Chancellor Phillip DiStefano is focusing on how CU is handling the current economic situation, according to his state of the campus address.
“It’s our job to think about growth, not decline,” DiStefano said. “It’s our job to think about the future of Colorado. It’s our job to blaze our own trail to decide where we are going to be in five years or 10 years.”
DiStefano has a proposal for the CU community that focuses on CU’s traditions of entrepreneurship and innovation. The
CU Chancellor Phil DiStefano set documents inside of a time capsule outside Macky Auditorium earlier this week. (CU Independent file/Robert R. Denton)
university will continue to build new buildings and invest in research despite the continuing decline in public funding.
Nathan Hardy, a 21-year-old junior sociology major, said he wishes he knew more about the university’s economic situation.
“I think it’s good that we continue funding research, as it’s a big part of our reputation and what CU is known for,” Hardy said. “I’m a little confused on why we continue to build new buildings when it doesn’t seem like all the ones we have are being utilized.”
Research funding produces $147 million a year in local and state economies. The funding provides jobs and supports suppliers.
“We initiated new diverse funding models for new facilities to educate our students in the 21stcentury with a combination of philanthropy, student fees, indirect cost recoveries, auxiliary funding and federal grants,” DiStefano said.
New buildings on the CU campus include the Visual Arts Complex, the Center for Community, Wolf Law, Koebel Business expansion and the Williams Village North residential complex. The Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Building will open early next year.
Michelle Vargo, an 18-year-old freshman speech, language and hearing sciences major, said she can’t really tell if a building has been remodeled or not.
“I don’t really notice whether or not the building is nicer,” Vargo said.
New buildings and renovations aren’t the only new additions to the campus. The university is also adding new Residential Academic Programs (RAPs). RAPs have added two new additional programs, making 12 programs total at the university. RAP students represent 41 percent of residence hall students, an increase from last year.
CU’s student body has also undergone some changes this year. International enrollment increased by 8 percent. The student population is the most diverse it has ever been, with 20 percent of the freshman class identifying as racially and ethnically diverse.
Changes for students will continue to be seen, as new and revised programs are being added. DiStefano said the university is changing with the time. A new journalism and mass communications plan will be decided during the school year. The environmental design program is also undergoing changes and will be refocusing on design and sustainability.
The university is also welcoming a new position—Vice Chancellor for Strategic Relations—that DiStefano awarded to Frances Draper. The position will work with government and commercial relations. It will also integrate the alumni association.
Despite all these changes, DiStefano said that CU is faced with extreme funding challenges and declining state support.
“This moment in our history is too important to stand idle,” DiStefano said.“We cannot wait. We cannot wait for the state to restore funding to historical levels. We cannot wait for the economy to rebound. We cannot wait for someone else to create a model for our sustainability. We must do it ourselves. And we must do it together.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Mahala Proch at Mahala.proch@colorado.edu.
