Summer Updates from the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President

  • Lise M. Youngblade, Provost & Executive Vice President

Dear Colleagues:

We have reached the midpoint of summer, and I want to take a moment to provide you with several updates and express my gratitude for your continued dedication as faculty and staff. First, a reminder to faculty to mark your calendars for a couple of important upcoming opportunities:

  • AI Teaching and Learning Symposium, Monday, Aug. 10.

This half-day event will bring together educators and innovators to explore practical, ethical, and equitable ways to integrate artificial intelligence into higher education course design and instruction. It is co-sponsored by TILT, the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President, and CSU Libraries. Prior registration is required at: AI Teaching and Learning Symposium.

Call for Symposium Proposals for Engagement Stations

Share your AI innovations at an Engagement Station. Submit your proposal through the Engagement Station Proposal link by Friday, July 10. Engagement Stations are 3–5-minute demonstrations that offer teaching strategies, tools, or techniques.

  • TILT Fall Faculty Ramp Up, Monday, Aug. 10-Wednesday, Aug. 12

Six AI-specific virtual Ramp Up sessions will take place immediately following the AI Symposium in the afternoon of Aug. 10. The usual two days of virtual TILT Fall Ramp Up will continue on Tuesday, Aug. 11, and Wednesday, Aug. 12, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Ramp Up’s purpose is to bring faculty and graduate teaching assistants up to speed with new and existing campus technology. You can register using  the symposium link.

I encourage you to review the Deloitte Center for Higher Education Excellence 2026 Report. Among other items, the report states, “As artificial intelligence reshapes how, where, and by whom work is done, colleges and universities are uniquely positioned to guide society through this transition. … Institutions can play a critical role in preparing the next generation with the skills needed for a rapidly changing world.”

As President Parson’s has made clear, we must invest in our programs of excellence, our faculty, and our student success. All of it is intentional, including embracing and harnessing a future that involves AI and evolving technologies. Some of our students, faculty and staff have expressed angst about how AI will change how we teach and learn, work and live. Many have also expressed great engagement with these tools. As a campus, we need to continue educating ourselves and talking about how we use new technologies in the world before us. We will continue to roll out learning opportunities. In the spring we will focus on AI for the Provost’s Ethics Colloquium. I’ll share more on that later in the fall.

Shining the Spotlight on CSU

We also have some exciting milestones to celebrate over the summer:

  • UERU to Convene Leadership Summit at CSU on Transforming Undergraduate Education

The Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities (UERU), hosted by Colorado State University since 2013, will welcome higher education leaders from more than 30 universities Aug. 2-4, 2026, for a leadership summit. This summit will also include the participation of several associations like the APLU, the AAC&U, and NACADA.

Research universities face growing pressure to improve undergraduate student outcomes amid rapidly changing conditions and the UERU Leadership Summit is designed to focus university leadership around advancing five key levers for reform, initially outlined by the Boyer 2030 Commission . Thank you to CSU Associate Provost and UERU Executive Director Steve Dandaneau and our partners who have worked very hard to help organize this important event.

  • Celebrating our 2026 Faculty Members on their Promotions and Tenure

Excellence in teaching, research, and service drives our institution forward, and I am thrilled to announce the recent advancements in faculty ranks across our campus. This year, 87 tenure-track faculty members were elevated – a higher number than in the previous 10 years – alongside 64 non-tenure-track faculty who were advanced in ranks. Here is the overview by new titles:

Tenure-Track Faculty

    • 47 Tenured Faculty Promoted from Associate Professor to Professor
    • 1 Tenure-Track Faculty Receiving Tenure and Promotion from Associate Professor to Professor
    • 5 Tenure-Track Faculty Receiving Tenure
    • 34 Tenure-Track Faculty Receiving Tenure and Promotion from Assistant to Associate Professor

(Additionally, 7 new faculty members were hired with tenure.)

Contract, Continuing, and Adjunct Faculty

    • 16 Faculty Promoted to Senior Instructor
    • 21 Faculty Promoted to Master Instructor
    • 16 Faculty Promoted to Associate Professor
    • 11 Faculty Promoted to Professor

Congratulations to each faculty member who achieved a new milestone in their academic careers this year.

  • Colorado Department of Higher Education Designates CSU a Comprehensive Basic Needs Campus

CSU was recently designated as one of the state’s leaders in helping students access critical resources that support academic success. The CDHE Comprehensive Basic Student Needs Campus Designation is the highest level awarded through a new statewide program recognizing colleges and universities that take a coordinated commitment to addressing student needs such as food security, housing stability, mental health support and access to critical resources. This recognition underscores how our collective, intertwined efforts build a powerful network of support and innovation across CSU.

  • Thousands of New Alumni Chase Their Dreams

CSU’s university-wide commencement and recognition ceremonies in May celebrated the achievements of more than 8,000 students earning bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees, and were accompanied by more than 50,000 family members, friends, and loved ones over two days of celebrations. U.S. Olympic bobsledder Hunter Powell was guest speaker at the all-university stadium event. He grew up in Fort Collins and earned a bachelor’s degree in physics at CSU in 2019.

“We have a responsibility as people to chase our dreams,” Powell told the new graduates. “You owe it not only to yourself but to the people around you, the people in this stadium and the people you have yet to meet to chase your dreams.”

Every single unit on campus was in some way involved in commencement, and this was a culmination not only of all our students’ hard work, but your hard work as well. Thank you for helping our students chase their dreams. If you were unable to attend this year’s commencement as a faculty member, I encourage you to participate next spring. It is a time of unparalleled excitement, joy, and pride for our students and their families, and they will not forget seeing you there.

Expressing Gratitude

While the summer months offer a change of pace, the work of this institution never truly stops, and that is because of all of you.

  • To our faculty: Thank you for your tireless energy as you teach over the summer, develop curriculum, serve on committees or advisory groups, conduct research and fieldwork, mentor students, write grants, books, and journal articles, and travel for conferences, sabbaticals, or professional development.
  • To our staff: I extend my deepest appreciation to our incredible CSU staff across our academic, service, and vice president units. To each person who plays a role in keeping our momentum going – and of course, that is all of you – thank you for providing the foundation for a strong, caring community where faculty, staff, and students have the support and resources they need to succeed.

Enjoy the remainder of your summer, and please take time when you can to step away, rest and recharge.

Sincerely,
Lise

Lise M. Youngblade, Ph.D.
Provost and Executive Vice President