E-Insight

October 2005

University News

Geologist Donates $30 million to Colorado State, Largest Gift in University History Names Warner College of Natural Resources

Colorado State University President Larry Edward Penley announced that Edward M. Warner, renowned geologist, philanthropist and distinguished alumnus, donated a total of $30 million to position the College of Natural Resources at Colorado State as a global leader in research and education. In honor of this gift, the college will be named the Warner College of Natural Resources, becoming the first named college at Colorado State and one of only a few named public colleges or schools of natural resources in the nation.

Warner's gift is the largest in the history of Colorado State University and is believed to be the largest private gift given to name any U.S. public college of natural resources.

"This unprecedented gift will further enhance the ability of the Warner College of Natural Resources to address critical issues of environmental health and sustainability, possibly the greatest single challenge facing our world in the 21st century," Dr. Penley said. "Ed Warner's very generous support is an investment in the future of Colorado State that will elevate the Warner College of Natural Resources' national stature in innovative and ground-breaking research, teaching and outreach initiatives. It additionally enables the university to realize its vision as the nation's premier 21st century land-grant university that addresses the great global challenges."

The total gift of $30 million includes a previous $4.3 million gift from Warner to the College of Natural Resources' Department of Geosciences, which has allowed for great strides in geological education, research, and oil, gas and mineral exploration. The gift also created two endowed chairs in geophysics and economic geology at Colorado State.

"It is a great honor for me to give this gift to Colorado State University and to invest in an educational institution that has fostered - and today still reflects - my passion for the environment," Warner said. "I don't look upon this as altruism; I look upon it as a great investment. I see great value in the College of Natural Resources and Colorado State University as a fantastic research and educational institution. The university's land-grant mission of outreach, especially in the area of natural resources research and education is critical to the economic and environmental future of the state, the nation and the world."

Through the donation, a preeminent scholar will be hired to fill an endowed chair and serve as director for a newly created community-based conservation institute. The institute will feature science-based education and research through the creation of public-private partnerships that will empower communities - in the United States and globally - to manage and sustain natural resources while enhancing economic and social well-being. Furthermore, an additional endowment in geosciences will fund technical and faculty support.

Colorado State University has announced a $2.5 million gift to the College of Business - the College's largest ever - from two of Fort Collins' most prominent business and civic leaders. The University honored the Everitt family and the Everitt Companies in a ceremony dedicating the Everitt Real Estate Center in the College of Business. The Everitts are longtime contributors to the real estate community in Fort Collins and the University.

"Bob and Joyce have been such wonderful supporters of the university and the College of Business," said President Larry Edward Penley. "This gift directly supports our goal to set the standard in teaching, research, service and extension for the benefit of Colorado, the United States and the world. We are thrilled to be able to honor the Everitts in this way."

The Everitt family has contributed a total of $2.5 million to the College of Business: $2.4 million for the real estate center and $100,000 for the dean's leadership education initiatives for business students. Bob Everitt owns the Everitt Companies, a private residential and commercial real estate development company that has been a fixture in Fort Collins for 52 years.

Colorado State University annual research expenditures totaled a record $244.3 million in fiscal year 2005, approximately $20 million more than the previous year and a 38 percent ($67.1 million) increase in research expenditures over the last four years.

"In this challenging economic environment, at a time when research funding is on the decline for many universities nationwide, Colorado State University continues to earn record gains in external research awards," said Larry Edward Penley, president of Colorado State University. "This is both a clear indication of the confidence that government agencies and private sector sponsors have in Colorado State to conduct vital national research and a strong testament to the quality research being conducted by our outstanding faculty, staff and students."

Federal expenditures comprised the majority (65 percent) of the sponsored expenditures and totaled $159 million. State, foundation, commercial and other non-federal expenditures made up more than $54 million (23 percent) of the total, with institutional support funds adding another $30.4 million (12 percent of the total).

For the fifth consecutive year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was the largest source of external expenditures at Colorado State - largely because of the University’s focus on infectious disease and biomedical research initiatives - at nearly $43 million. The Department of Agriculture research expenditures totaled nearly $36 million, and the National Science Foundation totaled more than $21 million. Expenditures supported by the Department of Defense were nearly $12 million, NASA was almost $9.5 million and the Department of Energy expenditures totaled more than $6 million.

President Penley Outlines Current Challenges, Future Steps for University

Colorado State University President Larry Edward Penley discussed the impacts of the University's current budget challenges at his annual President's Fall Address, saying that ensuring the University's future through a sound funding model is critical to a prosperous economy and a desirable quality of life.

Discussing recent tuition increases and the work of faculty and state leaders to reduce spending, President Penley called on the people of Colorado to "do their part" in supporting higher education. He cited the increased expenses facing Colorado State University as a result of additional students without commensurate state funding; state mandated expenses without appropriate revenue; and rising costs for energy, utilities and other goods and services.

President Penley also noted that it is likely that much of the state's $400 million deficit will be addressed by substantial cuts to higher education unless there are fundamental changes to the state budget. Budget cuts to higher education in Colorado have totaled more than $162 million in recent years, with $24 million in cuts to Colorado State, he said. State funding of higher education in Colorado places the state at 48th in the nation in per capita higher-education funding.

"This past year, all of us at Colorado State University were thankful to Governor Owens and the General Assembly for sparing higher education from any additional cuts - and for providing for some capital expenditures; they did their part," Penley said. "Our friends and alumni did their part - and they continue to do so. Students - and their parents - have stepped up to do their part to raise the financial viability of Colorado State and make some overdue enhancements to the quality of this university through tuition and fees."

The university is doing its part, he said, by attracting major research grants, holding down costs, and encouraging faculty and staff to be entrepreneurial in their approach to doing business. "Now, we have to ask that the citizens of this state recognize the value of higher education and do their part," he emphasized.

"We are at a crossroads as the citizens of Colorado consider Referenda C and D. If C and D fail, higher education can be cut between $100 million and $200 million next year, resulting certainly in our eliminating some programs, raising across-the-board tuition 30 percent to 50 percent to address the impact of a $100 million cut and making some popular programs self-funding with even higher tuition increases that may be 300 percent to 400 percent of current resident tuition.”

Penley pledged that CSU would not shrink from its land-grant mission, no matter which way the state votes on Referenda C and D.

Finalists Named For Associate Vice President For Economic Development

The associate vice president for economic development is responsible for providing leadership to and coordination of Colorado State's Office of Economic Development. The associate vice president will coordinate and oversee activities related to technology transfer, workforce development, the production of educational products for the private sector and policy aspects of economic development among many departments at the University and the Colorado State University Research Foundation.

Huntington Lambert is director of the Colorado State University Center for Entrepreneurship and has been a College of Business and Executive MBA faculty member since 2001. Lambert is the owner and managing director of Lambert & Company, a management consulting firm, and is the founder of ComUnity Central, Inc., an online transaction business for the equine industry. He is the former market strategy executive director for US West.

Lisa Lorenzen-Dahl is the Industry Relations & Biotechnology Liaison in the Office of the Provost for Research and & Office of Biotechnology at Iowa State University. She is the former computational biologist in the bioinformatics department at Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. Lorenzen-Dahl received a doctorate in genetics from Iowa State in 1994.

R. David Monahan is an independent marketing and management consultant who has worked with clients such as Ford Motor Co. and Voyant Technology. In 2003 he received his doctorate in industrial engineering from Purdue University. Monahan is the founder of Optolynx based in Indiana and former product marketing manager for Hewlett-Packard Inc.