CSU president Tony Frank sees higher ed funding questions coming to a head.

• Author: Cote, Mike
• Position: EDUCATION - Interview

Tony Frank, who became the 14th president of Colorado State University in June, oversees a campus that includes 25,000 students, 1,400 faculty, 6,500 additional employees and a budget that tops $800 million. ColoradoBiz recently sat down with Frank at CSU's Denver office to discuss funding for higher education

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Q. You've had a philosophical difference with your predecessor, Larry Penley. How do you view the university nationally in terms of fundraising?

A. While I think CSU is very important to the state of Colorado, roughly 20 percent of our enrollment comes from out-of-state students. Graduate programs from across the country are always strongly international. I have no difference of opinion with Larry on that.

Larry believed that there was a good opportunity to get investment capital to come into research universities, essentially as an R&D engine, that venture capital would come in and invest in these ideas broadly and that would be a way to increase funds for this institution. I think we can shorten the pipeline. But I'm not so convinced that will generate a large revenue stream that will help support the institution.

Q. What should happen outside the tuition revenue stream?

A. We can sit here and say our tuition is still less expensive than tuition at comparable institutions. In fact, there's some room for tuition to go up. However, at the same time...