On June 8th and 9th, 2007, Governor Bill Ritter, Jr. and David Skaggs, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, hosted a summit to examine the condition of higher education in Colorado and to consider options for long term improvement.
The summit was sponsored and supported by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, under a grant from Lumina Foundation for Education. Top officials from the state’s institutions of higher education joined the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, several legislators, business and foundation executives and higher education experts to focus, in particular, on the financial dimension of the challenges facing higher education.
Colorado’s public higher education system has many financial obstacles to overcome and the participants were clear that a united effort will be required. As a result of the summit, the Department of Higher Education is working with stakeholders to form three working groups to address important tasks identified by the summit participants. These working groups will examine peer institution comparisons, metrics and goals for increased higher education productivity over next 10 years, and funding alternatives and revenue options for the next 10 years.
Below are links to the summit agenda and presentation information that was distributed during the summit.
- Colorado Higher Education Summit Agenda, June 8, 2007
- Setting the Stage: A Look at Colorado’s Demographic and Educational Context (Dennis Jones)
- Colorado Economy and Budget Structure (Josh Harwood)
- Department of Higher Education/Colorado Commission on Higher Education (Diane Lindner)
- How Does Colorado Stack Up? The State’s Economy from a National and State Perspective (Scott Pattison)
- Changing Direction: Integrating Higher Education Finance Policies – Approps, Tuition, & Financial Aid (David Longanecker)
- Hitting Home: The Case for Making Opportunity Affordable (Travis Reindl)
- Higher Education Political Environment (Floyd Ciruli)
- Results of Participant Survey (Floyd Ciruli)