In 1870, the Territorial Council and House of Representatives of the Territory of Colorado created the Colorado Agricultural College. When the Territory became a State in 1876, the College was placed under the governance of the State Board of Agriculture. The College admitted its first students in 1879 and received designation that same year as Colorado’s land-grant college under the Morrill Act of 1862. The Morrill Act provided federal endowment support for state institutions,
where the leading object shall be, without excluding other scientific and classical studies, and including military tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts, in such manner as the Legislatures of the States may respectively prescribe, in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions in life.
Subsequent federal legislation led to the establishment of an Agricultural Experiment Station (1887) and Cooperative Extension Service (1914), while state legislation added responsibility for the Colorado State Forest Service (1955).
Graduate study began about 1891, with the first master’s degree awarded in 1893. At that time, and in the years that followed, a Committee on Advanced Degrees supervised graduate programs – until the Graduate School was organized in 1941. The veterinary medical program began granting degrees in 1904. Growth after World War II was rapid; the first doctorate was awarded in 1955.
In 1935, the College became Colorado State College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts and in 1944 the name was changed to Colorado Agricultural and Mechanical College. In 1957, the name was changed to Colorado State University by action of the Colorado General Assembly, and it earned recognition by the North Central Association (NCA) of Colleges and Schools as a mature university in 1974.
Today, Colorado State is one of the leading public research universities in the United States, having approximately $296M research expenditures in FY07, in addition to substantial non-funded scholarship and artistry. CSU’s instructional programs cover the broad spectrum befitting a major, comprehensive state university. Excellent undergraduate and graduate programs are available in the various arts, sciences, humanities and professions. Total enrollment has grown to over 25,000 regular, on-campus students. In 2006-2007, CSU granted 4,169 bachelor’s degrees, 211 Ph.D. degrees in 36 fields, and 965 master’s degrees in 60 fields. The Professional Veterinary Medicine (PVM) program awarded 129 DVM degrees.
UNIVERSITY MISSION
By statute, Colorado State University is a comprehensive graduate research university with selective admission standards. Charged with offering a comprehensive array of baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral programs, it holds exclusive statewide authority for programs in agriculture, forestry, natural resources, and veterinary medicine.
Colorado State University has a unique mission in the state of Colorado. The land‑grant concept of a balanced program of teaching, research, extension, and public service provides the foundation for the University’s teaching and research programs, Agricultural Experiment Station, Cooperative Extension, and Colorado State Forest Service. The University has long been a leader in recognizing the rapidly changing global environment, and has a commitment to excellence in international education in all its instructional, research, and outreach programs. The University continues to make education and training accessible to deserving applicants from all classes and groups, and maintains a wide range of research, extension, and public service programs in response to the needs of the people of Colorado, the nation, and the world.
UNIVERSITY AIMS
In April 2005, the Board of Governors adopted the following mission and values statements for the Colorado State University System.
Mission
Inspired by its land-grant heritage, Colorado State University is committed to excellence, setting the standard for public research universities in teaching, research, service and extension for the benefit of the citizens of Colorado, the United States and the world.
Values
· Be accountable
· Promote civic responsibility
· Employ a customer focus
· Promote freedom of expression
· Demonstrate inclusiveness and diversity
· Encourage and reward innovation
· Act with integrity and mutual respect
· Provide opportunity and access
· Support excellence in teaching and research
A comprehensive 10-year strategic plan1 for achieving this mission in a way that supports these values was adopted the following academic year. This strategic plan has 15 key objectives.
Teaching and Learning
· Assure excellence in academic programs
· Create distinctive undergraduate experiences
· Enhance the quality and role of graduate education
· Expose students to diverse cultures
· Integrate academic and co-curricular experiences
Research and Discovery
· Foster excellence in research, scholarship and creative artistry
· Improve discovery capabilities
· Focus research in key areas of institutional strength and societal and global needs
Service and Outreach
· Engage citizens through community involvement
· Prepare and empower learners outside the campus environment
Resources and Support
· Expand fundraising and marketing
· Build necessary infrastructures
· Nurture human capital
· Guarantee financial stability
· Monitor plan progress
ASSESSMENT AND IMPROVEMENT OF PROGRAM QUALITY
The University uses a process for continuous and systematic improvement of programs in academic and student affairs areas. Program performance evaluation and subsequent improvements are reported annually for undergraduate and graduate student learning, faculty research, scholarship, and artistry, and faculty outreach efforts. This process has academic programs regularly researching the learning of their students, while support programs routinely survey students for their satisfaction ratings of University services. The yearly process of collecting data, monitoring program participation in improvement research, and distributing program improvement information and “best practices” to the University community is part of the University’s Plan for Researching Improvement and Supporting Mission (PRISM). Learning from each other forms a central theme in achieving Colorado State University’s quality programming.
ACCREDITATION
Colorado State University is accredited by
The Higher Learning Commission and is also a member of the North Central Association
30 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 2400
Chicago, IL 60602-2504;
(800) 621-7440; (312) 263-0456
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy
American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc.
American Council for Construction Education
American Dietetics Association
American Occupational Therapy Association-Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education
American Psychological Association
American Veterinary Medical Association
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International
Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs
Council for Interior Design Accreditation
Council on Social Work Education
Institute of Food Technologists
Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board
National Association of Schools of Music
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council
Society for Range Management
Society of American Foresters
Colorado State is approved by the Colorado State Department of Education for training teachers.
President’s Cabinet
Leadership for the University is provided by:
Larry Edward Penley, President
Anthony A. Frank, Provost and Senior Executive Vice President
Joyce Berry, Vice President for Advancement and Strategic Initiatives
Robin Brown, Vice President for Enrollment and Access
Patrick J. Burns, Vice President for Information Technology, Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Peter Dorhout, Vice Provost for Graduate Studies and Assistant Vice President for Research
Bill Farland, Vice President for Research
Tom Gorell, Vice President for Administrative Services
Dana Hiatt, Director, Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity
Blanche Hughes, Vice President for Student Affairs
Paul Kowalczyk, Director of Athletics
Alan Lamborn, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs
John Lincoln, Executive Vice President
Loretta Martinez, General Counsel
Lou Swanson, Vice Provost for Outreach and Strategic Partnerships
Cara Neth, Director of Administrative Communications
Katie Kalkstein, Executive Assistant to the President
COLORADO STATE
UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
410 Seventeenth Street, Suite 1415
Denver, CO 80202
(303) 534-6290
Administered by the Chancellor, the Colorado State University System promotes collaborative academic programs and related activities between Colorado State University and Colorado State University-Pueblo.
Board of Governors of the
Colorado State University System
The Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System is the governing body for Colorado State University and Colorado State University-Pueblo, including the Agricultural Experiment Station, Extension, Colorado State Forest Service, and the Colorado Water Resources Research Institute. The Board consists of nine members appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate for four‑year terms with the potential for reappointment to one second term. In addition, a student representative and a faculty representative from each institution also serve as nonvoting, advisory members of the Board. The student representatives must be full-time students, have junior or senior status, and be elected officers of the student body of the institution which they represent. The faculty representatives must have the rank of associate professor or higher and be an elected officer of the faculty council for their respective institutions. The administrative offices for the Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System are located in Denver.
Members of the Board of Governors as of April 2007 included:
Joseph Blake
Bonifacio Cosyleon
Phyllis “Diane” Evans
Tom Farley
Patrick A. Grant
Ed Haselden
Douglas L. Jones
Patrick McConathy
Marguerite Salazar
Dr. F. C. “Ted” Weston, CSU Faculty Representative
Jason Green, CSU Student Representative
Dr. Jude DePalma, CSU-Pueblo Faculty Representative
Samantha Milyard, CSU-Pueblo Student Representative
