The University of Colorado will remember 2003 as a year of unprecedented challenges. Our accomplishments, during what many consider one of the worst economic years in Colorado’s history, testify to what dedication, innovation, and entrepreneurial partnerships can achieve.
In 1921, George Norlin, one of CU’s most formidable presidents, wrote to alumni, “It is well for you to know that the University… cannot continue its present standards without greater support.” Much of what Norlin said holds true today.With the inspirational support of our donors and volunteers, in partnership with the entire University community, we celebrated the completion of our Beyond Boundaries billion-dollar campaign. This milestone placed CU among eleven other public research institutions at that time. More than 150,000 donors from all 50 states and 48 countries shared their generosity. Private gifts are providing countless CU students a better education through new programs, buildings, scholarships, and faculty fellowships.
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Jazmin Chavez knows the value of dreams. Her family emigrated from Juarez, Mexico, with the dream of becoming U.S. citizens and of having their daughter graduate from college. This year the Chavez family will watch Jazmin graduate with a record of outstanding academic and social achievement at CU. Jazmin is the recipient of the CU President’s Leadership Class Scholarship and the Rothberg-LEAD Scholarship in the Minority Arts and Sciences Program. For Jazmin, these scholarships not only allowed her to attend college but fostered in her a desire to help others build better lives. “I know how hard it is to struggle as an immigrant in this country,” said Chavez. “I want to help others so their rights are not violated and so that I can educate those who enter this country legally or illegally on what their rights are and how they can become citizens. I want to stand up for those who are silenced.”
The Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities was established with a commitment from Bill and Claudia Coleman, whose generous gift at the time was the largest ever to a public university. This year, the Institute plans to distribute $1.3 million in research funding to CU faculty and their research partners, which is likely to be leveraged through federal agency research grants.
The Leeds family’s vision and generosity endowed CU’s first named academic unit – the Leeds School of Business at the Boulder campus. Professional centers, including the Richard M. Burridge Center for Securities Analysis and Valuation and the Robert H. and Beverly A. Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, provide students a world-class business education.
Digital technology and the arts have gained new prominence at CU. El Pomar Center houses a state-of-the-art television production studio, a multi-media lab, and the Kraemer Family Library at the Colorado Springs campus. Starz Encore Group and the Anna and John Sie Family Foundation created the Starz FilmCenter at the Tivoli on CU’s Denver campus.
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One complex medical issue currently being researched at the CU-Health Sciences Center is peptides. The process began 20 years ago when John Stewart, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, discovered the link between the peptide bradykinin and pain. Dr. Stewart discovered that by blocking the production of bradykinin, pain could also be blocked. These encouraging results spurred Dr. Stewart to establish an endowed chair to continue peptide research at CU-Health Sciences Center. In 2000, Robert Hodges, Ph.D. was recruited to hold the John Stewart Chair in Peptide Research. Today, Dr. Hodges and his team have expanded the research into the relationship of peptides to SARS, antibiotic resistance, and synthetic vaccines. “It’s all about new discovery,” said Dr. Hodges. “Peptides are key molecules to all of life’s processes.”
Visionary gifts to the Health Sciences Center at Fitzsimons will greatly enhance CU’s contribution to health services and research. Investments from The Anschutz Foundation and Mike and Suzy Leprino created the University of Colorado Hospital Anschutz Centers for Advanced Medicine – one of the most comprehensive patient care facilities in the world. The Orthodontic Education Company’s generous commitment will help create the Lazzara Center for Oral-Facial Health and will house the School of Dentistry’s new specialty program in orthodontics.
Moreover, faculty excellence continues to comprise our greatest strength. CU and Harvard University are the only two universities whose faculty have been awarded the MacArthur Fellowship, or “genius grant,” four consecutive years. CU’s endowed chairs grew from 25 to 93 during the Beyond Boundaries campaign, including the Marsico Endowed Chairs in Excellence honoring CU Nobel Laureates Carl Wieman and Eric Cornell.
Our strong ties with the University of Colorado Foundation and its willingness to be innovative about financing the University’s priorities, have allowed remarkable capital development progress, particularly on our Boulder and Colorado Springs campuses.Your continued investment will ensure our legacy of extraordinary achievements at the University of Colorado.
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Elizebeth Hoffman, Ph.D. |
