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Sharing gratitude and information about next steps
A few moments ago, you heard from Amy Parsons that she will conclude her presidency of Colorado State University at the end of this year. I want to follow her message with a few words of my own – of gratitude, of candor about the road ahead, and of real confidence in where this University stands.
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Tony Frank: On looking forward to Election Day
Election Day, coming this year on November 3, is the purest testament to the resilience of our democratic republic. It is the minimum asked of us as citizens, and yet the most important responsibility we share. So perhaps it’s a good time to review some actual data. The Center for American Progress, working with the MIT Election Lab, analyzed data for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and state office elections over the last several decades.
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This CSU System program can help make you a better teacher and adviser
The Grow initiative furthers CSU’s mission of student success by helping these mentors expand their skill sets and adapt to the changing needs of the next generation. It’s a component of a four-year, $7.8 million Department of Education grant that was first awarded to the CSU System in 2024. In the two years since, about 40% of the 350 advisers from across CSU Fort Collins, Pueblo and Global have taken part in the adviser development pathway.
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CSU System reports fall enrollment trends and gains in student success
Colorado State University System campuses are reporting growth in several populations central to their access missions and improvement in key student success measures for fall 2026 enrollment. At CSU in Fort Collins, increases were seen in undergraduate enrollment for Colorado students. CSU Pueblo recorded growth in Regional In-State Equivalent, rural, and Pell-eligible enrollment. CSU Global continues to serve working adults through flexible online programs.
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New CSU System tool uses machine learning to help instructors identify struggling students
Large lectures can make it difficult for students to feel heard, but a custom tool funded by a U.S. Department of Education grant is helping to bridge that gap. The tool integrates data from the Canvas learning platform and the Banner student information system and feeds it to an analytics application that shows the instructor a student’s predicted success in a course and recommends interventions like a quick email check-in.
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On finding your voice
The Class of 2030 has arrived on college and university campuses across Colorado, bringing with them the fears, hopes, and dreams that every class of entering students brings – as well as a set of questions and challenges that seem unique to their time in history and in life.
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Mordecai Brownlee named CSU vice president for Denver metro engagement and executive director of CSU Spur
CSU President Amy Parsons has selected Mordecai Brownlee to be the next vice president for Denver metro engagement and executive director of CSU Spur, beginning Jan. 1. Brownlee joins CSU from the Community College of Aurora, where he has served as president since 2021.
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A campus full of new connections: 4 ways CSU Spur made an impact in 2025-2026
Think of the CSU Spur campus as a web of people and programs that may seem different at first glance but are united by a larger mission centered on the themes of food, water, and health. Here’s a closer look at four ways CSU Spur and its unexpected connections made an impact in Colorado and beyond during the 2025-2026 fiscal year.
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Denver Public Schools students now receive guaranteed admission to CSU’s flagship campus in Fort Collins
Colorado State University has finalized an agreement with Denver Public Schools granting guaranteed admission to its flagship campus in Fort Collins for qualifying high school seniors.
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Tony Frank: On what summer brings
We know too well that in Colorado, summer invariably comes with “events” that aren’t so well planned. Wildfires. Drought. Damaging heat and storms. Invasive pests targeting trees and crops. All of these can complicate the warm-weather months in Colorado – and put Colorado State University’s mission as a land-grant university to the test.
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Here are 150 ways CSU has made Colorado (and the world) a better place since 1876
In honor of the state’s 150th birthday, here are 150 ways Colorado State has bolstered the economy, set students up for success, fed the world, and so much more. Just let us know if you’d like additional examples – we have a lot more where this came from!
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CSU launches System-wide Design Accelerator to bolster rural engagement
The CSU System has launched a grant-funded partnership with the University Design Institute at Arizona State University to find innovative pathways to strengthen rural communities across Colorado. This initiative brings together 36 extension agents, professors, program managers, and others from CSU’s Fort Collins, Pueblo, Global, and Spur campuses.
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CSU Spur’s Wiz Kid wins Heartland Emmy for children’s programming
Wiz Kid is always learning something new, and she acquired an extra-special piece of knowledge the evening of July 18: she’s officially a Heartland Emmy winner! The Wiz Kid series, produced by several members of Colorado State University’s Marketing and Communications team and featuring CSU Spur experts, was recognized as the top piece of children’s programming in the region.
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CSU chancellor, vice president for research share optimism at APLU summer meeting
CSU Vice President for Research Cass Moseley and CSU System Chancellor Tony Frank shared their insights on June 22 as part of a panel at the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities Council on Research Summer Meeting, which was co-hosted by CSU and the University of Colorado Boulder. More than 200 research leaders from APLU member institutions across the country attended the meeting. APLU President Waded Cruzado moderated a panel with Frank, Moseley and CU Boulder Vice President for Research Massimo Ruzzene.
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Tony Frank: On Dr. Becky
Land-grant universities were firmly established as part of the educational landscape when Dr. Becky Hiromi Takeda-Tinker came to work for the Colorado State University System. But she used that foundation to set about building something completely new…and revolutionary: CSU Global, the first fully online, fully accredited, public university in the United States. And she did it without state funding.
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NASH and CSU System launch Talent Readiness–Colorado
The National Association of Higher Education Systems (NASH), in partnership with the CSU System, recently announced Talent Readiness–Colorado, a statewide workforce initiative designed to meet Colorado’s most urgent labor needs. The initiative creates short, employer‑aligned training pathways into high‑demand jobs across the state, with the goal of expanding similar programs nationwide.
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CSU System leaders recognized among Colorado’s top executives
CSU System’s commitment to strong, visionary leadership is reflected in the women helping guide its campuses into the future — and national recognition is once again highlighting that impact. This year, Dr. Audra Spicer, interim president and CEO of CSU Global, was named a first-time recipient of the Titan100 award, joining a growing list of CSU System leaders recognized for innovation, influence, and leadership across Colorado.
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Inaugural class of Spur Start students celebrates a historic first year
Spur Start allows first-year students who live in the Denver metro area to begin their CSU education while living at home and commuting to the Spur campus at the National Western Center. Over the course of the program’s first year, this cohort of 22 students had the opportunity to participate in a variety of experiential learning opportunities on the Spur campus.
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A message from Chancellor Frank on Dr. Becky Takeda-Tinker
We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and dear friend, Dr. Becky Takeda-Tinker, the guiding force behind the growth and success of CSU Global – the nation’s first fully online public university. She was a brilliant mind, a courageous leader, and a dedicated public servant whose impact will be felt for generations to come.
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CSU System Board of Governors approves campus budgets for fiscal year 2026-2027
The Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System approved budgets for its campuses this week that keep tuition levels low and preserve fiscal strength amid budget challenges and uncertainty tied to state and federal funding. Facing a projected state budget shortfall approaching $1.5 billion, the state’s final budget recommendation includes essentially flat funding for higher education and a 3.5% cap on resident undergraduate tuition increases.
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Tony Frank: On the value added
I write frequently in this newsletter about all the ways public higher education benefits individuals and society – through creating opportunity, advancing knowledge, and educating citizens who are informed, intellectually curious, and committed to civic engagement. Today, I want to talk about the dollars and cents.
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CSU System Board of Governors welcomes Kayla Garcia, president and CEO of Girls, Inc. of Metro Denver
Kayla Garcia, a nonprofit leader who was educated at Colorado State University, grew up in Pueblo, and holds deep ties to the state of Colorado, was named to the Colorado State University System Board of Governors, following confirmation by the Colorado General Assembly on April 27. Garcia, an alumna of CSU, is president and CEO of Girls Inc. of Metro Denver, where she leads a youth-serving organization serving more than 3,000 girls annually.
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Q&A with Becky Takeda-Tinker
As the founding president and CEO of CSU Global, Becky Takeda-Tinker helped pioneer a model designed to meet the needs of nontraditional learners while operating without state funding. In the conversation that follows, she reflects on the founding vision of CSU Global, the challenges of building a new model within a public system, and the leadership principles that have guided her career.
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Study: CSU System’s economic impact far exceeds state funding
The Colorado State University System added $1.233 billion to the Colorado economy during the 2024 fiscal year – 5.8 times larger than the $211.6 million it received in state funding – according to the latest Systemwide economic impact report released today. The CSU System generated $2.4 billion in annual economic output, supported nearly 12,000 jobs, and generated an estimated $90 million in tax revenue.
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Advancing Southwest Colorado’s workforce
The CSU System and NASH are launching a regional workforce initiative to meet Southwest Colorado’s most urgent labor needs. Drawing on CSU Extension’s deep local presence and NASH’s system‑level expertise, the initiative creates short training pathways that move nontraditional learners not currently enrolled in high school or college into high‑demand jobs and respond directly to employer requests for talent.
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Another state budget update from Chancellor Frank
The Joint Budget Committee met Monday and then again this morning. And ... there’s modest good news here. The actions that affect us include the restoration of a cut that we’d taken during the special session with a net positive impact to the CSU System of $2.2M. The JBC also recommended caps on resident tuition increases at 3.5% and non-resident at 5% for both undergraduate, graduate and professional rates. These are also close to what we’ve been modelling, but the campus enrollment folks will need to analyze market conditions before we recommend anything to the Board there.
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State budget update from Chancellor Frank
Bottom-line up front for those of you who know how long these emails can be: the state has yet to set the higher education budget for FY27, and they don’t set our tuition limits until they’ve completed the budget. There remains substantial uncertainty around the entire state budget, and higher ed, sadly, is often one of the most prominent balancing factors when our elected officials find themselves in a budget bind. So ... we find ourselves running up against routine budget planning deadlines within our campuses without the information we need to finalize our decisions.
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Tony Frank: On research with impact
In February, CSU University Distinguished Professor Ed Barbier became the first economist ever to receive the Planet Earth Award from the Alliance of World Scientists – a coalition of 27,000 scientists worldwide who champion science as a basis for addressing global environmental challenges.
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Dr. Janice Nerger named interim provost of Colorado State University Global
Dr. Nerger brings a wealth of experience within the Colorado State University System and a proven track record of excellence. Most recently, she served as an advisor to the Colorado State University System, working on critical strategic initiatives. She previously served as interim provost and vice president of academic affairs at CSU Fort Collins for two years, following a successful 12-year tenure as the Dean of the College of Natural Sciences where she led large and complex academic units.
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CSU Global interim president and CEO recognized as 2026 Colorado Titan 100 recipient
Since joining CSU Global in 2012, Dr. Spicer has been a driving force behind the university’s mission to provide high-quality, career-aligned education for learners. Under her leadership as provost and chief academic officer and now as interim president and CEO, she has overseen the launch of over 30 new industry-relevant programs in high-demand fields. Joining Dr. Spicer in this recognition is Dr. Jones, who is celebrating her second consecutive year as a Colorado Titan 100 honoree.
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Tony Frank: On bending toward hope
The word ‘hope’ takes its roots from Old English and Proto-Germanic languages and starts with a meaning of “to bend or incline toward.” In these roots lies a distinction between passive optimism and taking action toward the future one envisions. And envisioning a better future amid turbulent times may, in and of itself, be an important action. Few people embody this more completely, to my mind, than Abraham Lincoln, our 16th president, whose birthday we celebrate this month.
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Dr. Audra Spicer named interim president of CSU Global
Effective March 1, 2026, current Acting President Dr. Audra Spicer will formally step into the role of interim president of CSU Global. Dr. Becky Takeda-Tinker, who was appointed the first president of CSU Global in 2010, served for 10 years, and returned as president and CEO in 2023, will transition into a new role as special assistant to the chancellor March 1.
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CSU System Board of Governors appoints Rico Munn as next System chancellor
The Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System today confirmed the appointment of Rico Munn as the next chancellor of the CSU System. Munn will serve as executive vice chancellor until June 30, 2027, when current chancellor Tony Frank retires.
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CSU launches first-of-its-kind joint nursing degree to tackle Colorado’s critical workforce shortage
This fall, CSU Fort Collins and CSU Pueblo will launch a joint B.S/M.S. degree in nursing, the first-ever collaborative academic program between two campuses in the CSU System. Pre-nursing students at the Fort Collins campus will be able to earn both their undergrad degree and a master’s in nursing in five years and join a field that is seeing a shortfall of thousands of registered nurses in Colorado.
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New advising network aims to bolster student success across CSU System
Grow, a unique CSU System-wide initiative, is aimed at helping advisers across all three of its campuses in Fort Collins, Pueblo, and online better develop their skills to bolster student retention and success. Rye Vigil, who has overseen the creation of Grow and serves as the lead for student success education and system collaboration at CSU, spent several weeks shadowing advisers at all three campuses and learning about their day-to-day activities to help better determine how to provide them with better resources.
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Rico Munn named sole finalist for CSU System chancellor
The Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System today named Rico Munn as the sole finalist to be the next chancellor of the CSU System. A longtime Colorado education leader, Munn is currently CSU’s vice president for Metro Denver Engagement and Strategy, having recently concluded a nearly yearlong tenure as interim president of the CSU Pueblo campus.
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Tony Frank: On 150/250
150 years ago…1876. Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone. The Transcontinental Express zoomed from New York City to San Francisco along the First Transcontinental Railroad in just under 84 hours. Custer had his “last stand” at the Little Bighorn. The Chicago Cubs won their first-ever National League game in a shutout against Louisville. And Colorado became the 38th state – an event we will be celebrating all year long as we honor our state’s sesquicentennial in 2026.
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CSU System serves the state by educating 50,000 students annually
The Colorado State University System’s three degree-granting campuses educate about 50,000 students each year and together have almost 350,000 living alumni who are working, contributing and leading in industries and communities nationwide. With more than 8,500 full-time faculty and staff who have combined annual earnings of more than $600 million, the System also is a major employer that serves as an engine of economic development in communities across the state.
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CSU Spur plans special activities during the National Western Stock Show
Spur is going big to welcome thousands of visitors who will walk through the doors of its three buildings during the stock show, which runs from Jan. 10-25. The campus will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. all 16 days. Here’s a breakdown of some of the fun things you can see, do and learn at Spur during the stock show.
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Registration now open for CSU Spur spring break and summer camps
Whether your child is passionate about animals, fashion design, music, aviation, or history, there’s a camp for everyone at CSU Spur – and registration is now open for the 2026 lineup of fun and educational experiences. In addition to 10 different summer camps for youth in kindergarten through 12th grade, Spur will also host a special spring break camp from March 23–27 for students in first through fifth grades in collaboration with History Colorado.
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Tony Frank: On what we do
Five years ago this month, the U.S. began vaccinating for COVID-19. Looking back half a decade later, it’s difficult to remember the enormous sense of relief that brought. We had never produced an RNA vaccine before, and back in early 2020, if you’d asked those of us who studied infectious diseases about the future, I think our answers would have been pretty bleak.
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Statement from the Board of Governors of the CSU System on chancellor succession
Colorado State University System Chancellor Tony Frank has announced his decision to retire on June 30, 2027. Given Tony’s long and distinguished leadership of the CSU System, we as a Board have given careful thought and much deliberation to how we go about hiring someone to take his place. Our greatest priority is to ensure the System and its campuses move forward with minimal disruption and with a clear focus on the System’s priorities and goals, as established by the Board of Governors.
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Dr. Rhonda Epper named 17th president of CSU Pueblo
The Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System on Thursday confirmed Dr. Rhonda Epper as the 17th president of CSU Pueblo. Epper will officially begin on March 23, 2026. Epper has served as president of Trinidad State College in Trinidad, Colo. since June 2019.
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CSU System Board of Governors will meet virtually Dec. 18 to consider the appointment of Rhonda Epper as the new CSU Pueblo President
The Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System will convene a special virtual meeting at 2 p.m. on Dec. 18 to consider the formal appointment of Dr. Rhonda Epper as the CSU Pueblo president. On Dec. 4, the Board announced Epper, who has served as president of Trinidad State College in Trinidad, Colo. since June 2019, as the sole finalist, beginning a state mandatory 14-day waiting period prior to entering into an employment agreement.
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Dr. Rhonda Epper named sole finalist for CSU Pueblo presidency
The Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System on Thursday named Dr. Rhonda Epper, currently president of Trinidad State College, as the sole finalist for the CSU Pueblo presidency. The Board conducted listening sessions with the CSU Pueblo campus community over the summer and then embarked on a national search in August, with a 12-member Search Advisory Committee.
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Tony Frank: On food banks
It’s a sad irony that those of us who grew up in farming communities – where life and work revolve around growing and harvesting food – have a deep personal understanding of food insecurity. You learn early on that seasons of abundance can be followed by months of stretching resources to the point of breaking.
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Tickets now on sale for Future Cowboy event at CSU Spur
Jordan Kraft Lambert, the director of the Ag Innovation Center at CSU Spur, is inviting the public to imagine what the future holds for the cattle industry in a rapidly changing world during the inaugural Future Cowboy event. It is set 1-6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 25, at the Temple Grandin Equine Center in the Vida building at CSU Spur. Tickets are $70 per person, and attendees are encouraged to wear their best Western wear.
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From AI to how to be a good boss: 3 takeaways from the 2025 Water in the West Symposium
Whether it’s freezing, melting, or evaporating into the atmosphere to begin this cycle all over again, water is in a perpetual state of change – which also describes the human activity surrounding this precious resource. This notion aligns with the theme of the 2025 Water in the West Symposium: “Uncharted Waters: Navigating Change and Building Resiliency.”
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