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Fellow Bears, I want to start by expressing gratitude to each of you. As I shared in my Spring Semester Welcome in January, your contributions help ensure that UNC is a vibrant, caring, and supportive community. For many of us, we have experienced shifts in the higher education landscape over the past several months unlike anything we have seen before in our careers. My team and I began monitoring evolving federal policies in mid-January, and shortly after, I created a dedicated page on my website to track Federal Actions, Updates, and Resources and consolidate many of the communications from myself and members of UNC’s leadership to students, faculty, and staff. While closely monitoring each proclamation, we must also track any legal challenges or revisions that may delay or alter implementation. Thus, even with these resources, I recognize that some uncertainty persists, and, at times, there may be more questions than answers. In navigating this uncertain terrain, I have remained focused on three priorities. First, I am committed to upholding the values and pursuing the priorities articulated in our Rowing, Not Drifting 2030 strategic plan. In practice, this has meant that while my team closely monitors all actions at the federal and state levels that may impact members of our university community and our institution and communicates resources, updates, and guidance as we have information to share, I have not taken pre-emptive actions even as other universities have. It also means that I have maintained an unwavering commitment to upholding the five foundational elements of UNC’s vision. It has also meant that we have stayed the course on the Phase III Key Actions introduced last July, and I am pleased to share some recent highlights that demonstrate our progress. We started the academic year with an increase in the number of new, first-time undergraduate and graduate students and record-setting retention and persistence rates. In September, we celebrated the groundbreaking of a new facility that will host the proposed UNC College of Osteopathic Medicine. Having been designated a First-Generation-Serving Campus, we hosted in October a week-long celebration to honor first-generation college students. Later in the fall, we celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month as Colorado’s newest Hispanic Serving Institution. We began the new year with the grand opening of the new Center for Student Well-Being and expanded Bear Pantry. Earlier this semester, we earned reaccreditation for another ten years and achieved Carnegie’s prestigious R2 research activity designation. There is so much more to celebrate, but I will conclude by highlighting the stories of some of the graduates we will see cross the stage in next week’s commencement ceremonies. My second priority has been to communicate and engage directly with members of our university community. In open forums with each college, I have heard concerns from faculty and staff members and shared some of the efforts I am undertaking to advance our strategic priorities and preserve our unfettered ability to inspire learning through critical inquiry, discovery, and creation. I have met with students and reassured them that the university remains committed to supporting them throughout their educational journeys to graduation and beyond. I have shared in public meetings and one-on-one conversations that all individuals and perspectives are an integral part of our success and identity, and we will continue to nurture and celebrate the diversity within our university and state as a distinct advantage that we realize by engaging with shared and different experiences, viewpoints, and ideas. While I regularly communicate with the entire university community through messages like this one, my favorite interactions are those that happen over lunch in the newly renovated Tobey-Kendel Hall, on the sidelines of the Bank of Colorado Arena cheering for our student-athletes, or during intermission at recitals in the Campus Commons Performance Hall. I look forward to saying hello the next time we see each other, and I encourage you to engage with me at meetings and events throughout the year. Third, I continue to advocate on behalf of UNC within our local community, at the state level, and nationally. Much of my focus this semester has been on securing financial investments from the state of Colorado that are necessary to fulfill our mission. This advocacy began in January when I testified before the Joint Budget Committee, continued in February with our annual Greeley Day at the Capitol, and has remained the focus of my frequent interactions with our elected officials. Although state legislators have yet to approve the final FY2026 budget, the Joint Budget Committee has forwarded a request to increase funding for institutions of higher education by 2.5%. In a year when legislators faced a $1.2 billion shortfall, I view this as a positive outcome, even though the state’s investment falls short of covering our core minimum costs. As I write to you today, I am outside the nation’s Capitol. I serve on the board of directors for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), and my colleagues and I are in Washington, D.C. to advance our individual and collective legislative priorities. AASCU’s focus is on regional public universities, and my involvement with the organization ensures that UNC collaborates with our closest peers and allies to address some of the most pressing challenges we face, from changes in federal policies to access, affordability, and the perceptions of the value of a degree. Additionally, as I engage directly with the elected officials representing Greeley and UNC, I have the opportunity to build relationships and secure their support for our university. While these efforts may not always be broadly visible, I am committed to advocating for UNC in the most strategic and effective ways possible. As individuals and as a university community, we have faced challenges in recent months. Yet we remain undeterred in our singular focus on putting students first in everything we do. We are committed to our vision and strategic priorities and aligned as a community of Bears in working together toward our shared purpose. Whether it is enjoying the return of half-day Fridays, making use of your vacation leave, or embracing a different pace to your work, I hope the months ahead are restorative for you. Thank you to every member of the UNC community for supporting our students. I hope many of you will join me in celebrating our graduates at next weekend’s commencement ceremonies. |
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Rowing, Not Drifting, |
