Dear Students and Colleagues,

I have received the report from Mountain States Employers Council resulting from
its review that we commissioned of 1) the current nature of the environment in the
School of Theatre Arts and Dance, and 2) how UNC handled past complaints against
former Professor Vance Fulkerson.

We were all deeply troubled, not only by the alleged conduct of Mr. Fulkerson
which led to his arrest, but also by the resulting questions concerning UNC as a
community, some going back almost twenty years, which were raised in press reports
following the arrest. We owed it to our students and their parents, our faculty
and staff, and the citizens of Colorado to take a serious look at ourselves in
light of those allegations. The best way to do this was to call in a neutral and
experienced third party, the Mountain States Employers Council, Inc.

The report from Mountain States is straightforward. Although the report confirms
that, contrary to some press reports, UNC did not ignore specific complaints over
the years, the report does identify areas for improvement in policies, practices
and climate. You can view the report in Ursa (http://ursa.unco.edu) on the
Employee or Student tab. While the report details are specific to one school, many
issues it raises should be addressed campus-wide.

At the beginning of this process we initiated several actions to evaluate our

policies and culture. This report has shed light on several other appropriate
actions. In sum, we are moving forward by acting on the following items:

1. Complaint reporting, tracking and follow-up procedures

The Dean of Students, Provost, General Counsel, Human Resources Director and
others, as appropriate, will clarify UNC's procedures for documenting reports and
for communicating with parties involved when there is an investigation and
resolution of an incident.

2. Review of guidelines for UNC faculty offering private (not part of the
university curriculum) lessons to UNC students

In consultation with the Provost, academic deans, faculty and others as

appropriate, the university will clarify its position on private lessons and
external employment.

3. Review of sexual harassment policies

A Faculty Senate-led group of faculty, staff and students is reviewing relevant

university policies and will be recommending changes to the Board Policy Manual,
which will clarify our policies and procedures around sexual harassment.

4. Professional conduct standards addressing appropriate faculty-student

interactions

The College of Performing and Visual Arts has convened a task force to address
multiple ethical issues related to the arts in higher education, which will
include developing standards of professional conduct that are specific to field of
study and augment UNC's defined University Values. The Provost will work with
other faculty and academic deans to identify additional fields of study where such
standards of professional conduct are to be developed.

5. Shared understanding of university policies and procedures related to issues

raised in the report
We are evaluating UNC's new employee orientation process to include clear, more
direct, information about these issues. The College of Performing and Visual Arts
is using its mentor/protégé program, which pairs pre-tenure professors with
experienced faculty members, to address topics such as appropriate faculty-student
interactions. Other training and mentorship programs will be similarly updated.
Our orientation and support programs for students are under continuous review as
well.

6. Long-range planning focus on campus climate

Building a respectful and inclusive teaching and learning community is a key

component of UNC's Academic Plan, and we will continue to focus on campus
environment as we develop a University Plan. My strategy sessions with campus
governance and work groups this semester include conversations about how to build
on and connect the planning efforts of groups such as the Equity and Diversity
Council and the Work Environment Task Force.

As I said in the State of the University Address, each test of our institutional
character is an opportunity to strengthen our community. We know that rules and
laws alone do not build community. The strength of our campus community lies in
the power of 15,000-plus individual students, faculty and staff members who stand
up for what and who we are at the University of Northern Colorado. We must
continue to ask ourselves how it feels to be part of our community, to talk to
each other about how we want to be treated, and to be willing to say, "That's not
who we are," when someone does not uphold our university values. Even as we put
this painful and humbling event behind us, we will remain committed to the process
of working together to be a welcoming, inclusive and respectful university
community.

Sincerely,

Kay Norton