Amy Parsons plans to boost faculty pay and recruit diversity as 16th president of Colorado State University
In her first television interview since joining Colorado State University, newly appointed President Amy Parsons said she is ready to help fix a nationwide trend of young students shying away from higher education.
Parsons, the 16th president in the university's history, is only two weeks into her new role.
"It is a dream come true to be in this position at CSU," Parsons told CSU alumni and CBS Colorado reporter Dillon Thomas.
Parsons was a student at CSU in the 1990s, moving onto the campus and into the dorms with aspirations of studying political sciences and getting a law degree.
"A lot of things are still the same (on campus)," Parsons said. "I can still feel the nostalgia from when I was a student here."
After Parsons graduated from CSU and later received her law degree she joined CSU as legal counsel. She was then hired as Vice President of University Operations. In total she worked for CSU for 17 years.
"I handled budgets, finance, campus safety, capital construction. It was in those years I built the new Canvas Stadium," Parsons said.
She served in several leadership positions before leaving the CSU system in 2020 for a role as the CEO of a Denver-based company.
Parsons confessed she has been eyeing the position of president at CSU for many years, but did not apply for the position the last time around due to the age of her children and other family dynamics.
However, after Joyce McConnell suddenly departed in 2022, and with children now in their college years Parsons felt it was a good time to apply for the job.
Her daughter is a student at CSU, but Parsons has promised her that she won't be making any surprise appearances in her daughter's classes or social settings, but welcomed her daughter to surprise her any time.
As president, Parsons will be tasked with finding a resolution to a national trend of declining enrollment in higher education. She sourced much of that issue to the rising cost of higher education but said students should feel comfortable in their ability to attend CSU with plenty of opportunities to receive financial aid.
"Half of our students who graduate from CSU graduate with no student debt at all," Parsons said. "Of those students who graduate with debt, it is modest debt of around $25,000."
Parsons also noted that the jobs most students receive after their graduation from CSU provide them with the financial ability to pay off any debts reasonably.
When Parsons was announced as the selection to become the 16th president of CSU, some staff openly vocalized their opposition to her appointment.
Some staff raised concerns about her lack of background as a teacher, noting that she would lead a large body of faculty with more experience than she does in education.
Parsons noted that she has taught classes before, but not as a tenured professor. And, she confessed that her experience in education is not as strong as she wishes it was. However, she said that her leadership style and dedication to the advancement of CSU should be promising and embraced by faculty and staff.
"I totally understand where they are coming from. All I can do is be in their corner and promote them, support them and empower them. They will learn that is who I am over time."
Parsons said she plans to advocate for, and secure, more funding for her faculty and staff. She said she would work to make sure they were given proper raises to make up for any lost wages or pay during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Parsons also said she will make it her mission to not only grow the student body's size but also make sure the student population more accurately reflects the diversity of Colorado's population.
Students and staff should expect to see Parsons walking around campus, and traveling the state, according to Parsons herself.
"It is a privilege to be here. I felt that when I was here as a freshman and I feel that today," Parsons said.
