In February, CSU University Distinguished Professor Ed Barbier became the first economist ever to receive the Planet Earth Award from the Alliance of World Scientists – a coalition of 27,000 scientists worldwide who champion science as a basis for addressing global environmental challenges.
Ed was chosen for this highly prestigious honor because he’s widely recognized in the scientific community for helping connect economic theory with ecological realities, providing the intellectual foundation for the argument that economic systems and prosperity are not at odds with environmental stewardship – but in fact, critically intertwined. His knowledge and advice have been sought by industries and the United Nations; his writing and teaching have influenced the study and practice of economics for a generation.
I think of professors like Ed when parents ask me why their student should consider a research university education. Now, I should pause here: one of the great strengths of America’s higher education system is its diversity, which in turn creates an extremely forgiving system. Started at a big school and found it’s not right for you? Transfer is easy. Start at a local community college to live at home and save money? Transferring later works fine. Picked the wrong major? Switching is easy – ask my daughters…. “Life” intervenes, and you need to leave school only to realize later you’re ready and you want that degree? We have pathways built just for that. Start in the trades, establish your own business, need upskilling and a business background? Come on in.
This is not a higher education system that tracks and locks young people into what might not be the right path for their future. And each of the pathways offers something the others do not. The three campuses of the CSU System often offer the same courses and sometimes very similar degrees, but the educational experience is different – and we know that different experiences match well with different students. So don’t read this newsletter as an argument that research universities are “better” than other colleges and universities. Read it instead as an argument for why research universities occupy a critical place in America’s higher education ecosystem – one that deserves our advocacy and needs our protection because America’s research universities remain the foundation of our strength as a country and a global economic power.
Faculty members at research universities teach (and they’re committed to it and good at it), but they are also hired to go further than the classroom – to push the boundaries of what we know and understand. They conduct the science that cures diseases, that inspires new technologies, that answers the unanswered questions. They apply their creativity and curiosity not just to analyze problems, but to devise solutions. They do the methodical and painstaking studies and testing that tell us whether a theory is valid or off-track. And they help instill in their students this disciplined thinking, this measured and balanced approach to learning, that will benefit them in all aspects of their lives. We teach our students what we know – and what we do not know. And my experience tells me that knowing the latter is equally important to knowing the former.
While you may not know it, the research conducted every day at CSU has an impact that makes a difference in your life. Here are just a few examples off the top of my head:
- University Distinguished Professors (UDP) of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Physics Jorge Rocca and Carmen Menoni are working with academic and commercial partners around the world to tap the potential for laser fusion as a robust source of electrical power.
- The late UDP of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology Ian Orme transformed our scientific understanding of tuberculosis and infectious disease – work that continues to shape how we track and cure the spread of devastating diseases worldwide.
- Dr. John Matsushima, still a force at age 105, is one of the most important people in the history of the global cattle industry – a man whose scientific advances in cattle-feeding led to the modernization and expansion of US and global beef production, making it easier and more affordable to produce high-quality beef.
- The late UDP Ed Hoover invented the feline leukemia vaccine that has saved the lives of millions of cats worldwide and provided the first model of a successful retroviral vaccine.
- UDP of Anthropology Kathleen Galvin has led research in the drylands of Africa and East Asia for decades to better understand the human impacts of climate change.
- UDP of Animal Sciences Temple Grandin revolutionized the livestock industry with her innovations focused on humane treatment of animals. Today, the Temple Grandin Equine Center at CSU’s Spur campus models her dedication to animal welfare and behavior by providing equine-assisted services to people who can benefit physically and emotionally.
- And close to home, CSU researcher Mike Bartolo worked with farmers to develop the beloved Pueblo Chile that’s now an agricultural staple in Colorado.
I could keep going. There are countless stories of CSU researchers who have and continue to make a difference. These are the human faces behind the more than half a billion dollars in funded research our faculty carry out every year, to the economic benefit of Colorado. It’s people like these whose work has launched more than 50 start-up companies since 2006. It’s this work that continuously ranks CSU among the nation’s top universities in terms of patents granted.
But I focus on the people more than the numbers because research really matters because of people – the people who do the work and the people who benefit. That includes the students who choose to study at a research university because, for them, the experience is richer and deeper because they’re part of a research community. And it includes everyone reading this, whose lives are safer, healthier, and more abundant thanks to the scholars who ask the questions and seek the answers.
Research universities have a three-fold mission: the discovery of new knowledge, its passage to the next generation, and its application for the betterment of our world. That cycle begins with discovery. And discovery begins with awareness and curiosity – two traits that I think it will be difficult for AI to imitate effectively. Whatever our collective future holds, I think universities will be there – a place for curious humans to drive discovery, improving our lives, and creating the next generation who will look at a problem we couldn’t crack and say, “I wonder…”
– tony
Tony Frank, Chancellor
CSU System
This message was included in Chancellor Frank’s March 2026 newsletter. Subscribe to the Chancellor’s monthly letter.