Posts tagged education
Vote Polis, Proud to Be a Boulderite By Scott Hatfield
Oct 31st
By Scott Hatfield
For too long, our Rep in CD 2 has downplayed their connections to Boulder even though Boulder County might make up 55% of the voters. We now have a Congressman who is proud to be from Boulder and to represent our values. Folks here should appreciate being embraced rather than shrugged and support Polis at the polls. Jared Polis grew up in the City of Boulder and was extremely well known in town personally even before running for Congress.
Jared Polis formed his core values protesting Rocky Flats with his parents while growing up. Given his stated priority for the morality of stopping an ever escalating nuclear arms race, there is a reasonable expectation that he cares about the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) more than most Democratic Reps. The NPT has been the cornerstone of foreign policy for many nations, not just the USA and Russia. The NPT obliges its signatories to work in good faith toward a nuclear weapon free world as well as guaranteeing the right to nuclear energy and uranium enrichment. As the President has stated, that includes Iran. While knowing and publicly stating that Iran is not attempting to produce a nuclear weapon and simultaneously beating the drums of war over the guaranteed right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes, elements in the USA and Israel could be more interested in undermining the NPT. The nuclear weapons industrial complex is very powerful and wants its profits back. We need a Congressman who can stand up to these entrenched interests. A strong NPT makes the world a safer place for all nations.
Education has been a cornerstone of Jared’s priorities for a long time as well. He was on the Colorado School Board for 6 years and founded five schools. His work to get more kids headed to college should serve the University of Colorado and its role in Boulder well. He believes that education is the single most meaningful investment America can make in its economic future and in its people. Having the University here in town puts the role of the educational system into great prominence locally.
Jared Polis also prides himself on being a champion for environmental issues which has been a CD 2 legacy.
Scott Hatfield has been a member of the Central Committee of the Colorado Democratic Party and the Executive Committee of the Boulder Democratic Party since 1996.
Boulder renewed as a Platinum Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists
Oct 19th
Across the U.S., bicycling is on the rise – thanks in part to communities like Boulder taking steps to make riding easy, accessible and safe. Today, the League of American Bicyclists (LoAB) announced the latest round of Bicycle Friendly Communities (BFC) and renewed Boulder’s standing as a Platinum Bicycle Friendly Community. The Platinum award recognizes Boulder’s continued commitment to improving conditions for bicycling through investments in education, infrastructure, policies and promotion.
“We are excited that Boulder recognizes that simple steps to make biking safe and comfortable pay huge dividends in civic, community and economic development,” said League President Andy Clarke. “Bicycling is more than a practical, cost-effective solution to many community challenges – it’s a way to make Boulder a place where people don’t just live and work, but thrive.”
The BFC program is revolutionizing the way communities evaluate quality of life, sustainability and transportation networks by allowing them to measure their progress toward improving bicycle-friendliness. The free program provides a roadmap for building a Bicycle Friendly Community and the application process itself has become a rigorous educational tool.
In September, the league announced the “Diamond” level designation to raise the bar for communities like Boulder to move beyond Platinum. The LoAB will visit Boulder in December to conduct an audit and work with the local cycling community on creating clear goals to achieve Diamond status. The primary measure of Diamond designation is the number of people riding and community satisfaction. The five levels of the award – diamond, platinum, gold, silver and bronze – provide a clear incentive for communities to continuously improve.
“Boulder’s Platinum designation renewal recognizes many years of sustained effort by the community, city staff and local policy makers,” said Director of Public Works for Transportation Tracy Winfree. “It is a great accomplishment and celebrates the community’s commitment to bicycle friendliness. Given the City of Boulder’s ethic of ‘continuous improvement,’ we appreciate the league’s challenge for communities like Boulder to reach beyond Platinum to the new Diamond designation.”
Since the BFC program’s inception, more than 500 communities have applied and there are now 242 Bicycle Friendly Communities in 47 states across America. To learn more about the Bicycle Friendly Communities, visit www.bikeleague.org/community.
[includeme src=”http://c1n.tv/boulder/media/bouldersponsors.html” frameborder=”0″ width=”670″ height=”300″]
Reports: CU degree as good as gold
Oct 15th
nationally for return on investment
When it comes to landing “good paying” jobs and receiving a high return on investment, University of Colorado Boulder graduates are in good shape nationally, according to two recent reports.
CU-Boulder ranked in the top 20 in a recent report released by SmartMoney that rated the return on investment for 50 of the nation’s priciest colleges for out-of-state tuition. CU-Boulder, at No. 19, finished just behind Princeton University and ahead of Harvard University, Cornell University and Yale University in the rankings, which compared starting tuition (class of 2009) to recent and mid-career median salaries of graduates.
CU-Boulder also fared well in PayScale.com’s mid-career salary ranking, coming in at No. 35 out of 452 state schools ranked for return on investment.
“This is good news for our graduates,” said CU-Boulder Provost Russell Moore, the chief academic officer of the Boulder campus. “It is good news for the constituents of the state of Colorado and the parents of students who attend the University of Colorado.”
The median salary for recent CU-Boulder graduates (out of school three years) is $45,000, while the mid-career (out of school 15 years) median salary is $87,100, according to figures compiled by PayScale.com.
“What this shows us is the return on investment for our out-of-state students is very good, but for our in-state students, who receive the same median salary coming out of school, the return is even better because they don’t have to put as much money in up front,” said Lisa Severy, director of CU-Boulder’s Career Services office.
There are several reasons for CU-Boulder graduates excelling in the job market, according to Moore.
“For a large research university, we engage undergraduates in experiential learning,” Moore said. “Our students have significant opportunities to engage in cutting-edge research, creative work and studio activities. We engage them at a higher frequency than most other public research universities, in fact, I would argue, many private research universities.”
The interdisciplinary nature of the curriculum at CU-Boulder also plays a role, according to Severy.
“We have a lot of programs that are multidisciplinary,” Severy said. “Since the world of work is multidisciplinary, this training is especially marketable when you graduate, because our students are used to working with other people outside their specific areas of study.”
While proud of the recent rankings, Moore expects the bar to be even higher in the years to come.
“We think we bring a lot of value to higher education and we are very excited about some of our innovative programs that will move the bar even higher,” Moore said.