Colorado State University Celebrates 142 Years and Honors Pat Stryker with Founders Day Medal

On Feb. 10, Colorado State will honor the creation of the institution, the values that have sustained it and its mission of service through teaching, research and engagement with Founders Day celebrations. Events will take place at the state capitol in Denver and on campus in Fort Collins.

In honor of this year’s Founders Day, Pat Stryker was recognized as the third recipient of the Founders Day Medal, which honors an individual or family that has had a significant, lasting impact on the university’s history and progress. The medal was presented to Stryker for her long-term, transformational support of the university’s academic and athletic programs. Her leadership has been essential to projects including:

• Creation of the Albert C. Yates Chair in Mathematics in the College of Natural Sciences
• Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise program and the Rockwell Hall expansion in the College of Business
• Bohemian Complex at the University Center for the Arts, which encompasses the University Theatre, Studio Theatre, Black Box Theater, and William E. Runyan Rehearsal Hall
• Land-development improvements to the Environment Learning Center for the Warner College of Natural Resources
• Support of CSU Athletics, including Ram Legacy Scholarships

“Pat has been an extraordinary and generous supporter of Colorado State, but even more important, she has been a champion of our land-grant mission who has encouraged the university to improve and evolve in all its dimensions,” said CSU President Tony Frank. “She believes in CSU and its potential to transform our world and advance our local community, and she has been a key partner with our faculty, staff and students in support of their work for more than a decade. CSU is, truly, a better institution because of her efforts and leadership.”

Thanks to Stryker’s generosity and that of 90,000 other donors, CSU reached the $500 million goal for the Campaign for Colorado State University six months ahead of schedule. The campaign is raising private funds for scholarships, faculty support, programs and facilities on campus.

On Feb. 11, 1870, Colorado Territorial Gov. Edward McCook signed the Colorado Morrill Act establishing the State Agricultural College in Fort Collins. In the 142 years since, the institution now known as Colorado State University has become one of the nation’s leading research universities with world-renowned research in infectious disease, atmospheric science, clean-energy technologies and environmental science. Research expenditures exceed $300 million annually.

Colorado State has played an essential role in the development of Colorado. The first graduating class in 1884 had just three students. Today, Colorado State’s Fort Collins campus has an enrollment of more than 27,000 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students – and enrolls more Colorado high-school graduates than any other college in Colorado. Colorado State’s 99,000-plus Colorado-based alumni account for more than $5.2 billion annually in household income for Colorado.

Colorado State’s mission of teaching, research and engagement continues through a focus on economic development for rural communities across the state; a commitment to access to top-quality education for all Colorado students; serving as a cornerstone of the Colorado economy by creating a skilled workforce including more than 30 percent of the state’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) graduates; and driving innovation that creates jobs. CSU research has led to the creation of 20 private-sector start-up companies in the last five years alone, and the university has licensed 136 new technologies to private enterprise since 2007.

Following are events scheduled in honor of CSU’s Founders Day.

CSU Fort Collins campus:
– “Happy 142nd Birthday CSU” begins at 1:42 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, on the Lory Student Center Plaza. CAM the Ram, CSU Pep Band and CSU Spirit Squad will be on the LSC Plaza. Birthday cupcakes will be served and free T-shirts will be given out in celebration of 142 years of Colorado State University. In case of adverse weather, the celebration will be held at the Lory Student Center East Atrium.

State capitol:
On Friday, Feb. 10, a Founders Day event at the Colorado State Capitol in Denver will highlight the economic impact of Colorado State on the state. The CSU Chamber Choir will perform followed by a reading of a joint Legislative resolution acknowledging CSU’s long, successful history in Colorado.

Saturday, Feb. 11 and Sunday, Feb. 12
CAM’s Birthday Party – a Kid Friendly Founder’s Day Celebration
Saturday, Feb. 11 – Denver
11 a.m.-1 p.m., Monkey Bizness
9950 E. Easter Ave., Ste. 200
Centennial, CO
Sunday, Feb. 12 – Fort Collins
1-4 p.m., Pump It Up
1420 Riverside Ave.
Fort Collins, CO

CSU alumni are invited for a free Alumni Day in either Denver or Fort Collins to help CAM the Ram celebrate CSU’s birthday. The events include pizza, cupcakes and games. Children of all ages are welcome, and there is no cost to attend. Reservations are required at http://alumni.colostate.edu/Events/EventRegistration/tabid/89/Default.aspx.

For more information about CSU’s Founders Day, visit http://www.today.colostate.edu/foundersday.aspx

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