🌎 At a time when our international student population faces unprecedented challenges and uncertainty, I take solace in the fact that Colorado has campus professionals who are supporting our international learners and faculty peers. I had the opportunity to talk with Tim Shriver, CEO of UNITE and co-founder of The Dignity Index. We explored how the tool could both transform and support our colleagues in international education.
“The skills needed to bridge divides – whether they’re political, cultural or ideological - are fundamentally the same. It’s about developing the capacity to see the full humanity in others, even when their perspectives challenge our own assumptions.” – Tim Shriver
Rather than allowing fear and division to dominate campus conversations, Shriver argues that treating others with dignity doesn’t require compromising our principles – it simply asks us to add one principle: that through our passion, we treat others with dignity. You can read my full interview here.
🗣 A recent update from The President’s Forum, a collaborative network of 17 higher education institutions committed to expanding access and opportunity for working learners, explains that the outdated $5,250 cap on tax-free employer education benefits from 1986 is limiting private investment in workforce education. According to the President’s Forum, the $5,250 cap would be worth about $15,000 today if adjusted for inflation. Nearly three-quarters of workers are interested in education benefits, but their interest drops to 39% when benefits above the cap are taxed. There are two pieces of legislation in Congress (H.R. 6401 and H.R. 6402) which proposed to raise the tax-free benefit cap, index the cap to inflation, and include books and learning tools in covered expenses. Watch and read more from the President’s Forum on this topic.
🎓 When it comes to legislative activity in Colorado, the team at Colorado Succeeds summarized the postsecondary education + workforce related topics that were addressed this session. You can read their full legislative recap here, including details about the new, modern school accountability framework; the simplification of postsecondary and workforce readiness funding; the expansion of work-based learning opportunities; and a new K12 school finance formula.
The Colorado Succeeds team also announced the launch of the Colorado Talent Academy in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, which will prepare over 35 employer and industry leaders to apply the nationally-recognized Talent Pipeline Management (TPM) framework to their organizations.
🎥 What I’m watching: a new documentary from our friends at Roadtrip Nation called “Rethinking Higher Ed,” which profiles three students who discover pathways beyond high school that include community college and career certifications. The recent film reminds viewers that there is no one “right way” to learn and grow. Check out the film (and the entire Roadtrip Nation portfolio) here.
📆 Mark your calendar: join us for a Rooftop Happy Hour + Book Signing with Kathleen deLaski. Hosted by our friends at the Donnell-Kay Foundation, Colorado Succeeds & Willow Education, Kathleen will be sharing insights from her new book, “Who Needs College Anymore? Imagining a Future Where Degrees Won’t Matter,” on Monday, June 16 at 4:30pm on the Donnell-Kay Foundation Rooftop. Her book explores how learning, credentials, and career preparation are evolving – and what the shift means for education leaders, employers and policymakers. Register here.
Spotlight on Colorado Education and Workforce
🌟 The future of work is taking center stage in Denver tomorrow! I am excited to personally invite our Boundless Potential readers to the 5th Annual Techstars Workforce Development Accelerator Demo Day, where innovation meets impact in the heart of Colorado — the birthplace of Techstars.
- As this year’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence, I have seen these founders bring their lived experience and new ideas together to solve some of the most pressing challenges facing today’s workforce.
- The 11 companies not only have timely solutions, but their founders have powerful personal stories that you will not want to miss.
⏰ 5:30pm - 8pm; doors open at 5pm
📍 The Cable Center, 2000 Buchtel Boulevard South, Denver, CO; complimentary parking
🎟 FREE Admission — Register here
🚀 Why You Can’t Miss Demo Day 🚀
This isn’t just another demonstration of tools and innovations.
- It’s a celebration of the 11 groundbreaking startups that are reshaping how we work, learn and grow.
- Plus, you will get exclusive insights from Techstars co-founder Brad Feld during a special fireside chat celebrating the launch of his new book, Give First.
5:30pm — Fireside Chat with Brad Feld on Give First
6:00pm — Welcome + Opening Remarks
6:30pm — Founder Pitches (THE Main Event!)
7:30pm — Networking and Connection Building
📗 Special Guest: Brad Feld 📗
Techstars co-founder and entrepreneurial thought leader Brad Feld will share insights from his latest book, Give First, exploring how generosity builds vibrant startup communities and supports the next generation of leaders.
The event is FREE, but you must register to attend.
Don’t miss this celebration of innovation, curiosity, generosity and the future of work in the place Techstars was born. Colorado continues to be a hub for both seeding and welcoming amazing startups who bring a rugged spirit of creativity — this Demo Day perfectly reflects that sentiment.
I look forward to seeing you there!
What We’re Reading (and Listening To…)
Early Childhood & K-12 Education
- Childcare + Rural Colorado: Three employers in western Colorado will open new child care facilities, creating approximately 330 new child care seats to address shortages in rural communities. The projects include an expanded child care center in the Buena Vista school district, three child care classrooms in The Powerhouse, a children’s science museum in Durango, and a new child care space at Colorado Mountain College in Garfield County. The state grant program, which aims to help employers provide child care for their workers, is largely funded with federal COVID stimulus money. With those dollars obligated, the grant program will end. These employer-based child care programs can reduce staff turnover, boost employee morale, and provide child care hours that better match parents’ work schedules. [Chalkbeat Colorado]
Postsecondary Education
- Apprenticeship Degrees: Apprenticeship degrees, which combine paid on-the-job training with college coursework, are slowly gaining traction in the United States as a solution to rising education costs, student debt, and labor shortages, particularly in teaching where programs like Reach University help school employees earn bachelor’s degrees for under $4,000. The model, imported from the United Kingdom where nearly 90 universities offer such programs, allows students to earn academic credit for workplace learning – with institutions like Colorado Mountain College allocating 45% of coursework to on-the-job training in their teacher apprenticeship program. While early results are promising, with Reach University showing a 79% retention rate and three-quarters of students graduating on time, the model faces hurdles including inconsistent funding, federal recognition barriers, and faculty resistance to awarding credit for workplace learning. Advocates hope to see three million apprenticeship degree enrollments by 2035, through expansion beyond teaching into other fields will require more reliable funding mechanisms and policy support. [The Chronicle of Higher Education]
- Connecting Work and College: Former Governor of Massachusetts Jane Swift joins FutureU hosts Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn to talk about the ways to rebuild the broken college-to-career pipeline. Now leading Education at Work, a nonprofit that provides work-based learning opportunities for undergraduates, Swift shares how her organization supports first-generation and Pell-eligible students with paid, career-relevant jobs during college. The conversation also dives into the policy vacuum left by Congressional inaction, the role of state in driving innovation and where bipartisan opportunities still exist in connecting higher education to the workforce. Listen here.
Future of Work
- Government Report on Apprenticeship: A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report affirms apprenticeship as a highly effective workforce development strategy. The report also showcased evidence of a number of benefits to employers, including lower employee turnover. The GAO summarized studies demonstrating positive return on investments for employers, which it found credible. The full report can be found here. Thanks to our friends at Apprenticeships for America for this summary.
- English Language Learning: A new EnGen report on adult English learners in the workforce finds that 67% of these workers access English upskilling through their employers. Among those workers, 84% said that they will remain with their current company because it offers English upskilling as a worker benefit and 86% said they would refer someone to their organization for the same reason. Related: Read more about Colorado's partnership with EnGen here.
- Gen Z + Jobs: Gen Z job seekers are forgoing remote work jobs at a rate higher than all other generations, with a 12% decline in their applications to positions with remote work availability between January and March 2025 alone. This trend is likely spurred on by Gen Z’s chronic layoff anxiety, the highest among all generations, and the industry-wide sentiment that employers consider on-site positions to be less expendable. [HR Dive]
Upcoming Events and Opportunities
- NEW! American Enterprise Institute: Measuring the Value of Nondegree Credentials, June 5, 3-4:15pm MT, Hybrid-Washington, D.C.
- NEW! American Council on Education: Reframing Higher Education’s Value During a Crisis of Confidence, June 17, 12-1pm MT (Virtual)
- Education Commission of the States: National Forum on Education, July 9-11, Salt Lake City, UT
- NEW! Social Finance Institute: Workforce Realigned: New Incentives for Improving Workforce Outcomes, July 17, Washington, D.C.
- National Conference of State Legislators: NCSL Legislative Summit 2025, August 4-6, 2025, Boston, MA
- State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO): 2025 SHEEO Higher Education Policy Conference, August 11-14, Minneapolis, MN
- NEW! Enable Ventures, SmartJob, and Strada Education Foundation: Disability Innovation Forum 2025, September 18, Washington, D.C.
Colleagues on the Move
- Dr. Karen Marrongelle has been named the next Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Colorado-Denver. She currently serves as the Chief Science Officer at the U.S. National Science Foundation.
- Steven Elias has been selected as the next Dean of the Kenneth W. Monfort College of Business at the University of Northern Colorado. Steven most recently served as the Endowed Dean for the Katz School of Business at Fort Lewis College.
- Jackie Kapushion has been named the sole finalist to be the next Superintendent of St. Vrain Valley School District. Jackie has worked in St. Vrain Valley for 10 years, including eight years as Deputy Superintendent and two years as an Assistant Superintendent.
- NEW! Lead for Workforce Systems Coordination with the Office of Governor Jared Polis, Denver, CO
- NEW! Special Workforce Systems Advisor with the Office of Governor Jared Polis, Denver, CO
- NEW! Programs Graduate Fellow with Trellis Foundation, Round Rock, TX
- NEW! Chief Product Officer with Mainstay, Remote
- NEW! Dean of Art + Design with the Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design, Lakewood, CO
- NEW! Seasonal Graduate Admissions Assistant with the University of Denver, Denver, CO
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