Dr. Becky Takeda-Tinker as Chief Education Innovation Officer

Denver, Colorado – The Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System today announced that Dr. Becky Takeda-Tinker, Colorado State University Global’s first president, will transition to a new role as chief educational innovation officer for the System. 

CSU Global is unique as the first fully online, fully accredited public university in the country. Given this uniqueness and the desire to ensure continuity in leadership, the Board will conduct an internal search for the next president, with the goal of naming the new president at its August Board meeting.

“If the recent pandemic has taught us anything in higher education, it is that there are profound and untapped opportunities to deliver learning in new ways that provide a measurable return on investment for students and industries, particularly when it comes to workforce education,” CSU System Chancellor Tony Frank said. “Dr. Takeda-Tinker is an outstanding leader who has built a unique business model in higher education at CSU Global – and she’s ready to move forward and spearhead a new level of collaboration and partnership with industry, government, and within academia.”

The CSU System is home to three universities: the flagship Colorado State University campus in Fort Collins, CSU Pueblo, and CSU Global. The System also is building an educational complex, Spur, focused on food, water, and health at the National Western Center complex in Denver.

Takeda-Tinker joined CSU Global in 2008 as dean of academic affairs and a faculty member in organizational leadership and business management. She became president of the university in July 2010 and led it to become an industry leader in providing high-quality, workplace-relevant, online education.

“Becky has an exceptional track record as an innovator in education, along with more than two decades of leadership in business and management in the private sector,” Board Chair Nancy Tuor said. “We want to put that expertise to work for the citizens we serve in new ways that can return real value to Colorado. We are delighted she is willing to step into this new role, and confident we have a strong, capable leadership team at CSU Global who will keep the university moving forward and delivering great value to our students.”

The Evaluation Committee of the Board of Governors will function as the search committee for the new president. That committee includes all the voting members of the Board, and they will be joined by the student and faculty representatives to the Board from the Global campus. The search committee will solicit applications by July 3 in preparation for the announcement of a new president in August.

Takeda-Tinker, who holds a Ph.D. in organization and management and a master’s degree in finance, had a successful career in private industry and as a consultant on strategic and financial planning for corporations and nonprofits prior to joining CSU Global.

Highlights of Takeda-Tinker’s tenure at CSU Global include:

• Growing CSU Global’s active student body to more than 20,000 in less than a decade. 
• Successfully completing and graduating more than 20,000 students through career-relevant bachelor’s and master’s programs, which have provided a measurable ROI for each of the university’s completed cohorts over the last 12 years.
• Becoming the first 100% online state university in the U.S. with independent accreditation.
• Helping the university pay back its origination loan ahead of schedule and making the university self-sustaining without the use of state funding, which it cannot receive by state statute.
• Maintaining a highly affordable model for students. CSU Global operates only through student tuition and yet it has not raised tuition rates since 2011 and has never charged student fees. 
• Assisting with the passage of numerous legislative bills that allow CSU Global to serve all U.S. citizens with access to high-quality continued education programs, regardless of age or location. 
• Serving the U.S. Military, Colorado National Guard, as well as state and federal government employees with programs specifically designed for their unique career goals and needs.
• Innovating online higher education by creating a highly accountable and adaptive organization that can address the specific needs of modern learners and businesses alike. This includes the creation and expansion of alternative credit options such as self-study and prior-learning assessments to allow students to customize their degree programs, partnering with over 3,000 corporate affiliates with tuition discounts and custom curricula to help upskill America’s workforce, and creating future-forward academic programs that are revised every year to ensure students are getting relevant and current industry knowledge and skills.
• Leading a unique partnership with Aurora Public Schools that allows for lease payments of its headquarters to be used for scholarships, tuition discounts, and professional development of APS students, alumni, faculty, and staff.

“It has been an honor to serve as CSU Global’s president. I am deeply grateful to the many members of the CSU System Board of Governors who have served during my presidency, and to the State of Colorado’s leadership for their unceasing support of the impactful work CSU Global has been able to deliver over the years,” Takeda-Tinker said. “I am very excited to now be able to work more closely with Chancellor Tony Frank as the entire CSU System team prevails beyond one of the most challenging times in history.”

About Colorado State University System

Colorado State University System is comprised of three distinct universities: CSU, a leading public research university and the state’s only land-grant institution, located in Fort Collins; CSU Pueblo, a regional-serving campus and federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution; and CSU Global, the nation’s first fully accredited online university. The CSU System’s institutions serve nearly 60,000 students annually. Learn more about the CSU System and its institutions, projects, and partnerships at csusystem.edu.

About Colorado State University Global

Colorado State University Global (CSU Global) offers career-relevant bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and certificate programs for working adults and nontraditional learners. As the first and only 100% online, fully accredited, state university in the United States, CSU Global is focused on student success as its number one priority. Embracing the land-grant heritage as part of the Colorado State University System, CSU Global sets the standard for quality and innovation in higher education through its expert faculty, who are recognized as industry leaders and trained in working with adults in an online learning environment. CSU Global offers a streamlined enrollment process with accelerated eight-week courses that start every four weeks. Visit CSUGlobal.edu or call 1-800-920-6723 for more information.