NEW PRESIDENT AT CSU PUEBLO
Armando Valdez shares his insights about the university and its role in the region
June 6, 2024
Visit his home in the San Luis Valley, and Armando Valdez will pull out his family tree tracing back 16 generations. His ancestors arrived in the New World from Spain, then inhabited present-day Mexico, New Mexico, and, finally, the sweeping valley in Southern Colorado.
Here, near the tiny town of Capulin, his family runs Valdez Land & Livestock, raising cattle, sheep, hay, barley, and oats.
Valdez brings this long family history – and a deep concern for the economy and quality of life in Southern Colorado – to his newest academic role, as president of CSU Pueblo.
In February, Valdez became leader of the university, which is designed to help develop a well-educated and well-prepared workforce for the region. The Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System hired Valdez to succeed former President Timothy Mottet. He guides a campus with about 3,700 students and more than 800 employees.
Valdez earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. He was a faculty member at Front Range Community College, then worked for 15 years as an assistant professor of management in the School of Business at Adams State University in Alamosa. At Adams State, Valdez was founding director of the Health Care Administration program and helped develop the Agribusiness program. For the past two years, he was Colorado director of USDA Rural Development, which works to boost prosperity in rural communities by investing in community infrastructure, economic development, and affordable housing. He has also helped lead many community organizations in Southern Colorado.
In addition, Valdez recently served as chair of the CSU System Board of Governors; he resigned to apply for the job of CSU Pueblo president. His service on the board gave Valdez unique insights into the academics, finances, and strategic direction of CSU Pueblo, he said.
He offered insights about CSU Pueblo during a Q&A with STATE.
How did your time on the CSU System Board of Governors prepare you to become president at CSU Pueblo?
As a board member, I helped govern the System and have overseen its three universities from a very high level, while still getting significant amounts of detailed information about what’s happening with each campus. I’ve been an advocate and a supporter of the improvements CSU Pueblo has undertaken and have voted for funding proposals to serve students as well as Pueblo, Southern Colorado, the whole state, and beyond.
CSU Pueblo is a regional comprehensive university. Could you explain what that means?
I think it’s as the name implies: The university serves students and the broad community of a particular region – the Pueblo region, the Southern Colorado region, extending into the San Luis Valley, and northern New Mexico. The comprehensive piece addresses the spectrum of programs and curricula available, from the traditional liberal arts to business, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, as well as skilled professional areas, such as nursing. Teaching and learning are the primary focus at CSU Pueblo. For students, we provide a high-impact, high-touch environment. Faculty research and scholarship are undertaken at CSU Pueblo, but not to the extent of a research university such as CSU in Fort Collins, where it is part of the core mission. Economic development and community engagement are important aspects of the mission for CSU Pueblo as a regional comprehensive university.
About 50 percent of our student population at CSU Pueblo comes from diverse backgrounds, mainly Latino. At the same time, the population in Pueblo is about 50 percent Hispanic, and the Hispanic population is a critical part of growth and diversification across the United States. So, the success of our Hispanic students helps drive overall success within our student population and, more broadly, our society and economy.”
Why is that mission particularly important from your perspective, as someone who has built his life and career in Southern Colorado?
The access to education we provide for students opens doors to opportunity, life enhancement, and lifelong learning. Our graduates augment the business community and economy throughout the region – as does the university itself, as an important regional employer. And the university builds culture throughout our community, in part because it brings different, diverse sets of perspectives into the area.
CSU Pueblo has a 50 percent diverse enrollment, with a substantial percentage of Hispanic students. For this reason, it is federally designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, which makes it eligible for federal grants to support student success. Why is that designation important for CSU Pueblo, and how does it serve students?
I worked as a faculty member for a large portion of my career at a Hispanic-Serving Institution – at Adams State University in Alamosa – so I’ve seen how the designation tremendously benefits students. First, as an HSI goes through the process of identifying and applying for federal grants to build programs that support student success, it must constantly evaluate, “Where are we strong in serving students, and where are we deficient?” This prompts us to closely track factors that contribute to academic success and make programmatic decisions based on data. This benefits not only Hispanic students, but all students.
As you mentioned, about 50 percent of our student population at CSU Pueblo comes from diverse backgrounds, mainly Latino. At the same time, the population in Pueblo is about 50 percent Hispanic, and the Hispanic population is a critical part of growth and diversification across the United States. So, the success of our Hispanic students helps drive overall success within our student population and, more broadly, our society and economy.
The designation also signifies for students that, “Hey, this is a spot where we can learn and gain opportunity.” Like many students of color, Hispanic students often come from communities that are underrepresented in higher education and from under-resourced or limited-resource families, so it may be a bigger lift for them to attend college and graduate. The HSI designation is just one sign that we understand, invite, and are inclusive of all our students and the full spectrum of diversity they represent. One of the very attractive aspects of Colorado State University Pueblo is our diverse student population.
CSU Pueblo also has a high percentage of first-generation college students – more than 40 percent. Why is that significant, and how does it relate to the university’s mission as a regional comprehensive university?
My parents were first-generation college students – the first in their families to earn college degrees. So, for my entire life, I’ve been the beneficiary of their opportunity to pursue higher education. When you look at a first-generation student, it’s not just the student you’re looking at; it’s also their family. Education – and how it leads to opportunity – has always been a focal point of my life. Access to learning is the starting point, and having a high percentage of first-generation students demonstrates that CSU Pueblo is an important access point. We are educating students who are becoming informed citizens, who are prepared for careers that are important to the region. They have higher lifetime earning potential and more lifelong opportunities. They contribute to our Southern Colorado business climate, economy, and culture, and this has benefits both here and well beyond our region.
Not every person needs to go to college to succeed. There are trade and entrepreneurial paths that also greatly benefit the success of our communities. However, if a person has the desire to go to college, we want to welcome them to CSU Pueblo and support their ambitions. And we’ll allocate every resource to develop and expand their talents. It’s our passion that higher education is an investment in opportunity for everyone.
Those of us who work at CSU Pueblo want to make sure our students and their families understand things like financial aid and how curriculum pathways are set up – that our university is inviting and provides practical and meaningful information as students matriculate. We want to make sure our programs are intentionally designed to help students succeed in their academics and graduate with their degrees. Being from a farm, I’ll offer this analogy: How do you get water to flow from a pump? You’ve got to prime it – put water in to get more water out. We must invest in our first-generation students so that they become productive citizens and their talents flow on to create economic opportunities, community opportunities, and cultural advancement.
It is deeply personal. I’m a resident of Southern Colorado. I love Southern Colorado. I have deep family connections that go back generations here. I’m a strong advocate, wanting to see Southern Colorado succeed.”
Of course, CSU Pueblo is part of the Colorado State University System. What does CSU Pueblo bring to the System?
As a System whose institutions receive funding from the state, our priority is serving Colorado; each of the universities in the System has a critical role. CSU in Fort Collins is our flagship, a land-grant institution with a mission of teaching, research, and engagement; it has grown into a top-tier research university whose discoveries have international impact. CSU Global is our online university, and its virtual learning environment is tailored for working adults who wish to advance in their careers; its format helps to extend the educational access mission of the entire System. At CSU Pueblo, we are the Hispanic-Serving Institution of our System, and we are a premier place for first-generation students and students with diverse backgrounds who seek that welcoming, high-touch, high-impact environment as a path to career opportunities in our region and beyond.
Why is this new role as president at CSU Pueblo meaningful to you, as someone whose family is so rooted in Southern Colorado?
It is deeply personal. I’m a resident of Southern Colorado. I love Southern Colorado. I have deep family connections that go back generations here. I’m a strong advocate, wanting to see Southern Colorado succeed. I’m passionate about empowering individuals to attain new opportunities. For our first-generation students, this might be their first opportunity to advance and for their families to advance. What are they going to be able to contribute? I come from a faculty background, from an academic background. So, I love hearing about the curriculum, love hearing all the excitement that’s there. We can really help students who need some support and guidance so they can go out and be amazing individuals with new opportunities contributing to our society.
Photo at top: Armando Valdez recently became president of CSU Pueblo after serving as chair of the Board of Governors of the CSU System. Photo: Jerod Young.
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