Introducing the Inaugural Newton Fellows

We are excited to announce the launch of one of the Center for Leadership’s most exciting new initiatives: the Newton Fellows, previously known as the Student Leaders of the Year Fellowship. As we begin the first year of this signature program, we are thrilled to introduce our inaugural cohort of exceptional student leaders.

The Newton Fellows program is designed to recognize and elevate a select group of CU Boulder’s most promising undergraduate leaders through a yearlong experience focused on coaching, experiential learning, mentorship, and leadership development. Nominated by our campus leadership affiliates and selected through a competitive application process, these students demonstrate a deep commitment to character, creativity, and community-building.

This spring, we invited faculty, staff, and student leaders across our affiliate programs to submit nominations for students who exemplify leadership potential. After receiving nearly 60 nominations from 24 different programs, we selected a small cohort of 25 students whose stories and aspirations embody the very spirit of leadership we aim to cultivate through this initiative.

In renaming the fellowship, we are proud to honor Quigg and Virginia Newton, whose visionary leadership laid the foundation for building a more inclusive, innovative, and service-oriented University of Colorado. The Newtons’ legacy of civic responsibility and student empowerment lives on in this new generation of Fellows, who are committed to strengthening the CU Boulder community and leading meaningful change.

Please join us in welcoming the 2025–2026 Newton Fellows, an extraordinary group of changemakers who will no doubt carry forward the spirit of the Newtons and leave a lasting impact on our campus and beyond.

Visit the program webpage to learn more about this initiative and to meet our 2025-2026 Newton Fellows cohort: https://www.colorado.edu/lead/leadership-community/sloy-fellows!