The CU Board of Regents recognized distinguished professors, approved plans for phase two of renovations to the Fleming Building, and received preliminary data from the Campus and Workplace Culture Surveys during its meeting on Feb. 10.
Chancellor Philip DiStefano provided an update on the semester’s remote start, a decision triggered by rising COVID-19 cases and the devastating Marshall Fire, which destroyed about 139 homes belonging to CU Boulder faculty, staff and students.
Despite the struggles at the semester’s start, DiStefano said he was optimistic that the campus is on track for a successful spring semester.
After reaching a peak of more than 2,000 cases per 100,000 people in mid-January in Boulder County, the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the area has dropped substantially, he said.
And the community is also beginning the long road to recovery from the fire, he noted. To date, more than $216,000 in emergency funds have been directed to employees and more than $322,000 to students who were impacted.
The campus is looking to provide longer-term support to those facing gaps in insurance coverage, assisted by CU system President Todd Saliman and Treasurer Tony Vu.
Spring enrollment for 2022 is up 1% from last spring, DiStefano said, with most of the growth coming from nonresident undergraduates. Enrollment is up about 6% (645 students) in that category, while it dropped about 3% for resident undergraduates.
Total enrollment at CU Boulder now stands at 33,264 students.
Distinguished professors honored
On Thursday, DiStefano recognized five of CU Boulder’s new distinguished professors: Andreas Becker, Diane McKnight, Gifford Miller, Helen Norton and José-Luis Jimenez. Ruth Ellen Kocher will be recognized at a later date.
The title “Distinguished Professor” is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon tenured faculty members by the University of Colorado. Nominees must demonstrate exceptional accomplishments across research, teaching and service.
The faculty members, who were approved by the CU Board of Regents at the November 2021 meeting, represent a range of academic disciplines and have a combined 133 years of service at CU Boulder.
“These professors represent just a subset of the outstanding efforts happening every day on our campus,” DiStefano said, “and I’m grateful for the work they do to push the boundaries through extraordinary teaching, research and service.”
Fleming Building renovations approved
The board also approved $9.5 million in campus spending authority for additional renovations to CU Boulder’s Fleming Building to support the School of Education. Construction is expected to begin in May and be completed in 2023.
This second phase will renovate nearly 26,000 square feet in the center of the Fleming Building, modernizing the outdated space and incorporating active-learning teaching labs and a STEM teaching lab.
That portion of the Fleming Building has had few renovations since its construction in 1958 and also needs updates to address code compliance, safety and accessibility issues.
The campus already completed major renovations to the Fleming Tower in May 2020, remodeling about 13,600 square feet in phase one.
Once complete, the project will unify all 800-plus School of Education faculty, staff and students under one roof.
Campus Culture Survey overview
Representatives from each campus provided the regents with preliminary results from a Campus and Workplace Culture Survey conducted in fall 2021 with faculty, staff and students across the CU system.
The initiative emphasizes CU’s commitment to creating an inclusive environment where all community members feel respected, supported and valued.
At CU Boulder, nearly 18,000 staff, faculty and students completed the anonymized survey, which is now being analyzed.
CU Boulder reported an overall response rate of 40% to the survey. Response rates were highest among staff (73%), followed by faculty (60%), graduate students (48%) and undergraduate students (30%).
The campus also presented responses to five questions from the survey that align specifically with the CU system strategic plan, including questions related to feelings of acceptance, reporting harassment and discrimination, experiences of incivility, and mental health and wellness measures.
Survey results, along with opportunities for action, will be released in early April.
Sonia DeLuca Fernández, senior vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion, said staff from her office will be available as consultants to assist units with reviewing the findings, developing plans for improvement and evaluating efforts.
Other business
The regents also:
- Approved updates to several regent policies, including:
- Regent Policy 11.F (benefits) to provide updates and clarifications on retirement benefits.
- Regent Policy 14.J (naming university facilities), including the creation of a process to change or discontinue honorary facility names.
- Regent Policies 3.C, 3.E, 3.F, 6.B, 6.C, 10.E, 11.B, and 11.C to make updates necessitated by the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, which will be effective retroactive to Jan. 1, 2021.
- Regent Policy 2.F (board meetings) to incorporate best practices for agenda-setting for CU Board of Regents meetings.
- Approved a resolution supporting the University of Colorado Art Museum as it seeks accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums. The resolution affirms the regents’ intention to sustain the museum, founded in 2003, as an integral part of CU that supports the university’s educational mission.
- Approved a resolution supporting ongoing efforts to increase lactation spaces for employees, students and visitors across the CU system. The resolution also supports the creation of robust lactation policies that exceed federal, state and local policies.
- Approved new contracts for football assistant coaches Mike Sanford (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks), Brett Maxie (defensive passing game coordinator/safeties), Mark Smith (inside linebackers), Kyle DeVan (offensive line), Phil McGeoghan (wide receivers) and Clay Patterson (passing game coordinator/tight ends). Sanford’s contract runs through Feb. 14, 2025, with the rest of the contracts running through Feb. 14, 2024.
The meeting resumes Feb. 11, with additional coverage to follow in CU Boulder Today.
