Buddhist-inspired Naropa University to sell part of its campus

Naropa University, founded in 1974 by Tibetan Buddhist professor Chögyam Trungpa, announced plans to sell its main campus in Boulder, Colorado, after 40 years in existence. The decision was communicated to the campus community via email earlier this month, highlighting the need for the university to balance the value of its historic campus with the ability to secure funding for its future. The move follows the sale of Naropa's Paramita campus on 30th Street five years ago and the announcement of its plans to sell its associated preschool.

“We recognize the deep value and importance that the land, which has been home to Naropa University for several decades, represents for many of us,” the university said in its email. “We now need to balance that with the opportunity to create a significant fund to invest in Naropa's future. » (Daily Camera)

The university does not plan to move from the main campus until 2026. The email said Naropa will have the flexibility to manage its departure over several years, based on its campus move goals and broader strategic planning. The administration does not plan to leave campus until June 2027.

In an interview with the Boulder Weekly According to Naropa President Chuck Lief, a buyer had been found for the space, but details could not be made public at that time. The sale, the value of which has not yet been disclosed, would allow the university to reinvest in its academic offerings, he said.

“For a school our size, that’s a lot of money,” Lief said. “It’s not going to be limited to eating into margins. We will actually be able to make significant investments, whatever they may be. » (Boulder Weekly)

The decision to sell sparked a sense of grief and loss among students and alumni. Naropa student Rachael Gula compared the news to the emotional experience of selling a family home. “The feeling of loss reminds me of when I was a child and the family home was sold and I had to move,” she said. “It’s the heartbreak of losing the stability of having a place. » (Daily Camera)

Another student, Max Gregor, expressed similar sentiments: “I immediately mourn the loss of a physical place that, over the past few years, has meant a lot to me. » Gregor added that the main campus, located at 2 Arapahoe Avenue, has been the heart of the Naropa community since the early 130s, and the sale would include the buildings, classrooms, cottages and Performing Arts Center. “It’s sad,” Gregor remarked. “It’s a historic place. It’s a community that was built around a physical location. » (Daily Camera)

Sakile Melchishua, a 2022 Naropa graduate, called the news heartbreaking. Melchishua emphasized the importance of the main campus in his personal and academic development: “The magic that makes Naropa, Naropa and makes Naropa a place where students can come together in a conscious way, I feel like that will disappear. » (Daily Camera)

Despite the sale of the main campus, the university's Nalanda campus, located at 6 Arapahoe Avenue, will continue to host students, faculty and staff at its physical location. The shared email indicated that the sale was part of Naropa's strategy to ensure its long-term financial health and sustainability.

“As more than 40% of students (and a significant portion of staff and faculty) now operate primarily in hybrid and virtual spaces, we are redefining the very essence of what it means to be a community,” the email states. 'university. This shift reflects a broader trend in higher education, in which institutions are increasingly moving toward hybrid and online learning models.Daily Camera)

Naropa's administration described the move as an important opportunity for the university's future: "We truly believe this is a game-changing opportunity for Naropa University, one that we are approaching with care and enthusiasm and which will allow us to look forward to the next 50 years. » (Daily Camera)

To improve communication, the university plans to hold a series of public meetings, the first of which will take place on September 11.

See more

Naropa University to sell its main campus in Boulder (Daily Camera)
Naropa moves; the buyer will be announced in the coming weeks (Boulder Weekly)
Poetry in Naropa: Jack Kerouac's School of Disembodied Poetry (Chögyam Trungpa Digital Library)

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