Colorado State University Bets on a Stadium to Fill Its Coffers

Rachel Bachman:

Colorado State University has seen the future of higher education, and it has goal posts and end zones.

Faced with declining state funding, CSU is raising money to build a $246 million, 40,000-seat football stadium on its Fort Collins campus. University President Tony Frank says the new facility will help build a winning football team while advancing one of the school's highest priorities: attracting more out-of-state students paying higher tuition.

Skeptics, including some alumni and faculty, see the project as a boondoggle--especially for a team that plays in a relatively low-profile athletic conference and doesn't sell out its current 32,500-seat stadium off campus. The debate has sparked dueling websites, animated letters to the editor and arguments about the role of sports at a university.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at September 30, 2013 12:11 AM
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