Welcoming the New VP of Student Affairs to UNC

This semester, the University of Northern Colorado have added a new professional to their staff with an emphasis on one of the most important parts of a university, the students.

Dr. Keith Humphrey, Ph.D., is the newest vice president of Student Affairs at UNC.

Humphrey has around 30 years of experience in higher education. Humphrey spent 15 years at the University of Arizona and 13 years at California Polytechnic State University.

Now, he’s excited to see what Greeley has to offer and what he can do to cultivate a student-centered co-curricular experience for students.

UNC is Humphrey’s third university that he’s worked for, and he started his first day back in May after graduation. That meant that he couldn’t jump right in and engage with the student body yet. But that didn’t stop him from doing everything he could to prepare.

“I did a lot of listening, a lot of talking with colleagues across campus, learning things about the student experience from their perspective to help start to chart a vision and direction for what I want to do,” Humphrey said. “That was missing one great, big piece of the puzzle, which was the students, right?”

Humphrey described the summer as quiet and found chances to explore Greeley and its downtown scene, especially at this year’s Friday Fest celebrations.

With classes for the fall semester in swing, Humphrey can finally start his main goal: improving the college experience for UNC’s student body.

“I'm learning a ton, as students are back, about how students are engaging with campus,” Humphrey said.

While the degree itself is an important part of college, Humphrey believes that there’s more to a 4-year degree than just classwork. To Humphrey, things like clubs, sports and campus events are important for students to take part in.

“You're going to graduate with a degree from your academic college, but we also want you to gain a lot of fantastic life skills, leadership skills, things like that along the way that you'll get from many different programs that we provide,” Humphrey said.

As the Chief Student Affairs Officer, his goal is to ensure that every student has a positive out-of-class experience at UNC. Humphrey has started looking into conditions for students on campus, from residence halls to the food served at the dining hall.

“I’m a foodie, so I’ll be looking very closely at dining,” Humphrey said. “I’ve committed to eating as much of everything that we serve on campus as possible.”

Humphrey plans to immerse himself on campus to better understand the student perspective of the university. The Department of Student Affairs' open office hours are 4-5 p.m. every Monday for students to drop in with no appointment needed.

A list of resources offered by the Division of Student Affairs can be found here.

“You should feel comfortable stopping me when you see me in the UC or on campus to ask a question or tell me something that you need,” Humphrey said. “We're here to make sure we make it better.”