G.P. "Bud" Peterson

Dear Members of the CU Community,

It is hard for me to believe Val and I have been at the University of Colorado at Boulder for nearly two years already. When we first arrived, we were optimistic about the future of the University, but we had no idea we would see CU enjoy so many successes in such a short time. Today, we are experiencing unparalleled success and many of you have heard me describe what a great time it is to be at CU-Boulder! As we enter a new era of vitality and direction, there are many people who deserve credit for the tremendous progress we are making. As we bring the academic year to a close, I want to take this opportunity to review our many successes and outline a path forward as we continue to move toward the ambitious goals outlined in Flagship 2030.

There is a lot of good news to share. We recorded all-time highs this year in applications, freshman enrollment, fundraising and federal research awards and expenditures. In April we learned CU-Boulder ranks 26th in the country among Top Public Research Universities in the listing published by the Center for Measuring University Performance. These rankings are based on nine measures including research, National Academy members, faculty awards, doctorates granted and ACT range, among others, making them both meaningful and significant.

Flagship 2030
The success and progress we have made in our strategic plan, Flagship 2030: Serving Colorado, Engaged in the World, is remarkable not only in its breadth and scope but also in terms of the involvement of the University community.  The plan was approved by the Board of Regents in November and was designed to position the state's flagship University as a role model for higher education in the 21st century. The plan identifies eight core and 10 transformational initiatives. Many of you have been thoroughly engaged in the process, serving on the steering committee or task forces and providing input electronically or at one of the many open forums. The goal is not to simply print the plan and leave it on a shelf, but instead to use it as a method by which we can continually prioritize and measure everything we do.

While the planning process and end result have been a very successful process, it also has resulted in important benefits we did not anticipate. When we began work 17 months ago, I did not realize what it would allow us, as a University community, to accomplish and how it would transform attitudes on campus. Flagship 2030 has provided a vehicle for us to stop looking at the past and instead to focus on the future to see all of our potential—and the view ahead is truly exciting! We began by asking in what areas do we have national or international leadership positions and in what areas do we have the potential for such leadership? We like what we see, and it has proven to be a truly invigorating process. Today we are well into Phase II—the hard work of implementing the plan.

Nine task forces have been meeting to create action plans to implement the 18 initiatives. More than 250 individuals volunteered to serve on the task forces—more than twice the number we expected or could accommodate. Yet everyone interested will have the opportunity to contribute to the development of our action and implementation plans. This overwhelming response has served to reassure me of the commitment of our campus community to the mission of the University. As I have said before, people support the things they feel passionately about and believe are well managed, and we are making a case for both here at CU.

The task forces on faculty, research, graduate education, undergraduate education, enrollment, facilities, budget, staff and operations, and outreach are being asked to provide an update this month and to develop fully fleshed-out action plans by Sept. 1.

We can count our accomplishments in many ways, but I prefer to look at them through those things that make up the heart and soul of any great university—our people, programs and platforms.

Read the entire letter on the Chancellor's website >>