EDITOR’S NOTE: This story as been updated with details about Brownlee’s intention to join CSU in Denver.
AURORA | Mordecai Brownlee will step down as president of the Community College of Aurora at the end of the fall semester, the Colorado Community College System announced Tuesday.
Brownlee, who will step down as president of the Community College of Aurora at the end of the year, has been selected as the next vice president for Denver metro engagement at Colorado State University and executive director of CSU Spur.
Brownlee was appointed by CSU President Amy Parsons and will begin the new position Jan. 1, according to a statement by CSU officials.
“Dr. Brownlee has provided extraordinary leadership to CCA and has made a lasting impact on the college, the Aurora community, and our entire System,” Colorado Community College System Chancellor Dr. Marielena DeSanctis said in a statement. “His passion for students, belief in the transformative power of education, and ability to bring people together around a shared vision have defined his presidency. He has also been an exceptional colleague and deeply valued member of our System leadership team. I have tremendous respect and gratitude for his leadership and for the many ways he has strengthened both CCA and CCCS.”
Brownlee has led the college for more than five years, a period the college said included growth in enrollment, student completions, fundraising and workforce partnerships.
CCA recorded four consecutive years of record enrollment and four consecutive years of record completions during Brownlee’s tenure, college officials said.
The CCA Foundation also awarded more than $1.3 million in student scholarships in the past year.
The college completed its first capital project in more than 20 years and expanded bachelor’s degree pathways. It also opened the Centennial Campus and the Center for Applied Science and Technology, invested in Lowry Studios and Cinematic Arts, and expanded student support services.
CCA also grew its Corporate College, developing partnerships with organizations including Denver International Airport, Commerce City and Philip Morris International to connect education and training with regional workforce needs.
The college said Brownlee’s tenure also resulted in stronger partnerships in Aurora and the greater Denver metropolitan region and increased visibility for CCA.
“I see every challenge as an opportunity,” Brownlee told the Sentinel after his appointment as president. “The challenge is ensuring the Community College of Aurora is seen as a primary factor of empowerment economically within our community.”
Mostly clad in a bow tie and also wearing an infectious smile, Brownlee and his family have become a primary factor in just about every aspect of Aurora community life, especially educational life.
“I am passionate about student success and I am passionate about bow ties,” Brownlee said when he accepted the position five years ago.
His personal-public Facebook page is overflowing with almost daily excursions with his wife and children, on clean-up missions, hikes and a wide range of educational and community events.
His passion for education is what sold him to local officials searching for the next college leader.
“Serving as President of the Community College of Aurora has been one of the greatest honors of my professional life,” Brownlee said in a statement. “I am profoundly grateful for the trust placed in me to lead CCA, immensely proud of what our college community has accomplished together, and confident that CCA’s greatest contributions to Aurora, Colorado, and the students we serve are still ahead. I will carry tremendous gratitude for this institution, this System, and the people who make their missions possible.”
Next chapter at CSU in Denver
Brownlee will succeed Rico Munn, who previously held the role and now serves as executive vice chancellor of the CSU System. Munn, who previously headed Aurora Public Schools, is scheduled to become system chancellor July 1, succeeding Tony Frank.
The newly structured position combines the vice president’s regional strategy responsibilities with operational oversight of CSU Spur, the university’s campus at Denver’s National Western Center, CSU officials said.
Brownlee will serve as the president’s senior representative in the Denver metropolitan area as well as lead efforts involving enrollment, community college partnerships, research, workforce development, economic development and philanthropy.
Brownlee also will head up a new Denver Metro Executive Committee made up of senior CSU leaders and work with the CSU System on the university’s broader Denver-area strategy.
“Dr. Brownlee knows Colorado, he knows the Denver metro region, and he has spent his career opening doors to education and economic opportunity,” Parsons said in a statement.
Brownlee will also oversee Spur Start, a program that allows Denver-area students to begin a CSU degree at Spur before continuing at the university’s Fort Collins campus after their first year.
That program is designed to provide a lower-cost entry point for students who can remain close to home during their first year and reduce housing and relocation expenses.
“CSU Spur represents the very best of what a modern land-grant university can be — bringing education, research, industry and community together to create opportunity and address real-world challenges,” Brownlee said in a statement.
Brownlee’s final day as president of CCA will be Dec. 31.