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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.