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Explore the latest news from the University of Northern Colorado
February 10, 2025 — Sidney Cerise, '13, is one of only 336 educators nationwide to receive the honor as a part of this cohort
January 14, 2025 — We are excited to share the stories of six UNC alumni who share their love of the university and community through service, commitment and generosity. Join us to celebrate these alumni on Saturday, March 29, 2025, in the Rocky Mountain Grand Ballroom at the University Center.
October 8, 2024 — UNC’s Athletic Training program has been revered for decades, and while the program itself has changed, its reputation hasn’t faltered. The field of athletic training has advanced in recent years, and so has UNC’s program.
October 7, 2024 — Honored Alumni award nominations are open through November 1! Who do you know in your Bear Network who is engaged in the UNC community and inspires others to pursue great things?
September 10, 2024 — Celebrate Homecoming by joining your fellow Bears for the exciting events happening across campus September 23-29.
August 13, 2024 — Ely Corliss, ’12, came to UNC ready to pursue his degree in Communication Studies and play shows with his band. More than a decade later, and Corliss is the owner of many of downtown Greeley’s hot spots like the Moxi Theater, Luna’s Tacos & Tequila and Stella’s Pinball Arcade & Lounge.
August 13, 2024 — Hannah Rueter, ’23, is a legacy Bear, with both her parents graduating from UNC, she had a UNC connection long before enrolling. Once on campus and looking for a job, she found herself applying to work in the same department her dad, Wade Rueter, ’96, worked in when he was on campus.
August 13, 2024 — Greeley local Phill Sjoberg, ’07, attended school on UNC’s campus from kindergarten through college graduation, and before him, his father attended University High School too. For the Sjobergs, UNC’s campus has been a place for betterment and education for generations, and it’s even the meeting place for Phill and his wife, Stacey Sjoberg, ’07.
July 8, 2024 — Colorado local Kelli Johnson, ’01, has spent time in and around Greeley since she was a child.Now, as the assistant city manager for the city of Greeley, Johnson has a vested interest in Greeley’s future, and has the ability to affect change.
June 10, 2024 — The sky’s the limit when it comes to where a UNC education can take you, just ask Heath Montgomery, ’05, and Leah Schultz, ’17.
June 3, 2024 — Jourdan Delacruz, '23, earned one of just three highly sought after women’s weightlifting spots on Team USA to compete in the 2024 Olympic Games.
May 9, 2024 — The success that first-generation alumni Kevin, ‘95, and Amy, ‘96, Antuna found after graduation served as inspiration, creating a clear path for the next generation of Antunas to follow in their footsteps.
March 8, 2024 — A double Bear with years of experience teaching on UNC’s campus, Kelly Langley Cook, ’20, M.A. ’18, devotes herself to teaching the lesser-known parts of United States history.
February 22, 2024 — Alumna and professional weightlifter pursues her second Olympic games
February 9, 2024 — As a student, Teresa Castro, ’21, represented students through her work with student government and organizations. Now, she has returned to UNC to represent both students and alumni as assistant director of Alumni Relations.
December 19, 2023 — This year, the sole winner of the Milken Award, known as the "Oscars for Teaching," from Colorado was Greeley native and University of Northern Colorado alumnus Caleb Flores.
November 14, 2023 — Jessica May will spend the next year serving as an ambassador of sorts for the state’s teachers and will join the education commissioner’s Teacher Cabinet, a state advisory panel of educators, according to the education nonprofit Chalkbeat Colorado.
October 9, 2023 — The University of Northern Colorado is commemorating a major milestone this year, celebrating a century of traditions, competitions, community, laughter and coming home.
September 11, 2023 — When first embarking on a college career, most students will wonder if they will belong and how they will make friends on their college campus. That’s what happened when Nubia Martinez-Caro '04 came to the University of Northern Colorado (UNC).
July 12, 2023 — The Burroughs kick off their 10th anniversary at Concerts Under the Stars–También en español
July 7, 2023 — Sarai Atchison ‘19 has always had a passion for sports, but in college she took a more active role creating opportunities to play for herself and her classmates.
April 10, 2023 — When Lindsey (’10,’14) and Casey (’10) Goodman stepped onto the University of Northern Colorado’s campus in Greeley in 2006, they both felt an immediate connection to the school. Lindsey, hailing from Palisade, Colorado, knew she wanted to teach, and Casey, also from Colorado, wanted to study political science.
March 26, 2023 — On March 25, the University of Northern Colorado Alumni Association hosted its 2023 Honored Alumni Awards. The award, in its 76th year, is presented annually to five UNC graduates in recognition for career success and a commitment of service to the university.
February 9, 2023 — Alumna and mural artist Brenda Vargas ’22 is unveiling a meaningful mural to help strengthen the academic identity of UNC’s Hispanic population. –También en español.
August 9, 2022 — Next week, it may feel a little like déjà vu as Striesand Sampaga '02,'04 returns to campus to help move her daughter, Shae Lefcourt, into her residence hall at UNC. Students will be moving in on Aug. 17, with classes beginning on Aug. 22.
June 14, 2022 — The Greeley Stampede, which started in 1922, has always brought color and energy to the local community, so it’s fitting that as it celebrates 100 years, it does so with even more color greeting spectators. And two UNC alumni were chosen to paint the new murals.
April 11, 2022 — Last month, the College of Education and Behavioral Science welcomed one of their distinguished alumni back to campus for a special keynote presentation. Stephanie Klixbull graduated from UNC in 2013 with a degree in Elementary Education and an emphasis in Music Education and Special Education.
March 28, 2022 — On March 26, the University of Northern Colorado Alumni Association hosted its 2022 Honored Alumni Awards. The award, in its 75th year, is presented annually to five UNC graduates in recognition for career success and a commitment of service to the university.
January 11, 2022 — Over the past year, UNC alumni and friends gave generously in many ways, supporting student success with scholarships, new and upgraded facilities, state-of-the-art musical instruments, and diversity, equity and inclusion training and support.
November 8, 2021 — Most years, the UNC Combined Chorus gives UNC choral students an opportunity to perform at the Union Colony Civic Center in Greeley with the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra (GPO). That tradition has been on hold due to the pandemic, but this year it’s coming back with a heartfelt flourish.
July 13, 2021 — This fall, as students return to campus and take time to explore Greeley, they’ll know they’re in Bear country just driving into town. The university community and Greeley business owners are ready to welcome them back with lots of Blue and Gold, and a flurry of signs that say, “This is Bear Country.”
July 12, 2021 — For more than 46 years, UNC alumni have teed up to support scholarships for UNC Accounting students in the annual Accounting Golf Tournament. This year, 19 teams and 76 players met at the Meridian Golf Club in Denver on June 14 and added nearly $9,000 to scholarship funds for accounting students.
May 10, 2021 — On April 14, through UNC’s “Bears Give Back” day of giving, more than 600 alumni, friends, parents, faculty and staff did just that, supporting more than 80 funds across campus with more than $116,000 in contributions.
April 28, 2021 — This spring, UNC is breaking ground on the new Empower Center, a $4 million, entirely donor-funded sports performance building. Thanks to these donors, including lead investors John ’84 and Angela ’89 Schmidt, UNC Athletics will continue their momentum in Division I with this world-class strength and training facility.
April 12, 2021 — Walking the annual Women’s Walk to support scholarships and the greatest needs of UNC’s female student-athletes has been a tradition for the UNC community for more than a decade. After a fully virtual walk last year, supporters this year will have the option of walking the approximately 1.25-mile course in the on-campus event or stepping out into their communities to support female student-athletes virtually.
March 29, 2021 — The University of Northern Colorado College of Performing and Visual Arts received a total of 96 new Steinway & Sons pianos, with most of them arriving in December of 2018, sealing the School of Music’s All-Steinway School status.
December 17, 2020 — The Stryker Institute for Leadership Development at UNC, a participation-based scholarship program that serves women from underrepresented groups, such as transgender women and women of color, has received a $5 million donation to support the program over the next five years.
October 26, 2020 — The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t slow down programs offered through UNC’s Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) program that assists underserved populations in Weld County, thanks to grants and support provided by local community organizations.
June 24, 2020 — Hands-on learning is vital for students in the UNC's Audiology program, but COVID-19 has disrupted such learning environments. However, an Audiology alumna stepped up to share case studies for graduate students in Audiology at UNC.
May 8, 2020 — Packaging medical supplies has become the priority for UNC graduate and Mountain States Plastics owner Scot Gagnon as supplier’s race to meet healthcare demands. Gagnon and his global company in Johnstown routinely manufacture customized protective bags for the medical industry, but they are “swamped up to their eyeballs” as they package a steady stream of face shield bags and plastic sheeting for hospital gowns.
April 10, 2020 — In addition to changes made at UNC to better support Bears going through the switch to online classes, UNC students and alumni in the teaching field are taking diverse approaches to supporting families in the switch to online learning for their children in preschool through high school.
January 29, 2020 — Lucile Buchanan enrolled in a two-year teacher certification program at the now University of Northern Colorado in 1903 and was the only African American student in her 1905 graduating class and the first African-American student to earn a teaching degree at UNC. Learn more about her story.
December 3, 2019 — Like many UNC students, Zaya Thompson ‘14 landed her dream job with the help of an internship. Now a Certified Financial Planner with Millennium Financial, she’s paying it forward and helping other Bears gain valuable experience.
November 11, 2019 — Ever wonder what it would be like to work for a new-age tech company like Facebook or Google? Get a glimpse from current Google employee Sara Robbins '13.
October 3, 2019 — Once a Bear, Always a Bear – and there’s no better time to remember that than Homecoming! Take a walk down memory lane and join us for a number of exciting events around campus October 18-19.
September 9, 2019 — There’s no question that the creative economy in Colorado is booming. You don’t have to go far to find concerts, art exhibits, plays or other performances nearly any night of the week. Thanks in large part to an active base of UNC students and graduates, Greeley is no exception.
August 12, 2019 — Alumnus Rob Thorne ’92 has a special reason to reconnect with campus this fall as his daughter Hannah follows in his footsteps and begins her first semester as a Bear.
August 12, 2019 — Becoming a Bear was the ultimate goal for both Arizbe Soto-Ramirez ’19 and Menan Bergman ‘00, but as non-traditional students the path to UNC was complicated. Lucky for them, Aims Community College was there to help.
August 12, 2019 — Active supporters of UNC, Greeley-Evans District 6 and number of other community organizations, Delia '90 and John '86 Haefeli believe strongly in the importance of paying it forward.
April 15, 2019 — Thanks to the support of more than 10,000 generous donors, the Campaign for UNC surpassed its $45 million goal and raised a total of $54,250,654!
December 11, 2018 — UNC Coach Tim Barrera describes UNC alumna Mariel Gutierrez as one of the most decorated players in the history of Big Sky Soccer.
June 4, 2018 — John Tonai '90 discusses the Granada Relocation Camp, also known as Amache, where thousands of Japanese-Americans were incarcerated from 1942-45, including members of his family.
November 2, 2017 — University of Northern Colorado alumna Christina Gillette Randle become the latest graduate to be named Colorado Teacher of the Year.
August 29, 2017 — LOVELAND - The four public colleges and universities in Northern Colorado added $2.4 billion in income to the economy of Larimer and Weld Counties and provided an impressive return on investment in the fiscal year 2015-16, according to the results of a new economic impact study released today at the Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance meeting.
July 14, 2017 — Colorado School of Public Health alumna Rachel Freeman, MPH ’14, is making her mark in public health. She is part of a team, which includes alumni artist Armando Silva BA '10, has recently transformed the exterior wall of a vacant building in northern Colorado into a colorful statement of health advocacy.
June 20, 2017 — Aisha Jackson, a 2013 graduate of the University of Northern Colorado's Musical Theatre program, has been named to the cast of the Broadway production of Frozen
February 9, 2017 — Raymond Pierson smelled opportunity. It took only a few whiffs during a UNC field trip in 1980 to convince him to act on what would eventually become a study and set the stage for a successful oil and gas development.
January 19, 2017 — The University of Northern Colorado Alumni Association has announced its 2017 Honored Alumni, continuing a 70-year tradition of the university recognizing the accomplishments of its most distinguished alumni.
December 27, 2016 — As she entered her final semester at UNC in late August, Megan Lundstrom didn’t have much money to spare. She’s a married mom of three kids, 12, 9 and 1; a scholarship student; and an entrepreneur carefully nurturing a newborn organization.