The CU Board of Regents voted unanimously Friday, June 11, to approve a momentous move by CU from the Big 12 athletic conference to the Pac-10. During the press statements by top officials that followed outside the club level at Folsom Field, the chair of the Rosebowl Management Committee (in photo) handed out roses to the officials, who are, from left, Steve Bosley (Bus’68, HonDoc’03), regent chair; Larry Scott, Pac-10 Commissioner; Mike Bohn, CU athletic director; Bruce Benson (Geol’64, HonDoc’04); and Philip P. DiStefano, CU-Boulder chancellor.
In their statements CU officials touted the fit that the Pac-10, which encompasses the top universities in California, Oregon, Washington and Arizona, including Stanford, Cal-Berkeley and UCLA, represent for CU, mostly in terms of academics but also regarding athletics. Like the majority of the Pac-10 schools, CU-Boulder is among just 63 members in the U.S. and Canada of the Association of American Universities.
Chancellor Phil DiStefano said that although CU was proud of the role it had played in the Big 8 and then Big 12, with over 35,000 CU alumni in the Pac-10 region (more than three times the number in the Big 12), it is a move that makes sense in more than one way. He also noted that CU already draws 600 new freshmen each summer from the Pac-10 region.
President Benson noted that a sign of how important the Pac-10 move is came from Colorado Governor Bill Ritter (Law’81), who met the group of Pac-10 members arriving from California in the morning at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport.
Athletic Director Mike Bohn said the move offered an opportunity to galvanize CU’s donor and alumni base. Others noted that could provide an opportunity to recruit higher caliber student-athletes, and that in general the level of students and also faculty could be expected to improve over the years.
Dave Mozealous (Bus’02), who said he was happy to have been invited to the regents meeting and press conference because he is a season ticket holder, said he thought the move to the Pac-10 was “awesome” and “great for CU.” Dave works long distance for New York learning software company Articulate.
Forever Buffs Network
A great move for the Buff family as a whole. Sad to see Big 12 rivalries come to an end though.
That guy Dave Mozealous sounds really smart.
By george he sure does!! :-D
I’m writing as a CU Alumni Board member to support CU’s decision to join the PAC-10 and thank Mike Bohn, Chancellor DiStefano and all others who worked hard to make this happen while keeping CU’s dignity and reputation intact. The workings behind this bold move was hinted to us in Bohn’s short but interesting presentation to the board this past Spring. He laid out the complications of a switch, but made it clear that all parties were seriously considering it but keeping it under wraps to maintain outward support for the Big 12. I think the straw poll held among board members at the end was telling and support from the board seemed overwhelming (especially compared to his question about joining the Mountain West.) Even with inherent complications and obvious benefits to athletics, the move to the PAC 10 makes sense from a alumni, fundraising, and academic standpoint.
I think this move presents exciting new opportunities to reach alumni and raise our profile through targeted strategic communications. With the groundwork being laid by the great efforts of our Alumni board committees, members and staff, we’ll be well-positioned to take advantage of the buzz and ride the wave from this upcoming alliance.
I’m very excited about this and hope it works out as planned.
Best,
Glenn Asakawa
University of Colorado Boulder
Assistant Director/Photography and Video
University Communications