My Vision on the Issues

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  • Additional State funding: Colorado ranks among the lowest of all states for funding of higher education. Colorado’s share of funding has decreased steadily over the past 20 years while student debt has ballooned. That must change! As your CU Regent, I will advocate for increased state funding from the legislature and Governor Polis’ administration.

  • Climate change: The election of 2020 offers an opportunity for Democrats to gain a majority on the CU Board of Regents for the first time in nearly 40 years. We can finally have honest conversations on climate change, based on science, not fiction. And we can prioritize CU’s significant portfolio toward renewable energy. As your CU Regent I will support such conversations.

  • Civility: I served in the legislature during a time when Democrats and Republicans could argue over policy but still be civil to one another. Gone are those days in both the legislature and the Board of Regents. As your CU Regent, I will lead by example. We can disagree without being disagreeable.

  • Curriculum: CU’s Board of Regents should respect our faculty’s role in creating curriculum. As your CU Regent I will support faculty in that very important role.

  • Diversity and Inclusion: Netflix executive Verna Myers, has been famously quoted as saying, “Diversity is being invited to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance.” For the past ten years, CU Denver has been admitting record levels of students of color, with this year reaching 65%. In fact, CU Denver just recently crossed the threshold to qualify to become a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Our responsibility as Regents is to make sure our students/faculty/staff of color, on every campus, are welcomed, supported, and included. As your CU Regent I will lead the effort to prioritize inclusion and diversity on all four campuses.

  • Equitable financial model: CU Boulder and the Anschutz Medical Center earn over a billion dollars in research funding along with favorable financial opportunities based on an inequitable financial model. At the same time, CU Denver and CU Colorado Springs are heavily reliant on tuition funding. That creates a system of "haves and have nots". As your CU Regent, I will support a more equitable funding model that allows each campus to succeed in good financial times and in bad.