Colorado State University - Pueblo
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| Colorado State University-Pueblo (CSU-Pueblo) | |
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| Established: | July 13, 1933 |
| Type: | Public |
| President: | Joseph A. Garcia |
| Faculty: | 384 |
| Undergraduates: | 4,610 (Fall 2008) |
| Postgraduates: | 174 |
| Location: | Pueblo,  Colorado,  United States |
| Campus: | Urban |
| Colors: | Red and Blue |
| Nickname: | ThunderWolves |
| Mascot: | Wolfie |
| Website: | www.colostate-pueblo.edu |
Colorado State University-Pueblo (CSU-Pueblo officially) is a public institution of higher learning located in Pueblo, Colorado in the United States. Until 2003, the school was known as the University of Southern Colorado.
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[edit] History
Colorado State University-Pueblo has evolved from a three-room junior college at the Pueblo County Courthouse on the third floor with 63 students and two (2) instructors to a university offering 29 baccalaureate and six master degree programs, serving more than 4,000 students from all 50 states and 23 countries. Over the past 75 years under four different names, the institution has graduated more than 35,000 students from 41 states and 32 countries. Today, more than 14,000 graduates live in Colorado.
[edit] 1933 to 1959
The idea for starting a college in Pueblo initially was proposed in 1926, when a bill was put before the state Senate to begin a four-year school in the city. The bill was defeated by one vote, which put a halt to the idea of starting a college in Pueblo.
In the years following the Great Depression, the idea for a college in Pueblo was revived through the efforts of a local school teacher at Centennial High School, Eric T. Kelly.
At the time, Pueblo's primary employer, steelmaker Colorado Fuel & Iron Corp., no longer was hiring, a drought and dust storm was plaguing all of Southern Colorado and the city still was trying to recover from the devastating floods of 1921.
Kelly organized a committee composed of several local business leaders to discuss the possibility of getting a college started, among them Frank Hoag, Jr., publisher of The Pueblo Chieftain and Star-Journal newspapers, Dr. C.N. Caldwell and J. Arthur Phelps.
The school originally was planned to be named San Isabel Junior College, but by the time the school had received incorporation it was changed to SCJC. The name change was made in an effort to broaden the recruitment area for the college.
The first classes at SCJC were held in the fall of 1933 in three vacant rooms on the third-floor of the Pueblo County Courthouse. Sixty-three students (31 full time and 32 part time enrolled and the staff consisted of two full-time and eight part-time instructors, a registrar and Kelly, who agreed to serve as the dean of students, of that first class of students, 17 would earn a degree with the first graduating class of 1935.
By 1935, the school's enrollment was steadily increasing and the need to find a permanent location was imminent. With land donated by the CF&I and local money from the City Federation of Women's Club and the Works Progress Administration, construction of the college's first building—a 55,000-square foot arts building—began in 1936. The property donated for the college was bordered by the Bessemer ditch, Marilyn Place, Orman Avenue and the alley at Orman and Arthur and became known as the Orman campus.
Kelly gace up his position as dean in 1936, and L.R.Wren took over as president and served in that position until 1939. A year later, Pueblo County residents formed the Pueblo County Junior College District, which allowed for the college to receive tax dollars.
[edit] Different Names
The university has operated under five different names:
[edit] 1933: Southern Colorado Junior College (SCJS)
Southern Colorado Junior College provided two years of college instruction in the arts, literature, and science, adult education and vocational opportunities, and coursework to complete a high school program.
[edit] 1937: Pueblo Junior College (PJS)
Taking advantage of the Junior College Act of the General Assembly, the Pueblo County Junior College District was formed, making the college part of the public school system supported by county-wide taxes. The name change to Pueblo Junior College brought with it a change in mission. The institution offered the first two years of general study at the college level, providing the educational foundation for students seeking to transfer to complete their higher education degrees at four-year colleges and universities, and continued to offer a range of practical courses for those not seeking a higher education degree.
[edit] 1961: Southern Colorado State College (SCSC)
The 30th anniversary year saw the State enact legislation making the institution a four-year degree granting college and a member of the state system of higher education. The first juniors were enrolled in 1963, followed in 1964 by the first seniors and the first bachelor's degrees awarded in 1965. The name change to Southern Colorado State College reflected recognition of the need for more advanced degrees and an increase in the number of students pursuing a four-year degree in the southeastern region of Colorado. In 1964, Colorado State Senator Vincent Massari led the college to become a 4 year university. Senator Massari was instrumental in obtaining funds for a new campus in the Belmont area of Pueblo, moving from the old junior college campus on Orman Avenue.
[edit] 1975: University of Southern Colorado (USC)
As the demand for higher education programs increased, the number of academic degrees offered at the undergraduate and graduate levels increased. The first graduate program to be offered was the Master of Arts in Teaching with an emphasis in industrial education beginning in 1972. The institution was granted university status and was renamed the University of Southern Colorado.
[edit] 2003: Colorado State University-Pueblo (CSU-Pueblo)
In May 2002, Governor Bill Owens signed legislation changing the mission and name to Colorado State University-Pueblo effective July 1, 2003. Today, the university has a focus on professional studies such as business, nursing, social work, and teacher education.
[edit] Birth of the ThunderWolf
The University of Southern Colorado now Colorado State University-Pueblo adopted the "ThunderWolf" as its mascot prior to the 1995-96 academic school year. The ThunderWolf came to life as USC looked to modernize its image following over 60 years of being known as the "Indians." The legend of the "ThunderWolf" is as follows:
"The thunderwolf was discovered in the Southern Colorado foothills in 1933. The species is thought to be indigenous only on the city of Pueblo's beautiful horizon from the Spanish Peaks to the south to Pike's Peak to the north. A regal and majestic animal, the thunderwolf has evolved into the wisest and strongest of all beasts. The thunderwolf is cloaked with hair as blue as Colorado's skies, and with a mantelet of hair around its neck as white as Colorado's snow-capped mountain peaks. Longer guard hairs, as red as Colorado's rocky soil, abound throughout the white mantelet. Some say they have seen lightening bolts in the thunderwolf's large blue eyes.
Because it is an intelligent and inquisitive animal, the thunderwolf expands its knowledge and understanding of the environment daily. Although the thunderwolf exhibits a cooperative team spirit when hunting with the pack, it also is an individualistic thinker which helps the pack burst through paradigms when solving problems.
One of the most distinctive characteristics of thunderwolves is their ability to form unusual partnerships with other species to protect the environment for the general good. Their excellent communication skills have led some observers to believe thunderwolves may be able to communicate to different species from other countries.
Colorado State University-Pueblo is proud to be known as the ThunderWolves, and we hope the thunderwolves are proud of us as well."
The original ThunderWolf logo was put into place prior to the 1995-96 school year. Designed to elicit fear and reverence, the original logo contained a detailed head of a ThunderWolf with a mountain range in the background. After a few years of use, the logo was eventually scrapped for a more easily reproduced logo that contained the letters "USC".
The logo remained in use until the University of Southern Colorado changed its name prior to the 2003-04 school year to Colorado State University-Pueblo. While the university's main logo changed to mimic that of its parent institution, Colorado State University, the ThunderWolves logo went in another direction.
[edit] Campus
Colorado State University-Pueblo is located in Pueblo, Colorado, a mid-size city of approximately 100,000 residents located in the Pikes Peak region of Southern Colorado. The university's 275-acre (1.11 km2) main campus is located in Belmont area in the northern edge of Pueblo.
Several of the buildings on campus are built with an Aztec-style design to help serve as a representation of the culture in the area. Altogether, there are 12 buildings on campus, 8 of which are strictly academic buildings. There is also an administration building, student center, library, and student recreation center which is adjacent to the university's primary athletic complex, Massari Arena.
The campus began to undergo a major renovation in 2007, as renovations were made to Massari Arena and construction began on the new student recreation center, which was completed in time for the start of the 2008-2009 academic year. In January 2009, a multi-million dollar renovation project began on the university's library.
[edit] Organization
[edit] Administration
The Board of Governors presides over the Colorado State University System, which is composed of Colorado State University and Colorado State University-Pueblo. The Board consists of nine voting members appointed by the Governor of Colorado and confirmed by the Colorado State Senate, and four elected non-voting members.[1] Voting members are community leaders from many fields, including agriculture, business, and public service.[2] A student and faculty representative from each university act as non-voting Board members.
The president of Colorado State University-Pueblo is Joesph Garcia.[3]
The president of CSU also serves as the chancellor of the CSU System. The current Chairman of the Board is Douglas L. Jones.
[edit] List of Presidents
- Eric T. Kelly - 1933-1936 (SCJC)
- Leo R. Wren - 1936-1939 (PJC)
- Charles E. Haines - 1939-1942 (PJC)
- LuLu Cuthbertson - May 1942-Aug. 1942 (PJC)** First Woman President of the college
- William A. Black - 1942-1945 (PJC)
- Marvin C. Knudson - 1945-1964 (PJC, PC, SCSC)
- J. Victor Hopper - 1964-1971 (SCSC)
- Budge Threlkeld - 1971 (SCSC)
- Harry P. Bowes - 1971-1977 (SCSC, USC)
- Gerald Caduff - May 1977-Oct. 1977 (USC)
- Richard Pesqueria - 1977-1979 (USC)
- Alan Love - July 1979-Aug. 1980 (USC)
- Lyle Wilcox - 1980-1984 (USC)
- Robert Shirley - 1984-1995 (USC)
- Les Wong - 1996-1997 (USC)
- Tito Guerrero - 1997-2001 (USC)
- Robert Glennen - 2001-2002 (USC)
- Ron Applebaum - 2002-2006 (USC, CSU-Pueblo)
- Joe Garcia - 2006-Present (CSU-Pueblo)
[edit] Academic programs
Students can choose from twenty-seven undergraduate programs.
Colorado State University-Pueblo's academic colleges are:
- College of Education, Engineering, and Professional Studies
- College of Humanities & Social Sciences
- College of Sciences & Mathematics
- Hasan School of Business
[edit] Athletics
CSU-Pueblo belongs to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, an NCAA Division II conference. The athletics department supports 16 intercollegiate athletics programs, including baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, volleyball, softball, women's cross country, and men's and women's tennis. In 2007, the Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System approved to bring back American football, wrestling, and women's indoor and outdoor track & field. All three programs competed for the first time during the 2008-09 school year, and the football program, playing in the Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl, finished in the top 10 in the nation in attendance, averaging over 8,000 fans per game during the 2008 season.
In 2008-09, CSU-Pueblo athletics programs won two Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championships - in women's basketball (its third RMAC title in four seasons) and baseball (its first since 2004).
[edit] Clubs and activities
CSU-Pueblo features a club racquetball and men's lacrosse program. The racquetball team has won numerous national championships.
[edit] Major speakers
- John McCain United States Senator from Arizona (R) and 2008 Presidential Nominee
- Amy Tan Author of The Joy Luck Club
- David McCullough A two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award author of 1776 and John Adams
- Doris Kearns Goodwin Pulitzer Prize Winning Author and Presidential Historian
- Ralph Nader US Presidential candidate
[edit] Notable alumni
- Abel Tapia (SCSC class of 1970) was elected as the Colorado State Senator for District 3 in 2002.
- Frank Grant (SCSC) was a wide receiver in the NFL from 1973 to 1978, playing with the Washington Redskins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[4]
- Herman Heard (USC) was a running back for the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs from 1984 to 1989.[5]
- Michael Arnzen (USC class of 1991) is an Associate Professor of English at Seton Hill University, where he teaches in the Writing Popular Fiction program.[6] Arnzen is an author or editor of 19 books, two of which (Freakcidents and Grave Markings) have won Bram Stoker Awards.[7]
- Dana Perino (USC class of 1994) was the White House Press Secretary for former President George W. Bush.
- Larry Trujillo (SCSC class of 1974) was a Regional Administrator for the United States General Services Administration (Rocky Mountain Region) under the Bush administration.[8] He was also a member of Colorado Governor Bill Owens' cabinet (1999-2001), serving as Executive Director of Personnel and General Support Services.[9] Before these appointments, Trujillo served as a member of the Colorado House of Representatives (1983-1986) and the Colorado Senate (1987-1993).[10]
[edit] External links
- Colorado State University-Pueblo
- Campus Expansion/Construction Updates
- Prospective Student Site: "gocsupueblo.com"
- History of CSU-Pueblo
- Colorado State University System
- CSU-Pueblo Athletics
- Southern Colorado Indians ESPN.com page
[edit] References
- ^ Colorado State University Administration, About the Board of Governors Accessed March 4, 2008
- ^ Members of Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System Accessed March 4, 2008
- ^ "CSU-Pueblo President Website". http://www.colostate-pueblo.edu/About/PresidentsMessage.htm. Retrieved on January 12, 2009.
- ^ Frank Grant Statistics - Pro-Football-Reference.com
- ^ Herman Heard Statistics - Pro-Football-Reference.com
- ^ Seton Hill University: Writing Popular Fiction - Faculty
- ^ Horror Writers Association - Past Stoker Award Nominees & Winners
- ^ Office of Colorado's Governor - Press Office
- ^ Governor Owens Press Release
- ^ http://www.state.co.us/owenspress/04-24-01b.htm Governor Owens Press Release, April 24, 2001.
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