(DENVER, CO) – Declaring his commitment to making Colorado a
world leader in the education and training of 21st Century technology
employees, Governor Bill Owens today announced the formation of the Colorado Institute of
Technology (CIT). Representatives of Colorado’s technology community and institutions
of higher education joined Owens in announcing the Institute’s leadership and over
$40 million in financial support.
"Today marks the dawn of a new era in Colorado education," stated Owens.
"The Colorado Institute of Technology will partner our higher education community
with the technology industry to create a world-class education and research Institute.
Bringing together the best minds in Colorado’s technology and education communities
will make CIT a national focal point for talent, education and research excellence.
"CIT’s creation will have a profound influence on education and economic
development in Colorado," continued Owens. "It’s truly a revolutionary
event. That’s why today’s leadership and resource announcement is so
significant.
"To spearhead the effort to turn the CIT dream into reality, I’m pleased to
announce that two of Colorado’s finest leaders have agreed to take on this exciting
challenge. John Buechner, President of the University of Colorado, will serve as
CIT’s President, and Dave Laube, currently USWest’s Chief Information Officer,
will become CIT’s Chancellor. John and Dave lead the largest higher
education organization in Colorado and the largest information technology organization
in the state, respectively, and represent a CIT leadership dream team that combines a
strong private sector perspective with higher education expertise.
"I’m also pleased to announce that Marc Holtzman, my Secretary of Technology
whose vision, foresight and energy has played an instrumental role in making the Colorado
Institute of Technology a reality, will serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors for
CIT. Also serving on the Board will be Tim Foster, Executive Director of the Colorado
Commission on Higher Education, who played a pivotal unifying role in garnering the
support of Colorado’s public and private universities in this effort.
"We also have an all-star team of founding members who have joined me today to
commit corporate financial support for CIT. Qwest, Sun Microsystems, Hitachi Data Systems,
Level 3 Communications, USWest and Commissioner Ralph Nagel are CIT’s founding
contributors and, collectively, intend to contribute $41 million to CIT over the first
five years. This financial commitment is a dynamic beginning to our goal of raising a
quarter billion dollars to support the development, operation and endowment of CIT.
Special thanks to Bob Golightly and the leadership of Colorado Technical University for
contributing much to this process including the naming rights to CIT," concluded
Owens.
Owens paid special tribute to Qwest Chief Executive Officer Joe Nacchio, Sun
Microsystem’s Vice President and General Manager of Sun Education Services Bill
Richardson, Level 3 Communications Chief Operating Officer Kevin O’Hara, USWest Chief
Executive Officer Sol Trujillo and Hitachi Data Systems Chief Business Officer Dave
Roberson for their generous support and magnanimous contributions to the CIT.
"The Colorado Institute of Technology will be the golden goose of Colorado’s
economy," predicted Marc Holtzman, Owens’ Secretary of Technology. "The
most pressing need for technology companies both inside and outside Colorado right now is
a well-qualified workforce. CIT will add thousands of well-educated, well-trained
individuals to Colorado’s workforce, making our already impressive business climate
the envy of the world. This new intellectual capital will eventually create an
entrepreneurial dynamic in Colorado equal to the Silicon Valley."
"CIT represents a tremendous effort by all institutions of higher education to set
aside their competitive interests and cooperate for the benefit of the state of
Colorado," said Tim Foster, Owens’ Cabinet member for higher education.
"CIT will partner the resources and efforts of the University of Colorado, Colorado
State University, the University of Denver, the Colorado School of Mines, Colorado
Technical University, the State Colleges of Colorado and Colorado’s community
colleges to attract the best educators and students from across the nation and around the
world. By attracting new talent and resources, recognizing excellence where it currently
exists and increasing our standards across the board, CIT will help make Colorado’s
higher education system the premier leader in the teaching and research of information
sciences."
