Working groups have been formed for the Leaning into the Future strategic planning process to address the charge for each of the nine areas of strategic focus within the plan’s four broad pillars. 

As they address their tasks, working groups will recognize the unique attributes of each campus while capitalizing on system-wide opportunities. The groups will identify best practices in each area, generate campus involvement, and will identify key metrics, actions, and investments necessary to address their area of focus.

Each working group has co-chairs and campus leads. The groups are meeting during fall and spring semesters and have checkpoint deliverables along the way. You can share input and feedback with the group throughout this time via the email listed on these pages.

Working Groups

Graduation Rate & Retention

This working group will outline the path to achieving top quartile graduation rates among peers. Improving graduation rates is the most substantive way to ensure affordability of a college degree. Higher graduation rates increase the value CU delivers to our students and their families, making CU yet more attractive to current and prospective students.

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Diversity, Inclusion, Equity & Access

This working group will create a plan for attracting and graduating an increasingly diverse student body, embracing the university’s broad definition of diversity.

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Campus Wellness & Mental Health

The World Health Organization defines health as: “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.” Campus wellness, including accessibility of mental health services, are increasingly important to the health and well-being of students, faculty, staff, and their families. Each campus already has a broad range of services supporting wellness and mental health; therefore, this working group will define a collaborative path for making campus physical, mental, and social wellness a point of distinction and priority for all four campuses.

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Innovation in Learning & Teaching

The focus of the working group will be on all aspects of learning and teaching (e.g., content, pedagogies, and delivery formats) throughout the curriculum and for all those engaging with the university to further their learning. We recognize that all innovations will have to determined by the faculty at each campus and will be shaped by the context of each campus. We also will consider how innovations in teaching and learning can help enhance the diversity and inclusiveness of the CU community.  Our goal is to examine each aspect of learning and teaching for opportunities and challenges to innovation and to consider the role of the system in supporting, incenting, and rewarding innovation.

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Research/Scholarship/Creative Work & Graduate Programs

CU will be a global leader in discovery, innovation, creative work, and knowledge transfer. We will achieve this through our guiding principles.

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Healthcare

This working group will explore opportunities to maximize health and well-being for citizens of Colorado and beyond through collaborative innovations in healthcare workforce development and education, research and discovery, and healthcare delivery. 

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Tech Enablement & Infrastructure

This working group will focus on technology enablement for student success. The working group will invite subject matter experts from Student Affairs and Academic Affairs to better understand the opportunities for technology enhancement and ways to address student needs including supporting activities being advanced by the Innovation in Learning and Teaching working group.

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Collaboration & Partnerships

This working group will explore opportunities for expanded partnerships with other institutions of higher education within and outside of Colorado, engage state and federal policy makers and agencies, pursue opportunities with private sector entities, and draw upon the support of its donors and alumni.

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Deferred Maintenance & Sustainability

This working group will propose a path to address our deferred maintenance backlog. The CU system has approximately a half billion dollars in deferred maintenance for state buildings and over a billion dollars in deferred maintenance in other structures, such as housing. We will develop options for addressing the deferred maintenance backlog within the next 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years.

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