I&S Employee Newsletter - October 2019

Dear Infrastructure and Sustainability team,

As we all catch our breath from the whirlwind first weeks of a new academic year, I want to relay to you -- and commend you for -- the recent wave of positive feedback I’ve heard from our campus partners regarding the relationships you’ve built through your work. Some of this has come in the context of Strategic Facilities Visioning and other campus initiatives. Much has to do with the day-to-day efforts you make to improve our campus and enable the university mission.

There’s a sense of appreciation across the campus for the opportunities to engage with our organization on matters large and small. Whether it’s replacing a light bulb in a timely manner, interfacing with the city on mutual priorities or offering solutions to space constraints, you’re making positive impacts on those with whom you work and serve. The messages of gratitude I’ve received recently from both academic and operational leaders across the campus back this up.

Especially during the busiest of times, I thank you for the ways you embody our Infrastructure and Sustainability values -- teamwork, engagement and passion, integrity, empowerment, and customer focused -- in the ways you represent our department and the university as a whole. 

Sincerely,
David Kang, vice chancellor for infrastructure and sustainability

How long have you been working at CU?   
Approximately 14 years.

What is your favorite thing to do outside of work?
I love to cook, especially smoking foods. I have been doing this since I was a teenager. I love to see the satisfaction people get when they try my smoked cheeses, sausages, jerky, and canned vegetables.

Tell us something that might surprise us about you? 
I served 26 years in the US Navy / US Navy Reserve and retired as a Chief Warrant Officer 4. I served 16 years in the enlisted ranks, then was commissioned as a Chief Warrant Officer in 2004. During this time, I met some truly inspiring people, traveled all across the globe and earned some incredibly valuable experience, insight and life lessons. I am extremely passionate about serving, and I personally salute everyone who has ever worn the uniform of any branch. It is a huge commitment and sacrifice to family and lifestyle, but I believe that everyone who serves emerges a better person for it. Thank you for your service!

What do you love about CU Boulder? 
As a facilities person, I think we work together to make the learning experience for students as good as it can be. No matter how small the part, being able to contribute to creating a learning environment for the students, see the smiles on their faces, and enhance their learning; well this gives me satisfaction beyond words. My son is a sophomore here at CU in the College of Arts and Sciences. He often communicates to me how he appreciates that the labs are clean, organized, and how well his classes are going. I take measure and am afforded a great deal of gratification that we are really helping pass on knowledge to generations of students.

What has been the most important innovation you have witnessed in your lifetime?
Technology in general. I remember when I was on the ship in the 1980’s we had no internet, we had no email or cell phones and messages were sent by radio. In just a few decades, look how far society has come with technological advances. The availability of information is literally at one's fingertips, and messages are instantaneous across the globe. The ability to use real-time data has shaped society into an entirely new world.