Good afternoon, colleagues. I want to start today by reminding you of something powerful: You are part of a legend. For more than 125 years, this institution has faced moments that would have broken lesser schools. We've been told we couldn't afford independence. We've been forced to close our doors completely. We've had our very existence questioned. And yet...here we are. Not just surviving but thriving. Not just enduring, but leading.
You know what separates legends from everyone else? It's not that they never face adversity. It's that they transform adversity into advantage. They see opportunity where others see only obstacles.
That's who we are. That's who we've always been. And especially in times like these, when higher education faces real headwinds, that's exactly who we need to be.
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Three times in our history, we've faced major threats:
In our early years, we couldn't break free from the medical school. We persevered for 24 years and became our own institution. During the Great Depression, we had to stop admitting students entirely. We graduated our final 12 students in 1935, then reopened stronger with a revolutionary five-year BSN program. Just three years ago, COVID shut down clinical sites across the country. Students everywhere faced delayed graduation. We innovated with simulation technology and became the first department on this campus to return to in-person learning.
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Do you see the pattern? Challenge. Innovation. Leadership. That's not just our history. That's our DNA. That's what makes us legends.
When Loretta Ford faced internal resistance to creating nurse practitioners, she didn't back down. Today, 355,000 nurse practitioners serve patients worldwide because of her tenacity. When Jean Watson developed her caring science theory, skeptics questioned its value. Today, 300 hospitals worldwide use her framework to deliver better patient care. When COVID threatened to derail our students' futures, we didn't wait for someone else to solve it. We pioneered simulation solutions that are now the gold standard.
You see, legends aren't made in comfortable times. They're forged in moments of challenge. They're created by people who refuse to let circumstances define their destiny.
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Today, we're going to explore how our three defining characteristics, tenacity, innovation, and seizing opportunities, continue to position us as leaders in nursing education. We'll see how departments across our college are living these values right now. And we'll discover why everything that's challenging higher education today is actually setting the stage for our next chapter of excellence.
Because that's what we do. That's what we've always done. We don't just weather storms. We use them to sail faster.
Welcome to the story of where legends are made. Welcome to our story. Let's see how we're writing the next chapter together.
The innovation we've shown throughout our over 125-year history isn't just historical. It's happening right now, in every department, led by extraordinary Associate Deans who embody these legendary qualities daily.
You're about to hear from the leaders who are transforming nursing education, research, and community care.
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Dr. Amy Barton, our Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Students, whose innovative educational approaches and dedication to excellence have consistently produced competent and highly qualified nurses who excel in clinical practice.
Dr. Kelly Stamp, our Associate Dean of Academic Programs, who spearheaded our $6 million simulation center, the largest in the Rocky Mountain region, and whose work has delivered record-breaking student outcomes and nationally recognized programs.
Dr. Teri Hernandez, our Associate Dean of Research and Scholarship, who created the only Center for Nursing Inquiry in the western United States.
And Dr. Jessica Anderson, our Associate Dean of Clinical and Community Affairs, who leads the only Recovery Coach Doula Program in the country.
These leaders will show you how tenacity, innovation, and seizing opportunities aren't just historical concepts, they're the driving force behind everything we're accomplishing today.
Let's see legend-making in action.
What you've just seen from our Associate Deans isn't just departmental updates. It's proof that the same qualities that carried us through more than 125 years of challenges are positioning us to lead through whatever comes next.
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The external recognition that was highlighted in this video demonstrates three fundamental truths about who we are: We solve problems others accept as permanent. We create solutions that become models for the nation. And we measure our success not just by what we achieve, but by the lives we transform in the process.
When federal funding priorities shifted, we didn't just adapt. We built the only Center for Nursing Inquiry in the western United States. When traditional clinical models proved inadequate, we didn't just supplement them. We redefined what nursing education could look like. When preventable maternal deaths reached crisis levels, we didn't study the problem longer. We created the nation's first Recovery Coach Doula Program.
This pattern of transformative leadership shows up in everything we do: Our faculty are being recognized as individual leaders who are changing healthcare globally.
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Two of our distinguished faculty members have been named Fulbright Scholars, among only a few CU Nursing faculty ever to receive this prestigious honor.
- Dr. Sean Reed is spending this fall in Romania, implementing his patient prioritization tool that's already transforming palliative care in Lebanon and now being adapted internationally.
- Dr. Christina Sun was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 2023 for LGBT research in Botswana and Taiwan from the U.S. Department of State, with research focused on reducing health disparities through the application of community-based approaches and interventions.
- Just last month, both Drs. Laura Rosenthal and Sean Reed were inducted as Fellows in the American Academy of Nursing, the only two Fellows selected from all of Colorado this year.
The Colorado Attorney General's Office awarded us $700,000 to expand our Recovery Coach Doula program statewide. Governor Polis specifically highlighted our work in his statewide education initiatives. The American Academy of Nursing designated us an Edge Runner for innovative care models.
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Here's what these achievements really mean: While higher education faces unprecedented pressures, while nursing schools struggle with enrollment and resources, while healthcare systems are overwhelmed, we're not just surviving. We're setting the standard.
These aren't individual accomplishments happening in isolation. They're the result of the collective excellence represented in this room. Every faculty member who mentors students. Every staff member who supports our operations. Every researcher who asks important questions. Every clinician who provides compassionate care.
That's not luck. That's legend-making. That's who we are.
So what's next for an institution that has survived more than 125 years of challenges and emerged stronger each time?
We continue to do what we've always done: see opportunities where others see obstacles.
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Increased competition in the Colorado nursing education marketplace? While Galen School of Nursing, Grand Canyon School of Nursing, Arizona School of Nursing, and the Community College of Aurora expand their programs, we're not retreating. We're raising our profile.
We're marketing strategically to ensure the best and brightest students know what sets us apart:
- #2 nurse-midwifery program nationally
- The largest simulation facility in the Rocky Mountain region
- Zero-textbook-cost degrees
- Faculty who are Fulbright Scholars and internationally recognized innovators.
Current workforce shortages? We're expanding our partnerships to rural and underserved communities, training nurses where they're needed most.
Healthcare technology transformation? We're leading with the largest simulation facility in the region and pioneering telehealth solutions.
Educational affordability crisis? We are creating the first collaborative zero-textbook-cost nursing degree in the country.
Global health challenges? Our faculty are conducting research in Romania, training nurse practitioners in Switzerland, and sharing innovations worldwide.
Competition doesn't worry us. It validates us. When other schools try to enter our market, it proves what we've always known: Colorado needs excellent nursing education, and we've been setting that standard for more than 125 years.
Our task isn't to compete. It's to continue innovating at a pace others can't match.
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The future doesn't scare us. It energizes us. Because we know something our competitors are still learning: Crisis creates legends.
Every challenge facing higher education today? We've faced worse and emerged stronger.
Every pressure on nursing education? We've already innovated solutions.
Every obstacle in our path? We've turned it into opportunity.
From 1898 to 2025, the pattern is clear: Financial crisis led to independence. The Great Depression led to curriculum innovation. COVID-19 led to simulation leadership. Every challenge became our competitive advantage.
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You are part of that legacy. You are creating that future. You are writing the next chapter of legend-making. This isn't just where we work. This is where legends are made.
Legends like Loretta Ford, who created the entire NP profession.
Legends like Jean Watson, whose caring science guides hospitals worldwide.
Legends like each of you, who refused to let a pandemic stop student success, who created solutions when others saw only problems, who continue to innovate when it matters most.
The next 125 years start now. The next legend could be anyone in this room. The next innovation that changes healthcare could come from your next idea.
Welcome to where legends are made. Welcome to our future. Let's write it together.
