Dear Lynx community,

As the Chancellor mentioned in his April 20 announcement of our new CFO, additional changes would be shared to better align the structures in the Office of the Provost, Division of Strategic Enrollment and Student Success, and Office for People and Culture with our strategic plan and future goals and aspirations. I am writing to you today to update you on changes in the Office of the Provost.

Over the past year, I have had many opportunities to listen to members of our campus community—faculty, staff, and students—about what is working well and where we can improve as the Provost’s Office seeks to serve the university. I am grateful for your candor, your ideas, and your commitment to strengthening our academic mission.

Based on these conversations, I have decided to make organizational changes within the office, intended to better align our structure with the needs of the campus, streamline support for academic work, and sharpen our focus on the people, programs, and associated operations that are central to our success. My hope is that through this realignment, academically-oriented services will be more transparent and accessible for all CU Denver employees and that we will be best able to meet our ambitious goals for our students and campus.

In contemplating these changes, I adhered to the principle of aligning the Provost’s Office with the vision articulated in the university’s strategic plan. Importantly, the reorganizations occurring across areas are budget neutral and do not increase the number of leadership positions at the Assistant Vice Chancellor level and above. 

Creating the Academic Affairs Unit


I am combining Academic Innovation (Teaching Innovation and Program Strategy, TIPS) and Academic Planning into a single unit, Academic Affairs, led by an Associate Vice Chancellor. This domain will focus on providing coordinated, holistic support for:

• Curriculum development, innovation, and instructional design
• Program planning, review, and assessment  

Bringing this work together is intended to create clearer pathways of support for departments and programs, reduce duplication, and ensure that planning, assessment, and curricular efforts are well integrated.

Honors and Leadership, Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities, and the Change Makers programs will join Academic Affairs. Bringing these programs together will enable us to better meet our commitment to serving learners at all ages and stages of their lives.  

Teaching Innovation and Program Strategy (TIPS) will continue to serve as a faculty-centered resource, and faculty governance will remain central to curriculum development, innovation, and instructional design. Academic Affairs will support and enable this work while respecting the primary role of departments and programs in academic decision-making.

Strengthening Faculty Affairs and Professional Development


Faculty Affairs and Professional Development will deepen its support for faculty across the full faculty lifecycle on our campus—from recruitment and onboarding to promotion, leadership development, and long-term success. Its new portfolio, which will continue to be led by an Associate Vice Chancellor, will more holistically coordinate support for:

• Pedagogy and teaching effectiveness
• Research and scholarly development
• Professional growth and leadership development

Faculty Affairs and Professional Development will continue to work closely with Faculty Assembly, the University of Colorado Denver Association of Lecturers and Instructors (UCDALI), and departments and programs across campus to strengthen faculty shared governance, ensure bylaws are reflective of current university policies, and reflect good shared governance practices. 

The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) will become part of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development to strengthen ties between CETL and the Center for Faculty Development and Advancement (CFDA). This realignment will make it easier for faculty to access integrated, responsive support. The Provost’s Office will engage with faculty groups in fall 2026 to examine existing supports for faculty in CETL, CFDA, and the Research Development Office (RDO). Adjustments to these services will then be made, as necessary. 

Operationalizing Graduate Studies

A Graduate Studies unit will be stood up for the start of the fall 2026 semester, led by a director who will report to the Provost, and work closely with the Academic Deans, Graduate Program Directors, the Graduate Council, and other offices across campus. The unit will include staffing to begin implementation of the coordinated support necessary for our graduate programs and students. The establishment of this unit is the result of planning and collaboration during the 2025–2026 academic year, following the report and recommendations from the Council of Graduate Schools​. In consultation with Program Directors, Chairs, Deans, and other relevant stakeholders, this unit will coordinate support for:

• Consistency across student experiences in graduate programs
• Processes related to graduate student employment and tuition remission
• Policies related to graduate-level academics

As Graduate Studies is being operationalized, we will continue to engage in broad consultation across campus to refine the roles and responsibilities of the unit.

Creating the Chief of Academic Strategies Role

To strengthen alignment between the work of the Provost’s Office and the university strategic plan, I am repurposing an existing AVC role into the Chief of Academic Strategies. Working closely with me, this role will help translate the university’s academic vision, as articulated in our strategic plan, into coordinated priorities, initiatives, and actions across the academic enterprise, ensuring our efforts are cohesive, strategic, and responsive to campus needs in support of this vision.
 
Ongoing Reporting 

Deans of the colleges and schools as well as the leaders of the Auraria Library, the Research Development Office (RDO) and the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness (OIRE) will continue to report through the Provost’s Office. As the Chancellor mentioned in his April 20 message, the Office of Information Technology will transition to the Provost’s Office. The Institute for International Business (IIB) will transition to the Business School. 

These changes outlined herein will take place effective July 1.

Continuing the Conversation


These organizational changes are an important step, but they are not the end of the conversation. In the fall semester, we will engage the campus community in discussions to better understand how we can most effectively support faculty, academic staff, and academic units in their work. Your perspectives will help shape how these units operate and how services are delivered going forward. 

Before the beginning of finals week, I plan to share more about the interim and long-term plans for leadership in these areas. 

For reference, a snapshot of the new organizational structure is included below. The current Provost’s Office organization chart is available here.


I appreciate your partnership as we continue to refine how the Provost’s Office serves the campus and supports our shared academic goals. I am excited to deepen our support of the work of this incredible campus.