Good morning. Welcome to the 2010 Boulder Economic Summit. It's great to see all of you. This is the third year we've hosted the Boulder Economic Summit. Hosting this important meeting arises from the university's belief that it can facilitate the discussion between government, business, the university, and the community. We're glad to be your hosts. We're happy to play an important role in advancing the conversation, and in advancing a healthy, sustainable community.

The university and the community are like twin sisters. We have been connected for a long time. While Boulder was once a university town, it has grown beyond that to forge its own unique identity in areas such as biotech, clean tech, digital media, and the natural, organic, and outdoor industries.

The university also has developed its own identity with an international and national reputation in the geosciences, space sciences, molecular biotechnology, and sustainable and renewable energy.

Our work in these areas—with its impacts on everyday life—not only enriches the university and society at large, it also creates an additional identifier for the Boulder community: that of a community that solves environmental problems, advances human health care and solves our nation's energy challenges.

Though CU and Boulder have successfully forged our own identities, CU and the Boulder community remain linked and reflective of each other.

Pragmatically, CU-Boulder has a direct impact on the local economy, in what our students and visitors bring into the community, in our $700 million payroll, in the $1 billion in federal research contracts re-invested in the local economy over the past four years, and in the opportunities we offer for lifelong learning.

But beyond our direct impacts, we are innovators. We see our faculty research evolve into improvements in human lives and we see economic opportunities through start-ups generated by our faculty.

Today's theme is, "Boulder in 2035: Opportunities and Insights." What opportunities do I envision for CU and the Boulder community in 2035? In 2035 I see the university as a place that ...

  • Continues to be a national and international crossroads for innovation.
  • Is a hub for creative people who come to Boulder to enrich the community and connect with each other.
  • Draws students committed to investing their newfound knowledge and entrepreneurship in our community and in establishing a lifelong affinity to the community.
  • Has a vibrant living and learning environment
  • Has smart facilities growth in something we call university villages—mixed-use education-related spaces that meet the needs of both the university and the community.
  • Is home to an international community of students, with up to 12 percent of international students.
  • Is a global junction for faculty and student exchanges, attracting the world's leading thinkers to visit, work and study here.
  • Has a thriving East Campus that is the equivalent to the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora with vital interdisciplinary research in concert with federal labs that will:
    • Solve environmental problems
    • Advance human health care through molecular biotechnology
    • Incorporate the next generation of sustainable and renewable energy into our daily lives
    • And develop the latest advances in aerospace—all reflective of the values of the Boulder community.

It's important that CU and the Boulder community collaborate and work together in achieving this vision, as we forge our separate but linked identities.

This vision is articulated in our Flagship 2030 strategic plan that redefines the university for the 21st-century global economy. Today you will continue to hear about Flagship 2030 and our vision for the East Campus.

It's great to be your host. Thank you for coming. We look forward to a vibrant discussion today on the future of our community.