Yates Earns “A” for Leading Colorado State, Csu System

The State Board of Agriculture today gave high marks to Colorado State University President Albert Yates for his leadership.

In its annual review of Yates’ performance, the board once again expressed confidence in his leadership of the university and praised the institution’s progress over the past 12 months.

"Al Yates is the right leader at the right time for Colorado State University and for the entire university system," said Chuck Mabry, president of the board. "As president and chancellor, Al Yates has done a tremendous job providing the vision necessary to chart the path to excellence for all three institutions. He continues to distinguish himself as the leading spokesman for higher education in the state of Colorado."

Yates, president of Colorado State since 1990, also serves as chancellor of the Colorado State University System, which includes Fort Lewis College in Durango and the University of Southern Colorado in Pueblo.

Among the major highlights of Yates’ tenure this past year, Mabry cited the following accomplishments:

—Colorado State approved and began implementation of a new core curriculum that will guarantee a more rigorous, consistent general education for all university undergraduates.

—Colorado State continued the extensive efforts to enhance the facilities and learning environment of the campus, and today the campus is in better condition with better facilities than before the flood of 1997.

–Yates maintained a high degree of credibility and a positive working relationship with the Colorado Legislature on behalf of the entire university system.

–Colorado State posted record fund-raising success, this year bringing in more than $24 million in private contributions, a record boosted by the outpouring of support for the university following the flood of 1997.

–Colorado State University had a record fall enrollment of more than 22,500 students, an increase fueled by a 20 percent rise in new freshman from Colorado choosing Colorado State. The freshman class was notable for several reasons:

The new freshman class of 3,056 includes 2,310 Colorado residents, or an increase of 392 students over in-state freshmen enrolled last fall.

The enrollment figures show a nearly 20 percent increase (19.5 percent) in minority students from Colorado in this class compared to last year, helping make this freshman class the most diverse ever at the university. Overall, 12.3 percent of this freshman class is made up of minority students.

The freshman class is also among the best qualified classes as measured by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education index (a measure of a student’s high school class rank and standardized test scores.) The average for the entire class, taken together, is 109.5, or .5 above last year’s average.

Each year, Yates is evaluated based on the following criteria: leadership, planning and management; ability to foster positive, supportive relationships among campus groups and external constituencies; and fund-raising success.