Last month, more than 14,800 University of Colorado graduates achieved a major milestone in their educational journeys by earning their CU degrees. We celebrated their hard work, persistence and commitment in commencement ceremonies across our four campuses. 

We hope that among the many things our newest alumni learned during their time at CU is the immense value of teamwork and finding solutions – be it for themselves, in their fields of study or in the world at large – through a collaborative approach. Collaboration is at the heart of so much of what we do at CU, including how we educate, investigate, innovate, create and operate as an institution. It enables us to expand our reach and amplify our direct impact on individuals and communities across the state and the nation. Teamwork and collaboration are the Colorado Way.

Perhaps more than ever before, collaboration is critical to ensuring we continue delivering on our mission. As higher education faces rapid-fire changes coming from Washington, D.C., we’re working with our colleague institutions both statewide and nationally, and of course with our Colorado Congressional delegation, to advocate for our universities and colleges at the federal level. We’re receiving vital support from other sectors as well, which recognize and value the ways in which Colorado’s higher education institutions drive workforce development, scientific and biomedical advances, innovation in countless areas and economic strength for our state and nation. Such collaborative advocacy works. We recently achieved a victory when the Department of Commerce approved several more months of funding through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for CU Boulder’s Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES). We’re grateful for this continued funding, for which scientists at CIRES compete in order to conduct critical weather, wildfire and water research that benefits Colorado, our nation and our entire world.

At the state level, budget writers came through for CU and all of Colorado’s public universities and colleges this year, and I strongly believe our collaborative efforts helped pave the way for a better outcome than was initially predicted at the start of the legislative session. Due to a significant state budget gap, higher education institutions statewide faced substantial cuts to our overall level of state funding. CU joined with other Colorado universities and colleges on a budget request that resulted in a small but important state funding increase that helped us lessen tuition increases. We know we’ll face a tough state budget scenario next year as well, but we were deeply relieved and appreciative when lawmakers again chose to invest in students and their education. A big thanks to the state legislature, the Joint Budget Committee and the Governor for signing the funding increase into law.

The direct impact of our partnerships with other institutions across the state is readily apparent with programs like CU Denver’s The Partnership for Rural Educator Preparation (T-PREP), which works with Colorado rural community colleges to create affordable pathways to a CU degree and teacher licensure. Similarly, CU Boulder has long collaborated with Colorado Mesa University and Western Colorado University on programs that allow students to earn a CU Boulder engineering degree while remaining on the Western Slope. These partnerships reduce the cost of earning a CU degree while making it more accessible to students in all corners of our state.

Our spring graduates included the first cohort of CU medical students from the Fort Collins Regional Medical Campus, created through a partnership between CU’s School of Medicine and Colorado State University. Students in the program benefit from an affiliation with two major universities and experience the best of what both institutions offer in science education and translational research. A collaboration with our Colorado Springs campus and various community partners enables CU medical students to complete a core clinical year of their education in Southern Colorado communities.

Our Anschutz Medical Campus also provides students on our Colorado Springs and Denver campuses direct pathways to programs in physical therapy, pharmacy and other areas that help prepare CU students for success in the health professions, which the state of Colorado has identified as high need. Some of these pathways are offered online or in a hybrid format, putting a CU education and valuable professional training within reach for many students, including those in rural parts of our state.  

Of course, our partnerships extend beyond higher education to other sectors. CU now boasts the world’s first Executive MBA program in aviation, which will fill a critical workforce need at a time when air travel seems rife with challenges. Thanks to an exciting collaboration between CU  Denver and Denver International Airport (DEN) and a curriculum shaped by aviation leaders, mid-career professionals will be transformed into experts in airport operations with DEN – one of the world’s busiest airports – serving as their classroom. 

This past academic year saw the launch of C3 Innovation (C3 stands for curiosity, creativity and community) on our Colorado Springs campus, an initiative aimed at uniting faculty, students and external partners from various fields – including engineering, humanities, business, health sciences and cybersecurity – in a central hub to address real-world issues. 

There’s no shortage of examples at CU to demonstrate the power of partnerships and collaboration, both internally and externally. As experience has shown us repeatedly, we’re stronger together. Simply put, the Colorado Way works. We have been, and always will be, committed to moving Colorado forward – together.