The University of Colorado Presidency of Quigg Newton

• Quigg Newton was the eighth president of the University of Colorado, serving for six and one-half years from Dec. 15, 1956 through June 30, 1963.
  
  
• Newton told a Denver newspaper in 2001 that of all his positions, he most enjoyed serving as president of CU. His worst moment, he said, was when he made the decision to resign.
  
  
• Newton presided over CU during a period of great growth in physical facilities and academic quality.
  
  
• Institutes that were established at CU-Boulder during Newton's presidency included the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics in 1962, now known as JILA, involving scientists from CU-Boulder and the National Bureau of Standards. The National Bureau of Standards is now the National Institute of Standards and Technology. In 2001, two JILA fellows, Carl Wieman and Eric Cornell, received the Nobel Prize in Physics.
  
  
• Other CU-Boulder institutes launched during Newton's presidency included the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, the Institute of Behavioral Science and the Institute for Computing Science. Both LASP and IBS are among the most vital and important units on campus today.
  
  
• Other new campus programs or facilities launched by Newton included the Office of International Education, the cyclotron and an expansion of programs at the Arctic and Alpine Institute. During Newton's tenure, the university was instrumental in attracting the National Center for Atmospheric Research to Boulder. At the same time, the Medical Center in Denver experienced dynamic growth.

In an interview in the Colorado Alumnus in 1963, just before he departed from CU, Newton said:

"My feeling was and is now that a great or first-rate university has something to give the state and the nation that a mediocre university can't provide.

"…A great university can provide top quality education for its students. It can make a major contribution to knowledge. The first-rate university can have a tremendously upgrading influence on the whole educational system of the state, and can benefit the entire citizenry through the cultural enrichment which the university provides."