Response to Inaccurate News Stories Appearing Today Regarding Csu Hurricane Team Future

In response to inaccurate news stories that have appeared today concerning the future of the Colorado State University hurricane forecast team, Dr. Bill Gray and Dr. Sandra Woods, dean of the College of Engineering, issued the following responses:

Dr. Bill Gray:

"There has been no change in my status at CSU. We’re still putting the forecast out. CSU continues to support me. I’m in the same office I’ve been for 41 years now and I hope to stay here some more years and keep working as I always have. We have no plans to change things. I don’t know whether Phil will eventually leave, but as of now, we’re just keeping everything the same."

Dr. Sandra Woods:

"The information in the media is false. The assertion that Dr. Gray is being silenced or being forced out because of his views on global warming is completely inaccurate. We have generated hundreds of media stories on Dr. Gray already this year; he continues to have as many opportunities as he wishes to voice his opinion on hurricanes and global warming. We encourage scientific debate at CSU.

Dr. Gray was misinformed when he sent me a letter last year – that is now being publicly circulated – and we corrected that misinformation. We are all on the same page and CSU continues to offer full support of his forecast. His funding has not been pulled. Actually, he officially retired in 2004, but we continue to support the forecast.

And we will continue to support the forecast as long as Dr. Gray and Dr. Klotzbach, his research associate, want to issue it. The university has long understood that when Dr. Klotzbach leaves the university, he will most likely take the forecast with him. Dr. Gray, who has been retired since 2004 from the university, has been positioning Dr. Klotzbach to take over the forecast – that’s nothing new."     

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