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Message from President Penley - 2008 Spring Semester Update

April 22, 2008
Photo of President Penley.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION

While it is still too early to know how CSU ultimately will fare this legislative session, we are encouraged by progress in a number of areas, including the passage of a bill -- expected to be signed by the Governor on Thursday -- to continue state funding support for economically important university research in the biosciences, and passage of a bill sponsored by Rep. Randy Fischer that eases funding restrictions on our Water Resources Institute and supports the development of statewide collaboratory for water and water research.

We have received very positive support this spring from the Capital Development Committee, and I particularly want to express appreciation for the leadership of Senator Bob Bacon, Rep. Don Marostica, and Rep. Buffie McFadyen. I will provide a more detailed report on legislative activities at the close of the session in May.

BUDGET

CSU's proposed budget for FY09 is available for review online at www.president.colostate.edu. In a memo to deans and Cabinet members last week, Provost Frank summarized it as follows: "Barring any changes in the state’s funding situation, this is the proposal we will take to the Board of Governors for approval in June. This version is the culmination of a process that began last August and evolved through the open Planning & Budget Hearings in January. The involvement and input of students, faculty, staff, and administration has been a hallmark of this process, and I believe this is a budget that places primary emphasis on advancing the academic quality and climate at this University."

THE GREEN UNIVERSITY

This is Sustainability Week at CSU, with a number of events planned throughout the week focused on the environment and global sustainability. CSU's historic leadership as a "green" university has received considerable attention this spring, with the launch at our state Capitol of the clean energy Supercluster and its Cenergy enterprise arm, as well as with media coverage in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Education, and other state and national media. At the recommendation of CSU's Presidents Committee on Sustainability, I have agreed to sign the national Presidents Climate Commitment, as an indication of our historic and ongoing commitment to sustainable campus operations, education of the "green collar" workforce, and research solutions that promote clean energy and environmental sustainability worldwide.

STRATEGIC PLANNING

Our revised University Strategic Planning and Budget Process dictates two alternating phases of activity -- "review" years, in which progress is measured using the objectives, goals and metrics within the existing plan; and "refresh" years, in which the plan can be modified -- completed items removed, targets realigned, new items added, etc.. We are currently in a "review year."

To manage this review process, each section of the plan is evaluated by a Strategic Plan Area Review Committee (SPARC), chaired by a member of the President’s Cabinet and including representatives from Cabinet, the deans, faculty, students, and others as appointed by the chair. The SPARCS assessed our progress on the plan over the course of last fall and reported their findings to the Provost and Senior Executive Vice President Tony Frank at an open meeting earlier this semester. The SPARCs identified many significant areas in which our University has made progress under the current plan, including:

  • Development of a comprehensive internationalization plan that focuses on student scholarships, faculty grants, institutional partnerships, and the creation of Presidential Fellows Program
  • Significant addition of faculty positions over the last three years
  • Improvements to our organization and infrastructure for private giving
  • Formulation of architectural standards for the campus and implementation of a design review process
  • Implementation of the Student Information System (ARIES)
  • Implementation of a differential tuition strategy to fund costs associated with high-cost programs
  • Establishment of the Office of Economic Development
  • Launch of Superclusters in clean energy, cancer, and infectious disease
  • Launch of the School of Public Health
  • Continued enrollment gains including notable gains among diverse students
  • Classroom upgrades and technology improvements
  • Construction of new campus facilities such as the Computer Science Building and Academic Village
  • Re-establishment of the Society of Senior Scholars

These are only a few of the many achievements noted. In addition, the SPARC reports indicate an ongoing need to continue our focus on retention and to follow through on our investments in the retention strategy if we hope to see gains in this area. Other ongoing areas of concern are our progress in faculty salaries and the success of our Athletics program.

The full SPARC reports are available on the Provost's website.

NASULGC COMMITTEE ON THE COMMITMENT TO THE TEACHER IMPERATIVE

I have been asked to serve on a special NASULGC (National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges) Committee on the Commitment to the Teacher Imperative. The purpose of this committee is to provide guidance on how U.S. universities can significantly increase the number and quality of K-12 math and science teachers. I will be joining the presidents of the University of Kentucky, University of North Carolina System, University of Minnesota, California State University-Fullerton, SUNY-University at Buffalo, University of Cincinnati, and University of Illinois on the committee, along with provosts from the University of Nebraska, Alabama A&M, UC-Irvine, Clemson, and University of Texas-San Antonio.

GRADUATE SCHOOL RANKINGS

In the recent release of the U.S. News and World Report graduate school rankings, CSU's Department of Occupational Therapy continued to distinguish itself as a national leader, ranking 8th in the country along with peer programs at Boston University, University of Southern California, and the University of Kansas Medical Center.

CSU's graduate program in physics jumped 13 places to No. 68, tied with programs at seven other universities, including Syracuse University, CUNY Graduate School and University in New York City, and the University of Illinois. Another College of Natural Sciences graduate program included in this year's rankings is mathematics, ranked No. 90. The program was tied with mathematics graduate programs at nine other universities, including Auburn University, the University of Connecticut, and the University of South Carolina.

And our graduate programs in fine arts made the national rankings for the first time — a reflection, in part, of attention to the arts coming from our investment in the University Center for the Arts, and built on the long-standing excellence of our faculty and students in several areas of the arts at CSU.

STUDENT MEDIA

Following an inquiry from the Fort Collins Coloradoan and Gannett in January, I appointed a committee of students, faculty, alumni, and staff to review any proposals that might come forward regarding the organizational structure of CSU student media. The committee received just one proposal, from the current director of Student Media, and that proposal is under review. I expect that the committee will make a recommendation to me as to how to proceed before the end of this semester.

CONGRATULATIONS AND THANKS
  • Daniel Woldtvedt, a biomedical science and engineering student at CSU, has been selected as a recipient of the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. Ashley Denney, a biomedical science major, received an Honorable Mention. These highly competitive undergraduate scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit, so please join me in congratulating Daniel and Ashley.
  • Congratulations to the new President and Vice President of ASCSU, Taylor Smoot and Quinn Girrens. Congratulations also to ASCSU as a whole on the record student voter turnout this year.
  • Congratulations and thanks to all those involved in planning our recent campus celebrations in honor of the legacies of Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar Chavez – and to our Hillel chapter on the opening of its new David & Laura Merage Center on Laurel Street.
  • CSU faculty continue to advance the mission and reputation of the institution through their exceptional work. As an example, Dr. Steve Withrow, founder of our Animal Cancer Center and lead scientist on our cancer Supercluster, was recently invited to speak at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center’s Pediatric and Adolescent Osteosarcoma Conference in Houston on the topic of "Bridging the Gap Between Experimental Animals and Humans in Osteosarcoma." This is an outstanding tribute to the esteem with which Dr. Withrow is regarded by the medical community, as he is the only doctor of veterinary medicine ever asked to speak at this highly prestigious medical conference.
  • I also want to acknowledge Colonel Thomas McCarthy, Commander of Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Detachment 90 and Professor of Aerospace Studies at CSU, who has been called to temporary duty with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing in Iraq.
  • In this month when we "Celebrate Colorado State," I want to offer special recognition to Glen Vance, who oversees Veterans Affairs for our Registrar’s Office, for his work with returning veterans.

Soldiers returning from deployment in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other parts of the world bring a record of distinguished service and commitment that is highly valued by this institution, but they also face many challenges in resuming civilian life and returning to college or beginning their college career. During a time of war, the importance of our Veterans Affairs office becomes even more evident, and Glen’s guidance as an advisor has been particularly noted by many of the students he's served in recent years. Thanks, Glen.

Best wishes to all on our campus as we race toward finals week and the close of spring semester. I look forward to joining with all of you in celebrating the achievements of our graduates at commencement ceremonies next month.

Sincerely,
Larry Edward Penley
President


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