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Under the leadership of Sona Dimidjian, D’Andra Mull and Ann Schmiesing, the��Student Flourishing Initiative kicked off in earnest to strengthen mental health programs that mitigate risk and promote students’ thriving. We formed an��advisory council and a��Student Voice and Leadership Council to center student voices and worked with the JED Foundation to assess our campus strengths and opportunities. The four-year process will include strategic recommendations for implementation and a collaborative plan for assessing impact over time.��

Since securing housing close to campus is a key driver of student success, retention and graduation, we continued work on Code Talker Hall, a��332-bed residence hall north of ������ý���� Creek slated to open in fall 2026. With collaboration from the Division of Student Life and Business, Finance & Infrastructure, we also advanced plans for a new��student housing project on Colorado Avenue, which is targeted to begin construction in summer 2026 for a fall 2028 opening.

Under the leadership of Jess Doty, we launched an��Employee Health and Well-Being department to help faculty and staff thrive professionally and personally and started the Well-being Innovators Network to champion wellness initiatives across campus ( by Jan. 22). This kicked off with a hugely successful Health and Wellness Summit on Nov. 12–13.

Campus leaders also worked closely with the ������ý���� Faculty Assembly on a Faculty Salary Task Force, which will soon issue a report of recommendations regarding compensation enhancement strategies.

Under the guidance of Sonia DeLuca Fernández and Jon Leslie, the campus embarked on a��collaborative project to define our shared values to help shape campus culture. I hope everyone will participate!

CU ������ý���� celebrated a��strong year of impactful research and creative work, earning $766.7 million in research funding in fiscal year 2025, despite federal uncertainty, guided by Massimo Ruzzene and the Research & Innovation Office. Recognition and visibility of innovative Buffs is also a critical component of this work, and CU Athletics introduced the��End Zone Innovators award to honor outstanding faculty innovators at home football games.��

We continued to grow Colorado’s quantum ecosystem, particularly by��advancing the Colorado Quantum Incubator’s strength and scope, and boosted research and creative impacts across aerospace, climate, health and bioscience, and the humanities. CU ������ý���� earned numerous distinctions across arts and humanities, including three Fulbright scholars and five Fulbright students for the 2024–25 year. We continued to support our Colorado delegates in working with the entire legislature in D.C. to advocate for federally funded research.

Under the leadership of Bryn Rees and Venture Partners at CU ������ý����, we leaned into efforts to translate our discoveries into marketable and impactful products and solutions and celebrated the��initial public offering of Infleqtion, CU ������ý����’s 10th “unicorn” spinout (companies valued over $1 billion).

With the leadership of our inaugural vice chancellor for sustainability, Andrew Mayock, we launched the new��Buckley Center for Sustainability Education thanks to a generous $10 million gift, and the campus announced��new master’s degree programs in sustainable engineering and business. CU ������ý���� also launched��������ý���� Climate Ventures, becoming the first U.S. public university to join the University Climate Ventures Network, alongside Stanford and MIT.

On campus, we partnered with PepsiCo to��eliminate single-use beverage plastics on campus, signed the��Green Chemistry Commitment ���Ի���made strides toward achieving our Climate Action Plan.��

CU ������ý���� also was selected to host the��Carnegie Foundation’s new national elective classification for sustainability in higher education, which will grow and evolve over the coming year.��

CU ������ý���� celebrated a��record fundraising year thanks to outstanding efforts from Katy Kotlarczyk and CU Advancement, connecting with more than 44,000 philanthropists to transform lives at CU ������ý����.

We also set the stage for expansion and improvement in other key areas, including a new��visioning process for online education. We embarked on a��new strategy for global engagement and launched a��new strategy for campuswide outreach efforts.

On campus, under the leadership of Marlon Lynch and new Police Chief Ashley Griffin, we began modernizing our safety infrastructure,��launched the CU ������ý���� Safe app, and welcomed two��explosive-detection dogs to our team. The Infrastructure & Resilience team also led an effort to��improve campus wayfinding, a continuing process that will improve both safety and belonging.

Under the leadership of Marin Stanek and the Office of Information Technology, we have begun rolling out��, strengthened�� and provided��.

Meanwhile, we continued supporting CU Athletics in a time of immense change nationally, including��, while Buffs student athletes earned acclaim across all sports. In cross country, the men finished 10th and women 13th in the��, while women’s soccer competed in the Sweet 16 ���Ի���. No. 24-ranked�� and has already won its first game in the NCAA Tournament. Women’s basketball��, and the men’s basketball team�� this season, their first 8-0 start in 76 years.

I also want to celebrate some of the important groundwork that got us here and sets us up for future success: building a strong��leadership team that includes new Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Ann Huff Stevens, new Senior Vice Chancellor for Operations Janel Forde, new Vice Chancellor for Sustainability Andrew Mayock; Senior Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives Ann Schmiesing; new Vice Chancellor and Managing Associate University Counsel Esther Henry, alongside an excellent group of existing leaders and shared governance groups.