David Axelrod joins 2020 CSU Spur Symposium

David Axelrod — former chief strategist and senior advisor to President Barack Obama — will join the lineup of speakers for the CSU Spur Water in the West Symposium, to be held virtually Nov. 18-19, the CSU System announced on Thursday.

Mr. Axelrod, a political strategist and commentator, currently serves as the founding director of the University of Chicago’s nonpartisan Institute of Politics and as a senior political commentator for CNN. He is also the host of The Axe Files, a top-rated podcast featuring in-depth conversations with public figures across the political spectrum.

The annual Water in the West Symposium is a convening of water experts across diverse platforms, and is meant to providemultidisciplinary networking and solution-based thinking. A dialogue between Mr. Axelrod and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on Nov. 19, will conclude the Symposium.

“David Axelrod brings an astute and experienced voice in helping understand not only what happened with an election but as importantly what will happen as a result of an election. His insight will help set the stage for what Colorado and the West can expect as we tackle the challenge of water in the West,” Vilsack said.

Since beginning in 2018, the Symposium has drawn experts ranging from former Whole Foods’ CEO Walter Robb and Claudia  Ringler with the International Food Policy Research Institute to Coca-Cola’s Bruce Karas and Ted Kowalski of the Walton FamilyFoundation’s Colorado River Initiative. The event is an annual offering of the future CSU Spur campus that will be complete in2022 in north Denver, and will be a hub for education, innovation, and collaboration around the issues of water, food, and health.

TONY FRANK

Chancellor, CSU System

Dr. Tony Frank is the Chancellor of the CSU System. He previously served for 11 years as the 14th president of CSU in Fort Collins. Dr. Frank earned his undergraduate degree in biology from Wartburg College, followed by a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. and residencies in pathology and toxicology at Purdue. Prior to his appointment as CSU’s president in 2008, he served as the University’s provost and executive vice president, vice president for research, chairman of the Pathology Department, and Associate Dean for Research in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. He was appointed to a dual role as Chancellor in 2015 and became full-time System chancellor in July 2019.

Dr. Frank serves on a number of state and national boards, has authored and co-authored numerous scientific publications, and has been honored with state and national awards for his leadership in higher education.

Dr. Frank and his wife, Dr. Patti Helper, have three daughters.

Wave art
CSU Spur is turning 2! Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025.

It’s our anniversary!

It’s our anniversary! CSU Spur has been fully open to the public, sharing hands-on, family-friendly activities around food, water, and health for two years. Join us on Saturday, Jan. 11, for 2nd Saturday activities, including desserts, a mariachi performance, face painters, horses on treadmills, veterinarians in surgery, scientists in labs, and more. The celebration is from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and CSU Spur will be open 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; no registration required, all public activities are free.

2nd Saturday at CSU Spur is presented by Canvas Credit Union.

JOCELYN HITTLE

Associate Vice President for CSU Spur, Colorado State University

Jocelyn Hittle is primarily focused on the CSU Spur campus at the National Western Center, and on supporting sustainability goals across CSU’s campuses. She sits on the Denver Mayor’s Sustainability Advisory Council, on the Advisory Committee for the Coors Western Art Show, and is a technical advisor for the AASHE STARS program.

Prior to joining CSU, Jocelyn was the Associate Director of PlaceMatters, a national urban planning think tank, and worked for the Orton Family Foundation. She has a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton, and a Masters in Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

Jocelyn grew up in Colorado and spends her free time in the mountains or exploring Denver.

Wave art

We’ll see you Saturday!

2nd Saturday at CSU Spur is 10 a.m.-2 p.m. this Saturday (May 10), and we’re celebrating Mother’s Day with all kinds of spring activities, including mariachi performances, songwriting labs, a Temple Grandin Equine Center equine-assisted therapy demonstration, a visit from the Sci on the Fly truck, and more!