CSU Spur, Water in the West, and Beyond: Sharing Stories to Inspire Action

Starting in 2022, the CSU System will launch a new facility in downtown Denver: CSU Spur. The three buildings on the CSU Spur campus will focus on food, water, and health — three significant issues facing both Colorado and the world. 

What is CSU Spur?

CSU Spur is part of a larger partnership between the Colorado State University System, City and County of Denver, Western Stock Show Association, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and History Colorado, the founding partners of the National Western Center (NWC) redevelopment project. 

The original purpose of the partnership was to ensure that the National Western Stock Show stayed in Denver, but the scope expanded when the CSU System joined the project as its educational anchor.

The CSU Spur campus will offer experiential educational opportunities for residents of all ages on topics ranging from food systems discovery, water research, and animal and human health offerings. The aim of the CSU Spur campus—and CSU System at large—is to create programming that makes a lasting, positive impact on our communities and the world.

The 2020 Water in the West Symposium

In November of 2020, CSU Spur hosted the third annual (and first virtual) Water in the West Symposium, an event focused on the critical role of storytelling in building public awareness of serious social issues. 

The focus of this year’s symposium was the vital role that storytelling plays in environmental movements. There’s no shortage of data and expertise in the area of water rights, water usage, climate change, worsening drought, and other significant issues of great concern to our western communities. The problem is communication: How do experts and citizens adequately convey the urgency of their messaging?

CSU System Chancellor Tony Frank emphasized the timeliness and collaborative nature of the symposium in his opening remarks:

“The stories shared and conversations sparked at Water in the West are even more important today than they were a year ago when we convened in person,” said Frank. “Today, we continue the work of the Water in the West Symposia, connecting across disciplines, across sectors, across the country, to learn how we can all be more effective in our work to elevate water challenges in the local and national consciousness.”

CSU Global is proud to join its CSU System partners in its efforts to shed light on the most critical issues of our time, and we’re confident that the new CSU Spur campus will play an essential role in this initiative.

Sharing Stories and Resources to Address Global Challenges

Companies are keenly aware of the immense benefits of gathering collective input of their customers. Whether it’s to launch a new product, make branding and website changes, or collect stories to further their marketing efforts, organizations have started to leverage their existing audiences to tackle issues.

The MIT Solve Initiative is another such effort, and CSU Global is proud to sponsor MIT’s efforts to use the capabilities of our global community for good. Through a worldwide marketplace of ideas, the program has committed more than $25 million to 200 partnerships, focusing on issues from under-resourced schools to protecting coastal coral reefs. CSU Global’s vast network of people with a wide variety of backgrounds, priorities, and skill sets makes us a perfect fit for collaborations such as these. 

Join the CSU Global Community

Since our founding in 2007, CSU Global has remained committed to helping our students change the world. If you’re ready to take on some of the most intriguing issues on the planet, you need the flexibility and specialization that only an online degree can offer. If you’re ready to see what a degree or certificate from CSU Global can do for you, there’s no better time to get started.