The survey, which will run until April 29, is designed to better understand the current graduate student experience.

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Chancellor Justin Schwartz on Thursday announced a new initiative aimed at strengthening �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder’s ongoing commitment to student mental health and wellness.

Schwartz has charged Sona Dimidjian, professor and director of the Renée Crown Wellness Institute, with leading the effort, which is expected to result in a set of recommendations for specific implementation actions and a collaborative plan for assessing impact over time. The goals of the initiative are to strengthen collaborative, comprehensive and effective programs and policies that mitigate risk and promote student flourishing.

“The work must be centered on our students,” Schwartz said. “We highlight student flourishing because it is about more than just avoiding mental health crises. We want our undergraduate and graduate students to thrive holistically.

“We know student mental health is a national endemic challenge. We want to take a unique leadership role in modernizing how we address those challenges.” 

�鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder is currently in the design and planning process of this initiative, and the campus will continue to share milestones as the scope, structure and timeline are refined. Guided by the Crown Institute’s participatory design cycle, the initiative will be co-designed with undergraduate and graduate students to ensure the campus is making both immediate and enduring impacts for the community. 

As part of the effort, �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder is in the process of partnering with the nonprofit . The initiative will also include the formation of an advisory group of key partners that includes deans, faculty and other leaders from across campus, including Health and Wellness Services and Student Affairs.  

“The opportunity to partner broadly across the campus with leaders who are dedicated to student well-being, with faculty who are renowned scholars, and with students who bring essential perspective and expertise is unique,” Dimidjian said. “Together, we have an opportunity to take stock and move forward in a collaborative and empirical way. We are grateful for the opportunity to do this work and believe that it can be uplifting, engaging and impactful.”

The Crown Institute, founded in 2019, makes including young people as both participants and designers of its work a standard practice in all of its initiatives. 

“The Crown Institute’s continued commitment to student-led health and wellness is invaluable to providing a space for the ideas and initiatives students are passionate about,” said Aris Larson, �鶹��Ѱ�����Student Government health and safety chair. “We are thrilled to be a part of these efforts to ensure that students thrive here at CU. I’m excited for the investment in student mental health Chancellor Schwartz is making through this new initiative.”

The Crown Institute is also a key player in Flourishing Academic Network (FAN), a national group of centers, institutes and universities devoted to the concept of student flourishing in higher education. The approach shows up in the classroom, as well as through a course on flourishing that Dimidjian taught in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.  

“I entered this course expecting to study an abstract concept and left not only with a deeper understanding but also with tools to support my own flourishing and that of those around me,” said �鶹��Ѱ�����student Brittany Molitor, who has taken Dimidjian’s course. 

Dimidjian said a key aspect of the new initiative will be to identify the ways in which �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder can strengthen some of the robust programming that already exists on campus and also gaps that can be addressed. �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder in 2023 signed on to the Okanagan Charter, pledging a commitment to take a holistic and sustainable approach to becoming a Health Promoting University that considers the intersections of people, place and the planet.

“We have made a lot of progress in elevating the university’s focus on student mental health and well-being, and there is so much we can do in partnership with the Crown Institute, students, faculty and staff,” said Associate Vice Chancellor for Health and Wellness Jessica Doty, whose team established the �鶹��Ѱ�����Well-Being Collective to spearhead the campus’s Health Promoting University efforts.

Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs D’Andra Mull endorsed the effort as complementary to the goals of the Division of Student Affairs, which are to champion holistic student success, meeting students where they are and providing the varying and individualized support that students need to grow, develop new skills and thrive throughout their time at �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder and beyond to graduation and into their careers.  

“We are proud to be part of this initiative to uplift the collective commitment to student success and well-being,” Mull said. “Student voice will play a critical role in this initiative, and we share our students' dedication to creating an environment that centers their well-being as they care for themselves, support each other and as we respond to evolving needs.”

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Upcoming construction will improve the HVAC system, Campus Dining Services loading dock and pavement between the University Memorial Center and CASE buildings.

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The �鶹��Ѱ�����system office and �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder have won a $220,000 award after participating in the inaugural Scalable Tech Track Adopters cohort, an initiative of Wells Fargo’s Innovation Incubator in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL). 

�鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder will use the award to retrofit the windows of the Environmental Design (ENVD) building using INOVUES’ innovative energy-saving window technology. The upgrade is projected to reduce ENVD’s energy use by at least 15%, generating a cost savings of $46,900 per year.

Over the course of the five-month program, �鶹��Ѱ�����system Assistant Vice President for Budget, Planning and Capital Kori Donaldson and �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Vice Chancellor for Infrastructure and Resilience Chris Ewing worked closely with experts at NREL to explore the challenges and solutions for implementing scalable clean energy technologies. They embarked on a listening tour with a dozen individuals from within �鶹��Ѱ�����to gather data and input before delivering a final presentation. Seven judges from various industries made the final decisions about which projects would move forward.

�鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder will integrate INOVUES’ advanced retrofit window solution into the ENVD building—a move that promises to reduce energy consumption and contribute to the university's goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. The INOVUES product, a dynamic, cost-effective window retrofit system, will enhance the building’s energy efficiency by reducing heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer.

“We’re proud to be leading the way in implementing real-world solutions that directly impact our campus and the broader community,” President Todd Saliman said. “This project highlights CU’s continued dedication to sustainability, and we’re excited by its potential for use in other �鶹��Ѱ�����buildings and a cleaner, more sustainable future.”

With INOVUES’ patented retrofit technology, �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder will be able to upgrade its existing windows without the need for full replacements in a building constructed in 1947—minimizing waste and disruption while still achieving substantial improvements in energy performance. The result will be a more comfortable, efficient learning environment for students and faculty.

“Our goal is to lead by example and ensure that �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder remains at the forefront of sustainability and energy efficiency,” said �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Chancellor Justin Schwartz. “This is the kind of innovative, scalable solution that can help us accelerate our clean energy transition and make a real impact on campus decarbonization by reducing how much energy we use to begin with. It’s also a great example of how we can work with NREL and other partners to make great strides on the sustainability goals we share.”

�鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder was the only university represented in the cohort. Four other award recipients will do projects such as retrofitting HVAC systems, improving air quality and optimizing data center cooling.

“Alongside the new relationships formed with NREL, the program itself is an award,” said Sarah Derdowski, Innovation Incubator program manager at NREL. “We’re already seeing renewed efforts to change the culture at all of these organizations.”

Following the installation of the retrofit windows, CU’s facilities teams will monitor the energy efficiency of the building through thermal imaging and energy-use data to determine whether this could be a viable long-term solution for other buildings on campus.

“This is an exciting opportunity for �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder to further its commitment to sustainability, and we are thrilled to have been part of this cohort,” said Ewing. “By leveraging the INOVUES retrofit windows, we will be able to make an immediate small stride toward our carbon neutrality goals, while also demonstrating the viability of scalable clean energy technologies that can be adopted across other institutions and buildings. As a proud ENVD alumnus who spent so many hours in that building, it is exciting to work on a project that will not only reduce our energy usage but also increase user comfort for our students, faculty, staff and visitors.”

ENVD window retrofitting is expected to begin over the summer and will be complete before fall 2025.

“This partnership is just the beginning of many more sustainable projects at the University of Colorado that we hope can benefit all four campuses,” said Donaldson. “Through collaboration and innovation, we are working to achieve our long-term carbon neutrality goals while making a tangible difference in the fight against climate change.”

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�鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder relies on thousands of enthusiastic, dedicated student employees for its efficient operations. Each year, we honor undergraduate and graduate Buffs with the Student Employee of the Year award. Join us in celebrating this year’s recipients and nominees.

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As it prepares to integrate the environmental design program, CMCI is set to add "design" to its name. Learn more about the change.

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�鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder has demonstrated its continued commitment to sustainability by earning a Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) Gold rating for 2025. This recognition from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) marks the university’s fifth STARS Gold certification since becoming the first university to achieve the honor in 2009, and it keeps �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder on track to reach its stated goal of achieving STARS Platinum during the next three-year reporting cycle.

"Achieving STARS Gold for the fifth time is a testament to �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder's unwavering commitment to sustainability, and it also sheds light on the areas in which we must continue to make progress to achieve our goals,” Chancellor Justin Schwartz said. “We are dedicated to achieving carbon neutrality as a campus, discovering innovative solutions to some of humanity’s most pressing climate threats, and equipping our students to be leaders in creating positive impact around the world.” 

STARS is a comprehensive framework that measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education.  showcases the university's achievements across five key areas: academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration, and innovation and leadership. With more than 1,200 participants in 52 countries, AASHE's STARS program is the most widely recognized framework for publicly reporting comprehensive information related to a college or university's sustainability performance.

This accomplishment is particularly noteworthy as �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder is one of the first campuses to file under the , released in the summer of 2024 after an extensive five-year development process by AASHE. Version 3.0 includes more robust indicators of racial equity and social justice, streamlined performance-based credits and increased global accessibility.

�鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder has set a goal of achieving a STARS Platinum rating by its next submission in 2028. The university plans to use the data and performance metrics from the current report to inform its campus strategy. A gap assessment report will be delivered at the Campus Sustainability Summit in April.

“Our community's involvement and student participation in sustainability initiatives are crucial as we strive for continuous improvement and work toward a sustainable future,” Schwartz said. “We strive to be a global leader in sustainability, and it will take the efforts of all of us to realize our aspirations."

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The University of Colorado Board of Regents has for 2025, including five �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder affiliates.

Given since 1882, the regent awards include:

• Honorary degrees, which recognize outstanding achievement in one or more of the following areas: intellectual contributions, university service, philanthropy and/or public service.
• Distinguished service awards, which recognize those persons whose achievements and contributions are particularly associated with the state and/or nation.
• University medals, which recognize those persons whose achievements and contributions are particularly associated with the university.

The 2025 �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder awardees are Joseph American Horse, David Chang, Yvonne DiStefano, Ashok Srivastava and Lynn Waelde. They will be honored in a campus ceremony.

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Noting former �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Chancellor Philip DiStefano’s longstanding tenure and impact on campus, Congressman Joe Neguse in December made remarks for the congressional record.

Neguse, previously a �鶹��Ѱ�����regent and student, represents Colorado’s 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

Highlighted in the Dec. 18, 2024, were DiStefano’s inpirational journey as a first-generation student, half century at �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder and contributions to support the university’s mission and people. Neguse stated DiStefano’s legacy will have lasting effects. 

The chancellor and dean emeritus is on the faculty of the School of Education and is the Newton Chair in Leadership and senior executive director of �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder’s Center for Leadership.

Neguse‘s remarks:

Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and celebrate Dr. Phil DiStefano, a man whose 15 years of leadership as Chancellor of the �鶹��Ѱ����� and a half-century of dedication to �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder have left an indelible mark on the university. I’ve had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the profound impact that Chancellor DiStefano’s leadership has had on �鶹��Ѱ�����and across our state. Phil’s journey is nothing short of inspiring. A first-generation college student from Steubenville, Ohio, his academic and professional path has taken him from Ohio to the heights of leadership at one of our Nation’s top universities. His journey is a testament to the transformative power of education and the potential that lies within each of us. While he may have started in Ohio, Colorado is his home today, and our state has greatly benefited from his presence. Throughout his tenure as Chancellor, Dr. DiStefano was committed to making �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder a nationally recognized research institution that shapes tomorrow’s leaders and positively impacts society. Under his leadership, �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder has awarded nearly 117,000 degrees and raised over $2 billion in philanthropic gifts. Through his work in technology transfer, Chancellor DiStefano has paved the way for substantial growth in the university, including the creation of 40 startup ventures and the signing of 223 license and option agreements. The university’s research and innovation efforts have had a significant influence not only on the local economy but also on the entire Nation. Over the past five years, �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder’s commercialization activities alone generated a domestic economic impact of $1.9 billion, supporting an estimated 11,545 jobs and contributing $1.2 billion to the state’s economy, and has ensured that �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder remains at the forefront of research.

As Dr. DiStefano transitions to his new role as Senior Executive Director of the �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder Center for Leadership, we know that his legacy of student success, faculty excellence, and campus sustainability has elevated �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder to the top tier of academic institutions, making it a beacon of excellence across the country. I want to personally express my gratitude to Chancellor DiStefano for his service to our community, Colorado, and our Nation. His contributions will be felt for decades to come. I thank Phil for his leadership and dedication to �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder. It has been an honor to work alongside him.

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