Published: Feb. 9, 2015

Since August 2013, the Office of Performance Improvement (OPI) has been working across the CU-Boulder campus to provide academic and nonacademic units with the strategies, tools, methods and resources necessary to improve quality and performance. 

Jeff Luftig, who has been leading this office since its founding, will be moving into a new role to provide data analytics and key support to the new student success and retention initiatives. Cynthia Husek has agreed to assume the OPI directorship effective Monday, Feb 9. Luftig will also be leading an effort to develop new distance-learning classes for professional masters, regular masters degrees and selected undergraduate courses to be presented online.

Husek, who has been on the CU-Boulder campus for 16 years, has most recently been providing daily leadership for the Office of Contracts and Grants (OCG) as part of her position as assistant vice chancellor for research operations. 

“Jeff [Luftig] and I are in agreement about taking OPI to the next level, while continuing to nurture and grow what he has built” said Husek. “I’m looking forward to leading OPI as it continues to evolve to more broadly serve the academic and nonacademic units across campus, whatever their mission.”

Husek explains that OPI is currently working with over 46 units on campus and there is a wait list of units waiting to engage with them

Luftig says he plans to dive even deeper into the data analytics work he has been doing to support student success.

“I have been spending a chunk of my time tracking data related to student success, persistence and graduation rates across all schools and colleges at CU-Boulder,” said Luftig.

“I’ve also been conducting strategically identified research studies on various aspects of retention, success and graduation at the request of Provost Moore and other senior academic administrators.”

Luftig explains that these studies, which can be found on the OPI website, help our faculty and staff better understand which approaches are -- and are not -- working so that we more effectively support students success and graduation. 

Luftig will continue to provide strategic guidance and support to the OPI for as long as he is needed.

“I’m grateful to Jeff [Luftig] for his leadership of the OPI, and I’m excited to continue the work he has led,” said Husek. I’m looking forward to serving more units on campus. Just as important, though, I’m excited to continue our work with units with whom we’ve developed strategic plans and continue to help them move comfortably into a culture of continuous improvement.”