President Greg Salsbury and Dean Bobby Braun discuss partnership – Western Colorado University

In September 2018 at Western Colorado University before a capacity crowd at the Kincaid Concert Hall in Quigley Hall, University of Colorado Boulder College of Engineering & Applied Science Dean Bobby Braun and Western Colorado University President Greg Salsbury took the stage to announce the formation of an innovative partnership between the two universities.

An $80 million gift from Paul M. Rady ’78 had made possible the formation of the Western Colorado University-University of Colorado Boulder partnership program and the foundation of a state-of-the-art Paul M. Rady School of Computer Science & Engineering. Within the partnership program, which will welcome its first class in fall 2019, Western Colorado University students can graduate with a B.S. degree from the University of Colorado Boulder.

In a recent blog, Braun touted the new partnership program, which allows students to remain at Western Colorado University the entire four years to complete either a Mechanical Engineering or Computer Science degree from the University of Colorado Boulder.

“As a student in either partnership program, you can expect hands-on engineering projects starting your first year and personalized attention from faculty members who care,” Braun said. “When you graduate with a prestigious CU Boulder degree—ranked No. 17 in the nation among public universities—you’ll join a network of more than 40,000 alumni and dozens of industry partners who can help you make the leap into a fulfilling and profitable career.”

Currently under construction at the gateway to Western Colorado University’s campus, the Paul M. Rady School of Computer Science & Engineering will offer versatile teaching and lab spaces—including advanced instrumentation rooms, faculty offices and two large theater-style classrooms. It also includes indoor and outdoor spaces designed to promote a collaborative learning environment.

“This generous investment from Mr. Rady provides Western with the single greatest transformative opportunity in our history—allowing us to combine our historical strengths with cutting edge technical education,” said Salsbury.

To read Braun’s “Apply to become a CU Boulder engineer on the Western Slope,” visit colorado.edu.

For more information about the Western Colorado University-University of Colorado Boulder partnership program, visit western.edu/rady.