April 30 Board of Regents meeting roundup

The University of Colorado Board of Regents hosted its monthly meeting at the Anschutz Medical Campus and did the following business: 

• Heard a presentation on CU-Boulder’s General Engineering Plus degree. The degree will provide students an opportunity to
  1. complete a design-rich engineering core curriculum;
  2. complete an emphasis in Aerospace, Mechanical, Architectural, Civil or Environmental Engineering, and; 
  3. complete a purposeful sequence of customizable electives within or external to engineering – this is the “plus” in Engineering Plus. One of the sequences would be a CU Teach Math or Science certification. 
      
• Heard presentations on financial aid from CU Vice President Todd Saliman that showed that Colorado’s average debt load for resident students is about $2,400 below the national average and lower than fellow state schools Colorado School of Mines, CU Denver Anschutz Medical Campus and Metropolitan State College of Denver. 
   
• Viewed a system presentation on efficiencies in computing, Housing and Dining Services, procurement, revenue-sharing and centralizing software at CU-Boulder that have saved the Boulder campus hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. 
   
• Had a robust discussion among the CU chancellors and board members on the state of intellectual diversity on the campuses. In that discussion, Chancellor DiStefano cited the recent work of a committee comprising CU faculty and external stakeholders to select CU-Boulder’s first Visiting Scholar in Conservative Thought & Policy, Steven Hayward. DiStefano said the cooperation of the faculty members of the committee with the external stakeholders is an example of CU-Boulder’s ongoing commitment to the free exchange of ideas, as well as symbolizing the ability to work together across political lines to benefit students.