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Philip P. DiStefano, Chancellor University of Colorado Boulder writes in:
Sep 23rd
From the Chancellor
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 1
Dear Friends,
Philip P. DiStefano |
As another fall semester at CU-Boulder begins, I am pleased to report that numbers from our fall student census are in and CU-Boulder has enrolled the most diverse freshman class in our history. The 1,141 diverse students in our freshman class, based on race and ethnicity, constitute a full 20 percent of the freshman class and brings our overall diversity at CU-Boulder to 17 percent. We increased both our resident students (by eight percent) and non-resident students (by 12 percent), and we are making gains in enrolling new populations.
The class of 2015 catches the Buff spirit at Student Convocation just prior to the start of fall classes. |
Consider, for example, that one in five freshmen is a first-generation student. We’ve also increased international freshmen by 50 percent (129 students), enhancing the opportunity for all students to gain a global perspective in the classroom, while increasing transfer students by 12 percent. This rich diversity proves that CU-Boulder is truly a highly desired destination for students not only from Colorado, but also from around the nation, and the world.
Thomas Cech, Nobel Laureate and professor of chemistry and biochemistry, works with research specialist Elaine Podell. |
$359 million in sponsored research revenue garnered in 2011
Our faculty and their staff attracted $359 million in federally sponsored research revenues in fiscal 2011. The awards are for research ranging from biomedicine and sustainable energy advances to environmental studies and space research such as planetary exploration. We also were federally funded to design and build spacecraft and instruments to study near-Earth space weather events that impact satellites, power grids, and ground communications systems.
While sponsored research awards do not support university operating expenses, they are reinvested in the local economy in the form of wages, supplies and equipment to the tune of $1 billion over the last four years. These funds also translate into cutting-edge instruction in the classroom involving 1,000 undergraduates and 1,150 graduate students participating in research.
The following list shows the diversity and reputation of our research by funding agency and percentage of our awards: National Science Foundation (24%), NASA (22%), Departments of Commerce and Health and Human Services (18% each), Department of Energy (7%), Department of Defense (6%) and other federal agencies (5%).
Law students Adria Robinson and Dave Digiacomo discuss constitutional law with South High School students in Denver. |
CU-Boulder’s value to our graduates and the state
A new survey by Payscale.com shows that a CU-Boulder degree continues to be highly rated for mid-career earning power. We pride ourselves in that ranking as well as in our students’ values, like our No. 1 ranking in Peace Corps participation, our 13,000 students who work in community service annually and our student-led sustainability initiatives.
Value can be looked at in another way: our value to the state of Colorado and its citizens in fueling the state economy. In an environment of shrinking state and federal support, we must be entrepreneurial in moving forward both the university and the state we serve. One way we do that is when our faculty and students help to stoke the economy through transfer of technology into the marketplace, which our faculty are doing to an unprecedented degree, initiating seven new companies in the last year alone.
Elementary students gather in Fiske Planetarium to talk with astronaut Mike Fossum on the International Space Station. |
And finally, our reach into Colorado’s K-12 schools provides value in the education and enlightenment of students. To celebrate Constitution Day last week, the CU Law School launched a new program sending 60 law students to 50 high schools to lead one-period discussions on the First Amendment in classrooms from Adams County to Carbondale. In theater, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival troupe is taking a production of “Twelfth Night” to 25 elementary, middle and high schools from Fort Collins to Trinidad to offer a lesson on bullying. “Twelfth Night” actors will lead a discussion after each performance in a collaboration with our Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence.
Channel 9, Sept. 20: Astronaut, children connect across thousands of miles
Chancellor DiStefano congratulates a rider at the finish line of the Buffalo Bicycle Classic Sept. 11. |
Buffalo Bicycle Classic raises over $200,000 in scholarship money
More than 1,850 riders raised more than $200,000 for scholarships Sept. 11 at the Elevations Credit Union Buffalo Bicycle Classic. The ride has generated 548 scholarships totaling $1.4 million for academically strong students who need financial support. Students cannot apply for the scholarship and don’t even know they’re in the running until they learn they have won. The event was founded in 2003 by CU supporter Woody Eaton and Arts and Sciences Dean Todd Gleeson.
Speaking of Dean Todd Gleeson, he announced Aug. 24 that he will return to the classroom as a professor in the integrative physiology department and resign as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences next year following a highly successful decade of leading the college. Todd’s creativity, exemplified by the Buffalo Bicycle Classic fundraiser, is a key reason the college is stronger than ever, including a more than doubling of the college’s endowment. I will make a decision on a search later this academic year, but I want to thank Todd for his outstanding service to the university as a visionary and able administrator in the roles of dean and associate dean over the last 14 years.
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Welcoming our Pac-12 peers If you come into town for Family Weekend and the Pac-12 opener next week you will likely notice street banners welcoming our visiting conference partners and their fans. We are excited to have this illustrious group of world-renowned universities as peers and we look forward to continuing our many research partnerships with the likes of Stanford, Cal, Washington, UCLA and Arizona, as well as with all the other outstanding members of the Pac-12.Our Pac-12 hospitality has already been singled out by Cal fans who came to town Sept. 10 and who are still raving on their fan site “The Bear Insider” about the welcoming fans, the sportsmanship at Folsom Field, and the beautiful Boulder campus. One of my favorite quotes was, “After Saturday I have to say that the CU fans are the best in their treatment of visitors. Everyone we talked to was nice and helpful. I got the feeling CU fans are happy to be in the Pac-12 and showed it before, during and after the game.”Families joining us for Family Weekend also are invited next Friday to Faculty Convocation, a special recognition of our world-class faculty where we will honor their achievements and celebrate 53 new faculty members this year. This special event is hosted in Old Main, the university’s first building. I am proud that CU-Boulder’s faculty has more than 50 prestigious National Academy members, seven MacArthur fellows and four Nobel Prize winners to its credit.Sincerely,
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John Metzger, Metzger & Associates, on Boulder Startup Weekend
May 28th
John Metzger, Metzger and associates, talks about Startup Boulder Weekend and provides us a little history on Metzger Associates and how they’ve evloved into new media online.
“Boulder is for Startups” from White House Office Of Science and Technology Policy
May 13th
Fifteen years ago, Boulder was considered a sleepy college town known mostly for its great rock-climbing. Today, Boulder is home to one of the strongest entrepreneurial communities in the country, with close to 200 fledgling tech companies and a city campaign that proclaims “Boulder is for startups.” In fact, last year BusinessWeek named Boulder America’s best town for startups, and it was featured in The New York Times for its entrepreneurial scene. Part of its success rests on the fact that Boulder has the highest U.S. concentration of software engineers and PhDs per capita. It is second only to Silicon Valley in percentage of workers employed in the technology sector.
In discussing the success of Boulder as an entrepreneurial success story, I speak from personal experience, having worked at the University of Colorado Law School and run the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship from 1999 until joining the Obama Administration in 2009. The success of Boulder as an entrepreneurial ecosystem is not merely attracting smart people—it’s really about the community. Notably, in Boulder and the surrounding areas, there is an amazing willingness of successful entrepreneurs to help the up-and-comers.
The rabbi of the Boulder entrepreneurial ecosystem—and someone who has done more than anyone to set this tone—is my good friend Brad Feld, who along with his co-founders of the Foundry Group have given enormous time and energy to building an entrepreneurial community. Brad also brought a number of entrepreneurs and venture capitalists to the White House last summer to talk about what could be done to celebrate, support, and spur entrepreneurship. Along with input from many others, that discussion helped shape the Startup America initiative.
One of the great success stories in Boulder is the rise of TechStars, which is now the top startup accelerator in the world and a key partner of Startup America. Since TechStars was founded in Boulder by Brad, Jared Polis (now our representative in Congress), and David Cohen, it has since expanded to four other cities, with offices in Boston, Seattle, and New York City. The program accepts applications from early-stage startups and provides them with seed funding and mentorship opportunities from some of the best and brightest minds in tech. Boulder TechStars alums include Brightkite, which was acquired for $1.5 million; Ignighter, which has received $4.2 million in funding; and, Graphic.ly, which also now has received $4.2 million in funding.
Later next week, Boulder will hold its second annual Startup Week. Startup Week Boulder is five spring days full of events and stars from inside and outside the Boulder tech community. From May 18-22, the city’s startups will be rolling out the red carpet for talented developers, designers, marketers, and general startup enthusiasts.
Many entrepreneurial communities ask how they can be the next Silicon Valley? As Brad has often explained, that’s the wrong question. The right question is how any entrepreneurial community—whether Philadelphia, Cleveland, Detroit, Phoenix, or Portland—can be the best it can be. Each community has its own particular attributes and leaders. Working together and supporting each other, as Boulder leaders have done, is a core part of building a more successful ecosystem.
Monday’s discussion reflected the level of engagement and thoughtfulness that I have come to expect from the Boulder entrepreneurial community. We touched on a series of topics, ranging from access to capital to attracting great employees to reforming regulation to enabling better technology transfer from government labs. As the Roadshow effort comes to a close, I know that these ideas will inform a number of ongoing policy development and implementation initiatives, including the Commerce Department’s upcoming report on innovation and competitiveness.
Phil Weiser is Senior Advisor for Technology and Innovation to the National Economic Council Director