Delivering on the Promises of CU

 I understand that it’s not enough to enroll students. That’s why my focus will be on helping them find a path to graduation and ensuring the CU system prioritizes a diverse student body and an inclusive faculty and administration.  I want to continue CU’s nationally known legacy of excellence and ensure every student has the opportunity to learn from voices that enrich their lives, challenge their intellect and opinions, and teach them how to achieve more. 

My top three areas of focus are clear:

1. Ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion are integral parts of the university system, while developing a national reputation of Affordable Excellence.  

2. Create more flexible programs to educate the next generation of doctors, nurses, researchers, teachers and the next generation of CEOs.

3.  Support the university researchers working to solve complex problems - like climate change - which will provide a robust higher education system that strengthens Colorado’s economy. 

Below are the “Areas of Focus” the CU Regents created for the CU website. I am excited about becoming a part of the board that will oversee these aspects because for me, these areas have been a lifelong focus. Diversity. Affordability. Student Achievement and Free Speech. I look forward to furthering the promise of higher education and I look forward to continuing the promise of service to the students, faculty and our larger community.

 Diversity, equity and inclusion are at the forefront of everything we do at the University of Colorado system and are integral to our strategic planning for the future. We are committed to building a community of students, faculty and staff that advances these fundamental values, in which every individual – regardless of race, identity, ideology, perspective, religion or background – feels accepted and supported. 

 As one of the nation’s premier public research universities, the University of Colorado system provides a high-quality, transformative education at an affordable cost. We are committed to excellence and accessibility as we foster collaboration, innovation and entrepreneurship to drive student success. Through our world-class teaching, learning, research, service and health care, CU makes significant contributions to the state and citizens of Colorado.

As Colorado’s flagship university system, CU’s four campuses serve the state and beyond through leadership in high-quality education and professional training, public service, advancing research and knowledge, and state-of-the-art health care. CU strives to be an economic, social and cultural catalyst for Colorado.

More than 480,000 people around the world use what they learned at CU to shape business, government, education and communities. And they learn from the best: CU boasts world-class faculty on all four campuses that include five Nobel laureates and 10 MacArthur Foundation Genius Fellows. We celebrate the achievements of these faculty – today’s experts in their fields – and the successes of our students – tomorrow’s leaders.

At the University of Colorado, we teach students how to think, not what to think. Among our guiding principles is the promotion of faculty, student and staff diversity to ensure the rich interchange of ideas that includes diverse political, geographic, cultural, intellectual and philosophical perspectives. We also regard freedom of expression on our campuses as one of our underlying values, and encourage the use of reason and debate when encountering divergent perspectives and opinions.