What makes you most qualified for a seat on the board of regents?
There are three key reasons: I understand and care deeply about the issues affecting my constituents, because I have experienced them firsthand; I approach problem-solving from a very creative perspective which is important when traditional methods have failed; and my ability to bring feuding parties together in order to find common ground and move forward is precisely what the polarized Board of Regents needs now.
How would you assess the performance so far of university President Bruce Benson?
It is a little early to give a thorough assessment, but over the past seven months, President Benson has already begun to raise additional dollars for CU and has publicly supported education measures across the board for pre-schoolers through college students.
More than one state lawmaker has promised to carry legislation requiring the university to incorporate “Aurora” into the name of campus on Fitzsimons, rather than tag it on the end of the campus’ current name. What do you think?
I wholeheartedly support the prominent placement of “Aurora” in CU’s Health Sciences Center. Out-of-state students pay over $82,000 per year to attend the institution because of its excellence, and the idea that including or emphasizing “Aurora” in the school’s name would somehow lure prospective students away to CU’s competitors is just silly.
Is the university system pricing out students with too many tuition hikes?
While the rapid and dramatic tuition hikes are very difficult for families to manage, what, in my mind, prices students out much more are the fees and costs associated with living on or near campus. That is one of my greatest priorities.
What would be your priorities if you win a seat on the board of regents?
Affordable Education: Expand online education as well as evening and weekend classes to accommodate working parents, professionals and rural residents. This way, students would have substantially lower room and board costs because they could commute from less expensive parts of the metro area or stay at home with their parents. Minimize the loss of time, money, and credits when transferring into the CU System by strengthening articulation agreements with 2- and 4-year institutions in Colorado. Help students graduate on time by intensifying advisor programs and providing additional resources. Work with state and federal partners to find additional state and federal funding for higher education.
Global Preparedness: Partner with businesses to identify “super skills” that will transfer across careers and would be applicable even to careers that have not yet been created. Provide incentives for faculty to engage in multi-disciplinary and team teaching, resulting in more well-rounded, knowledgeable, and creative graduates. Expand the number of international experiences among faculty and students thereby enhancing strategic global partnerships.
Accountability: Ensure that taxpayers’ money is spent wisely. For the first time, you will know what is going on at CU and how it affects you and your family. You will also have the opportunity to weigh in and let me know how CU can better serve you. Hold town hall meetings and send newsletters to keep you informed.
What one thing, above all, would you like to see the state legislature do to facilitate the university system and its students?
The legislature must recognize that a highly educated workforce is our best defense against a shaky economy, and there are no shortcuts. I would like to propose something that has not been considered. With TABOR’s constraints, it is difficult for the state legislature to simply increase higher education funding to an appropriate level. However, as a state, we spend virtually the same amount on higher education as we do on prisons. Our state budget is a moral document and ought to reflect what we value. We need to be tough and smart on crime. I believe that we can re-evaluate portions of our criminal justice system and adopt methods that have been proven effective in addressing certain non-violent behaviors without wasting taxpayer money on prison beds, such as drug courts. We can divert the savings to higher education, which, frankly, is the single greatest tool we have at our disposal for combating crime.
Reflecting on the Ward Churchill debacle, should the university change the discipline system for instructors, or did the system work?
Any institution should have accountability for its employees, particularly when that institution is the fourth largest employer in the State of Colorado. Taxpayers deserve to know that CU is doing its best to ensure quality. The tenure review process prior to the Professor Churchill incident was lacking. Had there been solid evaluative criteria consistently applied to all professors, and due diligence on the part of the evaluator to look into the body of work produced by professors, then the debacle would not have taken place. My understanding, after speaking with Hank Brown and reading about it, is that CU underwent a very extensive, bi-partisan tenure reform process led by a three-star general. Once elected, I would definitely make sure that those reforms are working.
What is the university’s greatest challenge during the next few years?
Our greatest challenge is the ability to continue to deliver top-quality education to Colorado residents without appropriate investment from the State.
CU receives about 8 percent of its funding from the State, as opposed to 30-40 percent for its peers. Severe reductions in state funding over the past several years (although there has been a slight increase over the last two legislative sessions) have led to the university dramatically raising tuition and becoming more reliant on out-of-state and international students and research dollars. Our Health Sciences Center receives almost all of its funding from federal grants, yielding a perverse imbalance in how faculty divvies its responsibilities to research, teach, and provide health care to the community.
We will have to work very hard with businesses, foundations, alumni, faculty and staff, our congressional representatives, and families to achieve a sustainable funding balance.
Should the Aurora and Denver campuses continue to be combined under the same chancellor, or have the missions become too different with the opening of the Anschutz campus?
Yes, they should remain combined. The synergy achieved through consolidation means that both Denver and Aurora achieve more together than they ever could apart, for several reasons. It is more cost effective to have one administration than two. Also, having the combined campuses opens the door to a new world of research grants that are available across disciplinary research. For example, it allows anthropologists to partner with medical specialists to study broad-based societal health issues. The combined campuses also better serve the newly-created Colorado School of Public Health, the first of its kind in the Rocky Mountain region.
Does the three-school Auraria campus still serve the best interests of students and the university, or should that project be modified to give the university more autonomy and a different profile?
Yes, I support the Auraria campus, because having three institutions with different missions one on campus allows a unique educational opportunity for metro Denver businesses and their employees. It is also beneficial to the institutions in terms of cost savings with economies of scale.
That being said, there have been some growing pains, but the schools have addressed these with their adoption of the Auraria Masterplan. It assigns each institution its own area of activity on the Auraria campus and will give CU appropriate independence in what is being called “its neighborhood.” Auraria’s location adjacent to downtown and its proximity to the light rail has made it an outstanding center of educational opportunity, evidenced by the fact that UCD has the most diversity of any university in the Rocky Mountain region. |
Who is your hero?
My little sister. Since she’s an old soul, her wisdom has kept me out of trouble more than once.
Are you a dog or a cat person?
I actually like dogs and cats, but I can barely keep a plant alive, so I guess that point is pretty much moot.
What food do you hate most?
“Hate” is a little strong, but I’m going to go with artichokes. A snack should simply never be that labor intensive. Or, do you mean, “What food hates me the most?” Broccoli- hands down.
The book you’d most like to read next?
The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman.
The movie that made you laugh out loud the most?
“Coming to America”
The “one food” you would want stuck on a deserted island?
Brownies
The person you wish would run for U.S. president?
Oprah
What personal feat are you most proud of?
When I was in college, I noticed that many of the children who lived within a few blocks never stepped foot on campus. The librarians were leading a children’s book drive for National Library Week. As President of Honors, I decided that we should co-sponsor an event with the librarians that would encourage learning and promote the idea of college to these kids who didn’t believe they could go.
I went to the local elementary school administrators and they agreed to bring all 400 children to our university (to come in waves each hour), then recruited about 80 college men and women to read to the kids for 30 minutes at the college library and give campus tours for 30 minutes. Since the children walked to our campus, the event cost zero dollars. The event was so successful it actually became a tradition.
Many other folks, however, are most proud that I was the first woman in the State of Colorado to win the Golden Gloves Boxing Championship ten years ago.
What one question would you love to have answered and by whom?
Question: Can someone please do something about I-225? Seriously, two lanes!
Whom: The powers that be.
Where do you recommend people from out of town eat?
BJ’s off of Alameda and Sable. It is the total package, everything you want in a restaurant. It has a huge menu, everything is delicious, it’s consistent, the service is great, the atmosphere and décor are fun and inviting, and it has heavenly drinks and desserts, all at very reasonable prices. |
