Penley Panel

The volatile economy has become an unrelenting concern for most Coloradans, and this issue of The Competitive Edge considers the data.

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Northern Colorado will add more than 4,000 jobs in 2009

Despite the troubles on Wall Street, economists anticipate the regional downturn to be less "dramatic" than nationally.

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Disease-detecting 'lab-on-a chip' moves toward commercialization

National Institutes of Health funding will help advance new technology that more quickly detects heart disease.

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Rocky Mountain Institute selects CSU for study on reducing greenhouse gases

The national research project will help other universities learn about successful climate-change mitigation initiatives.

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CSU earns 'gold' for 'Green University' campaign

"Green" branding effort receives national media-relations recognition.

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Former N.Y. Gov. Pataki tours CSU's renewable-energy facilities, start-ups

The "CSU Accelerates" event in New York City last spring introduced the work of top CSU scientists to the national business and investment community.

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Industry-university partnership to focus on environment, advice to energy industry

Colorado's Piceance Basin has become a valuable source of long-term data on ecosystem development.

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Northern Colorado's economic performance reflects 'time of uneasiness'

On Oct. 1, Colorado State University's Office of Economic Development and the Northern Colorado Economic Development Corp. hosted the second annual Colorado State University Regional Economic Summit and Forecast. Regional economist Martin Shields and area business leaders discussed the overall health of the economy, the workforce skills necessary to retain global competitiveness, and the region's health-care and clean-energy clusters. The follow-up report, 2009 Northern Colorado Economic Outlook, opened with the statement, "A time of uneasiness may be the best way to describe Northern Colorado's economic performance over the past 12 months, as many of the nation’s ills have spread to the region." Among the report's findings:

Northern Colorado economy

528,500
2008 population

612,700
Projected 2013 population

4,994
New jobs created between July 2007 and 2008 (2.3 percent)

4,000
Projected new jobs added to the region in 2009

4.9%
Unemployment rate (July 2008); 1.1 percentage points lower than the U.S. unemployment

$38,465
Earnings per worker in 2007, up 7.6 percent (inflation adjusted) since 2001 and 2.1 percent since 2006

1,500
Projected new Single Family building permits issued in 2008, its lowest level since 1992

Source: Northern Colorado Economic Development Corp. and 2009 Northern Colorado Outlook, by Martin Shields, regional economist and associate professor of economics at Colorado State University, and David Keyser, research economist at Colorado State University

Racial reality

"The consequences of inattention to this reality are enormous."

—Irene Vernon, chairwoman of the Colorado State University Department of Ethnic Studies, about the diversity of the future workforce and the challenges expected when deeply rooted racial conflicts meet the people, cultures, and capital that cross national borders

Living artifacts

"Placing an artifact — a 19th-century dance slipper or an early 20th-century Chinese robe — in the context of its time ... and knowing the stories behind each object adds to [its] value."

—Linda Carlson, curator of the CSU Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandizing, about preserving artifacts that trace the history of textiles, clothing, and culture and the importance of the Avenir Foundation's $1.25 million gift to the museum

Selective shoppers

"Consumers are more cautious, leading them to rethink some of their planned purchases."

—Martin Shields, regional economist and professor of economics at Colorado State University, about public reaction to the shaky economy

'Infectious' collaboration

A partnership between Colorado State University and Maine Biotechnology Services, or MBS, will help advance treatments for infectious diseases — diseases that kill millions of people worldwide. The business development arm of CSU's Infectious Disease Supercluster, MicroRx, recently established the collaborative agreement with MBS, an antibody discovery company that provides services and products to the diagnostic market. Through the agreement, CSU researchers will propose projects to develop disease-fighting antibodies. In turn, MBS will provide market access to potential diagnostic solutions and license the antibodies for commercial use. CSU's MicroRx is a first-of-its-kind enterprise to speed the transition of life-saving, infectious-disease research from the academic world to the global marketplace.

Bohemian business

The Fort Collins, Colo.-based Bohemian Foundation has committed up to $3 million to Colorado State University’s College of Business for a planned expansion of Rockwell Hall. On Oct. 2, the college broke ground on the $16 million, 34,600-square-foot addition, which will house three 75-seat tiered classrooms, six 45-seat classrooms, faculty offices, meeting rooms, and gathering space. The Bohemian Foundation has pledged $1.5 million as a challenge grant for the new addition, with another $1.5 million for upgrades to the building. The Bohemian Foundation is a private family foundation that focuses on promoting community awareness and involvement.

Material preservation

A $1.25 million gift to Colorado State University’s Design and Merchandising Museum, now named the Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising, will support the continued preservation of the collection of 12,000 artifacts, including historic clothing, lace, shoes, textiles, accessories, and chairs. The collection is one of a few of its kind in the region that allows hands-on access under controlled conditions. The museum, dedicated to the study and history of textiles, clothing, and culture, houses one of the most significant, far-ranging teaching collections in the United States. The Avenir Foundation gift provides an endowment to support exhibitions, salaries, conservation, and the completion of the collection's new home in the University's Center for the Arts. The funds will help finish a gallery, a conservation laboratory, and storage areas.

Distance-degree quality

Graduate engineering distance degrees offered through Colorado State University’s Division of Continuing Education have been ranked a "Best Buy" by GetEducated.com. "Best Buy" programs offer high-quality distance degrees at tuition rates well below the national average, according to the online-degree clearinghouse, which reviewed 216 distance-learning engineering and allied graduate degree programs at 46 regionally accredited U.S. universities. CSU's master of science degrees in Civil Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, and Statistics ranked 18th. The national average cost for an online master’s in engineering is $23,203; Colorado State's cost is $15,600.

Workforce diversity

Beginning in fall 2009, Colorado State University will offer a master's degree in ethnic studies, making it the first and only master's program of its kind in Colorado. The program, administered by of CSU's Department of Ethnic Studies, will address issues related to the growing diversity of U.S. society and its workforce, ethnic conflict worldwide, and globalization. Issues of race and ethnicity are becoming increasingly significant, says Irene Vernon, chairwoman of the Department of Ethnic Studies at Colorado State. "Difficult challenges stem from deeply rooted racial conflicts as well as from people, cultures, and capital crossing national borders." Students will study the experiences of racially marginalized groups and analyze how race intersects with social differentiation. The program recognizes the importance of the history of racial exclusion and marginalization and the creative ways in which various racial groups sustain their humanity.