The university will only change operations if it has to.

That’s the guidance Chancellor Justin Schwartz gave the Boulder Faculty Assembly (BFA) during its March meeting.

While acknowledging that the past few weeks have been especially disruptive, he encouraged faculty to focus on what they can control, which includes fulfilling the university mission.

“Our mission has not changed. Academic freedom has not changed. Freedom of speech and expression have not changed. Building a community of students, faculty and staff who reflect the state of Colorado has not changed. These remain central to all we do,” said Schwartz.

In addition to working with peer institutions to monitor the situation and forming the CU Boulder Transition Advisory Committee, Schwartz also listed actions the university has taken in response to actions taken by the new federal administration. Those include:

• Providing information to the Colorado Attorney General  seeking to prevent massive reductions to the National Institutes of Health’s Facilities and Administrative (F&A) rate, as well as information related to research grant payments.
• Publishing an  explaining and defending the F&A costs associated with research grants. To date only the National Institutes of Health Facilities and Administrative costs have been at risk, however it’s possible this won’t be an isolated situation.
• Encouraging researchers to  aimed at protecting vital NIH funding.
• Signing a letter to Congress from various higher education associations encouraging Congress to reverse course on dramatic cuts to the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences.
• Providing information to the Colorado Congressional delegation on how the executive order’s directives and memos directly impact CU Boulder.
• CU Boulder’s student government students combined forces with student government leaders from other Big 12 universities to lobby on Capitol Hill on behalf of higher education.
• Complying with lawful orders, while consistently reaffirming our commitment to not making changes to what we do unless required to do so.

While it’s not known how or when the executive orders affecting higher education will be resolved, Schwartz quoted  in saying that CU Boulder is “committed to being a premier, accessible and transformative public research university that has diverse and inclusive working and learning environments, and to maintaining the academic freedom of the students, staff and faculty that call the university home.”

The chancellor also shared his gratitude.

“I am so grateful for your work across teaching, research and service—your commitment and support of each other and our students—and as members of the BFA. In times of change and uncertainty, shared governance is especially critical to the university’s success,” said Schwartz, adding, “We are in uncharted waters; only by working together they are navigable.”

Other business

In partnership with the BFA, Schwartz announced the creation of a Faculty Salary Task Force. While the details of the effort are forthcoming, he’s working with deans, institute directors, department heads and key members of the staff to address possible future budgetary shortfalls.

Schwartz introduced new leaders that have come onboard since his presentation to BFA last fall: Ann Schmiesing, who serves as interim vice chancellor for strategic initiatives, and Andrew Mayock, the inaugural vice chancellor for sustainability. Mayock, who will start on March 17, is the former chief sustainability officer for the United States government, while Schmiesing returned to campus on March 1 after serving as the interim chancellor at CU Denver.

“They are both committed to the success of CU Boulder and have strong records of building collaborative and effective teams,” said Schwartz.

Finally, Schwartz announced a new initiative focused on student mental health and wellness during the meeting. This new effort includes, but is about a lot more than, just “avoiding mental health crises,” says Schwartz.

This initiative is “not in lieu of a dedicated focus on our faculty and staff,” said Schwartz. There will also be an ongoing working group that is a partnership between faculty, staff and administrators, with the aim of supporting faculty wellness.

In other BFA actions 

Announcing the new faculty athletics representative

Last fall, Joe Jupille announced that he was stepping back from his role as the campus’s faculty athletics representative. An extensive search for his replacement followed, with Nick Villanueva named as his successor.

“He’s going to do amazing,” said Jupille.

Villanueva will start this new position in the fall.

Faculty reaffirm their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion

Carmen Pacheco, the BFA diversity, equity and inclusion chair,  to reaffirm the BFA’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. 

“This is very important because of our students,” argued Pacheco. “Our students need to know that we support them no matter what they look like. They need to hear from us and we make it clear that we stand with them.”

This motion will be voted on at the next meeting.

In closing

• The 2025 winners of the BFA Excellence Awards were announced. The campus community is invited to a celebration on April 2.
• The student affairs committee introduced a new regarding faculty preferences for how they’d like students to communicate with them.
• Three motions introduced last month were voted on and passed. These include the creation of the new faculty shared governance advisor role; the renaming of the BFA parliamentarian and chair of bylaws and elections role; and a recommendation for faculty to include an AI statement on their syllabi.
• Finally, motions were also introduced to change the name and charge of the Budget and Planning Committee to the Budget, Finance and Academic Resource Management Committee; to ; and to  for if someone cannot fulfil their term. These motions will be voted on next month.

Learn more about the BFA and previous actions on the BFA website.

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The Sustainability Leadership Team (SLT) held its monthly meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 29. The group had a discussion about ongoing sustainability projects and critical initiatives and strategies to enhance the university's sustainability efforts. 

More specifically, the team identified projects that are on track to be implemented within the next three months and prioritized them based on feasibility and impact. Examples of projects include completing the building efficiency project, reviewing the STARS findings and increasing campus involvement in sustainability. 

Next steps

• The SLT will discuss opportunities for collaboration and ongoing support of these priority items.
• The SLT will also assist with the onboarding of the new vice chancellor for sustainability, Andrew Mayock.

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Senior Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation and Dean of the Institutes Massimo Ruzzene reasserted during the February Boulder Faculty Assembly (BFA) meeting on Feb. 6 that the university’s commitment to its values has not changed.

“In the face of this uncertainty, I think it’s important to reaffirm that our values, our priorities and commitment to care for one another have not changed,” said Ruzzene. “We all remain committed to, number one, upholding academic freedom for all members of our community. We’re committed to promoting and supporting scholarship as the pursuit, application and assimilation of knowledge; to supporting our campus efforts to attract and retain top talent within our students, staff, faculty; to fostering everyone’s success; and to ensuring the safety, security and well-being of our faculty, researchers, students and staff.”

Shelly Miller of mechanical engineering, the BFA chair, echoed Ruzzene’s sentiment.

“In these moments of stress and uncertainty, we should lean in. We should come together as a community. We should support each other. We should keep working and stay true to our mission,” said Miller. “You are a professor, teaching amazing students. Continue to teach them.”

While Ruzzene could not give specifics due to the fluid nature of the situation, he did encourage everyone to keep an eye on the federal transition webpage, which houses the most up-to-date information. He also recommended that faculty monitor these other campus websites as they are updated regularly:

• CU system, 
• Research & Innovation Resources, Research and Federal Funding webpage
• For detailed guidance for the research community, consult “What to do”
• For questions about specific funded projects, Office of Contracts and Grants

Ruzzene answered questions from faculty ranging from protecting student rights in the classroom to how existing grants and new grant applications should be dealt with in light of disruptions. He said that faculty, staff and students can visit Buff Info to ask further questions, emphasizing that the questions are read and responded to. Using the Buff Info resource is important because it allows the university to track the kinds and number of questions coming in so that subject matter experts can distinguish between what is a one-off concern and what are bigger questions that require a university-wide response. 

If anyone has privacy concerns about submitting their question to Buff Info, Miller said, they’re encouraged to reach out to her or the BFA and they can submit the questions for them.

“This is a marathon, not a sprint...We must remain committed to our values. We need to support each other, and we need to remain confident that our excellent work and care for one another, for our students, will make a difference,” said Ruzzene, adding:

“There’s no doubt that this is a challenging time for our community, but you must not despair. We should not be despondent. This is a time where we can come together and really activate our collective strengths. And because we anticipate that this uncertainty will continue for some time, it is important that you know that the importance (of the work we do) has not changed.”

In other BFA action

At its February meeting, the assembly also discussed:

Retirements and restructuring

Miller announced at the beginning of the meeting that she will retire from CU Boulder in June. 

“I really enjoyed my time in many roles in the BFA,” Miller said.

In addition, long-time program coordinator Lynne Howard and BFA secretary Vicki Grove of Germanic and Slavic studies are retiring from CU Boulder. 

Miller pointed out these transitions have opened up the opportunity to reimagine certain roles, including a proposed faculty seat called the faculty shared governance advisor. This three-year position will call on a faculty member with broad campus experience to advise the BFA officers and consult with college and school faculty governance bodies on campus faculty shared governance issues. 

Additionally, the recently approved changes to BFA officer roles means the secretary role expands to include some elements of the previous vice chair. The new title, BFA parliamentarian and chair of bylaws and elections, better reflects those duties. 

Any feedback or questions should be sent to bfa@colorado.edu prior to the March BFA meeting, where they will be voted on. Faculty with interest in running for upcoming BFA officer seats should reach out to Miller. Officer elections will be held in April and May.

Additional business

• Everyone is encouraged to vote on the new microcredential policy, which was introduced during the December meeting.
• The BFA/Center for Teaching and Learning working group on generative AI has created syllabus guidance, and a motion was introduced recommending faculty include generative AI guidance on their syllabus statements based on this guidance. Faculty are encouraged to view the guidance and , which meets on Fridays. Additionally, CTL is hosting  related to generative AI, including the upcoming two-day conference on equitable teaching practices and generative AI topics featuring Flower Darby.
• BFA is currently accepting nominations for three BFA at-large representative positions, two of which are outside of the College of Arts and Sciences, one within. Nominations are open through Feb. 24, with voting open March 3–14.
• Miller encouraged everyone to attend the upcoming lecture, “”

The next meeting is scheduled for March 6. Learn more about the BFA and previous actions on the BFA website.

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The University of Colorado Board of Regents received an overview of tuition and fee proposals during its meeting Feb. 6–7, one of several steps leading toward the approval and creation of campus budgets this spring.

CU Boulder budget proposals

Chad Marturano, chief financial officer for the CU system, presented budget proposals for all four campuses. For CU Boulder, the following key elements were discussed.

Student athletic fees

• An increase of the student athletic fee to $90 per semester. The current rate of $28.50, set in 1994, is the lowest in the state and among Big 12 peers who charge fees.
• Funding from the student fee increase would provide support for women’s sports scholarships, as well as for non-revenue-generating sports. 
• Beginning in fall 2025, the increase would apply to all undergraduate students except for continuing Colorado residents, for whom the Colorado Resident Tuition Guarantee applies. Graduate students would remain exempt from the student athletic fee, as they have since 2018.  

Tuition and fee rate changes

• A proposed 2.3 to 4% increase in tuition for all incoming undergraduate students (both resident and non-resident of Colorado) and for all graduate students. Because of CU Boulder’s tuition guarantee, the increase would not apply to continuing undergraduate students.
• Other campus fees are still being determined and will be presented in April. 

Housing and dining fees

• A proposed 4% increase in residence hall fees, 4% increase in Bear Creek apartment fees and 3% increase in graduate and family housing fees. 

Compensation 

• A 4% compensation pool for university staff, faculty and graduate students on appointment, which may include merit increases, compression, retention and equal pay increases.
• And a 2.5% across-the-board pay increase for classified staff in line with the state of Colorado.

Because the campus experienced higher-than-expected student enrollment and retention this academic year, the 2024–25 revenue is 3% higher than budgeted, Marturano said.

Next year, the campus is projecting a 1.3% enrollment increase, roughly 486 students, largely through retention. CU Boulder is proposing increased institutional aid to help maintain access and affordability for Colorado residents. 

The board is expected to vote on the budget proposals during its April meeting. The 2025–26 fiscal year begins on July 1, 2025.

Record retention

Chancellor Justin Schwartz shared an update on the spring 2025 student census, including record retention rates among first-year students.

University Memorial Center improvements

The board approved plans to upgrade the University Memorial Center building to enhance comfort, safety and efficiency. The work will focus on the dining area, bookstore, social and student club space, printing services space, conference/meeting spaces and loading dock. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $8.3 million and will offset $2.9 million in deferred maintenance. The work is scheduled to begin in January 2026 and be completed by June 2026.

Acquisition and gift plans

The board approved plans to further investigate the acquisitions of the Spruce Gulch Wildlife and Research Reserve in Boulder County and the Westmoor parcel in Westminster. No agreements are final.  

Other business

The board also approved a new master of arts degree in artificial intelligence from the Department of Computer Science at CU Boulder and a new two-year contract for football Defensive Coordinator Robert Livingston. The contract runs through the 2026 season. Changes to additional regent policies and procedures will be summarized in the . 

On the second day, the board participated in a panel discussion regarding AI and ethics, with a question and answer session moderated by Michael Lightner, vice president of academic affairs for CU. Sandra Ristovska, associate professor, Media Studies, College of Media, Communication and Information shared insights on the role of images in the legal system and the specific challenges that generative AI and deep fakes pose.

In closing, the board confirmed the continuation of the current board chair Callie Rennison and the current vice chair Ken Montera.

The next regular board meeting will be held on April 10 at CU Denver.

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A record percentage of first-year students who started classes at CU Boulder in fall 2024 chose to extend their academic studies into the 2025 spring semester, according to new retention data from the spring 2025 student census.

Of the cohort of 7,359 students who began their first year at CU Boulder in fall 2024, 97% continued into spring 2025, an increase over the 96.4% retention rate recorded last spring for first-year students who started in fall 2023. 

“Ensuring students continue past their first semester at CU Boulder is a critical first step toward getting them all the way to graduation,” said CU Boulder Chancellor Justin Schwartz. “This past fall, our campus doubled down on multidisciplinary efforts—both academic and administrative—to close gaps that were impeding students from continuing their studies. I am grateful to the many staff and faculty members who contributed to our concerted efforts to help all of our students thrive.”

During a CU Board of Regents meeting on Thursday, Schwartz shared the milestone and other highlights from the spring 2025 census with the regents.

Included among the highlights from the spring 2025 census data is record fall-to-spring retention among first-year Black/African American students at 96.9%—nearly the same rate as the first-year student cohort overall. CU Boulder enrolled its largest class of first-year Black/African American students in university history in fall 2024. 

Amy Hutton, vice chancellor for enrollment management, said campus efforts since fall have included ongoing student success initiatives and tactics such as helping students set up financial plans to support their education goals. Employees from various campus units also touched base with students who had not yet registered for the spring semester or were uncertain about their decision to pursue a college degree in the first place.

“Staff reached out to students who were not registered for classes and said, ‘What do you need? How can we help?” Hutton said. “There were a number of outreach points that probably played into some of the gains we are seeing.”

While the campus experienced gains across several student groups, Hutton acknowledged the data also signal opportunities to provide greater support to first-generation students and other student groups.

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This January, eligible faculty and university staff are receiving a 4% pay increase. At the CU Board of Regents meeting in April 2024,  the regents approved the 4% compensation pool for CU Boulder employees.

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The Sustainability Leadership Team hosted Chancellor Justin Schwartz at its monthly meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 18. 

During the meeting, Schwartz outlined the following key tasks for the team to address as part of their efforts to shape the university’s sustainability strategy over the coming years.

• The chancellor expressed strong support for the Sustainability Council’s zero-waste proposal. This initiative aims to eliminate single-use plastics, promote the adoption of reusable containers across the campus, expand plastic film recycling and increase front-of-house composting opportunities. He emphasized the importance of galvanizing the entire campus community to align with these goals, citing the proposal as a cornerstone of the university’s sustainability efforts.
• In the lead-up to the onboarding of the campus’s first vice chancellor for sustainability later this semester, the chancellor also asked the team to support the development of a comprehensive vision for sustainability on campus.
• To support this effort, he requested the creation of a detailed landscape map that identifies and categorizes the various sustainability organizations, programs and initiatives currently operating at the university. This map will help streamline efforts, organize priorities and foster greater collaboration among stakeholders.

Miscellaneous agenda items

The team also discussed the ongoing search process for a new vice chancellor for sustainability. Interviews for the role have begun, and the team expressed optimism about identifying a visionary candidate who can drive the university’s sustainability agenda forward.

Interim Senior Vice Chancellor for Operations Jennifer McDuffie has been appointed to chair the Sustainability Leadership Team in the interim between Chief Operating Officer Patrick O’Rourke’s departure and the hiring of the new vice chancellor for sustainability.

Next steps

The meeting concluded with a commitment to advancing the outlined priorities. The team will:

• Support the onboarding of the new vice chancellor for sustainability.
• Compile and organize information for the landscape map of sustainability-related operations.
• Support the campus community in the transition toward zero waste through education and infrastructure improvements.

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In response to university concerns surrounding the changing federal administration, Provost Russell Moore announced the formation of a federal transition response team during his update to the final Boulder Faculty Assembly (BFA) meeting of the year.

The federal transition response team is a group of university leaders that will triage to experts around campus any concerns about anticipated changes in federal policy with the new administration. Patterned on a similar team last used during the COVID-19 pandemic, the team will help the university swiftly address anticipated or planned governmental actions that could negatively affect the university and its mission.

The university administration will continue to monitor the evolving situation on both the state and the federal levels, Moore said, including, for example, recent legislation passed in Utah and Florida that dissolved entire departments and programs.

“You have our commitment that we’ll do our level best to make sure not only that people maintain their jobs, but that we can continue to conduct very meaningful and impactful scholarship,” Moore said.

During the meeting, Moore reinforced his commitment to compensation increases for not just faculty but also staff and graduate students, so that CU Boulder is on par with peer institutions. He said major strides have been made the last few years in a way that many peers haven’t been able to make, but he’s hoping for more.

Raising salaries “remains a high priority. It’s been my highest priority,” Moore said.

Finally, Moore addressed recent personnel changes, including the appointment of Erika Randall, professor of theater and dance, as the interim dean and vice provost of undergraduate education; the return of Vice Chancellor for Academic Resource Management Ann Schmiesing from the University of Colorado Denver, where she is serving as the interim chancellor; and the recent announcement of a sole finalist for the School of Education dean position. He also addressed the recently announced changes in Strategic Resources and Support, including the move of Enrollment Management, led by Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Enrollment Officer Amy Hutton, to Academic Affairs.

“I’d like to encourage all of us to stick together, to continue to work together in collaboration, and really focus on our mission, which is student success and knowledge discovery and dissemination,” Moore said. “We conduct our business (on campus) mostly with compassion and concern, and I think that’s particularly important as we’re going through not only leadership changes but possible changes at the federal and regulatory levels.”

In other BFA action

Creating an academic policy on micro-credentials

Micro-credentials are often used to recognize innovative teaching, learning, research or creative work that doesn’t fit neatly within a degree or certificate program. Despite being a fixture on campus since 2020 with 50 micro-credentials approved to date, there hasn’t been a policy for them established yet, but that’s about to change.

Academic Affairs is now soliciting feedback on the final draft of a new micro-credentials policy. The policy will provide curricular guidance and direction for how micro-credentials differ from other credentials such as certificates and will formalize the process for approval and periodic review of micro-credentials.

The BFA Academic Affairs committee has been working with Academic Affairs on the policy drafts since last spring. The committee submitted a BFA resolution that recommends endorsing the policy, and the resolution and draft policy will now be open for BFA review and comment until February, when representatives will vote on the resolution.

“We know there’s so much learning happening around the university that’s not traditionally captured on a transcript,” said Kristi Wold-McCormick, associate vice provost and university registrar. “There’s a lot of opportunity to not replace what we’re doing but to enhance and complement what we’re doing for our students and the university.”

From the BFA Grievance Advisory Committee

The BFA Grievance Advisory Committee is soliciting feedback about what is—and isn’t—working in the Professional Rights and Responsibilities of Faculty Members (PRR), CU Boulder’s policy and procedural document that outlines the privileges and responsibilities, as well as the standards of professional conduct, for both faculty and academic leaders. Feedback may be sent to bfa@colorado.edu.

In closing

• BFA heard updates about revisions to officer titles and roles, including the proposed structural changes brought forth during last month’s meeting.
• BFA Chair Shelly Miller provided brief updates on the , the reimagining of the BFA Budget and Planning Committee, climate change efforts on campus, and the 2025 BFA Excellence Awards, which are now open for nominations.

The next meeting will be Feb. 6, 2025.

Learn more about the BFA and previous actions on the BFA website.

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The Campus Sustainability Leadership Team convened Wednesday, Nov. 20, to discuss the following topics:

Leadership updates

  Join the Sustainable Buffs community

  Share your sustainability ideas

Discussion: Chief Operating Officer Patrick O’Rourke shared that the search committee is working through the hiring process for the new vice chancellor for sustainability. The hiring committee will begin meeting candidates in December with the intention of hiring in early 2025.

O’Rourke will be leaving CU Boulder at the end of the year. Chancellor Schwartz will announce who will step into O’Rourke’s role leading the Sustainability Leadership Team in 2025.

Sustainability funding

Discussion: Associate Vice Chancellor for Public Policy Kirsten Schuchman and Senior Advisor for Sustainability and Climate Heidi Vangenderen gave an overview of the status of sustainability funding:

• A subgroup of the Sustainability Leadership Team has been reviewing funding ideas at the state, federal and donor levels while also exploring how other higher education institutions are paying for sustainability-related projects.
• A Masters of the Environment student and student-employee in the Office of Government and Community Engagement has identified state and federal funding opportunities that have come out of Senate Bill 230 with the recommendation that CU Boulder advocates for research funding and acts quickly on any programs or grants that may be at risk of discontinuation.
• CU Boulder is preparing for its first fundraising campaign which will feature sustainability as a major campus initiative.

Zero-waste proposal

Discussion: Josh Radoff, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Specialization Lead within the Masters of the Environment program, brought forth a zero-waste proposal from the campus Sustainability Council. 

The council proposes eliminating all single-use plastic from locations where CU Boulder serves food and beverages, expanding plastic film recycling and reinstating front-of-house composting through building-managed composting. 

The proposal, based on a 2013 waste audit, would include a site-by-site evaluation including cost and timeline of upgrading and renovating each facility to accommodate the goal of eliminating single-use plastics. 

The council would investigate the potential to eliminate or reduce single-use plastic cups and lids from cafes and encourage “bring-your-own-cup” outreach across campus. Radoff notes that we should be in the process of continual investigation to identify other ways to become a zero-waste campus.

Next steps: The Sustainability Council will vote to approve the proposal on Dec. 5, after which there will be a discussion with the Sustainability Executive Leadership Team to organize support and operationalize the strategies.

This is part of a series that covers the CU Boulder Sustainability Leadership Team (formerly known as the Sustainability Executive Council) meeting discussions and decisions. The Sustainability Leadership Team brings together decision-makers and leaders from across campus to drive action and accountability to achieve carbon neutrality, goals outlined in the Chancellor’s Call to Climate Action and the implementation of the campus Climate Action Plan. 

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CU Boulder has two improved policies to help on and off-campus employers ensure they’re paying students correctly.

How to Pay Students Policy

The How to Pay Students Policy ensures students at CU Boulder are paid using the proper payment method and reported accurately.

Other Financial Assistance Policy

The Other Financial Assistance (OFA) Policy ensures that all forms of financial aid, including federal state and institutional aid, are considered when determining a student’s eligibility for federal financial assistance at CU Boulder.

Many common types of payment to students are forms of OFA and must be reported to the Office of Financial Aid. Reporting student payments correctly keeps them in compliance with rules and regulations.

Refer to this Office of Financial Aid webpage for additional support, resources and guidance.

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