June 2014
Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano Phillip P. DiStefano

Dear Friends,

Chancellor with friends in Durango

Chancellor DiStefano chats with CU friends in Durango during his state outreach tour this month.

Young astronaut in Carbondale

A young astronaut in Carbondale tries on a spacesuit during the Chancellor's state tour.

Success at the University of Colorado Boulder starts with the success of our students and so it was gratifying that nearly 600 friends, alumni and supporters came out to hear about my new initiatives to support students on our seven-city Colorado outreach tour this month. We traveled 800 miles to South Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Durango, Grand Junction, Carbondale and Vail.

I was pleased by the support I received for my initiatives to increase retention and graduation rates, our blossoming faculty mentorship program, a new advising system, the Esteemed Scholars merit scholarship program for Colorado residents, and the expansion of the CU Promise program to serve all Colorado resident students who are eligible for federal Pell Grants.

CU planetary scientist David Brain joined me to speak about our Mars explorer MAVEN, now on its 36-million mile journey to orbit the Red Planet. It’s scheduled for insertion into Mars' orbit on Sept. 21. Many people don’t realize that CU-Boulder has been NASA’s top-funded public university for several years and that CU has sent instruments to every planet in the solar system.

NASA has contracted with us for many projects but MAVEN is the most ambitious space venture in CU history. It represents the biggest research contract in our history at $671 million. The MAVEN contract has added more than $300 million to the Colorado economy, and has been a great example of CU-Boulder’s ongoing partnerships with industry and government as we worked hand-in-glove with NASA, Littleton’s Lockheed Martin and Centennial’s United Launch Alliance.

I also met with editorial boards across southern and western Colorado on our initiatives, and I’m pleased to report these publications are heralding our approach, as evidenced by this editorial in the Colorado Springs Gazette on how the Boulder campus serves as a model of innovation and entrepreneurship for the rest of the country.

Colorado Springs Gazette, June 6: “Editorial: Innovative leadership helps renaissance at CU's flagship”



CU-Boulder entrepreneurship, industry partnerships and tech transfer fuel economy

Students working in bioscience lab

Professor Ted Randolph, co-director of the Center for Pharmaceutical Technology, works with undergraduate and graduate students. Discoveries at CU-Boulder have resulted in 76 companies in the last 20 years.

Our business partnerships and our track record for transferring technology into the market have a vital economic impact on Colorado and the nation. Startups springing from CU research have a much higher survival rate than the average small business nationally. Our new Office of Industry Collaboration helps business to partner with the university in research. And we have a dozen entrepreneurial programs across campus that support students, interfacing with the local community and the state.   

The newest program is Catalyze CU-Boulder, a business-accelerator program to help students and faculty propel their innovations into companies. It’s launching six student businesses this summer. Catalyze CU-Boulder was kicked off this month by the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship in our Leeds School of Business and the College of Engineering and Applied Science.

Boulder County Business Report, June 5: “CU starts business-accelerator program”



Space exploration partnership with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab extended

Chancellor signs JPL agreement

Chancellor DiStefano, right, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory Director Charles Elachi sign a memorandum of understanding May 22 to continue and broaden a rich tradition of collaboration on space and Earth-science efforts going back nearly 50 years.

Chancellor DiStefano, right, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory Director Charles Elachi sign a memorandum of understanding May 22 to continue and broaden a rich tradition of collaboration on space and Earth-science efforts going back nearly 50 years.

While I’m proud of our partnerships with business and industry, I’m also very pleased by our robust collaborations with other institutions, such as our partnership with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to explore the solar system.

It was my honor to extend our longstanding relationship with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in late May. CU-Boulder has been intimately tied to solar system exploration missions operated by JPL dating back to 1969. Recently we have been involved in 40 sponsored research projects with JPL worth nearly $15 million between 2011 and 2013. About 165 CU-Boulder graduates have gone to work for JPL. This relationship has made CU-Boulder a national leader in space exploration over the last 45 years and we’re looking forward to the next 45 years.

Boulder Daily Camera, May 22: “CU-Boulder agrees to extend partnership with Jet Propulsion Laboratory”

Over the past six years, JPL has sponsored student teams in CU’s aerospace senior design projects course by requisitioning a family of rovers. Please enjoy this video to see a student project in action.



$1.5 million grant for STEM education

Greenhouse research

Former student Elizabeth Lombardi, who conducted research with Professor Barbara Demmig-Adams on better ways to grow plants in space, is an example of hands-on undergraduate research at CU-Boulder.

Not only are we doing world-class scientific research, but we are leaders nationally in transferring that research to the scientists and teachers of tomorrow. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute has awarded the university $1.5 million over five years to continue to transform science education by encouraging more real-world research experiences for undergraduates, ranging from cancer studies to screenings for new antibiotics. The award will allow CU-Boulder to strengthen hands-on, research-oriented teaching to students planning to major in science, technology, engineering or mathematics, better known as STEM.

Boulder Daily Camera, May 29: "CU-Boulder announces $1.5M grant to spur undergraduate science education"



CU researchers search for source of Weld County earthquake

An earthquake in Weld County on May 31 had people scratching their heads at the cause. Enter CU-Boulder geophysicist Ann Sheehan and her team of graduate students, who traveled to the site of the quake just northeast of Greeley and began taking measurements. The team hopes to learn the cause of the tremor and determine whether it was a naturally occurring phenomena or perhaps a result of wastewater disposal wells related to oil and gas exploration. It’s another example of our faculty applying their knowledge and expertise to real-world challenges.

Greeley Tribune, June 5: “CU research team studying earthquake activity near Greeley”

ABC, Channel 7 Denver, June 11: “Geophysicists collecting data from farm near epicenter of Greeley earthquake”



A new face in campus equity efforts

Valerie Simons

Valerie Simons

We want to be a leader in Title IX compliance, but just as important, we want to be a campus whose climate fosters student success across the spectrum of diversity, where everyone feels welcome as undergraduates, graduate students, teachers, faculty and researchers. Valerie Simons, our new director of institutional equity and compliance, will be a key leader in ensuring we reach our goals. She will head our Title IX compliance efforts, work with key partners in Student Affairs, law enforcement, the Office of Discrimination and Harassment, and with faculty and staff, all in an effort to ensure our campus equity and compliance measures are in sync with our goals.

CU-Boulder Today, June 10: “Simons named Director of Institutional Equity and Compliance, assumes Title IX coordinator role” 



Second Visiting Scholar in Conservative Thought and Policy appointed

Professor Bradley J. Birzer

Professor Bradley J. Birzer

I’m proud to continue to foster diversity in all its forms, including diversity of political thought. This month, Bradley J. Birzer was appointed our second Visiting Scholar in Conservative Thought and Policy. Dr. Birzer, a professor of history at Hillsdale College in Michigan, will begin his one-year appointment in the fall. In the coming year, he will teach four undergraduate courses and host public events. The Visiting Scholar in Conservative Thought and Policy is a pilot program supported by private funds. More than 20 donors have raised $1 million to support the program.

CU-Boulder Today, June 3: “Birzer appointed as second Visiting Scholar in Conservative Thought and Policy”

Steven Hayward, the outgoing scholar selected for the first year of the program, reported to the Board of Regents recently that he spent an “overwhelmingly positive year” on the CU-Boulder campus.

Boulder Daily Camera, April 29: “CU-Boulder conservative scholar Steven Hayward reports 'overwhelmingly positive' year”



Football gears up for Fall

We’re excited about a great recruiting year by Coach Mike MacIntyre and his staff and by our athletics facilities groundbreaking last month. New premium seating resulting from this expansion will be available for the 2014 football season. Game times for the first three games have been announced by our TV partners, including the 7 p.m. Friday, Aug 29 Rocky Mountain Showdown against Colorado State at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver. Go Buffs!



Philip P. DiStefano
Chancellor
chancellor.colorado.edu