Office of the Chancellor > Speeches, Columns and Letters > Wolf Law Building Dedication

Wolf Law Building Dedication
September 7, 2006

Good morning and thank you for coming this morning – it is a wonderful day. A wonderful day for the University of Colorado, CU-Boulder, our students, faculty and staff and for each of you invited here today.

a little over two weeks ago, I met with the freshmen and other new students as part of the new student orientation. I asked them to think about two questions, first, "What could they expect of us?" and second, and perhaps more importantly. "What could we at CU expect of them?"

I also indicated that this was a transformational time in their lives and that they needed to give careful thought as to what they wanted to accomplish while they were here at CU-Boulder. Finally, I indicated to them that, as a group, they could change and impact this university in ways that were unimaginable. I used the opening of this building and the funding they provided as one example.

I, as I am sure all of us here today are, am very pleased that the students had the foresight to put in place a capital construction fee that provided the enabling funding for this and a number of other new buildings and I want to thank them and all of you for your continued support of this great university.

The Wolf Law Building represents a new model for campus capital projects: private philanthropy in partnership with student-generated revenues. While we will continue to seek state funding to relieve the reliance on student fees, it's clear private giving will remain crucial.

In fact, this room contains the spirit that makes CU so successful: generosity propelled by loyalty. Loyalty demonstrated through the Wolf family's leadership, the Wittemyer family, with their deep generational ties; and Myra Monfort's bright enthusiasm

Beyond our alumni, we owe a note of thanks to the largess of numerous others, many of whom are here in the audience today and I thank each of you.

As is the case for our new students, the opening of this facility is a transformational time in the life of the Law School and we have and must continue, as a university, to ask ourselves important questions in order to determine how we can use this opportunity and this facility to the best possible advantage for the students, the university, the state and the nation.

Thank you and good morning.

G.P. “Bud” Peterson, Chancellor
University of Colorado at Boulder