Posts tagged students
CU: “Our Hill” gets pilot project
Sep 28th
“Our Hill, Our Home:” Pilot project planned for high-density residential services district
The City of Boulder and a group of engaged University Hill community members are launching a pilot program this fall that will test-drive the creation of a new services district concept in the Hill neighborhood to support ongoing revitalization efforts. The idea of the district is to share costs and create economies of scale for basic maintenance services, such as litter, graffiti and snow removal. The target area is the neighborhood zoned as high-density residential, adjacent to the Hill commercial district.
This concept is one of two “big ideas” presented to City Council in April 2010 by the Hill Ownership Group, an ad-hoc group of University Hill property managers, residents, business owners, CU employees and students, and city staff working together to support neighborhood improvements. The other “big idea” is the creation of an innovative/creative/arts district in the Hill commercial area.
The high-density residential services district is conceptual at this point, with boundaries, services and governance structure still to be determined. The Hill Ownership Group is continuing to explore the concept of a taxing district that could potentially address the following services:
· Litter pickup in the public right of way and potentially, with appropriate waivers, in specific areas on private property, such as front yards;
· Graffiti removal in the public right of way and potentially, with appropriate waivers, on specific types of private property;
· Weed removal in the public right of way;
· Sidewalk snow removal;
· Notification procedures for more serious quality of life offenses;
· A coordinated approach to recycling; and
· Additional trash service pickups at specific times, such as during move in and move out periods.
“Most of the property owners and managers on the Hill are already paying individually for these services. By pooling funds to purchase the same services, the district could create economies of scale,” said Ron Mitchell, Hill property owner and committee member.
The pilot project, which will run from Sept. 30 through Nov. 7, 2011, is designed to gather information and determine whether there are positive effects of coordinated maintenance in a limited area. The area covered by the pilot program will generally be between 10th and 13th streets, and between College and Pleasant avenues. The services provided during the pilot project include litter pick-up, graffiti removal, limited landscaping clean-up, and limited snow removal, depending on weather.
A subcommittee of the Hill Ownership Group is in the process of contacting property owners and managers in the pilot area to inform them of the project and obtain permission to remove litter and graffiti from portions of their properties.
The city will provide supervisory staff, and donated funds will pay for temporary labor and supplies (paint, garbage bags and tools). Sponsors of the pilot project include University of Colorado administration and student government, Roche Colorado, the University Hill Neighborhood Association, Boulder International Youth Hostel, Four Star Realty, Michael Boyers and Western Disposal Services. The pilot will include students from the restorative justice program for a few larger clean-ups. An important component of the pilot project will be documentation of before and after conditions and accounting for budgeting and planning purposes.
If, after the completion of the pilot program, there is support from property owners and residents to create a taxing district, the city will put the concept to a vote. The election, likely to occur in November 2012, would be limited to voters and property owners within the proposed district boundaries.
“This is an idea created by a cross-section of the Hill community, the very people who make the Hill the vibrant and innovative community it is. The city is excited to see what types of impact a residential services district can have,” said Molly Winter, director of Boulder’s Downtown and University Hill Management Division. “We are hopeful that if the Hill is a cleaner and well-kept community, those who live, work and play there will want to become partners in upholding a more desirable quality of life for everyone.”
For more information about the pilot program, the work of the Hill Ownership Group or the possibility of a taxing district, please contact Jennifer Korbelik,
CU Boulder Jobs up 23% for grads
Sep 27th
FULL-TIME JOB POSTING GRADS JUMPED 23 PERCENT IN 2010-11
For the second year in a row, the University of Colorado Boulder saw an increase in companies seeking to hire CU-Boulder graduates with full-time job postings on campus jumping 23 percent for the 2010-11 school year, compared with 2009-10.
The number of interviews companies conducted on campus also saw an uptick, increasing 9.6 percent during the same period, a testament to the quality of a CU degree even in a weak job market, according to Lisa Severy, director of CU-Boulder’s Career Services office.
“Our recent graduates are having a lot of success in the job search, especially people who are prepared and engaged in their job search,” Severy said. “The best ways to be engaged while you are a student is to take advantage of campus career fairs and information sessions, use the campus job posting tools and network outside of school.”
In terms of sheer volume of job listings, technical skills are in high demand, Severy said. For example, graduates with degrees in computer science and electrical engineering are always in high demand. A relatively new trend in the job market is companies seeking social media specialists, she said.
“This is a niche many graduates can fill, because companies don’t have this expertise yet,” Severy said. “Graduates of any major who are knowledgeable about social media and enjoy working with it should have a lot of opportunities right now.”With so many applicants for every job, one would think it would make recruiters’ jobs easier, but that is not necessarily the case, according to Severy.
“We hear from recruiters that they are avoiding the mass marketing of jobs because they get way too many applicants,” Severy said. “Instead, they target small, quality pools of candidates that they can trust, which includes our system that is open only to CU-Boulder students and graduates.”
Since 2009, CU-Boulder has offered job search assistance to alumni, free of charge. Services such as the university’s online job-posting tool can be a real benefit because only alumni can access the system, she said.
The increase in recruiting activities also is impacting the upcoming fall career and internship fair on campus. While the event usually is held in the University Memorial Center’s Glenn Miller Ballroom, this year more space was required, Severy said.
“We’re sticking employers everywhere we can find space to provide as many opportunities to our students and graduates as possible,” she said.
The fall career and internship fair for CU-Boulder students and alumni will be held Oct. 5 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the UMC. The fair is open only to CU-Boulder students and alumni.
For more information about Career Services and the fall career and internship fair visit http://careerservices.colorado.edu/public/
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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