High Altitude Society

Carolyn Pope, VailCarolyn@comcast.net
July 16, 2008

In case you’re in doubt, this is Buff territory. University of Colorado Buffalos, that is. Many of the Vail Valley’s upstanding citizens claim C.U. as their alma mater, and the support for the university has always been strong in the Valley.

Recently, C.U. Chancellor Bud Peterson arrived for a casual luncheon with many alumni to keep them updated on the school’s activities. He touched on many positive statistics and facts. According to the chancellor, getting into C.U. isn’t exactly a piece of cake; the average G.P.A. for incoming freshmen is an admirable 3.6. Applications in the past year or two are up 35 percent, and private fundraising has doubled in two years, now up to $60 million. The goal is to raise $90 million; the university appears to be on track. In sports, the men’s cross country team has won 12 of the past 12 years in the Big 12, and the women have won 11 of the past 12. The C.U. skiing team was ranked first in the nation.

They’re changing over to a residential college concept to make the school seem more familiar and not so large. This means that students live in dorms with others of the same interests or same intended degrees. C.U. now also offers a mechanical engineering degree through Mesa State, which is the only engineering school between Golden and Utah.

Peterson also unveiled the “Flagship 2030” plan, which is a strategy to make the university focus on where it will be in the year 2030 and plan for the educational environment of the future.

Visit www.colorado.edu for more information on the University of Colorado.

Click on photo galleries at www.vailtrail.com to see more photos from this event.