Dear Lynx community,

December brings with it a familiar rhythm. Finals nearing and then ending, temperatures dropping, the excitement of holiday parties and get-togethers, the feeling of, “Where did the semester go?” And, of course, the promise that accompanies fall commencement.

On Saturday, more than 1,000 students will celebrate the culmination of their academic journey. These ceremonies are the highlight of my year, offering a brief, but powerful glimpse of all that a college degree makes possible. 

Over the past month, I’ve been fortunate to meet with nearly every administrative unit across our campus. A point I’ve stressed is that each of us plays a role in a student successfully crossing the stage to earn their degree. This is a fact we should all take immense pride in!

This mindset is why our university will continue to find success. Our sense of purpose is interconnected insomuch that student success is not owned by anyone but is the shared work of our entire campus community.

This purpose is also what has driven our Strategic Plan Refresh. In total, there were more than 1,000 engagements with members of the CU Denver community across more than 50 unique gatherings—both campuswide and within specific colleges and units—as well as through individualized feedback. I greatly appreciate the thoroughness of our campus involvement and, to a greater extent, your willingness to speak and share openly and honestly on where you found alignment as well as imbalance within the four core concepts. 

I want to thank the Strategic Plan Operations Team for facilitating many of the dialogue sessions. As I’ve discussed with the team, creating balance without overcorrecting is a delicate task. Too little direction can undoubtedly lead to a desire for more information. Too much detail and feedback can cause a perceived top-down approach.

Although unit dialogue sessions concluded just last week, I am excited to share a glimpse of core concept community feedback collected during the eight weeks of campus gatherings. Additional work is also underway to identify potential success measures and milestones, updates to campus values, as well as connection points to current initiatives already occurring across our campus. I look forward to sharing more in the new year. 

With that said, I wanted to put forward insights, informed by your questions and comments, on how I currently envision the core concepts serving our campus. 

1. Make education work for all through access, equity, and outcomes. CU Denver is committed to serving learners from high school through retirement with career-aligned learning experiences that maximize their future potential. As the city’s chief partner in producing its workforce, it is essential that we increase access with a focus on affordability. We must welcome all who seek the transformative power of a traditional degree or upskilling and career advancement through coursework, credentials, and certificates. We carry an obligation to uplift and empower those who entrust us with their dreams, which means these experiences must lead to the meaningful outcomes our learners expect and deserve. Our success will be measured through the outcomes that matter most: how well our learners persist, graduate, and thrive in their careers.
2. Prioritize discovery and innovation through research and creative works that impact our communities. Our ideas and entrepreneurial spirit undoubtedly spark positive change and generate new knowledge. We value and celebrate our vibrant inquiry-driven research culture. But, as a public urban research university, we also carry a parallel responsibility to engage in discovery and innovation that serve the public good. This will eventually produce meaningful benefits for the communities we serve in Denver and beyond. Whether we are engaging local residents, industry partners, or civic leaders, each deserves to see and feel the impact of our work in clear and measurable ways.
3. Cultivate a campuswide innovation ecosystem focused on excellence and efficiency in everything we do. As we pursue a thriving future for CU Denver, we must continue to innovate in how we teach and support our learners as well as how we operate as a university. From research and pedagogy to the processes and critical services our learners depend on, our work should be future-focused, increase operational effectiveness, and adapt to serve evolving needs. This includes investing where we find the greatest impact and working together to remove barriers that stand in the way of learner success. No member of our community (learners or employees) should have to visit multiple offices to access a resource or resolve an urgent problem. By empowering our employees to grow and do their best, we strengthen and enable our learners to do the same. 
4. Drive toward a flourishing university community rooted in belonging and meaningful work. All learners and employees have earned the opportunity to advance their careers, education, and passions. CU Denver is not simply a place to work, but a community where we hold ourselves to high standards. We challenge one another to generate momentum and elevate the outcomes for those we serve in ways that are generous and supportive. We see our community in ourselves and vice versa. Before us lies a unique opportunity to transform our university into a model urban-serving research university that others can emulate. Our aspirations are bold, but our commitment to student success and each other’s success keeps us grounded. Anchored in a culture of inclusivity, belonging, empathy, and support, we know that with success will come greater opportunity and pride of impact for all of us.

This university is truly special. From the onset, I’ve stressed that the core concepts are a starting point and not an ending point. Your engagement with this process is illustrative of a level of engagement that is rare to find, which only heightens its value as we progress toward reintroducing our refreshed strategic plan in February.  

Thank you all for an incredible semester. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and new year, and congratulations to all our fall 2025 graduates!