Success Story

Campus Culture Survey is now open, and staff, faculty and students can share their experiences

Anonymous — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 18:51:03 +0000

Campus Culture Survey is now open, and staff, faculty and students can share their experiences Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 10/28/2021 - 12:51

The Campus Culture Survey is underway, and staff, faculty and students still have time to share their experiences by completing the survey before it closes on Nov. 21.

The survey seeks to better understand the experiences of staff, faculty and students, including the extent to which all feel respected and valued at CU Boulder. The survey team will analyze how those experiences may differ based on aspects of personal identity.

Staff, faculty and students who participate in the survey will be able to provide anonymous feedback about community connections and support and experiences of hostile treatment, harassment, and discrimination; students will also be able to provide anonymous feedback about sexual misconduct, including sexual assault, stalking and intimate partner abuse.

Robert Stubbs, director of institutional research in the Office of Data Analytics (ODA), said the university is taking careful steps to protect the anonymity of survey participants and to protect the integrity of data collected through the survey.

“Participant anonymity is our first duty of care,” Stubbs said. “We are committed to ensuring that individuals can provide candid feedback with confidence––anything else is counterproductive to this effort.”

Steps to protect the private data of staff, faculty and students include severing identifying information from survey responses; storing anonymized responses in a secure and encrypted location; sharing only anonymized aggregated results; and limiting those anonymized aggregated results to survey items with 10 or more responses.

Since launching the week of Oct. 18, members of the campus community have asked how the university is able to protect their anonymity if they opt in to receive an incentive or qualify for a prize lottery for completing the survey.

In response, Julie Volckens, director of assessment in the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC), explained that the survey software functionality that allows the campus to email survey invitations and reminders is completely separate from the software functionality that collects and stores survey responses.

“The two functions are not connected,” she said. “The email addresses of individuals who take the survey are stored in a separate spreadsheet from their survey responses, which allows us to maintain the anonymity of the survey data while also being able to incentivize survey participants.”

More details about the survey and data privacy can be accessed by visiting the survey’s FAQs webpage.

The Campus Culture Survey is now open through Nov. 21. Learn more about steps being taken to protect your data and privacy.

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Multi-factor authentication for Microsoft apps coming in November

Anonymous — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 18:45:33 +0000

Multi-factor authentication for Microsoft apps coming in November Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 10/28/2021 - 12:45

The Office of Information Technology will roll out multi-factor authentication next month to protect Microsoft Office 365 applications for all staff, faculty and student employees.

Between Nov. 3-18, staff, faculty and student employees will be prompted to register for multi-factor authentication as they log into Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, Word and other Microsoft applications.

Individuals who do not register within the allotted 14-day window will not be able to log into Microsoft applications until they have completed the registration process.

At a later date, OIT plans to enroll all primary student accounts, alumni and retiree accounts.

One of the most common ways cybercriminals attack the campus is through collaboration services such as Office 365. Multi-factor authentication adds an additional layer of security, making it harder for attackers to log into the accounts of students, student employees or faculty or staff members.

OIT’s goal is to register all staff, faculty and student employees for multi-factor authentication before fall break to prevent phishing attacks and other cyber scams that tend to occur over the holiday season.

Staff, faculty and student employees will be required to register for multi-factor authentication starting next month.

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Human-centered design supports new parking system selection

Anonymous — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 18:43:35 +0000

Human-centered design supports new parking system selection Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 10/28/2021 - 12:43

Kathryn Tisdale , Director of Strategic Initiatives and Communications , Finance and Business Strategy

What got the attention of Tom McGann, director of Parking Services at CU Boulder, was the word “human.”

“Since everything we do in Parking Services impacts humans,” McGann said, “using something called human-centered design to help identify the next parking system for campus seemed like a no-brainer.”

For years, McGann said, Parking Services staff have worked to identify ways to enable 21st-century parking options for campus staff, faculty, students and visitors. This has become especially true as hybrid work options continue to flourish on campus.

“My staff and I meet with folks across campus regularly, and it’s clear to us that having flexible and versatile parking and transportation offerings would be hugely beneficial,” he said.

So when Kristen Alipit, director of organizational effectiveness and engagement in Finance and Business Strategy launched the third year of Innovation Buffs featuring human-centered design, McGann jumped in. Working with his team, he arranged to have Alipit offer a human-centered design workshop to his whole staff.

According to Alipit, the goal of human-centered design is to understand the people impacted by a problem and design solutions that work for them. The first stage of the process includes identifying problems, empathizing with stakeholders using observation and asking well-developed questions directly. This allows surprising and potentially unexpected solutions to arise.

“When we put the people we’re trying to serve at the center, we’re much more likely to develop a solution that will not only work for them, but delight them,” Alipit said.

McGann sees multiple benefits to bringing human-centered design to Parking Services.

“By opening this up to the whole staff, we’re making it clear that everyone has something valuable to contribute. Everyone is encouraged to try new things, to feel challenged and maybe even make some mistakes along the way,” McGann said. “Ultimately, this doesn’t end with just a new parking system. We’re improving processes and building a community that can create positive change for CU Boulder and its people.”

Parking Services embraces human-centered design.

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CU Boulder staff present at national human resources conference

Anonymous — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 18:35:53 +0000

CU Boulder staff present at national human resources conference Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 10/28/2021 - 12:35

Megan Bohn , Onboarding & Communications Program Director , Human Resources

This October, four members of the campus’s Office of Human Resources presented at the National Colleges and Universities Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) annual conference.

CUPA-HR provides leadership on higher education workplace issues in the United States and abroad. The trade association monitors trends, explores emerging workforce issues, conducts research, and promotes strategic discussions among colleges and universities.

At the annual conference, HR professionals from colleges and universities across the country gather each year to share best practices in human resources.

Monica Carroll, principal recruiter; Teresa Hernandez, diversity, equity, and inclusion recruitment program manager; Casey Kipple, principal recruiter; and David Pacheco, EEOC/Affirmative Action officer, presented “Incorporating DEI Practices Into Faculty and Staff Hiring: A Case Study” to conference attendees.

The presentation shared insights about how CU Boulder’s Office of Human Resources prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as part of its search process.

Some of the insights shared during the presentation included the methods of gaining buy-in from campus leadership and hiring managers across campus, ways to implement DEI in a meaningful and compliant way throughout the hiring process, how to use data to inform approaches to advancing DEI strategies, and how to scale CU Boulder’s inclusive hiring strategies to work for any organization.

CU Boulder staff presented at a recent national conference for HR employees working in higher education.

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Kevin MacLennan is the university's new associate vice chancellor of enrollment management

Anonymous — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 17:53:18 +0000

Kevin MacLennan is the university's new associate vice chancellor of enrollment management Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 10/28/2021 - 11:53

Kevin MacLennan

Kevin MacLennan, a Colorado native, alumnus and longtime admissions leader at CU Boulder, has been named the campus’s associate vice chancellor of enrollment management.

MacLennan succeeds fellow alum Gwen Pomper, who retired in May 2020 after 31 years of service to CU Boulder. He will lead the campus’s Enrollment Management division, which encompasses admissions, financial aid and the bursar’s office.

“My goal is to continue to work collaboratively with all campus units to develop a shared, campuswide, multiyear strategic enrollment strategy,” MacLennan said. “CU Boulder’s ability to attract, retain and graduate an academically talented, diverse and inclusive student body requires that we all work together by focusing on student success.”

MacLennan’s eye to the future made him an ideal candidate, said COO Patrick O’Rourke.

“Meeting our strategic priorities––from research to diversity, equity and inclusion––starts with enrollment management,” O’Rourke said. “Kevin’s strategic vision and institutional knowledge will set up CU Boulder for many years of future success.”

Read more about MacLennan and how the university has changed since he started his career at CU Boulder nearly 29 years ago.

Longtime campus admissions leader Kevin MacLennan has been named associate vice chancellor of enrollment management.

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Valerie Simons named interim chief compliance officer and Title IX coordinator for the CU system; Llen Pomeroy to lead OIEC

Anonymous — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 17:50:06 +0000

Valerie Simons named interim chief compliance officer and Title IX coordinator for the CU system; Llen Pomeroy to lead OIEC Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 10/28/2021 - 11:50

Valerie Simmons

Llen Pomeroy

The University of Colorado recently named Valerie Simons as the interim chief compliance officer and Title IX coordinator for the CU system.

Simons, a longtime civil rights attorney, has served as the associate vice chancellor and Title IX coordinator at CU Boulder for the past seven years. She also chairs the Colorado Sexual Misconduct Advisory Committee, which provides higher education leaders and state policymakers with guidance on Title IX rule changes.

“Ensuring that the university complies with federal and state laws is an essential part of creating a safe environment for students, faculty and staff,” Simons said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the broader university and look forward to working more closely with the system and on each of the campuses.”

Llen Pomeroy, who previously served as assistant vice chancellor and deputy Title IX coordinator in CU Boulder’s Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC), will now lead the OIEC team as the interim associate vice chancellor and Title IX coordinator.

Pomeroy said she was honored to assume a new leadership role at CU Boulder and would dedicate herself to the OIEC's mission of fostering a safe, inclusive and accessible environment for students, faculty and staff.

As interim associate vice chancellor and Title IX coordinator, she will manage a team of staff members charged with thoroughly investigating claims, providing support and safety measures, ensuring compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), educating the campus community about Title IX compliance and university policies, and assessing the campus's culture with an eye toward continuous improvement.

"My entire career, both at CU and in my prior legal practice, has been devoted to addressing allegations of discrimination, harassment and sexual misconduct," she said. “I'm thankful for the opportunity to support the work of OIEC's incredible staff.”

Read the full announcement in CU Connections, the CU system’s newsletter for faculty and staff on all four CU campuses.

Valerie Simons is heading to the CU system as interim chief compliance officer and Title IX coordinator, and Llen Pomeroy will lead OIEC in the interim.

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Melanie Marquez Parra accepts new communications role; Joshua Lindenstein appointed interim chief spokesperson

Anonymous — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 17:30:23 +0000

Melanie Marquez Parra accepts new communications role; Joshua Lindenstein appointed interim chief spokesperson Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 10/28/2021 - 11:30

Melanie Marquez Parra

Melanie Marquez Parra, who as chief spokesperson was instrumental in leading the campus’s strategic communications during the COVID-19 pandemic, has accepted a new leadership role with the National Association for College Admission Counseling in Arlington, Virginia.

Candace Smith, associate vice chancellor for strategic communications in Strategic Relations and Communications, said a search for Parra’s successor would begin immediately.

Parra, who joined CU Boulder in 2019 as an assistant director of communications and spokesperson, has “modeled grace under pressure” during a once-in-a-generation pandemic, Smith said.

“We have come to rely on her calm demeanor to lead us through the twists, turns and unforeseen challenges of the past year and a half. Through it all, Melanie has displayed poise and quiet leadership admired by all who have known her and worked with her,” Smith added. “We are sad to see her go, but excited for her as she begins a new professional chapter in her life.”

Joshua Lindenstein

In the interim, Joshua Lindenstein, a CU Boulder alumnus and assistant director of communications and spokesperson, will serve as the campus’s chief spokesperson effective Nov. 1. Previously a reporter and editor for the Boulder Daily Camera and BizWest, Lindenstein joined CU Boulder in 2017 as communications coordinator for infrastructure and sustainability and was promoted to his current position in January 2020.

As interim chief spokesperson, Lindenstien will lead the SRC Issues Management team, which responds to local and national media inquiries, provides guidance to campus leaders, faculty and staff during crises, and manages VIP visits, Colorado Buffaloes games and other major campus events.

Starting Jan. 4, Parra will step into the role of inaugural chief communications officer for NACAC, which is dedicated to providing professionals who work in college admission counseling with education, advocacy and community.

Parra expressed thanks to Smith and Senior Associate Vice Chancellor Jon Leslie for their support and for “providing the space to learn and grow as a leader.”

“I wouldn’t have made it through the pandemic communications whirlwind without caring and dedicated colleagues,” she added. “I will treasure my experience working for CU Boulder, mostly because of the relationships I formed with the people I worked with.”

Both Parra and Lindenstein have served in the campus’s Joint Information Center (JIC) during the pandemic, working with both SRC and campus communicators to ensure consistent and timely communications for students, faculty and staff about COVID-19 protocols and other campuswide issues.

They also helped lead campus communications through other crises over the past year and a half, including the campus’s response in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, a deadly mass shooting at a Boulder King Soopers, and a University Hill riot involving CU Boulder students and others.

Melanie Marquez Parra has accepted a new role with a national association after leading CU Boulder through strategic and crisis communications during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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d’Andre Willis named campus architect

Anonymous — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 17:27:57 +0000

d’Andre Willis named campus architect Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/30/2021 - 11:27

Assistant Vice Chancellor for Planning, Design and Construction Chris Ewing has named d’Andre Willis as our new campus architect and director of planning for CU Boulder.

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Longtime CU Boulder communicator steps into new leadership role

Anonymous — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 15:45:12 +0000

Longtime CU Boulder communicator steps into new leadership role Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/30/2021 - 09:45

After 25 years of service to the university, Erin Frazier recently stepped into a new role as assistant vice chancellor for constituent engagement in Strategic Relations and Communications.

Frazier's professional journey began at CU Boulder in 1996, first as a temporary employee in Printing and Copying Services and a few years later in SRC when she was offered the opportunity to work in community relations.

“After 9/11, I had an opportunity to move from my work in print management, pre-press and graphic design and move into a position more focused on community service. It was something I was already passionate about in my personal life,” Frazier said. “Volunteering and community service are so important to me. The opportunity to move into community relations was compelling and something I couldn’t pass up.”

Frazier’s service roots run deep, from serving on the board for Broomfield’s Birds of Prey Foundation, holding many roles on the Lafayette Open Space Advisory Committee over the course of 15 years and twice serving as statewide advisory committee chair for the Colorado Combined Campaign. Currently, she serves as secretary for the School Accountability Committee of Westgate Community School in Thornton and volunteers with her dog, Pacha, as a Caring Canines therapy team at Good Samaritan hospital in Lafayette.

Born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, Frazier describes herself as an “oil brat” who lived in locales as varied as Tjilatjap, Indonesia and Rahima, Saudi Arabia.

“Army brats move around the world with their families from base to base,” she said. “Oil brats move with their families from construction site to construction site. It made for an interesting and world-spanning childhood––along with an insider view on natural resource extraction’s impact on the world.”

Frazier has lived in Colorado since 1996, moving to the Centennial State from North Idaho, where her family settled after their world-traveling adventures. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Central University of Iowa (now Central College) and took advantage of the college's study abroad programs to live and study in Carmarthen, Wales, and London. Her time in London was the start of her work in communications, where she interned and then worked for the head of audience research for the BBC World Service.

“I was privileged to work for Graham Mytton, head of International Broadcasting and Audience Research (IBAR), while I was in London,” Frazier said. “I learned a lot about study design and audience research and how to lead a team. It was a tremendous melting pot of international professionals and answering listener mail from across our broadcast footprint. Also––best potlucks, ever.”

Her work at the BBC also exposed Frazier to the very beginnings of desktop publishing, which translated into work when she returned stateside, first as an executive assistant for a research and development director, as a temporary worker at the World Trade Center complex in New York, and later with a real estate catalog company.

Finding a New Home in Colorado

After moving to Colorado, she started with a temporary agency and was placed in the former Printing and Copying Services housed at Folsom Field. As she flourished and assumed more responsibilities, her roles evolved over the years, and she worked as a Printer I, Printer II, Admin I, Admin II and General Professional I, II and III before eventually becoming a university staff member.

“I’ve had an incredible journey at CU Boulder and worked with so many amazing colleagues along the way. I’ve worked in printing, community relations, internal communications and now constituent experience,” Frazier said. “Working at such a large institution can give people so many opportunities to find passions, develop skills and build careers, all in service of such a fantastic goal: supporting our educational mission.”

As the leader of the internal communications and digital engagement team in SRC, Frazier’s goals included redefining how the campus communicates and serves its student, faculty and staff audiences. Her team sought to ensure that the campus community remained well informed, celebrated the great things happening at CU Boulder, and engaged in the life of the campus.

“Service, connection, community––those are three words that are my touchstones about how I live my personal and business lives,” she said. “Connection and community grounded our work as we established CU Boulder Today and changed up our thinking about how campus news is shared.”

Communicating During a Global Pandemic

Building the channels that keep the campus informed also meant developing emergency communications, procedures and practices, work that has been put to the test and then some during the last 18 months following the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. As it turns out, Frazier wears another professional hat at CU Boulder––that of manager of the longest-standing Joint Information Center (JIC) in university history.

Since March 2020, when the university shifted quickly to an unprecedented remote operating status, the JIC has developed, fielded and approved crisis, emergency and day-to-day communications for the university in partnership with stakeholders across campus. Throughout the ensuing months, Frazier and other JIC team members worked to ensure that students, faculty and staff were updated regularly about COVID restrictions, protocols and operational changes.

Frazier was more than qualified to lead CU Boulder's JIC. She had already earned the Advanced Public Information Officer certification from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), completing a series of state and federal emergency management and incident command training that would lead to FEMA's prestigious Advanced PIO certification. She had also participated in annual table-top and functional exercises on campus designed to prepare staff to respond to human-caused and natural disasters and public health crises such as global pandemics. When working on her FEMA certification, Frazier chose to focus on fulfilling the JIC manager role, knowing that organizing people and communication tools to respond to crises would be critically needed in the event of a disaster or crisis on campus. The role also spoke to her passion for service and connection.

“The past 18+ months have been a traumatic journey for everyone, and I have been privileged and challenged to bring all of myself to this work every day––and to be honest, a lot of nights, too. I work within an incredibly passionate and caring community of people who are turning themselves inside out to get the right information to the right people at the right time––even when that information changes by the hour. We’re all a little grayer than we were when we started,” she said.

Finding the Next Big Challenge

As she translates her passion for community into her next big challenge as the assistant vice chancellor for constituent engagement, Frazier will lead a team of strategists, researchers and technologists to develop the next generation of communications tools for CU Boulder.

“How can we help each member of our campus community achieve and grow? How do we help Buffs navigate the complexities of higher education, where are the barriers and opportunities? How can we invite the broader community into this fantastic place?” she asked.

“Throughout SRS, we’re aligning to support our students, faculty and staff on their CU journeys. The tools our team brings––including the Buff Info contact center and a new web infrastructure––will improve the experience and engagement for everyone.”

Service, connection and community are three words Assistant Vice Chancellor for Constituent Engagement Erin Frazier employs every day to guide her life and her work.

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Peter Sanders appointed senior executive director of executive and strategic communications

Anonymous — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 15:43:17 +0000

Peter Sanders appointed senior executive director of executive and strategic communications Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/30/2021 - 09:43

Peter Sanders joined Strategic Relations and Communications in May as the director of executive communications, succeeding Dave Curtin, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who served as the chancellor’s longtime speechwriter before retiring in July.

In September, Sanders accepted an offer expanding his duties as the new senior executive director of executive and strategic communications, in which he leads a team of communicators who support the chancellor, the provost, the COO, Academic Affairs, SRS and Finance and Business Strategy.

“I am thrilled to be at CU Boulder and impressed with all of my colleagues’ skills, professionalism and dedication to the mission of representing this university at the highest level,” he said.

After working as a journalist, Sanders worked in government communications in Southern California for a decade. Additionally, he serves in the U.S. Navy Reserve as a public affairs officer, a role that inspires pride for him and elicits an unabashed “Go Navy” chant among friends, family and co-workers.

Sanders earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Southern California––Go Pac 12!––a bachelor’s degree in political science from Bates College in Maine, and a certificate in public affairs and advanced officer leadership from the Defense Information School at Fort Meade, Maryland.

Before coming to Boulder, Sanders said he spent many years visiting and enjoying Colorado and the Rocky Mountains in all seasons, and he expects to explore the region even more in the future.

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