January 2013
 
 

Dear Friends and Alumni,

 

Intercollegiate athletics is an important window through which people see our university. It's a key connection point for many of our alumni and rallies our donors, friends and fans in Colorado and beyond. Athletics also provides us a stage, sometimes a national stage, to showcase the high quality of our academics. It's one of our best marketing tools.

We aspire to excellence in all we do. Greatness in academics and athletics are not mutually exclusive. You need only look at some of the nation's top public universities, including our colleague institutions in the Pac-12 Conference, to see examples of the complementary relationship between academics and athletics. Achievements in athletics stand alongside achievements in scholarship, innovation and community service because they unite the CU family and invite new members to join.

So it's important that we fully support our program and engage our alumni, donors, fans and friends in our efforts. A key step in supporting the program was hiring Coach Mike MacIntyre last month to lead the CU Buffaloes football program. While we have a proud history in football, we have struggled in recent years, a trend we must reverse. The entire leadership of the University of Colorado is united in an effort to do all we can to ensure success, and we need you to join us.

Coach MacIntyre has the passion and experience to lead the Buffs on and off the field. He prepares student-athletes not only for football, but for life. He shares CU's values and understands that athletics is a part of the academic mission of the institution, not apart from it.

We fully understand and appreciate the significant role intercollegiate athletics, particularly football, plays at CU. We have a vested interest in the success of the program and we are accountable for achieving it.

It's important to note that we have success to build on and models to follow. Our athletics program boasts Olympic athletes, national champion skiers and Pac-12 champions in cross-country and basketball. Our men's and women's basketball programs demonstrate how a focus on coaches, facilities and scholarship support can foster success. We intend to follow that blueprint for the football program. With Coach MacIntyre and his staff, we have made investments in high-quality coaches.

An important next step will be to upgrade our football facilities. Over the past decade, we have invested substantially in academic and other student-support facilities at CU-Boulder through a variety of non-state funding. We must also invest in athletic facilities to enhance the competitiveness of our teams and the experience for our fans.

As those responsible for running the university and balancing its many competing needs, we have an obligation to proceed deliberately and invest prudently. Athletic facilities improvements will require a combination of funding streams, but the first phase will rely heavily on our donors and supporters. We are considering funding options and facilities priorities.

We value the role intercollegiate athletics plays at our university and we will continue to do all we can to support it, financially and otherwise. CU and its fans deserve a great athletic program to match our great achievements in research, teaching, scholarship and creative work. We hope we can count on your support.

For feedback, contact officeofthepresident@cu.edu

Sincerely,
Bruce D. Benson
Bruce Benson
President


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Behind every gift, there is a story. At CU-Boulder, a group of friends provided a measure of solace for an artist and former CU faculty member who lost his studio in the Fourmile Fire of 2010 - and in turn, helped bring a sculpture of striking beauty to the Boulder campus.

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Office of the President, University of Colorado
1800 Grant Street, Suite 800, Denver, CO 80203
General Phone: 303 860 5600 | Fax: 303 860 5610
www.cu.edu | officeofthepresident@cu.edu
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