Colorado State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts

Colorado State University

Former names	Colorado Agricultural College (1870–1935) Colorado State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (1935–1957)
Type	Public flagship Land-grant
Established	1870
Academic affiliations	APLU URA
Endowment	$286.3 million (2016)
Chancellor	Tony Frank
President	Tony Frank
Academic staff	1,468
Administrative staff	4,379
Students	43,058 (Fall 2017)
Undergraduates	33,688 (Fall 2017)
Postgraduates	10,370 (Fall 2017)
Location	Fort Collins, Colorado, U.S. 40°34′29.41″N 105°4′51.52″W / 40.5748361°N 105.0809778°W / 40.5748361; -105.0809778Coordinates: 40°34′29.41″N 105°4′51.52″W / 40.5748361°N 105.0809778°W / 40.5748361; -105.0809778
Campus	Urban
Colors	Green, Gold, White
Nickname	Rams
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division I – Mountain West
Mascot	CAM the Ram
Website	www.colostate.edu

APLU

Colorado State University (also referred to as Colorado State, State, and CSU) is a public research university located in Fort Collins, in the U.S. state of Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.

The current^[update] enrollment is approximately 44,058 students, including resident and non-resident instruction students. The university has approximately 2,000 faculty in eight colleges and 55 academic departments. Bachelor's degrees are offered in 65 fields of study, with master's degrees in 55 fields. Colorado State confers doctoral degrees in 40 fields of study, in addition to a professional degree in veterinary medicine.

In fiscal year 2012, CSU spent $375.9 million on research and development, ranking 60th in the nation overall and 34th when excluding medical school spending.

Arising from the Morrill Act, the act to create the university was signed by the Colorado Territory governor Edward M. McCook in 1870. While a board of 12 trustees was formed to "purchase and manage property, erect buildings, establish basic rules for governing the institutions and employ buildings," the near complete lack of funding by the territorial legislature for this mission severely hampered progress.

The first 30-acre (120,000 m²) parcel of land for the campus was deeded in 1871 by Robert Dazell. In 1872, the Larimer County Land Improvement Company contributed a second 80-acre (320,000 m²) parcel. The first $1000 to erect buildings was finally allocated by the territorial legislature in 1874. The funds were not, however, and trustees were required to find a matching amount, which they eventually obtained from local citizens and businesses.

Among the institutions which donated matching funds was the local Grange, which was heavily involved in the early establishment of the university. As part of this effort, in the spring of 1874 Grange No. 6 held a picnic and planting event at the corner of College Avenue and West Laurel Street, and later plowed and seeded 20 acres (80,000 m²) of wheat on a nearby field. Within several months, the university's first building, a 16-foot (4.9 m)-by-24-foot red brick building nicknamed the "Claim Shanty" was finished, providing the first tangible presence of the institution in Fort Collins.