Colorado State University Names Great Hall after Russell George, Colorado Department of Transportation Director
Note to Reporters: A photo of Russell George is available with the news release at http://www.news.colostate.edu/.
Colorado State University and the Boettcher Foundation on Wednesday named the Great Hall in The Institute for Learning and Teaching Building after alumnus Russell George, executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation and former state representative.
The Russell George Great Hall was dedicated at a ceremony at TILT on the university’s historic Oval.
“Russ has dedicated his life to public service, so we are pleased to bestow this honor on him on behalf of Colorado State University and the Boettcher Foundation,” said Tony Frank, president of Colorado State. “His leadership has been valuable to people not only on the Western Slope but throughout Colorado, and I thank the Boettcher Foundation for its continued generosity and leadership.”
“Russ is an incredible steward of natural resources,” said Joe Blake, chancellor of the Colorado State University System. “He has contributed to many vital industries in Colorado through his boundless thoughtfulness, wisdom and generosity. Russ is respected and honored around the state as a great statesman and leader.”
George, who grew up in Rifle, Colo., graduated from Colorado State in 1968 and earned his law degree from Harvard in 1971.
He and his wife, Neal, enlisted as VISTA volunteers from 1974 to 1976 and worked on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana. In 1976, they returned to Rifle where George co-founded the law firm of Stuver and George, which specialized in water law.
From 1992 to 2000, George served as state Representative in House District 57, representing Moffat, Rio Blanco, Garfield and Pitkin counties. He was Speaker of the House in 1999 and 2000.
He later worked as director of the Colorado Division of Wildlife and executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. He has also served as a Trustee for the Boettcher Foundation.
In 2007, Gov. Bill Ritter appointed George to his post at CDOT where he oversees 3,300 employees working at more than 250 locations statewide and an annual budget of $1 billion.
Wednesday’s ceremony at Colorado State University marks the second time the university has recognized George for his achievements. In 2000, the Colorado State University Alumni Association bestowed its highest honor on him with the William E. Morgan Alumni Achievement Award.
About TILT
The Institute for Learning and Teaching at Colorado State University fosters connections among learners and teachers throughout the university, across program and disciplinary boundaries, and in the broader community. TILT enhances learning, teaching, and student success, providing a wide range of programs across the university, including those offered by its primary partners – the Center for Advising and Student Achievement and the Transfer Student Center – which are also housed in the TILT building.
TILT resides in the former Music Building, which originally served as the University Library. The Department of Music moved to the University Center for the Arts in 2008. For more about TILT, visit http://tilt.colostate.edu/.
About Boettcher Foundation
The Boettcher Foundation is a privately endowed grant-making organization dedicated to assisting, encouraging and promoting the residents of the State of Colorado. For over 70 years the Boettcher Foundation has served the people of Colorado by investing in young minds through its Scholarship Program and helping to build community infrastructure through its capital grant making. In virtually every community throughout the state, the Foundation has partnered with outstanding nonprofits to make a difference in people’s lives. For more information, go to http://www.boettcherfoundation.org/.
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