty Member Wins Sears Helgoth Distinguished Teaching Award

May 19, 2021 — UNC Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Emily Holt, Ph.D., has been selected as the recipient of the 2021 Sears Helgoth Distinguished Teaching Award.

UNC Graduate School Announces Student Awards for Fall 2020 and Spring 2021

May 13, 2021 — The UNC Graduate School has announced the recipients of awards recognizing superior academic achievement and outstanding research in graduate studies.

Outside of the Centerra Extended Campus building

UNC Extended Campus’ Online Programs Ranked

April 15, 2021 — Programs within UNC's Extended Campus were recently ranked in the top 100 by U.S. News & World Report in the publication's 2021 annual report.

Full on-campus experience this fall 2021

University of Northern Colorado Plans for Full On-Campus Experience this Fall

April 14, 2021 — UNC is planning to return to a comprehensive, on-campus experience for the fall 2021 semester that will include a full schedule of in-person courses and restoring activities and events, allowing students to enjoy experiential learning, campus life and community engagement opportunities.

Health care workers giving the COVID-19 vaccine

COVID-19 Case Investigators on the Frontline: UNC Public Health Students Saving Lives

April 2, 2021 — UNC students in the Master of Public Health program in 2020 had an unique experience earning a graduate degree online during a global pandemic.

University of Northern Colorado Plans for In-Person Course Delivery for Fall 2021 Semester

March 8, 2021 — UNC is planning to return to a full schedule of in-person courses for the fall 2021 semester, which begins on Aug. 23, and restoring activities and events that will allow students to enjoy experiential learning, campus life and community engagement opportunities.

Finan's students with their newly made cigar-box guitars

Learning about Acoustics with Build-Your-Own Cigar-Box Guitars, PVC Pipe Didgeridoos

September 9, 2020 — Faculty members at UNC are finding creative ways to keep students involved virtually. Two Audiology and Speech-Language Sciences classes involve students receiving built-it-yourself kits of cigar box guitars and PVC pipe didgeridoos to learn about acoustics.

5 Courses You’ll Wish You’d Taken

August 26, 2020 — As the semester kicks off, students and teachers alike are facing a unique menu of course delivery options. Even more unique, however, are some of the courses offered at UNC. Here are five such creative courses, offered this year at UNC, that you may not have heard of before.

UNC Faculty Land $1 Million Grant to Develop Assessment Tool

May 27, 2020 — The National Science Foundation awarded two University of Northern Colorado faculty a $1.077 million grant to improve teaching in college-level environmental science courses.

Students Ventured Out to Observe Rivers for Class

May 26, 2020 — Students in Sharon Bywater-Reyes’, Ph.D., Geomorphology course made observations of rivers accessible to them during Colorado’s Stay-at-Home order, which were then compiled into a Map Tour online, using ESRI’s mapping tool.

Students showing up some sketches on a Zoom meeting

How an Art and Design Class Adapted to the New, Online Environment

May 15, 2020 — Anna Ursyn, Ph.D., a professor of Digital Media and head of the Digital Media Area at UNC, shares her and her students’ experiences in adapting to the new, online learning environment as well as to life during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Open Educational Resources Awardees Announced

May 14, 2020 — The UNC Open Educational Resources (OER) Committee is pleased to announce the 2020 faculty OER awardees. The committee, made up of faculty, students and staff from across campus, reviewed many excellent applications and made the recommendations for funding.

Daniel Garcia: Aims2UNC Program "Tailor-Made for Me"

May 13, 2020 — Daniel Garcia discusses how the the newly developed Aims2UNC Program was "tailor-made" for him, where students start at Aims Community College, receive their associate’s degree and then directly transition to UNC for their bachelor’s.

Graduate School Announces Spring 2020 Student Awards

May 12, 2020 — The Graduate School has announced the recipients of awards recognizing superior academic achievement and outstanding research in graduate studies.

Tyler Sherman and a screenshot of him defending his dissertation online

Seeing the Silver Lining

May 8, 2020 — A recent Ph.D. student shares his thoughts about UNC and describes how he felt about defending his dissertation online.

$Faculty member helping student learn math$

Call for Applications: Sears Helgoth Distinguished Teaching Award

February 17, 2020 — The Sears Helgoth Distinguished Teaching Award recognizes UNC’s commitment to high-quality and innovative teaching along with the historical importance of UNC's teaching mission by rewarding a faculty member who has made outstanding contributions to teaching and learning that result in the enhancement of the intellectual development and lives of students.

Students Save Over $63,000 in Course Materials

February 13, 2020 — Four faculty members helped approximately 450 students enrolled in their fall 2019 classes save a combined $63,775 in textbook fees by adopting open educational resources into their curriculum after the Colorado Department of Higher Education awarded grants for the project.

Librarian to Serve on Open Educational Resources Council

February 5, 2020 — Jen Mayer has been selected to serve as a council member on the Colorado Department of Higher Education's Open Educational Resources Council by Angie Paccione, Ph.D., executive director of CDHE.

Need-to-Know Resources at the University Libraries

December 5, 2019 — The UNC Libraries have over 1.5 million physical items including the typical books, online databases with peer-reviewed journal articles, newspapers, magazines and more to assist you with your classwork.

Graduate school ceremony from earlier year

UNC Graduate School Announces Student Awards

April 29, 2019 — The UNC Graduate School has announced the recipients of awards recognizing superior academic achievement and outstanding research in graduate studies.

Philosophy Students Participate in Prestigious Events

April 22, 2019 — Three University of Northern Colorado philosophy students were chosen to participate in competitive events earlier in April as well as a future event in the summer.

Cosplayers in Game of Thrones costumes for English class

A Song of Ice and Fire: Class Dives into “Game of Thrones”

April 11, 2019 — Imagine dissecting George R. R. Martin’s “Game of Thrones” in a classroom setting: Seven Kingdoms, the Wall, Lannister family and more. This sounds like the perfect class for die-hard fans, and this dream-come-true is offered through the “Contemporary Arts Connection” class taught by Kristin Bovaird-Abbo, an English associate professor at UNC.

Students doing an assignment with traditional bookmaking materials

Skulls, Animal Skins and Gold: Welcome to the History of Bookmaking

February 28, 2019 — Before the printing press was around, books were created with materials that might be considered shocking today, such as animal skins, gold, plant materials and other unique materials … skulls were even used as writing surfaces! These materials aren't uncommon in the UNC English 495 class, “History of the Book.”

Science Meets Communication: Understanding Differing Sides and Complex Issues