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.
Colorado voters on Nov. 5 will determine the winners of three races for the Board of Regents, the governance group overseeing the University of Colorado system. CU Connections invited the major-party candidates on the ballot to respond to this request:Please tell the faculty and staff of the University of Colorado system why you wish to serve (or continue serving) on the Board of Regents. Here are the responses we received.
Faculty across the University of Colorado system this year attracted $1.7 billion in sponsored research funding and gifts supporting research, a new record total in CU history. In achieving the collective record, each of the four CU campuses also attained new records for sponsored research funding and gifts supporting research. The systemwide figure reached in the 2023-24 fiscal year is 7% higher than the previous year’s total. This marks the eighth consecutive year CU has topped the $1 billion mark.
University of Colorado leadership last week celebrated the career and contributions of Tanya Kelly-Bowry, CU’s longtime advocate at the state Capitol and in Washington, D.C. The Board of Regents unanimously passed a resolution expressing deep gratitude for Kelly-Bowry’s dedicated service, leadership and contributions to the CU system. Regents also granted her the title of Vice President Emerita in recognition of her significant and distinctive service.
Growth in the development and use of Open Educational Resources (OER) across the CU system is creating meaningful savings for students at the four campuses. OER supporters also can be found at the Capitol, including among the members and staff of the Joint Budget Committee (JBC). For years, Amanda Bickel, Chief Legislative Budget and Policy Analyst with the JBC Staff, has encouraged members of the General Assembly to make Colorado a leader in OER.
Two CU community members have been named recipients of the 2024 Thomas Jefferson Award, among the highest honors bestowed at the state’s largest institution of higher education. Philosophy professor Ajume Wingo and student Matthew Miranda, both of CU Boulder, will be celebrated at an awards reception, 3-5 p.m. April 22 in the Flatirons Rooms of the Center for Community at CU Boulder.
