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University of Northern Colorado
Public university in Greeley, Colorado, US
Public university in Greeley, Colorado, US
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | University of Northern Colorado |
| image_name | University of Northern Colorado seal.svg |
| image_upright | 0.7 |
| former_names | State Normal School of Colorado (1889–1935) |
| Colorado State College of Education at Greeley (1935–1957) | |
| Colorado State College (1957–1970) | |
| motto | Sapientia in aeternum est (Latin) |
| mottoeng | Wisdom is Eternal |
| established | |
| type | Public university |
| academic_affiliations | Space-grant |
| endowment | $119.4 million (2024) |
| president | Andy Feinstein |
| provost | Kirsten Fleming |
| faculty | 686 |
| students | 8,869 (Fall 2024) |
| undergrad | 6,480 (Fall 2024) |
| postgrad | 2,389 (Fall 2024) |
| city | Greeley, Colorado |
| country | United States |
| campus | Suburban |
| 260 acre | |
| colors | |
| nickname | Bears |
| mascot | Klawz the Bear |
| sporting_affiliations | NCAA Division I FCS – Big Sky |
| website | |
| logo | University of Northern Colorado logo.svg |
| logo_size | 250 |
Colorado State College of Education at Greeley (1935–1957) Colorado State College (1957–1970) 260 acre
.png)

The University of Northern Colorado (UNCO or UNC) is a public university in Greeley, Colorado, United States. It was founded in 1889 as the State Normal School of Colorado and has a long history in teacher education.
The institution has officially changed its name three times, first to Colorado State College of Education, at Greeley on February 16, 1935, Colorado State College on February 11, 1957, and its current form since May 1, 1970.
Approximately 10,000 students are enrolled in six colleges. Extended campus locations are in Loveland, Denver/Aurora, and Colorado Springs. UNCO's 19 athletic teams compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Big Sky Conference.
Campus

The campus is divided into two main areas: central and west. UNCO's Central Campus includes the areas north of 20th Street and west of 8th Avenue in Greeley, Colorado. The residence halls on Central Campus have been designated a state historic district.{{Cite web|title=Weld County|work=Colorado Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation |access-date=April 28, 2013|date=December 28, 2010|url=http://www.coloradohistory-oahp.org/programareas/register/1503/cty/wl.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101228074015/http://www.coloradohistory-oahp.org/programareas/register/1503/cty/wl.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 28, 2010}}
Organization
The board of trustees for the university oversees the administration and approves the university annual budget. Several members of the university's administrative team are ex officio members of the board.
Presidents
The university has had 13 presidents since its establishment:
- Thomas J. Gray — 1890–1891
- James H. Hayes — (interim) 1891, November 11, 1915 – 1916
- Zachariah Xenophon Snyder — 1891–1915
- John Grant Crabbe — Late summer 1916–1924
- George Willard Frasier — 1924–1947
- William Robert Ross — 1947–1964 (assumed office December 20, 1947)
- Darrell Holmes — 1964–1971
- Frank P. Lakin — 1969, 1971 (interim)
- Richard R. Bond — 1971–1981
- Charles Manning (acting) — 1981
- Robert C. Dickeson — 1981–1991
- Richard Davies (acting) — January 1 – August 29, 1987
- Stephen T. Hulbert (interim) — July 1 – September 30, 1991
- Herman Lujan — 1991–1996
- Howard Skinner (interim) — June 1996 – June 1998
- Hank Brown — July 1998 – June 2002
- Kay Norton — July 2002 – July 2018
- Andy Feinstein - July 2018 – present
College of Performing and Visual Arts
The College of Performing and Visual Arts (PVA) is an arts community of practitioners, scholars, and learners representing a range of arts traditions and disciplines.
UNCO has a tradition as an arts institution and its main college offices, located in Guggenheim Hall, are one of the oldest buildings on campus.
| Race and ethnicity | Total | Economic diversity | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | {{bartable | 60 | % | 2 | background:cyan}} |
| Hispanic | {{bartable | 26 | % | 2 | background:green}} |
| Two or more races | {{bartable | 5 | % | 2 | background:violet}} |
| Black | {{bartable | 4 | % | 2 | background:purple}} |
| Asian | {{bartable | 2 | % | 2 | background:orange}} |
| International student | {{bartable | 1 | % | 2 | background:#008080}} |
| Unknown | {{bartable | 1 | % | 2 | background:grey}} |
| Low-income | {{bartable | 29 | % | 2 | background:red}} |
| Affluent | {{bartable | 71 | % | 2 | background:black}} |
Athletics
Main article: Northern Colorado Bears, Northern Colorado Bears football, Northern Colorado Bears men's basketball

Sports teams at the school are called Bears. Northern Colorado joined the Big Sky Conference on July 1, 2006. The school mascot is Klawz the Bear and the school colors are navy blue and gold. The Fight Song is the "UNC Fight Song". Northern Colorado's Athletic Director is Darren Dunn.
A number of the university's alumni have gone on to have professional sports careers. Vincent Jackson attended and played football at Northern Colorado from 2001 to 2004 before being drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the 2005 NFL draft. Other football alumni of the school include punter Dirk Johnson, quarterback Kyle Sloter, safety Reed Doughty, and defensive lineman Aaron Smith.
Before upgrading to NCAA Division I in 2006, UNCO was a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference from 1923 to 1972 and the Great Plains Athletic Conference (1972–76). Following several years of being conference independent, the university joined the North Central Conference. The Bears have won two Division II Football National Championships in 1996 and 1997. On March 9, 2011, the Bears won the Big Sky Conference tournament championship in men's basketball, clinching a trip to the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, the first in the school's history. The Northern Colorado men's baseball program also ranks among the top 15 schools for most all-time NCAA College World Series appearances, tied with the University of Oklahoma at ten appearances apiece. The Northern Colorado women's softball team appeared in the first eleven Women's College World Series ever held in 1969–1979, advancing to but losing the title game in 1974.
Mascots

The bear became UNCO's mascot in 1923. Before the school adopted the bear, athletes used the nickname "the Teachers." The bear was said to be inspired by a bear on top of an Alaskan totem pole donated by an 1897 alumnus in 1914. The totem pole was kept in the University Center, but under the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990, the pole was reclaimed by the Tlingit in 2003.
Klawz is the newest addition to the long line of Bears mascots.
Notable alumni
Main article: List of University of Northern Colorado alumni
Notes
References
References
- (February 12, 2025). "U.S. and Canadian 2024 NCSE Participating Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2024 Endowment Market Value, Change in Market Value from FY23 to FY24, and FY24 Endowment Market Values Per Full-time Equivalent Student". National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO).
- "Office of the Provost".
- "About The University of Northern Colorado".
- "2024 Fall Final Enrollment Profile".
- "About the University of Northern Colorado".
- The Campus History Series, University of Northern Colorado, by Mark Anderson and Jay Trask, 2010, Arcadia Publishing
- [https://www.unco.edu/library/archives/university-archives/university_history/institution-names.aspx Institution Names – University of Northern Colorado.] Retrieved September 8, 2020
- UNC Impact 2014. University of Northern Colorado.
- "Board of Trustees for the University of Northern Colorado".
- "Past Presidents".
- "President Andy Feinstein at the University of Northern Colorado".
- (March 26, 2022). "Edward W. Hardy, Georgina Escobar, and More Will Present at UNCO's First Arts Equity Summit".
- (February 25, 2022). "College of Performing and Visual Arts {{!}} University of Northern Colorado".
- "College Scorecard: University of Northern Colorado". [[United States Department of Education]].
- (2013). "A Series Of Their Own: History Of The Women's College World Series". Turnkey Communications Inc..
- Various ''The Mirror''s and ''Cache La Poudre''s
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