October 2008

View this email on the CU website

Dear Alumni and Friends,

President Bruce D. Benson

The University of Colorado entered the academic year with strong momentum. On the heels of record fundraising (reported in my August newsletter) came record research funding and record enrollment at all our campuses. The success is the result of much hard work on the part of many people and the considerable expertise of our faculty.

But if there is a common denominator to our success, it is our reputation. My predecessor, Hank Brown, and current CU Foundation President Wayne Hutchens did yeoman’s work to restore public confidence in CU. I have continued to build on our policy of openness, accountability and transparency. The public knows that a university with nearly 54,000 students, many of them teenagers, is bound to have problems. However, the public expects us to address them promptly and effectively.

Many recent efforts contribute to our improved reputation. My experience in business showed me that preventative maintenance helps head off problems. To that end, we have changed our admissions application and processes so we can be more selective. We examine if prospective students have had previous problems. We pay close attention to the role of our Athletic Department. I have met with Athletic Director Mike Bohn and coaches to be sure we are on the same page regarding the kind of students we recruit. We also reformed our tenure processes for faculty. Awarding tenure is a multimillion dollar, multiyear commitment. We are more careful in how we make those decisions and how we follow through on post-tenure review.

Much of the success CU has seen lately is a result of our improved reputation. Alumni and friends of the university contribute to it and spread the word about it. We all have a role to play to ensure that the University of Colorado continues to bolster its reputation as one of the premier university systems in the United States. Below you will find some examples that demonstrate why that is so. I welcome feedback on this newsletter. You can send it to officeofthepresident@cu.edu

Sincerely,
Bruce D. Benson
President

 

Record Research Funding
CU attracted some $661 million in research funding in fiscal year 2008, the most in our 132-year history. CU scientists and researchers innovate, discover, enhance quality of life, improve our planet and probe the stars and other planets. They help improve our communities and lend insight into our species. They contribute to understanding and solving some of the pressing issues facing our state and nation. But we don’t want to rest on our laurels. We are enhancing our efforts in Washington, D.C., so we can attract more research funding to our campuses.

CU on the Frontiers of Space
CU continued to sharpen its focus on space when NASA in September named the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) on the Boulder campus the lead on the $485 million MAVEN project. Its focus will be a space station, scheduled to launch in 2013, that will orbit Mars to probe the planet’s past climate and explore its potential for harboring life over the ages. LASP scientists will receive some $60 million of the total funding, the largest research contract ever awarded to the university. LASP Associate Director Bruce Jakosky, an internationally recognized Mars expert, will lead the team. Other partners include the University of California, Berkeley, and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

Later this month, another CU initiative will take flight. A $70 million Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, designed by a CU-Boulder team led by Professor James Green, will be installed on the Hubble Space Telescope. It will examine evidence of gases in the early universe for clues to the formation and evolution of galaxies, stars and planets.
This week, NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft, with an $8.7 million CU instrument to measure Mercury’s atmosphere and blistering surface, will make its second flyby of the planet closest to the sun. Senior Research Associate William McClintock says the instruments will scan refracted light to understand the mineral composition of the planet better, among other activities.

One of the great results from our work in space is that our faculty involve students (both undergraduate and graduate) in planning and executing projects. We are diligently preparing the next generation of aerospace engineers. Those efforts got a boost recently when former NASA astronaut Joe Tanner joined the faculty. The 24-year NASA veteran, with four space shuttle missions and seven space walks to his credit, will help direct projects for undergraduate and graduate students.

With such a track record for success, it’s no wonder CU receives more NASA funding than any public university in the nation.

Battling Down Syndrome
CU will be home to one of the world’s foremost centers for improving the lives of people with Down syndrome and their families. The Linda Crnic Institute, established with a $34 million contribution from the Anna and John J. Sie Foundation, will allow researchers from UC Denver’s Anschutz Medical Campus and colleagues from the Boulder campus and The Children’s Hospital to focus on eradicating the ill effects associated with Down syndrome. The institute will be the first of its kind to comprehensively address basic research, clinical research and clinical care, all under one umbrella. It will provide the highest quality of research, therapeutic development, medical care, education and advocacy.

Anna and John Sie were inspired to make the contribution by their granddaughter Sophia, born five years ago with Down syndrome. The chromosomal disorder, associated with impairment of cognitive ability and an increased chance of various medical issues, afflicts some 400,000 people in the United States and millions worldwide. Renowned neurologist William Mobley, M.D. will be the executive director of the institute, which will aggressively recruit the best talent in the field. Leadership expects it to grow into a $150 million organization within 10 years, with staff estimated at some 160. The Linda Crnic Institute, to be housed on the Anschutz Medical Campus, is named for the School of Medicine professor of pediatrics and psychiatry who became a friend and mentor to Sophia’s parents, Michelle and Tom Whitten. Crnic passed away in 2004.

Record Enrollment
All of CU’s campuses reported record enrollments for fall semester. There are 53,755 students attending our campuses in Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver and Aurora. We are particularly encouraged by this year’s freshman class, which is the largest, most diverse and academically gifted in our history. The Colorado Springs campus saw a 14.2 percent increase in freshman; total enrollment there is 7,960. The Boulder campus has a record freshman class (5,833) and record total enrollment of 29,709. The Denver campus has a record 16,057, a 2.4 percent increase over last year. The number of ethnic minority students also shows a positive trend. At Boulder, minority enrollment is up 1.8 percent and is 14.2 percent of the total. At Colorado Springs, minority enrollment is up 4 percent and is 18.2 percent of the total. At Denver, minority enrollment is up 6 percent and is 22.5 percent of the total.

School of Public Health
Fall semester marked the opening of the Colorado School of Public Health, the first of its kind in the nine-state Rocky Mountain region. The school is a partnership among the University of Colorado Denver (the lead institution), Colorado State University and the University of Northern Colorado. The school supports students, practitioners and communities by providing educational programs, innovative research and community service assets. It offers graduate degrees ranging from a master’s in biostatistics to doctoral programs in epidemiology. It also provides certification training and residency programs.

CU Research Spurs Creation of Tech Startups
Innovation that springs from research conducted at CU is not confined to our campuses. The Colorado economy and the nation continue to benefit from ideas percolating out of CU labs and classrooms. In fact, CU is among the top 10 universities nationally in the number of companies created from its intellectual property. They advance the work of CU faculty researchers, further our university’s research reputation, and help the state leverage biomedical, renewable energy and other programs that diversify the state’s economy and create new jobs. According to the CU Technology Transfer Office, intellectual property stemming from CU research led to the creation of 11 new companies in fiscal year 2007-08. Over the past 15 years, 83 startups have been formed based on CU research. Of those, 67 still have Colorado operations, including ARCA Discovery Inc., a Denver-based company that focuses on developing and commercializing genetically targeted therapies for heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases. UC Denver cardiology professor Michael Bristow founded the company, which closed $15 million in venture capital financing in February 2006. Some of the companies formed based on CU technology have become multi-billion-dollar entities, including Amgen and Myogen (acquired for $2.5 billion by Gilead in 2006).

University Moves Forward With Tenure Review Recommendations
In 2006, a university committee composed of internal and external task forces issued 40 recommendations aimed at improving CU’s tenure processes. Gen. Howell M. Estes III, a retired Air Force general, led the committee’s work and authored an independent study on tenure. Nearly all of the committee’s 40 recommendations have been incorporated into new administrative policies and Board of Regents laws and policies. Earning tenure is a rigorous process that takes at least seven years. The CU Tenure Review Task Force will present an update on the implementation process to the board in November. In August, Michael Poliakoff, our vice president of academic affairs and research and task force co-chair, informed the regents and me that the task force is in the process of creating a statement of ethical principles that will guide tenured faculty. The group is also writing a comprehensive communications plan to guide how CU keeps the public–students, parents, donors, state lawmakers and Colorado citizens–informed of the tenure review process, and how tenure benefits not only faculty, but students and society.

Economic Challenges Faced by State, Nation Affect CU
The state of Colorado and CU are feeling the pinch of the nation’s economic downturn. On Sept. 25, Gov. Bill Ritter implemented a state hiring freeze (with exceptions) and called for the delay of new construction through Jan. 31, 2009. The governor said he took these cautionary measures to protect taxpayer dollars and to ensure the state is able to continue providing essential services. Two renovation projects on our Boulder campus will be affected by the construction delays. The Ekeley Science Building and the Ketchum Arts and Sciences building were slated to undergo remodeling, but those projects have been put on hold. Although the governor’s hiring freeze does not apply to CU, I asked our campuses and the system office to scrutinize all new hires, particularly when it comes to filling state-supported jobs. We are taking additional steps to prepare for a possible fiscal emergency if revenue estimates remain on a downward trend at the next reporting point, which is in December.

Helping Ourselves
The recent economic measures announced by Gov. Ritter are not the only funding challenges we face. Colorado ranks 48th in the nation in funding per resident student. It’s not that our legislators don’t support higher education. They do, but restrictions in the Colorado Constitution leave little money available for higher education. It is important for us to help ourselves where we can. To that end, we have established two task forces. The first is the Task Force on Efficiencies, which will examine our internal regulations and operations to make processes more effective. When I was going through the presidential selection process, people across the CU system told me they are drowning in paperwork and regulation. The task force will look for areas where the regulation pendulum may have swung too far. We understand the need for accountability, but we should balance that with common sense regulation.

It is important to note that we run an administratively tight ship already. Our overhead costs are about 25 percent lower than our peer institutions. In terms of overall administrative efficiency, CU’s administrative costs are 46 percent of the national average, according to federal statistics.

Attracting more funding means we need to look beyond the typical resource streams that fund operations in higher education: state support and tuition. Our second effort, the Task Force for Funding Solutions, is looking at potentials for alternative funding. We have lots of talented people at CU, and I have asked a group of them to propose solutions to our funding dilemma. The initiative will be led by faculty and staff from the UC Denver Business School and Graduate School for Public Affairs. They will report to me by the end of November.

News from the campuses

Boulder
Our people are our greatest asset, and a member of the campus community recently demonstrated the quality at CU. Chief campus legal counsel Christine Arguello, a CU alumna, was nominated for a position on the U.S. District Court by President George Bush and the U.S. Senate confirmed her appointment in late September. She will be the first Hispanic to serve as a U.S. District Court judge in Colorado.

Our Boulder campus has long been a leader in renewable/sustainable energy practices and research. That focus was recognized recently when it was named one of the top 15 campuses in the nation for sustainability by the Sustainable Endowments Institute.
The College Sustainability Report Card is considered the most credible and respected national ranking of its kind because it is the only independent sustainability evaluation of campus operations and endowment investments. Although the top 15 schools on the College Sustainability Report Card 2009 are not ranked, CU-Boulder has the most "A" grades (in seven of eight categories) of any other large university on the list. Only Middlebury College and Oberlin College had equivalent grades.

The campus was also ranked the second "greenest" school in the nation by Sierra magazine in its 2008 September/October edition. CU-Boulder was by far the largest school in the top five, with more students than the other four schools combined. The top schools earned points in 10 categories, including policies for building, energy, food, investment, procurement and transportation; curriculum; environmental activism; waste management; and overall commitment to sustainability.

Colorado Springs
Our Colorado Springs campus, which has one of the top aging studies programs in the country, has partnered with a private developer on a senior housing campus that offers apartments, patio homes, assisted living and a memory unit to residents. UCCS and Dunn and Associates worked together to establish Palisades at Broadmoor Park in southwest Colorado Springs. The project will be a model for next-generation senior living, and provides the university with the opportunity to combine leading-edge research while helping people live their lives as independently as possible. Sara Qualls, Kraemer Family Professor of Aging Studies, said the “integrated care” residential complex would enable UCCS researchers to apply knowledge and create new models of older adult living. Students and faculty from the Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences will operate an on-site wellness clinic. In addition, four undergraduate students dubbed “Palisades Scholars,” will provide games, arts and crafts, and technology support to residents in exchange for room and board. Residents also will have exercise rooms, an Internet café and other amenities at their disposal.

Downtown Denver
The CU Board of Regents this week approved a new master of science degree for the Business School on the downtown Denver campus. The Global Energy Management (GEM) degree is designed to prepare future leaders and managers across the spectrum of the energy industry, from conventional (oil, gas, coal) to alternative (nuclear, coal gasification) to renewable (solar, wind, biofuels). Students in the program are required to have knowledge of the science involved in energy development, either through an undergraduate degree or experience in the industry. They will be in great demand. The Oil & Gas Journal reported in 2006 that up to 50 percent of people in upper management in energy companies will be eligible for retirement in the next five years. The GEM program aims to fill the knowledge and experience gap. The curriculum for the program was developed jointly by the Business School and the GEM advisory board, which comprises executives from energy companies and government. The result is a specialized and tailored program that will prepare the next generation of energy company leaders.

The program will be delivered through a hybrid approach that allows students to continue working full time. They can complete the degree in 18 months, taking most of the coursework online, through videoconferencing, video lectures, podcasts and DVD downloads. They will come to Denver on four consecutive days (Friday through Monday) at the start of each three month term.

Anschutz Medical Campus
A wrecking ball is usually a sign that something is ending, not beginning. But on UC Denver’s Anschutz Medical Campus last month, a wrecking ball knocked down a brick smokestack, a final obstacle, to clear the way for development of the Colorado Biosciences + Technology Park to begin in earnest. The 160–acre park, adjacent to the northern edge of the Anschutz Medical Campus, will provide opportunities for startup companies and early–stage drug developers to partner with our faculty researchers. The biosciences park, to be developed and managed by Forest City Science and Technology Group, will be another step toward making the Anschutz Medical Campus one of the premier health-care facilities in the world. When build-out is complete in 20 years, the park will have 15 million square feet of space, including a hotel and conference facility. It is projected to have an $11.5 billion economic impact on the region within 25 years.

The Anschutz Medical Campus will also lead the way on a new study. UC Denver has been awarded more than $26 million to be a study center in the National Children’s Study. It is the largest child health study in the United States and will follow 100,000 children from birth to age 21 to identify genetic and environmental factors that contribute to health disorders and conditions of childhood and adulthood. The study will be conducted locally through the collaboration among the Colorado School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, School of Medicine, Departments of Pediatrics and Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Battelle Memorial Institute. Dr. Dana Dabelea, an associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health will lead the study. It is directed and funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences–both of the National Institutes of Health–the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.