Rowan Roundy found out Naropa University had plans to sell its main campus in Boulder less than two weeks before his first day as an undergraduate student.

Roundy and all Naropa students, staff and faculty were notified via email on Aug. 15 that Naropa is selling its main campus at 2130 Arapahoe Ave after 40 years. He felt a bit blindsided after looking forward to attending classes there.

“It was, admittedly, pretty frustrating to find out that I’d be getting comfortable on this campus for a few solid years just to have it taken out from under me, you know?” he said. “I wish I was given a bit more warning.”

Lillian Flatau, a second-year Naropa undergrad, said she’s sad to lose the campus she views as the biggest part of the Naropa community.

“I think it’s a dumbass decision because when you think of Naropa, this is the campus that comes to mind and the energy that has been here for 50 years,” she said, adding, “I know a lot of students are really sad with it having to go away and whatnot. It’s disappointing.”

Naropa President Charles Lief declined an interview with the Daily Camera about the sale.

‘It doesn’t really all add up’

Students at Naropa created a petition calling for financial transparency from the university following the announcement of the sale. A March audit of Naropa’s finances showed the university had faced financial difficulties in the last few years.

Tax records show Naropa has operated with a negative net income in eight of the last 10 years. The most recent filing for fiscal year 2023 showed a negative net income of $5,160,286.

The petition for financial transparency had 144 signatures as of Wednesday.

“I am a paying student who is unsatisfied with the quality of the education she is receiving for the price she is paying,” one petition commenter wrote.

“Transparency does not mean writing an email with flowery, hopeful spin,” another wrote. “It’s time to tell everyone what is really going on.”

Flatau said students “have no idea where our tuition money is going.” Students have posted cards and flyers around campus about it.

“Why are we paying more in tuition than CU students and yet you guys are telling us you have to sell the school because of financial issues?” Flatau said. “It makes me scratch my head. Why are you guys doing this? It doesn’t really all add up.”

First-year Naropa undergraduate Max Bishop said the main campus is largely for undergraduates, and most in-person graduate classes are at the Nalanda campus, 6287 Arapahoe Ave. Once Naropa leaves the main campus, the Nalanda campus will be Naropa’s only physical location.

“I’m wondering if Naropa is just going to become a graduate institution or just become an online institution,” Bishop said. “Because really, that is their primary focus. Most people don’t come for the undergrad program. Most people come here for one of their master’s programs.”

Naropa’s enrollment for the 2023-2024 year included 368 undergraduate students and 749 graduate students, according to its website. More than 40% of Naropa’s student body is enrolled in an online or low residency program, a number that continues to grow. Before the pandemic, Naropa was almost a 100% residential university.

“As much as we love being here, this is primarily an online college,” Bishop said, adding, “And so I’m sure when they’re thinking OK, which students — in all honesty — which students do we cater to most, we cater to the largest amount of students we can which is online and graduate.”

Lief would not answer questions about whether the university is moving toward an online-only model. According to Naropa’s website, the university is not eliminating all in-person programs.

‘It feels a bit like a sellout’

As a first-year undergraduate, Roundy will likely still be attending Naropa when the sale goes through. The university doesn’t anticipate vacating the campus before June of 2027.

“I chose to come to Naropa because it was smaller and I could also be in person with that smaller community,” Roundy said. “So I’m a little disappointed to hear theories that it’s going to be primarily graduate or primarily online because I don’t learn best like that. So I’m curious to see what that looks like and not entirely optimistic.”

According to Naropa’s website, the money from the sale will be used to invest in Naropa’s future. That could include hiring faculty, new degree programs, technology, scholarships and infrastructure improvements. Lief would not answer further questions about why the main campus will be sold or how the money will be used.

“I do think it seems a little hypocritical of them,” Roundy said. “Naropa seems like a very alternative thinking place. …It’s nontraditional and seems very spiritual instead of physical and so the idea of them selling the campus … it feels a bit like a sellout to me.”

Bishop said he’s “indifferent” about the main campus sale, given that he found out about it about a week before his first day of class. But, he hopes the move isn’t a transition away from an in-person experience.

“We don’t know if they’re going to buy anything else with that money,” Bishop said. “So this campus might be sold and another physical space will be taken up.”

Before starting at Naropa in person in August, Bishop completed a semester at Naropa online. He said it “sucked” and there was not a lot of opportunity for community building. He was assigned homework and met with the teacher once a month, and there was no formal class held via Zoom or other online platform.

“And for me, that was brutal,” Bishop said. “I came here for an excuse to walk out of my apartment and go to a class and talk to people.”

Bishop wondered what the university will do with the money from the sale. He said Naropa’s been “tight-lipped” about it, and information is shared with students only after it’s finalized.

“I think they should’ve had students be part of the decision and ask them, at least, ‘Hey, how would you guys feel about this?” Flatau said.

She added that it’s sad that Naropa has transitioned so heavily online.

“It’s kind of sad to say goodbye to this whole part of a community that we’ve been a part of,” Flatau said.