Common Purpose, Cumulative Impact

Fellow Bears, 

As we begin a new year and a new semester, each of us has a fresh opportunity to reflect on the collective impact we can make when we work together – with everyone doing their part in service to the common purpose that unites us as a community. 

The cumulative impact of that effort is significant. Our faculty and staff are molding minds, young and old, while learning and growing themselves through the endeavor. Our students are applying the combined power of their passions and acquired knowledge as role models, activists, and an emerging generation of leaders for our communities. Our alumni are business leaders, educators, healthcare professionals, and so much more, serving with excellence and contributing to positive change. At UNC, we provide an engaging educational experience that transforms lives – and when our students graduate, they are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to transform others’ lives. 

Last month, we celebrated nearly 1,000 graduates at our Commencement ceremonies. Th is graduating class joins a proud UNC alumni family consisting of over 136,000 individuals worldwide. These graduates are ambitious, talented, and poised to make an impact in society. Seeing their joy as they walked across the stage was yet another reminder of the important and fundamental mission at the center of our work – to guide our students in the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom, to have a positive influence and impact in their lives, and to best prepare them for success following graduation. The stories and journeys of our graduates are diverse and varied, and I am confident in each of their abilities to make a positive impact in their respective communities. 

The graduates would tell you themselves that they could not have reached this milestone without the support of their families, friends, and the faculty and staff who helped them succeed inside and outside of the classroom. Many would share their tremendous gratitude for the donors whose generous contributions made their college experience possible. I am very thankful for the supportive community that we have formed together – it truly is a distinguishing characteristic of what makes UNC so great.   

As much as I enjoy celebrating our current students’ successes, I equally enjoy celebrating the successes of our alumni. Each year, we have the pleasure of presenting five prestigious Honored Alumni awards and you will learn more about this year’s recipients in this edition of UNC Monthly. We have many accomplished alumni who have made significant contributions in Colorado and beyond our state’s borders  ; this year’s Honored Alumni class is just a small sampling of this group.

Celebrating the success and impact of our community, including our honored alumni and recent graduates, is an important part of our strategic plan, Rowing, Not Drifting 2030. Our efforts to “Connect and Celebrate” – one of the strategic plan’s five vision elements – is one of the primary purposes for UNC Monthly. Beginning this month, I am pleased to share that the distribution of UNC Monthly will expand to include students, faculty, and staff, in addition to our existing audience of alumni and friends. This newsletter is a vehicle not only to share, but to celebrate success stories and pride points from our larger UNC community, as well as news and updates from around campus. I hope that by expanding our distribution list, we can all take pride in observing and honoring the impact we collectively make in supporting our students in their pursuit of earning a degree. 

Three individuals who will be vital to the progress we continue to make in our strategic planning efforts are joining UNC in leadership roles this month – Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management Pete Lien, Assistant Vice President of Marketing and Communications Debbie Farris, and new Board of Trustee member Annette (Romero) Martinez BA ‘86. I look forward to the impact Pete, Debbie, and Annette will have in their leadership positions and the connections they will make with our community. I also look forward to providing our community with updates on the strategic plan as our work progresses.

Together, we are all a part of a vast and formidable Bear family. I am extremely proud to be a part of that family and honored to be its president. I am excited for the start of another year and to witness the positive impact members of our community will make all around us. 

Rowing, Not Drifting, 

Andy Feinstein
President