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Board Working Group Charters

Working Group A

Employer Alignment

Chair: Julie Frankel-Reed

Scope

Design and execute the employer survey, analyze results, map findings to curriculum gaps.

Key Deliverables

  • Survey instrument Q1 2026
  • 25 employer responses Q2 2026
  • Skills gap analysis Q3 2026
  • Curriculum recommendations Q4 2026

Resources Needed

Survey platform (Google Forms or Qualtrics), faculty liaison

Success Metrics

25 employers surveyed
Top 5 skills gaps identified
3+ curriculum mods proposed
Working Group B

New Geographies

Chair: Boris Martin

Scope

Develop and execute international recruitment strategy for target markets.

Key Deliverables

  • Target market analysis Complete
  • Recruitment materials Q2 2026
  • Virtual info sessions Q2-Q3 2026
  • Government scholarship applications Q2 2026
  • Partnership MOUs Q4 2026

Target Geographies

East Africa (Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria — Mastercard Foundation), India (IIT network), UAE (MoHESR), Nepal, Colombia/Peru

Key Insight

CU should pursue Mastercard Foundation partnership status immediately — ASU, UC Berkeley, Duke, Stanford are already partners.

Success Metrics

6+ recruitment events
20+ intl. applicants
3-5 scholarship partnerships
Working Group C

Cross-Department Models

Chair: Gretchen Winter

Scope

Design cross-listing strategy, develop Global Engineering Certificate, support School of Sustainability Engineering initiative.

Key Deliverables

  • Cross-listing proposals for 3-5 courses Q2 2026
  • Global Engineering Certificate proposal Q2 2026
  • School of SE advocacy materials Q3 2026

Departments to Engage

ME, CEAE, ECEE, Materials Science, EVEN

Success Metrics

3+ courses cross-listed for Fall 2026
Certificate launched
50+ non-Mortenson enrollments
Working Group D

Online Revenue Model

Chair: Claudia Aranda

Scope

Develop financial model for online MS program, evaluate delivery platforms, make go/no-go recommendation.

Key Deliverables

  • Financial model with 3 scenarios Q2 2026
  • RFI responses from Coursera/edX/2U Q2 2026
  • Platform recommendation Q3 2026
  • Pilot course plan Q4 2026

Key Context

$20-35K tuition sweet spot. Growing trend toward self-built online programs. DOE reviewing OPM revenue-sharing regulations.

Success Metrics

3 scenarios modeled
50 pilot enrollment
Go/no-go by Q4

Strategic Plan Progress

Last updated:
Next Board Meeting
June 2026 (Quarterly)
days remaining

Implementation Timeline

Phase 1

Launch & Build

Jan – Mar 2026
  • Launch employer/alumni survey
  • Form 4 board working groups
  • Begin government scholarship applications
  • Draft cross-listing proposals
  • Assemble online program financial model
  • Start Mastercard Foundation activation
Phase 2

Execute & Recruit

Apr – Jun 2026
  • Collect 25 employer survey responses
  • Host virtual info sessions in target markets
  • Submit certificate proposal to CU
  • Send RFIs to platform providers
  • Establish 3+ scholarship pipelines
  • Cross-list 3-5 courses for Fall 2026
Phase 3

Analyze & Recommend

Jul – Sep 2026
  • Complete skills gap analysis
  • Make platform recommendation
  • Evaluate recruitment campaign results
  • School of SE advocacy push
  • Mid-year progress review with board
  • Refine financial projections
Phase 4

Decide & Scale

Oct – Dec 2026
  • Deliver curriculum recommendations
  • Go/no-go on online MS program
  • Sign partnership MOUs
  • Launch pilot course if approved
  • Annual board strategy review
  • Set 2027 targets and budget

12-Month Target Summary

Strategic Action Owner 12-Month Target Key Metric
Survey Employers & Alumni Frankel-Reed / MacDonald Complete skills gap analysis with curriculum recommendations 25 employers, 50% alumni response, 5 gaps
Online Revenue Model Aranda WG / Wright Go/no-go decision on online MS program 3 scenarios, 50 pilot students
Government Pipelines Thomas Establish scholarship partnerships in 3-5 countries 2 applications, 3-5 partnerships, 10 pipeline students
Cross-Dept. Expansion Klees / Muthike Launch Global Engineering Certificate 3-5 courses, certificate live, 50 enrollments
New Geographies Martin WG Build recruitment presence in 5+ target markets 6 events, 20 applicants, 3-5 partnerships
Board Engagement Thomas / Goodroad Fully active board with 4 working groups 4 meetings, 4 WGs active, 20 connections