How could CU be more competitive as a place to pursue higher education?
They’re doing great at UCCS
How would you tackle affordability at CU given the shrinking middle class and relatively flat wages?
More state and federal funding
What specific types of research should be prioritized at CU?
I don’t control that
Why do you want to be on this board?
Increase access to all, students lower cost, encourage diversity, more state and federal funding
Where would you cut costs?
I’m looking into that
Should public higher education be free, the way it is in Europe? Why or why not?
Yes, to compete with world
How could CU be more competitive as a place to pursue higher education?
We have to ensure we are reaching all of Colorado regardless of background or geography. We achieve this by continuing our outreach efforts to rural and urban Colorado and establishing CU ambassadors throughout the state that understand the needs of the geographies and potential students that are represented in those areas. We have to educate high schools and communities that CU welcomes all of Colorado, not just the Front Range, and it is competitively affordable with other state universities.
How would you tackle affordability at CU given the shrinking middle class and relatively flat wages?
My experience establishing and managing multi-billion dollar budgets in four Fortune 200 corporations gives me the experience needed to oversee and help manage CU’s $5.4 billion budget. As Vice Chair of the finance committee I have been integral in the adoption of merit-based budgeting processes that allow us to fund accelerating degree programs and make capital investments to support the areas where students have the most interest. This includes funding for two new engineering centers at UCCS and CU Denver.
What specific types of research should be prioritized at CU?
Our aerospace engineering program is in the top 5 consistently in the world, we are the largest funded program by NASA of all universities in the United States. The Anschutz medical complex is making groundbreaking discoveries in the areas of pediatric oncology among many others. We recently received a $200 million commitment from the Gates Frontiers Fund to accelerate our work in regenerative, cellular and gene therapies. These are just a few of the amazing programs that our university is excelling in but there are too many to list here. The tremendously talented faculty we have are the drivers of such excellence.
Why do you want to be on this board?
.I was the first in my family to go to a major university thanks to the President’s Leadership scholarship. CU helped build the foundation for my career and my life. Itap now time for me to give back to the university that had such an impact on me and ensure that Colorados youth have that same opportunity
Where would you cut costs?
With a $5.4 billion dollar budget there are always opportunities to evaluate spending, incorporating merit-based budgeting gives us a much deeper dive into where we are seeing the most productive use of our funds. This will be a continued priority for all of our campuses. Although we need to always focus on prudent expense management, we also need to continue to help the Governor and legislature understand the impact they have on the cost of education at our state’s flagship university. We are consistently in the bottom 5 states in the country for state funding which continues to put pressure on tuition and fees. We have to recognize that we aren’t just providing degrees — we are producing the future scientists, teachers, doctors, nurses and leaders for our state. Every dollar funded counts.
Should public higher education be free, the way it is in Europe? Why or why not?
I think we need to continue to find ways to support those individuals who can’t afford higher education. As a state university, we have a constitutional obligation to make CU available to all qualified Coloradans. In other countries you are selected to pursue higher education through testing results in high school, I don’t believe we should eliminate students based on testing at an age when maturity or opportunity may severely restrict those results. We need to continue to look for ways to expand opportunities not limit them.
How candidate order was determined: A lot drawing was held at the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office on Aug. 3 to determine the general election ballot order for major and minor party candidates. Colorado law (1-5-404, C.R.S.) requires that candidates are ordered on the ballot in three tiers: major party candidates followed by minor party candidates followed by unaffiliated candidates. Within each tier, the candidates are ordered by a lot drawing with the exception of the office of Governor and Lt. Governor, which are ordered by the last name of the gubernatorial candidate.
