Dear Lynx community, 

For more than half a century, CU Denver has existed to serve the people and communities of our region by expanding access to knowledge and connecting education to opportunity. That mission continues today, guiding how we support first-generation students, working professionals, and learners whose paths to higher education are anything but the norm.

CU Denver sits at the center of a longer journey for our learners, stretching from high school to college, from college to career, and from career to community impact. We are not simply a state university, but an institution that is also anchored in the economic and cultural heart of the Rocky Mountain region. Our responsibility extends beyond just awarding degrees. We create the pathways and structures that begin before students arrive at CU Denver and continue long after they graduate, allowing learners to translate their aspiration into outcomes at every stage of life.

This principle came to life during our February Strategic Plan Refresh event​. Lorii Rabinowitz, CEO of the Denver Scholarship Foundation (DSF), described the journey of DSF scholars, beginning in ninth grade, continuing to and through college completion, and extending into career support. CU Denver is the top destination for DSF scholars, supporting nearly one in five recipients. Over the past six years, more than 85% of DSF scholars at CU Denver have either graduated or are persisting toward their degrees.

Like most of our students, DSF scholars balance work, caregiving, and financial needs while also pursuing their education (86% of DSF scholars over the past six years are the first in their family to attend college). As Lorii said, “Students are dreaming big.” Our role is to match that ambition with structure, guidance, and opportunity. Through the dedication of our faculty, advisors, and staff, we help build bridges for DSF scholars and all learners, fostering not just individual success, but ideally generational impact. This is an important aspect of what I mean when I speak of CU Denver as an anchor institution for the Denver metro area.

During the panel, Adeeb Khan, executive director of Denver Economic Development & Opportunity, and Alex Marrero, PhD, superintendent of Denver Public Schools, similarly reinforced what can be possible when we work together across sectors. Their message: Real impact requires collaboration, insight, and engaged partnership. My greatest takeaway from our discussion was that our next chapter will not be written by our university alone.

In higher education, it can be tempting to assume we know what students and employers need. It can also be easy to retreat into silos and assume others will carry the work forward. Measurable outcomes require that we resist both impulses.

First, we must listen with humility. Our expertise matters, but it must be integrated with the lived experiences of our learners and insights from our community leaders and industry partners. Second, success demands shared responsibility. We must acknowledge that this work belongs to all of us. Think of the impact we seek to create as a mosaic with each of us playing a vital role in forming a whole, maybe even beautiful image. If pieces are missing, the picture is incomplete. When we work together, the mosaic comes to life, most vividly through the success of our learners.

CU Denver may sit at the center of the learner journey, but as Lorii so eloquently demonstrated, the journey itself is shared—with families, schools, employers, and the communities we serve. This is how we will engage learners, support partners, and strengthen our community-based relationships as we look toward 2030 and beyond.

As I noted during our February Strategic Plan Refresh event, we will be finalizing our measures of success as well as the values that will underpin our work going forward by the end of the spring semester. Please be on the lookout for community engagement opportunities and help refine the path we will pursue together. 

Ambition and opportunity will continue to converge at CU Denver, but outcomes will not occur by accident. They will happen because we choose to work together, to listen, and to deliver on our promise to make education work for all.