Two Colorado Ute Tribes to Visit Colorado State University

Colorado State University welcomes to campus this week representatives from the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe. The group will meet with Colorado State’s deans and administrators to learn more about the university and to discuss research partnerships as well as continuing education opportunities.

"We at Colorado State are honored to welcome the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe to our campus and to Fort Collins," said Colorado State President Larry Edward Penley. "Colorado State has a strong tradition of working with all people in Colorado to meet the needs of communities in this state. We look forward to engaging in continued discussions as to how we can best meet the needs of these tribes."

Both tribes are from southwest Colorado. The Southern Ute Indian Tribe is based in Ignacio, and the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe is from Towaoc, near Cortez.

While visiting Colorado State, members of the tribes will tour university facilities, learn more about the university’s eight colleges and discuss ways in which Colorado State can partner with the tribes in potential research efforts, distance-learning programs and other potential educational opportunities. On Saturday, the group will attend the Colorado State men’s basketball game against the University of New Mexico at Moby Arena.

"This meeting will provide an opportunity for Colorado State to connect with both tribes and look for areas where collaboration can benefit everyone," said Ty Smith, director of Native American Student Services at Colorado State.

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