GREELEY • Dr. Andrew “Andy” Feinstein, the charismatic president of the University of Northern Colorado, has announced that he will step down from his leadership role just on the cusp of what is perhaps his signature accomplishment being realized.

He’ll leave office Aug. 1. Colorado’s third medical school — UNC’s College of Osteopathic Medicine — will host its first cohort of 81 students this fall.

Feinstein’s eight-year tenure has been marked by his trademark ebullience and high achievement.

“I wanted to step down on top with things going well, so I can help transition the university to somebody else to kind of take the mantle and lead this wonderful university,” Feinstein told The Denver Gazette. “I love UNC and think I am leaving at the right time. I am really excited about seeing what happens next.” 

One big happening next is the medical school opening its doors. The Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) granted the University of Northern Colorado’s College of Osteopathic Medicine pre-accreditation status in December. 

What may be hard to replace is Feinstein’s enthusiasm. Here’s a university president who likes to show off the attic he converted into a music room, blasting the Grateful Dead for visitors. He’s charged onto the gridiron with his beloved UNC Bears.

Feinstein will serve as a special consultant to the Board of Trustees for nine months after he steps down, and also plans to remain as a business school professor.

Leaving a lasting legacy 

Without question, Feinstein’s enduring legacy will be his role in launching the state’s third medical school.  

The school has already received 1,000 applicants. Feinstein has an experienced college dean in place. He said the plan is to have annual cohorts of between 150 and 160 students after the initial class.  

Many believe UNC’s medical school will serve a great need for the state’s shortage of doctors, particularly in rural areas. The Cicero Institute highlights that 54 of Colorado’s 64 counties contain regions with professional shortage areas in primary care. 

“There’s a constant turnover of physicians in a lot of these rural communities,” said Dr. Kelli Glaser, UNC’s Chair of Primary Care. “I knew that with the positioning of UNC in Greeley, it would probably more directly meet the need and recruit students who came from areas nearby, especially the rural areas, and that they might be more likely to return to those rural areas to practice.” 

For the medical school to come to fruition, Feinstein had to think creatively and navigate through all of his available resources. To put it mildly, Feinstein lobbied hard to make the medical school happen.  

The results culminated in the passage of Senate Bill 56 in 2022 and then the passage of House Bill 1231 in 2024 — the latter of which provided a historic $247 million to four health science education projects in the state, including $128 million toward construction, startup and accreditation expenses, along with $41 million for the escrow needs of UNC’s medical school. 

“I’ve got both those laws that were changed hanging on my office wall,” Feinstein said. “I’ve got the pen Gov. Jared Polis used to sign the big $247 million bill with. There was a strong sense of accomplishment by many that day.” 

While Feinstein experienced a lot of highs during his tenure at UNC, he has also had lows at the school. Just as the medical school was being evaluated by COCA, Feinstein and his board of trustees made the decision to reduce 80 to 100 positions at UNC. 

“I love people, and these were people that I know and care about,” Feinstein said. “It’s one of the most difficult and challenging parts of the job — laying off employees. But one of the most important roles of senior leadership is to be decisive and to understand the challenges that lie ahead and make some difficult choices.”  

Thomas Endrees, a long-time professor at UNC, empathized with Feinstein’s role and decision-making.

“We’re all a bit shellshocked after the huge round of cuts,” Endrees said. “I appreciate Andy’s willingness to join us in the trenches. From sporting events to cultural center celebrations to serving us appetizers at the annual holiday party, I can always count on Andy’s presence and participation. While his legacy may be the med school, what people will remember him for are his hands-on contributions to university life.”   

Cut from a different cloth 

To understand Feinstein, one must know his background.  

He and his brother were adopted in Cleveland, and he grew up in Hawaii and California. He noted that his first job was working at his elementary school’s cafeteria.  

Feinstein’s background and degrees are in hospitality management. He makes it a point to introduce himself as “Andy” to everyone he encounters. He worked in a number of restaurants in high school and took a year off between high school and college to work at a ski resort in California. 

“One of the ways that I kind of knew he was an open, people-oriented person is that everyone called him by his first name,” Glaser said. 

Feinstein is so immersed in hospitality that he recently worked the ramen noodle line at the UNC cafeteria.  

“That was a lot of fun, and something I really enjoy doing — serving our students,” Feinstein said. “I know a lot of presidents and have a lot of presidents I consider my friends. I think we all do our job differently based on our skill set and experiences. I just happen to be a hospitality professional at heart.” 

Dealing with family tragedy

As happy-go-lucky as Feinstein seems to be, he is not immune to tragedy.  

And tragedy hit him in quite possibly the cruelest of ways on New Year’s Eve 2022. 

He and his 22-year-old son, Nick — both avid outdoorsmen and advanced skiers — were caught in a backcountry avalanche near Breckenridge.  

Both father and son were buried in the snow. Feinstein somehow was able to dig himself out and call 911, but his son died not far away from him.  

Feinstein, along with his wife, Kerry, and daughter, Rachel, were devastated.

The trio rallied as best as they could — together and with the help of the UNC and Greeley communities. 

“UNC is a special place,” Feinstein said. “The way in which everyone came together to support Kerry and me was just unbelievable. I don’t know if that would happen in a big town, but I remember I called a friend who lost their child the next morning after it happened, and he showed up in like 15 minutes. My colleagues were just in tears. We just got back to work in our own ways, and, again, spent a lot of time talking to each other and others about it.”  

In an effort to remember his son and his passion for climbing, Feinstein and Kerry spent the next couple of summers hiking the remaining Colorado Fourteeners his son had intended to climb.  

“We finished our last Fourteener last year for Nick,” Feinstein said. “We climbed Mount Sneffels, and Nick’s best friend came with us. We spread some of his ashes and celebrated the completion of that journey.”  

To keep their son’s memory alive, the Feinstein family has been actively engaged in the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, a non-profit organization that “protects and preserves the natural integrity of Colorado’s 54 14,000–foot peaks.” 

The family established an endowment with the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (the Nicholas Feinstein Memorial Endowed Fund) and the Feinstein family received the  2025 Special Recognition Award from the Initiative. To date, the Feinsteins have raised $140,000 for the endowed fund, with a dinner last summer raising about $40,000.

Embedded in Greeley 

Though Feinstein has lived in other places and worked at other universities, he said Greeley is home.  

“I’ll never forget how the community treated our family after Nick’s death,” Feinstein said. “I don’t have really any distinct plans down the road. I just know that I want to continue to be helpful and want to continue to support our community. Greeley is home to us. We’re not looking to leave.” 

In the immediate future, Feinstein is looking forward to attending his daughter’s graduation from Penn State University, which is where he received his Ph.D. The father and daughter then plan to go on a long road trip that will revolve around eating at diners across the country.  

“I’m a foodie,” Feinstein said. “I’ve already done all kinds of research on where the best diners are — I’m really excited about that trip.” 

Though he will serve as a special consultant to the Board of Trustees after he steps down, Feinstein says he doesn’t want to overshadow the new president.  

His contract allows him to return to the faculty after this, which, he said, he intends to do as a professor of management with the Monfort College of Business.  

While he’s unsure what will happen to the attic at Carter Hall, which he converted into a makeshift music room when he first arrived on campus eight years ago, Feinstein is hopeful that perhaps the new president might keep it intact or do something even cooler with it. 

Feinstein, though, is sure that there will be at least one more time he will put his music room to use — the morning of Friday, July 31. 

“It’s going to be rocking,” Feinstein says. “I love UNC, and this university has been a tremendous place to work and for my family and me. Although I am the president, I have an amazing cabinet and leadership team that has been supportive of my decision. Right now, I want to finish here strong and make sure this place is set up for success for our next president.”