CU chancellor visits Montrose

MONTROSE — About 20 area residents were treated to a lunch and presentation with University of Colorado at Boulder Chancellor Bud Peterson at the Ute Indian Museum’s meeting room Friday afternoon.

The visit was part of a tour around the southern and western regions of Colorado, areas that the university does not typically receive much input from.

“We’re out trying to visit communities to get a better idea of how the University of Colorado can better serve the people of the state of Colorado... and provide the services that we should as a state institution,” Peterson said.

After attendees made their way through the buffet line, CU Alumni Association President Kent Zimmerman gave a presentation about campus happenings.

The audience, made up of alumni and students’ parents, seemed very impressed by the demonstration of iClicker technology, which allows students to register their attendance and answer multiple-choice questions via a wireless handset.

“That was tremendous; that was a very good idea. That was the first time I’d seen it, and I’m all for it,” said George Works, who wasn’t equipped with anything near that level before earning his chemical engineering degree in 1940.

Peterson spoke next, spending the majority of his time addressing CU’s Flagship 2030 Strategic Plan, which attempts to outline what needs to be done by the university in order to distinguish itself from other schools.

“We’re trying to identify what characteristics of a great university will be in 2030,” Peterson said. “What is it that we can teach our students that is going to differentiate them from students across the country and across the world?”

One such proposal is  a requirement that all students participate in one or more “experiential learning endeavors,” which may include study abroad or community service activities.

Another issue is how to select information to teach students. Peterson cited a study showing that the collective amount of information doubles every two years, meaning “half of what we teach freshmen will be obsolete by the time they graduate.”

After Peterson, environmental engineering professor Joe Ryan outlined several outreach research programs that he and his students have done around the state.

One study examined the impact that off-road vehicles had on suspended sediment in James Creek in Boulder County.  The study concluded that off-roading caused increased erosion and was resulting in more sediment being carried downstream than the water treatment plant could handle.

As a result of the study, the Boulder Board of County Commissioners banned off-road vehicles in the area, choosing public safety over recreation.

Other studies Ryan presented included the amount of toxic material that water carries away from abandoned mines in the Lefthand Watershed in Boulder County and Coal Creek Watershed in Gunnison County.

Attendees were also invited to stand up and share their connection to CU and any concerns or issues they had.

Although the topics of discussion mostly remained positive, people couldn’t help but comment on the Board of Regents’ decision to fire embattled ethnic studies professor Ward Churchill on Tuesday. Many attendees congratulated and thanked CU Regent Tillie Bishop, also in attendance Friday,  for voting to fire Churchill.

“I think it’s closure,” Peterson said. “We’re ready to put that behind us, move on and talk about the positive things that are happening at the university. (The regents) made a great decision, and I support it completely.”

Contact John Deneen via e-mail at johnd@montrosepress.com