Members of our Community Editorial Board, a group of community residents who are interested in and passionate about local issues, respond to the following question: Naropa University has announced that it will sell its main campus in Boulder after 40 years at that location. What do you think?
Naropa has contributed so much to the Boulder community and beyond through its unique and sometimes excellent programs (like the Masters in Counseling Psychology) and its early years teaching “Disembodied Poetics” by the likes of Allen Ginsberg are part of Boulder history. However, a university forced to sell a critical portion of its physical campus to stay afloat is not financially stable. After the initial story about the proposed sale of the Arapahoe Ave. campus, I’m sure no one was surprised by the follow-up story in which an audit uncovered a “significant deficiency” (I’d call it egregious) in Naropa’s financial reports, as “books and records for 2023 were not reconciled.”
The audit attributed some of Naropa’s problems to “stagnant tuition revenue due to students’ declining ability and willingness to pay for a private education.” It’s true that many schools (especially those with small endowments) are struggling in the wake of the pandemic and because the number of college-age students in the U.S. is declining. But here, it may be more a matter of fewer students willing to pay for THIS caliber of private education. As an editor at CollegiateParent, I’ve advised prospective college students and families to take rankings with a grain of salt, but to definitely look at the statistics, as they can tell you a lot about whether a school is providing a quality education. Naropa’s freshman retention rate (how many full-time freshmen return for a second year, a measure of student satisfaction) is 57% (for comparison, CU Boulder has 88%). The U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard also shows that among four-year colleges, Naropa ranks below average in graduation rates, above average in average annual costs, and well below average median income (for those who received federal student aid and began their studies ten years ago, regardless of graduation status).
Some current Naropa students interviewed by the Daily Camera have already felt like they are not getting what they pay for. They described a decline in services like academic advising, as well as a lack of general amenities (gym, meal plan, etc.). I feel bad for these students who are learning about the property sale and other potentially drastic changes just as fall tuition is due. I personally would not give this institution tuition right now; still, I hope that as Naropa evolves into a more online university (its strategy to stay in business), it can hold onto the Buddhist/contemplative traditions and other qualities that make it unique.
Diane Schwemm, [email protected]
Naropa University decision The sale of the main campus in Boulder after 40 years is a significant moment, not only for the university but for Boulder itself. For many, Naropa is synonymous with Boulder’s free-spirited, alternative culture—the kind of place where “namaste” can be used both sincerely and jokingly, reflecting a mix of earnest spirituality and playful irreverence that has long characterized our city. But even long-established institutions like Naropa have struggled to justify a physical presence in Boulder. This decision reflects both Boulder’s changing landscape and the evolving nature of education in a post-pandemic world.
The financial realities underlying this decision cannot be ignored. Naropa’s administration acknowledged the emotional toll of selling the main campus and recognized the great value the land holds for many, but stressed the need to create “a significant fund for investing in Naropa’s future.” An audit report highlighted the university’s struggles with inflation, the end of one-time pandemic funding and stagnant tuition revenues. With more than 40% of students and a significant portion of staff and faculty now working in hybrid and virtual formats — a number that will likely continue to rise — maintaining a physical main campus in Boulder may be less critical. Selling this illiquid asset is a logical next step that frees up capital for strategic investments without the need to raise tuition, which could deter prospective students. Naropa’s shift to online learning has already helped the university grow despite financial constraints, and this sale provides the resources needed to continue that growth. In the future, Naropa may increasingly focus on enrolling out-of-state and out-of-state students for its online offerings. This raises the question of how this shift might affect the culture of the university and Boulder. That remains to be seen.
Naropa is adapting well to this new landscape and investing in innovative initiatives. The university has launched programs such as the Center for Psychedelic Studies, which has grown in revenue from zero two years ago to a projected $2.2 million in the current fiscal year. In addition, Naropa is investing in faculty and curriculum to secure accreditation of its counseling psychology program, which will make it easier for graduates to gain admission and increase enrollment numbers. While I’ve always viewed Naropa’s degrees as somewhat fringe, this new accreditation could help attract a wider range of students. These moves are part of a strategy to stay relevant in an increasingly competitive and virtual education landscape.
While the sale of the campus is a loss for the community, it also represents a necessary adjustment and, in my opinion, a sound business decision. Naropa is not just surviving; it is evolving to meet the demands of a new era of higher education. As Boulder is changing, so too must its institutions. Naropa’s evolution reflects the resilience required to thrive in these times.
Hernán Villanueva, [email protected]
This decision points to two annoying constraints: continued increasing demand for real estate in downtown Boulder and a continued downward trend in the ability of small private universities to provide educational opportunities with current budgets.
First, Boulder’s high real estate prices are well documented. I’ve pointed out before that, among other things, the median purchase price for a home in Boulder is over $1 million and more than 60,000 workers must commute to the area daily. Low-wage workers from neighboring counties in particular make this time-consuming commute, with hidden costs for gas prices and car maintenance that they must cover themselves. This sale of Naropa University’s main campus could lead to affordable housing options, but it could also be sold to other buyers like CU Boulder looking to expand the campus with additional student and faculty housing, or to developers attracted by the prime location near Boulder Creek and downtown for other commercial or residential developments.
Second, Naropa University officials have said they face many financial challenges common to many other small private colleges and universities. These include rising costs and inflationary pressures affecting staff and faculty salaries and facility maintenance, competition and potentially declining enrollment, inadequate returns from endowments and fundraising, and limited student willingness to pay high tuition for educational opportunities. Naropa University officials have said there has also been a shift to online programs among their students (it is expected that half of Naropa students could take online courses next year), and this may offset some of the pressure on funding. However, this shift does not come with financial relief, as tuition for full-time Naropa students starts at over $18,000 per semester. (In a “neighborhood comparison,” depending on what you study at CU Boulder, tuition for full-time in-state students starts at about $7,000 per semester, while tuition for full-time out-of-state students starts at just under $22,000 per semester.) This means important decisions for prospective students who want to major in education or English in the Boulder area, for example.
Naropa officials have stated that the “long-term financial health and sustainability of the university” are the reasons for this latest decision to sell. These two pressures do not appear to be abating anytime soon, so the definitions of “long-term” and “sustainability” will continue to be a matter of debate. Unfortunately, Naropa’s decision to sell its main campus may only provide temporary relief.
Max Boykoff, [email protected]
