Successful Reaffirmation of Accreditation until 2030-2031

Dear colleagues,

We marked another milestone in the journey of our two campuses and our consolidated CU Denver | Anschutz entity this July, when we received official word from the Higher Learning Commission of our successful continuation of accreditation until the 2030-31 academic year. We are enormously proud of the educational experiences we provide, and this affirmation of the quality and caliber of our programs is to be celebrated.

We’d like to express our deep appreciation and thanks to the more than 90 faculty, students, and staff from both campuses who generously contributed their time and expertise in discussions with the accrediting team last April and as contributors to our comprehensive documentation and report.

We are especially grateful to CU Anschutz Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs Rod Nairn and former Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Planning Terry Potter (now retired), who led our reaffirmation of accreditation effort over the course of two years. Each brought their considerable experience with our 2011 accreditation to bear in this effort, to the great benefit of both our campuses. Their extensive documentation provided ample evidence that CU Denver | Anschutz is acting with integrity, providing a high-quality education, supporting our students, fulfilling our mission, and is poised to respond to future challenges and opportunities.

The HLC reviewers summed up their findings thus: “The university has continued to serve its constituencies through a challenging COVID-19 year. It has also made good progress in working out its administrative structure under the two-chancellor model. Without any reservations the (HLC) team can recommend reaffirmation of accreditation…”

Beyond this ringing endorsement, continuation of accreditation provides an important opportunity for reflection, assessment, and affirmation of who we are as individual campuses and as a consolidated institution. As we met with the evaluation team, we were proud of our successes and even more encouraged about our bright future, one in which we build on our strengths, navigate challenges, and fulfill our joint mission of creating, discovering and applying knowledge to improve the health and well-being of Colorado and the world.

Michelle Marks
Chancellor, CU Denver

Don Elliman
Chancellor, CU Anschutz