Fall Board of Trustees Meeting

Hello DU,

Last week, the full Board of Trustees came together, and I’d like to share some takeaways. (And, as always, you can learn more about DU’s board on our dedicated BOT page.) 

In what has to be one of the big highlights for the trustees, four students shared how both serving as a 4D Peer Mentor and receiving mentorship themselves has clarified for them the difference between leadership and mentorship. Complimenting their testimonials, Laura Perille, executive director of 4D, shared data on the impact of 4D. You can hear more about this at the Oct. 3 Student Experience Survey Data Walk , but I want to highlight a couple points here: of the 713 undergrads surveyed, 91% report having at least one professor who makes them excited about learning and almost half report having a mentor who encourages them to pursue their goals and dreams. I hope we all feel a tremendous sense of pride in these outcomes. Well done, DU. 

In another session, Stu Halsall, VC of student affairs, shared the thinking behind the recent reorganization of offices in the Community Commons. The goal is to increase accessibility for our students, including bringing together the “Student Experience Suite” and ensuring the new Division for Community Support and Engagement, led by Vice Chancellor Chris Whitt, has space to work closely together as they support inclusion at DU. I want to especially thank the staff members working in CCOM for their flexibility during this transition.  

It should be no surprise that there were many discussions about the pressures affecting DU. Provost Loboa and I shared our assessment of the challenges facing higher education in the FEAC meeting. The severity of the moment—declining enrollment and public trust alongside swift federal actions impacting research, admissions, student aid, and more—is well understood by all, and the obligation to ensure we can continue to serve students for generations is deeply felt. 

Which brings me to DU Forward. DU Forward is driven by the need to meet current challenges and build an even stronger future. This community’s ideas and proposals have helped define DU Forward, and soon, across the month of October, we’ll dive into next steps together. For now, the Board is excited about what is to come.  

There are many, many bright spots among the challenges, and I hope we never lose sight of our optimism and the reality of the great and important work we do here.  

Finally, I want to close on something personal. Lego has officially announced a partnership with Star Trek: mark your calendars. Resistance is futile. Live long and prosper, DU.