The chancellor of the University of Colorado at Boulder and CU聮s BugMobile officially kicked off the CU in Residence community education program in Chaffee County on Friday, Aug. 13.
CU-Boulder Chancellor Richard Byyny outlined the details of the innovative educational program at a luncheon he hosted for 65 business, education and community leaders at the Mt. Princeton Conference Center. Byyny noted that CU in Residence will bring a wide range of educational programs and special events to Buena Vista, Salida and Poncha Springs throughout the coming year.
"Our goal is to develop partnerships between the university and communities that integrate the university聮s education, research and service mission with the goals and needs of each community," said Dr. Byyny. "The bottom line is to establish long-term partnerships with all sectors of each community."
As part of the CU in Residence kickoff activities, the university聮s BugMobile was at the Salida Regional Library earlier in the day for a children聮s program. The BugMobile gives children a close-up look at live and preserved insects, spiders and other arthropods.
Byyny said a number of other programs and events are already in the planning stage for the coming year, including a K-8 Foreign Language Exploratory Program that will provide workshops to the local schools; the Center of the American West聮s Urban-Rural Divorce Program -- a "mock trial" that explores the relationship between urban and rural interests; and Citizen Explorer, a project that will link participating K-12 schools with an Earth-orbiting satellite developed by CU-Boulder students.
A Chaffee County Leadership Advisory Council has been formed to coordinate planning and promotion of CU in Residence programs and events with university outreach coordinators. The Advisory Council includes representatives from the Salida and Buena Vista school districts, Colorado Mountain College, cultural arts organizations, chambers of commerce, city officials and seniors organizations.
"We are excited about the interest and commitment that we received from the area," Dr. Bynny said. He noted that while Chaffee County will be the focal point for many of the CU in Residence offerings, the programs also will reach out to communities in Lake and Park counties, including Leadville and Fairplay.