The Rocky Mountain Collegian

Issue date: 9/12/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Katie Stevens Colorado State University President Larry Penley delivers his annual Fall Address to a crowd that had gathered around the Oval on campus on Thursday. The annual Fall Address and All-University Picnic included a performance by the CSU Marching Band, complimentary food and interactive displays.

Standing on a solar powered stage, President Penley furthered the image of CSU as the "green university," saying that he will have the school running at a carbon neutral status by the year 2020.

"… as I have said before - changing the light bulbs on campus is not enough - not for a university," he said to the audience of about 300 students, alumni and faculty members.

But the initiative to make the university completely energy independent in only 12 years did not come without skepticism.

Seth Walter, a former student government vice presidential candidate, said the emphasis on research at CSU draws from more fundamental educational resources in a state where higher education funding is thinner than anywhere else in the nation.

"Some of Penley's goals seem unattainable because there is no way to expand the university without bringing up tuition costs," Walter said. "He paints a rosy picture on a cloudy day."

Fort Collins residents agreed, citing the fact that the city of Fort Collins, after a year and a half of research, believes it only possible to lower carbon emissions by 20 percent by the year 2020.

"No one has come forward with an analysis that makes his vision a possibility, and with the absence of that analysis, his is a pipe dream," said Eric Sutherland, a Fort Collins resident who dedicates his time to studying and critiquing green initiatives by local companies. "We have not even gotten our arms around what will be required to lower our greenhouse gas emission."

Penley also outlined educational stretch goals, citing significant progress in the academic colleges. He highlighted several items:

CSU has added 90 new tenure and tenure track teaching positions in the five years Penley has led the university.

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