Editors: A library of photographs and slides is available from this year聮s trip. Contact Kent Zimmerman 303-492-8484.
It just keeps getting better and better 聟 that聮s the verdict on CU-Boulder聮s second annual Colorado traveling seminar, which looks set to become a regular fixture on the university calendar.
At 6 a.m. on May 17, the Monday after commencement, this road show rolled out of Boulder taking 20 people on a tour-with-a-difference to southern parts of the state.
Those on board the bus were mostly professors, a mix of newer faculty members and more seasoned staff, drawn from schools and colleges throughout the 乐播传媒 at Boulder.
The trip was intended to make them aware of Colorado聮s social, economic and geographical diversity, which meant visiting places such as prisons, schools, remote tourism attractions and small rural communities, and meeting the people who live and work there.
Kent Zimmerman, president and chief executive officer of the university聮s Alumni Association and one of the main organizers of this event, said the trip was designed to "put the professors in front of the people of Colorado."
The free six-day seminar has a number of other aims, says Zimmerman, one of which is to show appreciation to faculty and thank them for their efforts throughout the academic year.
The trip also fosters interaction and camaraderie among faculty and staff from different schools and colleges, spreads the word about the benefits of attending CU-Boulder and helps maintain contact with alumni in far-flung places.
While numbers almost doubled this time, Zimmerman said 28 people would be the maximum in the future for logistical purposes and to maintain the personal contact between professors and the people they meet along the way. He said if demand continued to increase, a winter tour might be added.
This year聮s itinerary began with a visit to NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) in Colorado Springs, after which the faculty members toured a youth correction center in Pueblo.
On the second day the group went into the Ute Mountain tribal reservation for a private visit to some of the Anasazi ruins in the park, and by way of contrast they later visited a llama farm near Durango.
The next day they talked with staff and students at two high schools in the area and at Fort Lewis College before taking the train to Silverton for lunch with business leaders at the chamber of commerce.
Other key stops included a Palisade winery, the dinosaur museum in Grand Junction, Colorado National Monument, Glenwood Springs and the Breckenridge ski area. Zimmerman said another of the highlights was a ranch cook-out complete with horse riding, campfire singalong and dancing.
He said it was fun and a chance to present the friendly face of CU. It also provided an opportunity to change preconceptions and connect with alumni.
The driving force behind the traveling seminar is Peter Spear, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, who saw the idea working at other universities and decided to start something similar here last year. Funding comes from the dean of each participant聮s school or college.
Spear described the exercise as a "journey of contrasts and discovery" -- a trip designed for faculty members to learn more about the state and for the state to learn more about CU-Boulder and its staff.