2025

Reflection

Your Impact in Action

Because of You, CSU’s Promise Remains Boundless

Colorado State University was built on the groundbreaking ideals of the Morrill Act, charting a future for Colorado even before the state took shape. That boundless vision still defines our aspirations today: advancing knowledge, expanding opportunity, and upholding the democratic promise that education can change everything. Thanks to your generosity, that legacy continues to grow stronger as we approach Colorado’s 150th year, with Rams leading boldly into the future we’re building together.

donors in 2025
gave for the first time
$M
given by donors like you
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Opening Doors

This year, you opened doors to opportunity, expanding access to a CSU education and widening pathways to a flourishing future.

“Being a first-generation graduate, it looks like I can do anything. There is a lot of self-exploration; not only self-discovery but path discovery. There’s not a trailblazer in front of me. It is part choose your own adventure and part figure it out as you go along.”

Christina Horn (‘06)

“I want to be for other kids what my doctors were for me and take my experience with leukemia and make something good come of it.”

Milayo Garner (’26)

“Our land-grant mission is providing access, for everyone, and that truly is what Universal Design is: it’s access for every learning style and type within an environment.”

Dr. Patrice Palmer, assistant dean, College of Business
+
students received scholarships funded by donors in academic year 2024-25
%
of gifts in 2025 directly supported student and faculty initiatives
+
donors supported scholarships 
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Accelerating Breakthroughs

This year, you accelerated breakthroughs, fueling discoveries that improve lives far beyond campus.

“This is an exciting moment for CSU – our research is breaking new ground, our donor support is stronger than ever, and we’re enrolling more students than at any point in our history. Our research enterprise is thriving, tackling global challenges and creating real-world solutions. And our students benefit from this directly as they learn from the top minds in their fields and have opportunities to contribute to research that’s shaping the future.”

Amy Parsons, CSU president

“As a land-grant university, CSU has always focused on grappling with society’s biggest challenges and finding ways to make people’s lives better. It takes creativity, teamwork, and an entrepreneurial drive. We have the expertise, ingenuity and infrastructure to sustain discovery, even as we navigate a period of change.”

Cass Moseley, vice president of research

“When groups come together in the accelerator, we see them inspire each other, find opportunities to collaborate and take projects to new levels. We’re also seeing that the innovations and lessons learned in each cohort are transferable to other regions and can support improved progress to address climate change and other challenges.”

Leslie Harroun, executive director of the Salazar Center

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Supporting Each Other

This year, you gave Rams the support they needed to serve communities and succeed together.

“They help Colorado gardeners know what to grow, how to grow it, and how to deal with challenges we all face in our gardens.”

Chris Hilgert, director of the Colorado Master Gardener Program and horticulture state specialist

“We’ve heard so many incredible stories from these young students. It’s really an honor to be able to help them.”

Scott Anderson (‘97), Sean Ranch Lough Foundation founder

“I think that there’s this misconception of a researcher being this person that sits alone in a lab and is very analytical and unfeeling, but that’s not what I’ve seen. It’s all driven by a love of people and community, and a desire to do good.”

Tirzah Rowe (‘27)

+
student donors
%
of 2025 gifts less than $250
faculty and staff donors
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Stepping Into the Future

This year, you helped us step boldly into the future, advancing our land-grant mission with purpose.

“This moment has been a long time coming. Our students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and fans are hungry for this move and are going to love what comes next as CSU charts a transformational new course as a member of the Pac-12.”

John Weber, athletics director

“Now I’m able to help build out this incredible cardiac platform that’s going to be the spot for young people who want to learn cardiac care. If we’ve got the team at CSU to do it, then people need to have the ability and the access to get their dogs and cats fixed up and not have to say goodbye when they don’t need to.”

Don Lockton

“Don has helped so many animals, but we started to talk about how do we push this to another level to help us continue to be at the forefront, to train the next generation, to have the newest equipment, to be able to help more animals and cover their care, to be the preeminent center for veterinary cardiology in the world.”

Dr. Brian Scansen, head of CSU Cardiology

members of CSU Alumni Association
number of countries donors gave across, including all 50 U.S. states
1870 Club members

Because of you, we step into the future ready to meet it.

This year, you and every donor opened doors for thousands of students, accelerated breakthrough research, and strengthened programs that support our campus and beyond. Your support helped CSU lead with purpose at a moment when education and connection have never mattered more.   

Explore previous years’ Reflections

2023 reflection
2024 reflection