President's Newsletter

Space is increasingly important to our state, our nation and our university. CU is a vital part of an ecosystem focused on space that includes industry, government, higher education and the military.

As the nation’s 10th most prolific public research university, CU is a well-established and respected leader in innovation, developing solutions for many of today’s major challenges in aerospace, cybersecurity, health care, sustainability, urban vitality and more. Then came COVID-19.

When I assumed the CU presidency one year ago, the world – and how we lived in it – looked a lot different. Working in partnership with the Board of Regents and a talented and dedicated team of CU faculty and staff, we immediately began defining strategic priorities for the university, a process that revealed several urgent needs.

It’s not enough to merely make it through these strange and uncertain times. We’ve got to meet them head on by leaning into our strengths, resources and potential. By doing so, CU will emerge as an even more vital asset for our students, state and nation.

Life didn’t stop when we moved to remote teaching in mid-March in response to COVID-19, but our campuses became different places almost overnight, with the normal hustle and bustle replaced by a strange quiet.

Our world today is different, with many once-familiar things turned upside down. Between now and when we return to normal, or a slightly altered version of normal, we are facing the difficulties and opportunities that lie ahead for our society and our university with resolution and purpose.

The University of Colorado is closely following developments related to the international spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). The health and safety of our students, faculty and staff is our highest priority as we coordinate our planning and response.

My wife Debbie and I were first-generation college students, meaning none of our parents had a college degree. The degrees we earned opened the world for us and fostered opportunities we still realize today.

As we begin a new decade, it’s interesting to look at the one just passed. In 2010, Uber and Airbnb were only a couple of years into disrupting transportation and lodging. The iPhone was 2 years old but had already changed how we use technology. Instagram launched. Tesla’s battery-powered Model S was two years away.

I have long believed that life is a game of addition, not subtraction. And when that addition involves interacting with or surrounding yourself with people with different views, different backgrounds, different experiences, all the better.

We announced earlier today that CU faculty researchers across our four campuses secured a record $1.2 billion in research funding for 2018-19, surpassing the previous record of $1.053 billion.

There’s something timeless about school starting in the fall. The academic year is underway and CU’s four campuses are beehives of activity. The beginning of the semester is not far different from how it has been for centuries at universities around the world.

It has been an eventful month-plus since I began my position as president of the University of Colorado. I’ve met many people inside and outside the university, visited each of our four campuses multiple times and gotten to experience different parts of our diverse state and the Denver metro area.

I’m thrilled to begin my time as president of the University of Colorado. Since my selection in early May, I have spent considerable time learning more about CU, its people, activities, impact and the four campuses. The more I learn, the more I want to know.