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Fellow Bears, Welcome to the start of the spring semester. I hope you had a restful and restorative winter break. I always enjoy the opportunity brought on by a new year to both reflect on what we have learned and accomplished and look with anticipation to what we hope to achieve in the future. When I first arrived at the University of Northern Colorado, I was pleased to find a vibrant and caring community that was large enough to offer countless opportunities for engagement in and outside of the classroom yet small enough to have students, faculty, and staff greet each other by name as they made their way across campus. Nearly seven years later, these core components of our university culture are now expressly embedded in our Rowing, Not Drifting 2030 strategic plan. They are evident in our vision statement, which centers critical and creative inquiry, strong relationships, and a shared commitment to the values of inclusion, equity, and diversity. They are expressed in the five vision elements that define our institutional priorities and serve as the pillars of our work. And they can be seen in the detailed actions and tactics that guide all aspects of our work from attracting students and supporting them through graduation and beyond to the recruitment and retention of excellent faculty and staff, our engagement with the broader community, and the commitment we share to ensuring UNC is a place where all students, faculty, and staff feel welcome. As we begin a new semester — and a new year — I believe UNC can continue to be a community where learning occurs through meaningful discussion of shared and different experiences, viewpoints, and ideas, and where people are curious, thoughtful, and supportive of one another. UNC is a place of possibility. Whether through academic programs, cultural and resource centers, Greek life, or club sports, our students find a community to call home. They work diligently to achieve their dreams, knowing that the knowledge, skills, and experiences gained during their time at UNC will position them to achieve the aspirations they hold for themselves and their communities. Our expert faculty members inspire learning through critical inquiry, discovery, and creation. As teacher-scholars, they engage students in asking questions and solving some of the most pressing problems facing our region, the state, and beyond. Our dedicated, skilled staff perform vital roles from welcoming prospective students and families to their first visit to campus to maintaining our facilities and grounds, coaching and mentoring students to achieve their academic and personal goals, and building strong relationships with loyal alumni and dedicated supporters who are committed to UNC’s future. I celebrated many recent successes in my annual State of the University address last October, including seeing increases in enrollment, achieving designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution, surpassing a record $9 million dollars in total research expenditures, celebrating record-setting retention and persistence rates, and securing over $200 million for the proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine through philanthropy and state support. Additional highlights of our impact are captured in the summary of accomplishments from the second phase of our strategic plan and in our top news stories of the past year. Together, with our singular focus on the success of our students and our shared commitment to the values and priorities defined in our strategic plan, 2025 promises to be even better and more impactful for our university and the people we serve. As we look to all that is ahead, I am grateful to be working together with each of you. Thank you for all you do to ensure that UNC remains the vibrant, caring, and supportive community I first discovered back in 2018. |
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Rowing, Not Drifting, |
