CU business school endowed with $2.25 million chair to promote global enterprise
Apr 3rd
Advancing global enterprise at the university level by a billionaire seems to make excellent sense.
A better understanding of the core drivers that help great leaders innovate — and avoid failure — is key to advancing global enterprise. The Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder is now better equipped to advance this understanding, thanks to a new $2.25 million gift from the Thomas Stix Guggenheim family to establish an endowed faculty chair aimed at educating new generations of entrepreneurs on the core drivers of successful business design and innovation.
This prestigious faculty post was made possible by Thomas Stix Guggenheim and his wife Pedie, of Cincinnati and Snowmass Village, Colo., and his four children, each of whom also attended CU-Boulder.
The new chair will enhance business education at the Leeds School by offering a broader exploration of the factors that allow some firms to succeed while others fail.
The chair also advances key Leeds priorities, as it will help aspiring innovators develop the critical thinking skills that result in creative solutions to diverse and complex challenges. “Our business experience has demonstrated there is as much, if not more, to learn from business failures as from successes,” Guggenheim said. “One main aspect of our endowed chair is to case-study this belief.”
David Ikenberry, dean of the Leeds School, said the creation of the Thomas Stix Guggenheim Family Endowed Chair in Business Design and Innovation is emblematic of the school’s mission. “We have embarked on an innovation agenda that will enable graduates to evolve in a rapidly changing business climate and ensure their ability to drive value,” he said. “We are fortunate and grateful for the family’s generous support as we pursue this great challenge.”
The concept of business design is an emerging area of business education — exploring the interaction of factors such as strategy, product or service design, and entrepreneurial leadership to solve complex problems and drive economic innovation and successful business creation.
With Leeds and CU’s long-standing reputation for entrepreneurship education along with Boulder’s identity as one of the nation’s most entrepreneurial and creative cities, the new chair is a logical fit for Colorado and its economy.
The Thomas Stix Guggenheim Family Endowed Chair in Business Design and Innovation is a tribute to the successful career and outstanding leadership of the chair’s namesake. After graduating from CU-Boulder in 1950 with a degree in marketing, Guggenheim went on to lead two successful hosiery (sock) businesses.
“It’s exciting to see CU-Boulder graduates giving back to the university in such an important way so future generations of students can succeed in their entrepreneurial endeavors,” said Chancellor Philip DiStefano.
A longtime donor to CU-Boulder, Guggenheim has supported the Center for Education on Social Responsibility, which integrates ethics education across the Leeds School curriculum to develop values-driven leaders, and a popular freshman-level course titled “Profiles in American Enterprise,” which invited top executives to discuss relevant business issues.
An endowed chair gift provides a reliable and perpetual stream of funding for a senior faculty position. It is a public indicator of a program’s prestige and it helps universities recruit and retain top talent.
A global search will launch immediately to identify a candidate to serve as the first Guggenheim Family Endowed Chair. The goal is to fill the tenured post, to be housed within the school’s Division of Management, for the start of the fall semester in 2014.
The gift is one of more than 275,000 gifts made to date during Creating Futures, a $1.5 billion fundraising campaign to enhance CU education, research, outreach and health programs benefiting citizens throughout Colorado and beyond. Visit http://www.cufund.org for more information.
–CU Press Release–
[includeme src=”http://c1n.tv/boulder/media/bouldersponsors.html” frameborder=”0″ width=”670″ height=”300″]
CU tennis is building a head of steam with recent victories
Apr 2nd
CU is in the ITA College Tennis Rankings for the first time in the regular season since April 2010.
The Buffaloes, ranked No. 75, join nine other Pac-12 Conference teams in the rankings. Colorado holds a 7-11 overall, 2-5 Pac-12 record, tying for sixth in conference standings. With three matches left in the season, the Buffs have already matched their 2011-12 win total. 
“It’s exciting for the program, and it’s exciting for the players,” CU head coach Nicole Kenneally said. “It’s been a few years since we’ve been included in the national rankings. I think it’s a testament to all the hard work the players have put in during the fall semester and in this spring semester. It shows their continued engagement in the process of learning and getting better in every match and every practice. I’m excited for the program.”
The most recently the Buffs have been ranked in the regular season was when they concluded the 2009-10 regular season against No. 19 Texas. The Buffs went into the match ranked No. 68 and finished the season with an 11-13 overall, 3-8 Big 12 record and a No. 72 ranking.
The Buffs have marked several milestones this year. They earned their first ever Pac-12 win on March 10 with a 4-2 win over Arizona, breaking a 26-match regular season conference losing streak. This season, the Buffs have taken down two out of eight ranked opponents. CU beat No. 62 Stephen F. Austin 6-1 on February 2, marking their first win over a ranked opponent since the then-ranked No. 55 Buffs defeated No. 71 Denver on February 1, 2010.
After facing a tough stretch versus ranked Pac-12 teams, the Buffs got a big win over No. 59 Oregon last weekend. The 5-2 victory over the Ducks marks the highest ranked opponent the Buffs have defeated since beating then-ranked No. 46 New Mexico on February 7, 2009. All nine of CU’s most recent opponents have either been ranked, had at least one ranked player or both (as is the case for six of the teams, including Oregon). Of the teams the Buffs have faced this season, 11 hold a place the current rankings, with five ranked in the top 25.
The Buffs conclude their regular season against stiff competition. CU takes on No. 70 Washington State at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 5 and No. 45 Washington at 10 a.m. on Sunday, April 7. They end the season against No. 63 Utah at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 20. All matches will be held at the CU South Campus Tennis Complex unless weather moves play indoors.
CU media release
[includeme src=”http://c1n.tv/boulder/media/bouldersponsors.html” frameborder=”0″ width=”670″ height=”300″]
Roberson gains more honors for his defense
Apr 2nd
Colorado junior forward Andre Roberson was named to the 2013 Lefty Driesell Defensive All-America team, in addition named a finalist as the top defensive player award announced Monday.
The Lefty Driesell award is named in honor of coaching legend Lefty Driesell, who is the only person to ever win 100 games at four different Division I schools. The award will be presented to the nation’s top defensive player on April 5 at the CollegeInsider.com awards banquet in Atlanta, site of the men’s NCAA Basketball Championship.
Junior Andre Roberson, one of the top rebounders in the NCAA, will decide in going pro in the next few weeks
Roberson, the Pac-12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a first team conference selection, is the only Pac-12 player named on the 21-player list. He finished second nationally in rebounding (11.2 rpg.) and was also No. 30th in steals (2.16) and No. t-158 in blocks (1.32).
Roberson helped the Buffaloes to the Pac-12’s top scoring defense (conference games-only) of 62.2 points per game. Colorado finished the season with a 21-12 record and NCAA Tournament second round appearance. Roberson also set the school record for a junior in a single season with 347 rebounds, in addition establishing a career-best 66 steals. The 11.2 rebounding average is also a career-high.
Joining Roberson on the team are Khem Birch (UNLV), Tommy Brenton (Stony Brook), Will Cherry (Montana), Ian Clark (Belmont), Aaron Craft (Ohio State), Gorgui Dieng (Louisville), Jontel Evans (Virginia), Shane Larkin (Miami), Zeke Marshall (Akron), Nerlens Noel (Kentucky), Chris Obekpa (St. John’s), Victor Oladipo (Indiana), Trevor Releford (Alabama), Durand Scott (Miami), Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State), Michael Snaer (Florida State), D.J. Stephens (Memphis), Darius Theus (VCU), Julian Washburn (UTEP) and Jeff Withey (Kansas).
Driesell is best known for his time at Maryland leading the program to the National Invitational Tournament title in 1972 and to the ACC Tournament Championship in 1984. He finished his career at Maryland with a 348-159 record and concluded his career with an impressive 786-394 mark.
CU SPORTS MEDIA RELEASE
[includeme src=”http://c1n.tv/boulder/media/bouldersponsors.html” frameborder=”0″ width=”670″ height=”300″]
