CU

Hello, I'm Mark Kennedy

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 06:00:00 +0000

Hello, I'm Mark Kennedy Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 10/01/2019 - 00:00

Mark Kennedy

CU's new president, a former congressman who later led the University of North Dakota, talks about his small-town youth, the future of work and his vision for CU.

Early bird or night owl?
Early bird. During high school, I worked summers in a small-town bakery starting at 1 a.m. Since then, I have always found it valuable to get an early jump on things.

Coffee or tea?
Coffee. Born caffeinated, I did not start drinking coffee until later in life. I now find it indispensable to the start of every day.

Favorite ice cream?
Häagen-Dazs’ rum raisin.

Book you can’t forget?
I am haunted by Kai Fu Lee’s AI Superpowers. I am left with grave concerns that the United States is not taking the actions necessary to preserve our innovative edge, and that losing that edge will have profoundly negative consequences for our prosperity and security. This leaves me even more motivated to work hard to ensure America has the talent and the discovery necessary to keep our technological lead.

How would you describe yourself in one word?
360° — I have always striven to gain an ever-broader view.

Is there a “Colorado thing” you’re still getting used to?
I may never get used to driving along cliffs with no guardrails.

We hear you grew up in a small town...
I began life in Murdock, Minn., population less than 300, and at age 4 moved to Pequot Lakes, population around 450. I began working at age 14 picking strawberries, washing dishes and pumping gas. I was in band, choir, plays, student government, Boy Scouts and played in the area jazz ensemble. I lettered in basketball, track and field, setting a school record in the mile run, and managed the football team. In 4-H, I won trips to the state fair with my beef, electric and photography exhibits. My wife and I met as 4-H Ambassadors. It is hard to match the breadth of experiences available in a small town.

You served in Congress. What do you and don’t you miss?
I miss being in the midst of the debate on the most serious issues facing our nation. I enjoy raising money and advocating for policies I believe are important, both of which I do in my role as president of CU. I don’t miss purely partisan groups poised to attack every time you reject the extremes.

What about you tends to surprise people?
Those who travel by car with me are surprised that I regularly sing during the journey, normally beginning with “I am just a plain old country boy...”

If you could go to college again, what would you do differently?
Focus a little less on extracurricular activities and a lot more on striving for A’s. As a first-generation college graduate, I had no one to coach me. My undergraduate activities included work-study, dishwashing in the cafeteria and shelving books in the library, touring with the chorus, playing in the pep band, organizing an undefeated co-ed volleyball team, being captain of an intramural basketball team and serving on the student senate. My acceptance to Michigan’s MBA program provided a second chance. I took off Friday or Saturday evening, never both.

What do you think CU should do more of?
With most of today’s students likely to work during their lifetime in jobs not yet invented, it is ever more important that CU cultivates students’ critical thinking, team-working skills and cultural awareness by getting students to wrestle with difficult questions and fostering an environment of inquiry and debate. We should seek every opportunity to embrace adaptive learning technologies that supplement classroom dialogue led by knowledgeable professors with digital offerings that know what learners already understand, what they struggle with, how they respond to different teaching methods, what incentives drive them to excel. Today’s digital natives will increasingly rebel against being forced to learn at the same speed, in the same way, at the same place and at the same time.

What do you want to be remembered for?
As a president who called CU to stay true to its heritage of taking bold steps into the future, challenging it to not be trapped by rigid historical constraints, but instead to embrace technology to enhance the quality of a CU education, to make it more accessible and to keep it affordable.

Condensed and edited. Read the full interview here .

Illustration by Sean McCabe

CU's new president, a former congressman who later led the University of North Dakota, talks about his small-town youth, the future of work and his vision for CU.

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The President's View - Fall 2017

Anonymous — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 11:15:01 +0000

The President's View - Fall 2017 Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 09/01/2017 - 05:15

Bruce D. Benson

The Best Investment

As a student at CU Boulder in the early 1960s, when costs were far lower than today, I financed my education by working on and off campus during school and over breaks to augment my family’s small contribution. It’s rare for today’s students to be able to do what I did.

Loans are common now and student debt is an issue. Yet it’s important to consider loans as an investment rather than just a cost. CU is focusing on educating our students about debt and ensuring they have tools to help them understand and manage it.

At CU Boulder, some 58 percent of bachelor’s recipients graduated with debt in 2015. The average debt load was $26,519, below the national average of $28,100. Our graduates’ loan default rate was 2.7 percent; the national average was 11.8 percent. This tells me our graduates are getting jobs and paying off their loans.

We are educating students about debt and finances. Before prospective students even arrive, we engage them with tools like our Aid Estimator, which projects the cost of education. For current students, the Council of Graduate Schools and TIAA funded an initiative to enhance their financial literacy. Several campus offices are collaborating on a program where students create financial plans to determine what type of financial information they need. We identify at-risk borrowers and tailor programs and outreach to assist them.

Declines in state funding increase costs to students, so we continue to work to keep a CU education affordable by finding efficiencies, instituting better business practices and trimming bureaucracy. We realized some $32 million in savings and cost avoidance last year and $40 million the previous year.

A college education is perhaps the best investment a person can make, paying financial and other dividends for decades. Most estimates show a bachelor's degree is worth $1 million or more over a wage-earning life. College graduates also tend to be happier, healthier and participate more in community and civic life. Loans are an unfortunate part of financing college for many, but for an investment that is less than the cost of most new cars, graduates reap a lifetime of benefits.

Illustration by Melinda Josie

President Bruce D. Benson's column from the fall 2017 issue.

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The President's View - Spring 2017

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 07:00:00 +0000

The President's View - Spring 2017 Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 03/01/2017 - 00:00

Bruce D. Benson

All the World in Boulder

When I attended CU Boulder in the early 1960s, I remember only one classmate from outside the United States, a Saudi Arabian studying petroleum geology in the same department as me. The prevalence of students from around the world didn’t change too much since I was in school. Until recently.

CU Boulder has always had international students, of course, but they were a small percentage of the student body. That is changing. In 2010, we collaborated with Colorado lawmakers and they passed legislation allowing us to boost the presence of international students. Previously, they were included in limits on non-resident students (no more than one-third of the student body can be non-resident), but they are now in a separate category.

In 2010, CU Boulder’s international student enrollment was about 4 percent, the second-lowest among our national peers in the prestigious Association of American Universities. Today, it’s nearly 10 percent; the legislation limits it at 12 percent. They come from around the world, with China and India providing the most. No qualified Coloradans are turned away because of international or non-resident students.

International students are important for several reasons. They add significantly to the learning environment. College is a place where students encounter people with different backgrounds and experience, from different places, offering different perspectives. People from around the world greatly enhance the diversity of our campus and the experience for all students.

The culture of the university is reflected in its students, faculty and staff, so embracing those from around the world is key to a strong culture. We are an international university, and international students, faculty, researchers and staff are essential.

International students are also an important revenue generator. They pay a higher tuition rate than non-residents do. Increasing their numbers while also maintaining or increasing current numbers of resident and non-resident students helps our bottom line. If we reach the legislatively mandated limit of 12 percent, it could mean some $80 million in revenue.

When I was an undergraduate student, our world seemed like an awfully big place. The pace of globalization and technology’s march have made it considerably smaller. We are part of that world and, increasingly, that world is part of us.

Illustration by Melinda Josie

President Bruce D. Benson's column from the spring 2017 issue.

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From the President

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 07:00:00 +0000

From the President Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 03/01/2012 - 00:00

Bruce D. Benson

Nearly 1,000 Buffs and friends celebrated their pride at the pregame event before the Buffs played Stanford on Saturday, Oct. 8.

Enhancing connections with alumni was one of the compelling reasons for CU to join the Pac-12 Conference. Numbers alone tell a story. CU-Boulder has some 38,000 alumni in Pac-12 states, and there are more than 51,000 alumni from all our campuses. In the Big 12 footprint, we had fewer than 12,000. All counts exclude Colorado.

Putting alumni faces to the numbers was our goal as we joined the Colorado Buffaloes football team for its initial road foray into the Pac-12 last fall. We hosted many pregame and alumni events, lunches and dinners, and at every one we had an enthusiastic reception from alumni and friends.

Bruce D. Benson (Geol’64, HonDocSci ’04) is president of the University of Colorado. Please contact him at 303-860-5600 or OfficeofthePresident@cu.edu.

At Stanford, nearly 1,000 people attended our pregame, including two busloads of alumni from San Francisco. Stanford supporters told us our turnout was the best they had seen by a visiting team. Even a Stanford alumnus, John Elway, stopped by to wish the Buffs well.

We hosted several alumni events around Seattle, including a pregame in the beautiful setting outside Husky Stadium on Lake Washington. At a dinner hosted for my wife Marcy and me by Scott Oki (Acct’74, MBA’75) and his wife Laura, a gentleman stopped at our table to say his son was a senior on the football team. His only regret was that his son wouldn’t have four years with our new coaching staff.

While our road game results were not what we hoped (with the notable exception of the Utah win), I share the parent’s view that we have the right coaches in place with Coach Jon Embree (Comm’88) and his staff, men of integrity and skill. Rebuilding is difficult, but I am optimistic for the future.

The enthusiasm of our alumni and friends has also been inspiring. In Los Angeles, UCLA alumnus Steve Sauer hosted a great event for CU parents, where he coined the term “Bruffs,” (and had shirts made) for those with allegiance to both CU and UCLA. His daughter Molly Sauer will graduate from CU this year, and Steve is active in our parents’ association.

It was a great fall reconnecting with CU alumni and making new friends. It reminds me of the deep well of good feeling our alumni have about CU and makes me excited to connect with you in the future as our sports teams travel to Pac-12 territory.

Bruce Benson's column from the spring 2012 issue.

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Editor's Note - Winter 2011

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 07:00:00 +0000

Editor's Note - Winter 2011 Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 12/01/2011 - 00:00

Tori Peglar

I will never have the desire nor technical expertise to climb Mount Everest, but our story, “When Everest speaks” on page 6 in this issue is particularly close to my heart. It follows Neal Beidleman (MechEngr’81) as he climbed the world’s highest mountain 15 years after he survived the tragedy that left eight people dead in the wake of a fierce storm.

I arrived at CU-Boulder for graduate school the year Jon Krakauer published his book Into Thin Air, which provided a sobering, firsthand account of the 1996 Everest disaster. I couldn’t put the book down. I had spent the 1990s, learning how to rock climb and self-arrest down snow fields with an ice axe. I had climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with Mountain Madness, a company owned by the legendary Scott Fischer who died that fateful day.

But I don’t think I fully understood the dangers of high-altitude mountaineering until I read Krakauer’s book, in which Neal really shined as a hero. We learn lessons from other peoples’ tragedies and that one, more than anything else, made me aware of the risks inherent in outdoor sports. In short, I became more of a wimp. But I did climb 13,223-foot Mount Audubon west of Boulder earlier this fall. Winds were howling at 50 miles per hour, the temperatures were below freezing and being above tree line never felt so invigorating after a week in the office.

Wishing you safe and exciting adventures in the new year.

Editor's note from the winter 2011 issue.

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Alan Cass

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 07:00:00 +0000

Alan Cass Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 12/01/2011 - 00:00

Marty Coffin Evans

Fourth-generation CU alum Alan Cass (A&S ex’63, HonDocHum’99) grew up on campus playing in the ditches and fishing for crawdads in Varsity Lake with strung bacon.

But for the past 50 years, he has been known as the CU voice of “Here Comes Ralphie” and “Welcome to 5,345 feet of Rocky Mountain Altitude.” Alan has announced more than 2,000 CU sporting events from track to baseball, football and basketball. For 20 years, he also announced the Denver Broncos games at Mile High Stadium.

“The adrenaline always started to flow and I wanted to be there,” he says.

Last spring Alan finally switched off his microphone to retire.

During his tenure, Alan gained assistance from CU’s language department in correctly pronouncing athletes’ names. Many fans echo his enunciation of names such as Jaaay Jaaay Billingsley and “in . . . com . . . plete,” his creation when a Broncos’ opponent failed to catch a pass.

But Alan also spent a lot of his career as curator of CU-Boulder’s Glenn Miller Archive at the American Music Research Center, building and maintaining the significant repository of big band musician Glenn Miller (A&S ex’26, HonDocHum’84) memorabilia.

He credits CU-Boulder Alumni Association associate director Margaret “Peggy” Tague Earnest for suggesting he place a request in the Colorado Alumnus, known today as the Coloradan, for support and additional items. From then on, “bits and pieces kept coming in. It’s never stopped. Its scope is impossible to put your arms around,” he says.

As the archive’s curator, Alan reviews and accepts new memorabilia. He also gives 25-50 Glenn Miller presentations yearly. Last February the university acquired the Ed Burke Collection as part of the Glenn Miller Archive. One of the world’s most significant collections of Big Band era recordings and memorabilia, it contains 1,400 reel-to-reel tapes with live radio programs featuring virtually every musician of major importance between 1930-60, including Tommy Dorsey and Count Basie.

“It took us three years working with Ed Burke and his family to acquire his entire collection,” Alan notes. “You never know how life will lead you. It’s been quite a trip with wonderful people along the way.”

Photo courtesy Casey A. Cass

Fourth-generation CU alum Alan Cass grew up on campus playing in the ditches and fishing for crawdads in Varsity Lake with strung bacon.

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From the President - Fall 2011

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 06:00:00 +0000

From the President - Fall 2011 Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/01/2011 - 00:00

Bruce D. Benson

CU’s four campuses boast nearly 350,000 alumni around the world. While their stories are diverse, a common thread is they make a difference in lives, communities and professions.

While there is certainly no typical story of a CU alum, one came to my attention recently that is emblematic of graduates of our university. The family of Zipporah Hammond (Nurs’46), affectionately known as “Zippy” to friends and family, contacted my office to ask if I would provide some thoughts to be read at her funeral service. She passed away in Longmont, Colo., in July at age 87.

I did not know her but found myself struck by the story of her life and the many ways she exemplified the best of what CU alums can be. She came to CU in 1942, shortly after Pearl Harbor, to fulfill her dream of becoming a nurse. We believe she was the first African-American to earn a nursing degree from CU.

A young African-American woman in the 1940s faced many challenges in pursuing her degree. But Zippy showed a determination that would be a hallmark of her life. After earning her nursing degree, she served as chief surgical nurse at John Andrews Hospital Infantile Polio Paralysis Unit at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Her career was cut short when she contracted tuberculosis, a scourge at the time.

Zippy came home to Denver to convalesce at National Jewish Hospital. She made many lifelong friends among her fellow patients, including her future husband of more than 50 years, Sheldon Hammond. Tuberculosis forced her to abandon nursing, but it didn’t dampen her ambition to help people.

She returned to CU and earned her certification as a medical records librarian. Her second career spanned some 30 years, many of which she spent working at University of Colorado Hospital.

After retirement, she spent considerable time volunteering with the Denver Public Library’s renowned Western History Department. She helped to identify, catalog and archive photographs and other artifacts that documented the rich history of the primarily African-American population in the Five Points area of northeast Denver. The chronicle will provide value to community members and researchers for years to come.

Zippy Hammond dedicated herself to her family, her careers and her community. She was proud of her association with CU and exemplified the best of what our alumni can be. Her story provides insight into the kind of people who pass through CU on their way to making a difference.

The Fall 2011 column from President Bruce D. Benson.

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Benson Says Give Us Dough or Let Us Go

Anonymous — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 07:00:00 +0000

Benson Says Give Us Dough or Let Us Go Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 03/01/2009 - 00:00

With severe state budget cuts looming, CU President Bruce Benson (Geol’64, HonDocSci’04) and other frustrated higher education leaders are asking lawmakers for the flexibility to raise tuition as they feel necessary.

“Give us the opportunity to control our destiny, especially if you’re not going to give us the money to run the place,” President Benson told the Denver Post.

Colorado consistently ranks 48th in the country for state support for higher education. As it stands, tuition increases must be approved by lawmakers, which Benson and others feel limits their ability to manage their institutions — especially this year when the state may slash higher education funding to cover the projected $600 million budget shortfall.

If CU and other state institutions became privatized, however, some critics worry low-income families would suffer, since the governor and lawmakers wouldn’t weigh in on tuition increases. Yet, others feel it’s not fair to simultaneously underfund higher education institutions while overburdening them with rules and regulations.

“We have three research institutions — Colorado, Colorado State and Mines — and frankly, every year we erode the quality of those institutions,” Rep. Jack Pommer (Phil’86), a Boulder Democrat, told the Rocky Mountain News. “If you have a house and can’t maintain it, why not just move instead of letting it deteriorate?”

<p>With severe state budget cuts looming, CU President Bruce Benson and other frustrated higher education leaders are asking lawmakers for the flexibility to raise tuition as they feel necessary.</p>

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Regents Most Diverse Board in History

Anonymous — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 07:00:00 +0000

Regents Most Diverse Board in History Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 03/01/2009 - 00:00

Joe Neguse (Econ,PolSci’05)

In November Colorado voters elected two first-generation Americans — also among the youngest ever elected — to serve on the CU Board of Regents, making it the most diverse board ever. Monisha Merchant, 31, of Lakewood defeated incumbent Republican Pat Hayes to become the first person of Asian descent on the board. Merchant, the daughter of Indian parents, represents the 7th Congressional District.

And voters in the 2nd Congressional District, which includes Boulder, elected Joe Neguse (Econ,PolSci’05), 25, a former student tri-executive and current CU law student. Neguse’s parents emigrated from the East African nation of Eritrea. He’s the first black regent since Rachel Noel in 1988.

The two Democrats will join Republican regent Tom Lucero (Phil,PolSci’94), a Hispanic, who’s served on the board since 1999.

In a third race, Republican Jim Geddes of Sedalia won to represent the 6th Congressional District in Arapahoe County, leaving the board with a 5-4 Republican majority, down from a 6-3 majority.

Nine regents serve staggered six-year terms without pay. They make policy and set tuition and budgets for the university’s three campuses and meet about eight times a year in various parts of the state.

<p>In November Colorado voters elected two first-generation Americans — also among the youngest ever elected — to serve on the CU Board of Regents, making it the most diverse board ever. </p>

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