President Epper Outlines Four Priorities for CSU Pueblo’s Future

President Rhonda Epper arrived at CSU Pueblo in March with a clear mission: stabilize the university and position it for long-term growth. In her first State of the University Address, she outlined the real challenges ahead and the strategic priorities that will guide the institution through this pivotal period.

The Foundation

Before diving into numbers and timelines, Epper emphasized the university’s core role. CSU Pueblo serves as an engine of economic mobility, particularly in a region where many students are the first in their families to attend college. “A college degree can alter the economic trajectory of an individual student and an entire family for generations,” she said.

The university supports hundreds of jobs and generates more than $100 million in annual economic activity. That economic impact became visible this summer when CSU Pueblo hosted the incident command center for the Aspen Acres Fire. Over several weeks, more than 1,700 firefighters and personnel operated from campus, straining facilities and staff but demonstrating the university’s value to its community.

The data backs up the value proposition of having a university education. In 2024, college graduates earned a median wage of $79,000 annually, compared to $47,000 for high school graduates. That $32,000 annual difference has remained consistent despite economic cycles, labor market shifts, and technological change. Yet public perception is shifting. Since 2010, fewer Americans believe college is important. The conversation families are having changed from “where should we go to college” to “should we go to college at all.”

The Landscape: Headwinds and Opportunity

CSU Pueblo operates in an environment shaped by forces mostly beyond institutional control. Colorado faces a demographic cliff: high school graduates are projected to decline 12 percent between 2023 and 2041. That matters in a state that already has more higher education providers per capita than most regions, creating intense competition for a shrinking pool of students.

Yet the enrollment picture shows progress. After hitting a low of approximately 3,000 students in fall 2022, CSU Pueblo has climbed to approximately 3,500 today. First-year enrollment strengthened. Continuing undergraduate enrollment improved. Graduate enrollment grew. This recovery deserves recognition, though Epper pointed to a harder truth: a decade ago, the university enrolled 4,500 students.

Much recent growth came through online education, which expands the institution’s reach. But on-campus undergraduate enrollment dropped 11 percent since 2019. That matters because housing, dining, the recreation center, and other services depend on students being physically present. More critically, the small scale and face-to-face community that define CSU Pueblo risk eroding if the on-campus population shrinks further.

The Problem: Retention, Not Just Recruitment

Numbers that startled the university community emerged during Epper’s address. The first-to-second year retention rate stands at 64 percent. That means 36 percent of students leave after their first year. Within four years, only 26 percent graduate. After six years, 42 percent finish. For racially minoritized students, that six-year rate drops to 36 percent.

President Epper was direct about what this means. When 36 percent of students leave after the first year, “we’re losing them just as quickly through the back door” as the university brings them in the front. Without solving the retention crisis, recruitment alone will fail.

The university is investigating why students leave. A significant attrition point occurs between second and third year. Questions remain: Do patterns differ between online and traditional students? Between older and traditional-age students? Do particular academic programs lose students? Do financial barriers, scheduling conflicts, or advising gaps push students out? Early data suggest a bimodal distribution, with well-prepared students at one end and under-prepared students at the other. Both groups need support. Both need to succeed.

The Strategy: Four Interconnected Priorities

President Epper outlined four priorities designed to reinforce each other.

Enrollment Growth. The five-year goal: grow from 3,500 to 3,750 students. That requires more effective recruitment, rebuilding transfer enrollment, continuing online expansion where it makes academic and market sense, and making the on-campus experience accessible to working students. Currently, many courses run Monday through Thursday in the middle of the day. Evening, weekend, and hybrid options could open access to students working 30 or 40 hours weekly.

Student Success. New targets aim high: 70 percent retention, 40 percent four-year graduation, 60 percent six-year graduation. CSU Pueblo is launching an integrated student success model with a one-stop hub, a reimagined PACK Center, faculty-led advising, and new EAB Navigate software to help students stay on track and graduate. These numbers represent more than institutional metrics. They represent students accomplishing what they came to do.

Financial Stability. FY26 ended better than FY25, with approximately $500,000 in net gains in the educational and general fund. Overall, losses shrank by roughly $700,000. The immediate goal for FY27: stop losing money. The university has corrected structural deficits, tightened spending authority, and aligned accounting operations more closely with the CSU system. But Epper was clear: “We cannot cut our way to long-term prosperity. The long-term path to financial strength is growth.”

Career Outcomes and Industry Partnerships. Epper believes the university’s responsibility extends beyond commencement. Students need credentials, but they also need experience, professional networks, and pathways to employment. Employers struggle to find talented workers. CSU Pueblo can bridge that gap through robust internship infrastructure, strong faculty and research expertise, and deeper partnerships with regional business. The small scale that defines CSU Pueblo becomes an advantage here. Personal relationships and direct access to faculty matter in an employment landscape increasingly dominated by algorithms.

Implementation and Next Steps

This academic year will bring concrete action. The university will launch an integrated student success model, along with stronger career services and workforce partnerships. Fiscal and operational improvements will continue. CSU Pueblo will prepare for its HLC reaffirmation visit in March 2027, work that Epper emphasized is foundational to institutional mission and capacity.

Communication will deepen. Faculty and staff will see more engagement from leadership through university meetings and presidential open forums.

The Bottom Line

President Epper closed with acknowledgment of what she’s witnessed in her first months: the depth of commitment from faculty and staff, the ways people serve students, how the community mobilized during the fire, and a conversation with a community member who said, “President, we need you to be great.”

“I’m going to try my best to be great,” she said. “But I can’t be great alone. It’s going to take all of us.”

The priorities are ambitious. The timeline is tight. The competition is real. But the foundation is there: a university rooted in its community, staffed by people who are committed to the students, and a leadership that understands what’s at stake. CSU Pueblo’s next chapter depends on all of it working together.