CSU President Prepares For Absence Of State Funding

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4)- The president of Colorado State University said the school will have to prepare for a time when it no longer receives any state funding.

CSU President Tony Frank gave his annual address to students and faculty on Thursday morning.

He said this fall's incoming students are the largest, most academically-qualified class in CSU's history.

CSU is reporting an enrollment record for a fourth straight year with its largest-ever freshman class of 4,544 students and total enrollment of 26,769 students.

The overall enrollment is just above last year's total of 26,735 students, which was then an all-time high.

CSU says 872 racially and ethnically diverse freshmen make up 19.2 percent of this year's incoming class, while out-of-state students make up about one-fourth of the freshman class. The university says nearly one in four new freshmen will be the first in their family to earn a college degree.

Frank emphasized the potential problems on the horizon when it comes to funding for higher education.

"Unless there are fundamental changes in the way in which we as citizens entrust resources to each other in the state in which we call home there will no longer be funding for higher education in the state of Colorado," said Frank.

Although Frank said de-funding could be years down the road he is already preparing CSU to make such changes.