When Alexes Hernandez moved from New Mexico to Colorado Springs, college was the plan. She didn’t expect to also become a business owner with a growing online following. But with support from UCCS entrepreneurship resources, her product now reaches thousands across TikTok and Instagram. Hernandez’s story is part of the recently published CU Innovation and Entrepreneurship Impact Report for 2024-25. Alongside facts and figures demonstrating the power of CU’s innovation engine, the report features several profiles of student entrepreneurs across the four campuses.
CU’s budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year came into sharper focus Friday with the Board of Regents voting to approve the administration’s recommendations on tuition, student fees, and faculty and staff compensation. The figures will be used to determine CU’s annual budget, which the board will vote on in June.
The Board of Regents last week began considering budget scenarios for the 2025-26 fiscal year, including possible increases in state funding, tuition and fees, and compensation. Chad Marturano, vice president and chief financial officer for the CU system, presented the budget proposals during the second day of the board’s Feb. 6-7 meeting at CU Boulder. Details varied among three scenarios, differing based on potential variations in state funding, tuition and fees, and compensation.
Elected to her first term in 2018, Regent Lesley Smith had planned to spend this year running statewide for a second term as the board’s at-large member. And while she will indeed be taking an oath of office next month, it will be the one for her newly won seat in Colorado’s House District 49. “My scientific background is what drew me to the legislature,” said Smith, who spent nearly 30 years at CU Boulder’s Cooperative Institute for Research in the Environmental Sciences (CIRES). “But I also hope to be a strong voice at the Capitol for higher education."
Board of Regents Vice Chair Ken Montera was reelected Nov. 5 to his seat in District 5. Last week’s elections also saw voters statewide choosing Elliott Hood to serve as the at-large member of the board, while Ray Scott was the victor in the 3rd Congressional District. Their six-year terms begin in January.