The Commission's Aspen Retreat; Grand Valley's new Computer News.

• Author: KERVEN, ANNE

That's one. Gov. Bill Owens capped the two-day Governor's Commission on Science and Technology's Aspen retreat by signing an executive order cracking down on software piracy. Owens noted it was the first recommendation from the commission he established to advise him. The order sends "a clear message to software pirates that Colorado has zero tolerance," he said. State agencies and any recipients of state funds must use and buy only Legally licensed software. Colorado's one of three states with such an order (with California and Nevada). The move is seventh on the commission's 10-initiative Policy Agenda 2000.

Of course, zero tolerance is quite a drop from the present level. Some 27% of the software in Colorado overall is pirated, said Microsoft State Government Affairs-Western Regional Manager Daniel Bross, who flew in from Seattle for the event. "The economic impact (on Colorado) is into the millions of dollars a year ($500 million, Microsoft reports)," he said. Copies made in an office or home make up a small percentage of that. "This is organized crime," he said. [ldots]

What Aspen retreat? It's OK not to know. Talk of the US West/Qwest affair has taken up a lot of the local tech attention. The Aspen Winter Retreat of the Governor's Commission on Science and Technology at the Hotel. St. Regis was sponsored primarily by American Management Systems in Golden and Hopkinton, Mass.-based [EMC.sup.2] (with offices in Englewood, Broomfield and Colorado Springs). "Our department didn't have the budget" for the event, said Marc Holtzman, Colorado secretary of technology.

The 60-member commission and 22 speakers met to discuss the state's high-tech status, including convergence, the state's digital divide, marketing the state, policy, education and workforce, and the Colorado Institute of Technology.

Next, commissioners fan out over the state to talk tech with regional business and civic leaders, returning by June 20 for Tech Vision 2000, at which Microsoft Chief Software Architect Bill Gates will speak. Gates also will speak that week at J.D. Edwards' Annual User Group Conference Focus 2000 at the Colorado Convention Center. [ldots]

At the retreat, CIT's new chancellor, Dave Laube, who doubles as US West's CIO, stressed business/education partnerships. "Not a chance" can a prof with a full load teach an e-commerce course and keep up on the industry, he said. Business' role: Join the advisory council, send top people to help teach, and donate...