Fellow Bears,

Welcome to a new academic year. The energy on campus is unmistakable. Whether attending welcome events, stopping by one of the many campus dining locations for lunch, or cheering on our student-athletes, I have enjoyed seeing familiar faces and meeting the many new students, faculty, and staff who have joined UNC. 

As we begin this year, I would like to reflect on some of our recent shared achievements and preview the year ahead. 

In some ways, the 2024-25 academic year will be difficult to match as UNC celebrated many notable accomplishments. We began the year by hosting a campus visit as part of the university’s evaluation for reaffirmation of our accreditation. With no deficiencies or concerns, UNC earned one of the cleanest and most positive reviews in our university’s recent history and received reaccreditation for another 10 years. 

But that was just the beginning of a remarkable year. We saw record-setting retention and persistence rates, celebrated the groundbreaking of a new facility that will host the proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine, achieved Carnegie’s prestigious R2 research activity designation, earned recognition as a Hispanic Serving Institution for a second year, celebrated the many successes of our student-athletes, recorded our best-performing “Bears Give Back” campaign to date amidst another strong year of fundraising in support of the university’s strategic priorities, and watched with pride as over 2,000 students made their way across the stage during commencement ceremonies in the fall and spring semesters.

At the same time, we collectively navigated shifts in the higher education landscape. Since January, my team and I have closely monitored evolving federal policies and any subsequent legal challenges or revisions. I created a dedicated webpage to track Federal Actions, Updates, and Resources and to consolidate many of the communications from myself and members of UNC’s leadership to students, faculty, and staff. 

We also weathered the effects of the state’s $1.2 billion budget shortfall that required legislators to make difficult choices regarding funding priorities. Thanks to our advocacy and the support of key elected officials, we were ultimately successful in securing a $1.5 million increase in state funding from last year. While this was a significant achievement in a very challenging budget year, it still falls far below the investment needed to keep up with increases in core minimum costs. Despite a smaller than desired increase from the state, we presented a balanced budget to the Board of Trustees in June which is a testament to the collective efforts of our university community and a shared commitment to prioritizing financial stability.

While I am proud of the work we did to present a balanced fiscal year 2026 budget, we must be thoughtful and diligent in our work to align revenues with expenses because, as we heard at our Legislative Wrap Up at the end of June, the expectation is that the state’s difficult budget circumstances will continue in the coming years. The Colorado legislature convened in a special session this month to address what is already projected to be a nearly $1 billion budget shortall by this fiscal year end. While higher education has had the support of key elected officials in the past, this is a time of tremendous uncertainty for the state. We must continue to be thoughtful and judicious with our resources to ensure we can adapt to these external pressures and ensure that we continue to deliver on our promise to students.

In times of change, it is imperative that we remain focused on our shared purpose as an institution of higher education and the values and priorities detailed in our Rowing, Not Drifting 2030 strategic plan. This fall marks the mid-point of our 10-year plan, and UNC is well positioned to build on the momentum of the previous five years as we work toward the objectives we set to achieve by 2030.

There will be many opportunities to come together this fall, whether to celebrate some of our successes, learn more about priorities in the year ahead, or connect with your fellow Bears. One of those occasions will be my annual State of the University Address on September 23, and I hope you will join me there. I will also host a series of fireside chats to dive deeper into topics that matter to our university. Be sure to watch for additional details about dates and topics.

I remain confident in our ability to sustain progress because we are aligned in working together as a university community. We continue to be undeterred in our singular focus on the success of our students and steadfastly committed to upholding the five foundational elements of UNC’s vision. Together, we will continue that focus on our students and their success, no matter what new challenges may come.

I am looking forward to a great academic year, with each of you.



Sincerely,
 
Andy Feinstein 
President