Last week brought a change of leadership at Colorado State University with the resignation of President Larry Penley.
The Colorado State University System board of governors appreciates Penley’s years of service to the institution and has appointed Dr. Tony Frank as interim president.
The board is confident that CSU is strong and well-positioned to move forward as the premier land-grant university for the 21st century.
We are extremely proud of the quality and caliber of our undergraduate, graduate and professional degree students. The board is also committed to do all we can to ensure access to high-quality, competitive, and affordable higher education.
We are equally proud of the outstanding faculty and talented staff at CSU, and the board will continue to encourage and support the campus as it achieves higher levels of excellence through the stretch goals established by the board and Colorado State’s institutional strategic plan.
We are especially pleased with the veterinary college’s top national ranking, as well as the recently launched School of Global Environmental Sustainability and a comprehensive plan that the campus has developed to promote student access, success and retention.
Colorado State will continue its dynamic progress and economic impact as an education and research leader in clean energy technology, cures for cancer, joint replacement, infectious disease prevention and treatment, global and sustainable business and entrepreneurial pursuits.
Our faculty and students are also creating one of the most vibrant programs in music, theater, dance and the fine arts in the region with the recent opening of our new University Center for the Arts.
In addition to delivering an outstanding undergraduate, graduate and professional degree education, CSU touches every Colorado county through its 59 Extension Centers.
It is the only university in the state that serves Colorado’s young and old, urban and rural, through direct service to Colorado communities and key industries ranging from agriculture to new energy technologies to vintners to cattle ranchers.
Extension centers in nearly every county of our state deliver the latest research and local education, including natural resource management, community and economic development, nutrition, gardening and commercial horticulture, and the latest agricultural production technologies.
Extension also guides the state’s only 4-H program, reaching more than 100,000 young Coloradans annually, more than half in urban and suburban communities.
No other Colorado university has this reach around the state, which is made even greater by CSU’s management of the Colorado State Forest Service, through which students, faculty, and foresters are working to conserve and restore Colorado’s forests especially in areas damaged by the mountain pine beetle.
The University also operates Agricultural Experiment Stations in key regions of the state, deploying the expertise of our faculty in agriculture directly in response to some of our state’s most pressing agricultural challenges.
During the next few months, the Board plans to let Dr. Frank settle into his new role as interim president. He has our confidence and support to keep the positive momentum CSU has gained in recent years, and he shares the Board’s belief that students, faculty, and a high-quality education are the heart of a great public university.
The Board expects to start a discussion about a presidential search in early 2009. This will take time as we have a dynamic university that continues to grow in areas of strategic importance, and we must be thoughtful and inclusive as we search for a new leader.
The Board of Governors of the CSU System is proud of CSU’s nearly 140 year history, including the dramatic growth at CSU-Pueblo, the successful launch of CSU-Global Campus and the more than 88,000 alumni contributing to Colorado’s prosperity.
As we are proud of its history, we are committed to fulfilling the promise of its bright future.
Douglas L. Jones is chairman of the Colorado State University system’s board of governors. Members Joe Blake, Bonifacio A. Cosyleon, Phyllis “Diane” Evans, Thomas Farley, Patrick Grant, Ed Haselden, Patrick McConathy and Marguerite Salazar approved this commentary. EDITOR’S NOTE: This online-only guest commentary has not been edited. Guest commentary submissions of up to 650 words may be sent to openforum@denverpost.com.
