Published: Feb. 14, 2020

At its meeting on Feb. 14 at the CU Denver campus, the University of Colorado Board of Regents listened to a preliminary budget review for 2020–21, which includes a proposal for tuition and fees and a compensation pool for faculty and staff. The board also heard a presentation on Colorado’s business economic outlook and the future of Colorado’s workforce needs, and passed a resolution of appreciation for CU Vice President Patrick O’Rourke.

Budget overview

CU ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ Chief Financial Officer Carla Ho-a reported on the preliminary budget and proposed fees for 2020–21. The proposal includes the following details for the ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ campus:

  • A maximum 3% tuition and mandatory fees increase for incoming resident freshman and transfer students on the CU ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ campus
  • A zero percent change in tuition and mandatory fees for continuing undergraduates
  • A 3% merit pool increase for CU ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ faculty and staff
  • Continued support of expanded benefits and some fee adjustments for graduate students
  • Modest projected enrollment growth for the 2020–21 fiscal year, largely driven by retention (with fall to spring semester freshman retention up 0.8% this academic year, an all-time high at CU ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ)

The board is expected to vote on tuition, fee and merit pool proposals at its April meeting and to vote on the full budget in June.

Colorado business economic outlook and the future of Colorado’s workforce needs

The board also heard a presentation on the Colorado Business Economic Outlook from Richard Wobbekind, associate dean of business and government relations and senior economist at the Leeds School of Business. The presentation was followed by a panel discussion on "The Future of Colorado's Workforce Needs," moderated by Sharon Matusik, dean and professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at the Leeds School of Business.

Resolution for O’Rourke

The board voted unanimously to support a resolution of appreciation for Patrick O’Rourke, who served the University of Colorado for eight years as vice president, university counsel and secretary of the Board of Regents. O’Rourke was recently appointed by Chancellor Philip DiStefano to serve as interim executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer at CU ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ beginning Feb. 20.

Full details on all presentations are available on .

The next board meeting is scheduled for April 2 and 3 at UCCS.