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Livingston reflects on her career achievements and those of the Buffs she mentors.

Kris Livingston, executive senior associate athletic director for student success, is set to retire from ���ϳԹ� on June 1. Livingston joined the CU Athletic Department in 1997 as the first-ever director of women’s basketball operations under then-head coach Ceal Barry. Since 2007, Livingston has overseen the academic experience of CU student-athletes and directed the Herbst Academic Center.

She sits on the senior leadership team of ���ϳԹ� Athletic Director Rick George and reports directly to Provost Russell Moore. George describes her “sole focus” as “putting the student-athlete first,” noting that under her leadership, “our student-athletes continually have set new standards of excellence in the classroom,” leaving a legacy at CU of “scores of student-athletes who have earned their degrees and have been set up for success outside of competition.”

Moore notes simply that Livingston “embodies the highest academic values of ���ϳԹ�, which are reflected in the academic records set during the last year by our teams: the highest GPA ever recorded for football—3.01—and eight of our 15 teams recording their highest GPAs ever.” The Provost’s Post talked with Livingston to reflect on her career achievements and those of the Buffs she mentors.

What achievements are you most proud of?

I am proud of the current department and team GPAs, graduation rates, academic progress rates and eligibility rates, and that we’ve been both strategic and ethical along the way. We have never compromised the integrity of our pursuit or our actions. In the fall semester, every one of our 15 teams earned over a 3.0 GPA for the first time in our history.

I’m also proud of having helped a number of our Buffs return to CU and complete their degrees. It’s really hard to finish college after taking time away for a job or career, family or