This year’s Colorado State University Founders Day Medal is being awarded posthumously to Joe Blake, who was the first chancellor of the CSU System, a former member of the Board of Governors and a prominent donor to the College of Liberal Arts.
The Founders Day Medal was launched in 2010 to commemorate CSU’s birthday on Feb. 11. The medal recognizes an individual, family or group whose service and contributions have created a significant, lasting impact on the University’s history and progress toward future goals. The medal will be presented to Blake’s family later this year.
Blake, who passed away in February 2022, became an enthusiastic advocate for the CSU System and its campuses when former Gov. Bill Owens appointed him to serve on the Board of Governors in 2006. Blake became the System’s first full-time chancellor in 2009, a post he held until 2011. He continued to work for the System as chancellor emeritus and as a highly successful fundraiser for campus programs and scholarships up until he died.
Donation to CLA
His love for the liberal arts spurred him to donate $5 million to the College of Liberal Arts to recognize and elevate the college’s faculty and academic excellence. It was the largest gift in the history of the college at the time. He also created the Blake Leadership Scholars program to support high-achieving students in developing their skills as critical thinkers so they could be well-prepared as future leaders and citizens.
“It is such a pleasure to see Joe Blake recognized on Founders Day,” said Benjamin C. Withers, dean of the College of Liberal Arts. “Among his many achievements, Joe’s contributions to CLA allowed us to found two signature programs: the Blake Leadership Scholars and the Blake Center for Engaged Humanities. Not just his generosity but his personal example are behind both: his interest in each person he encountered, his understanding that we as people have more in common than we have difference.”
Withers added that Blake’s legacy is especially important to remember in today’s divided political climate and during CSU’s Thematic Year of Democracy.
“In this time of partisanship, Joe would help us see that there is not ‘the other side’ to problems we face; rather there are friends to be made who’ll help find solutions,” he said. “That is a foundation to build on.”
Enduring legacy
CSU President Amy Parsons said Blake had a lasting positive effect on the University.
“CSU has been forever impacted by Joe’s contributions,” she said. “Through his work, his advisement and his generosity, he advanced excellence across our community, from students to faculty and staff. Joe made an amazing difference in so many lives, including my own. His advocacy had broad ripples, and he connected countless friends and supporters to our university. The Founders Day Medal is a fitting recognition of Joe’s legacy, which will continue to support generations of students.”
“Many, many people contribute to the success and advancement of CSU, and Joe was always right out front celebrating that spirit and commitment,” CSU Chancellor Tony Frank added. “The Founders Day Medal honors those remarkable people who have a transformational impact that truly shifts the trajectory of the institution in important ways – whose leadership, influence and example become part of the fabric of who we are. Joe was that person.”
Frank added that Blake was always working to improve education.
“He was the first full-time chancellor of our System, a tireless advocate for education at all levels and an unabashed champion of CSU’s land-grant mission,” he said. “He was a model of grace, goodwill and good humor, and up until he died, he was hard at work behind the scenes working to create opportunities for our students and faculty. This is a wonderful way to honor his lasting impact.”
A Denver native
A high-profile son of Denver, Blake graduated from East High School and returned to his home state after earning his bachelor’s degree in English literature from Dartmouth College. He then attended law school at the University of Colorado and was part of the executive management team that led the development of Highlands Ranch south of Denver.
He worked for nearly a decade as president and chief executive officer of the influential Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, striving to diversify the regional economy and strengthen ties between business and civic leadership. Along the way, Blake helped bring Major League Baseball to Colorado and served on the boards of many philanthropic organizations. For his tireless work and community advocacy, Blake was inducted into the Colorado Business Hall of Fame in 2017.
In his System leadership roles, Blake helped shape policies that allowed the CSU System to successfully weather the Great Recession. Later, that groundwork helped the System’s campuses get through financial challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also developed a critical strategic plan for the System and supported the successful launch of CSU Global, the nation’s first fully online public university.
Continuing impact
In his emeritus role, the former chancellor remained a champion of CSU’s land-grant mission in Colorado community engagement, economic development, and higher-education access and opportunities for students, including as chair of CSU’s Master of Tourism Management program.
A U.S history buff who acted in community theater, Blake ascribed his career success to a foundation in “the liberating arts,” a phrase he picked up from the president of his Ivy League alma mater during the 1950s.
After Blake’s passing, former Board of Governors Chair Doug Jones – a close friend of Blake’s – said he epitomized community leadership.
“He was always about community first and himself second, and he always found common ground with people. He had an amazing career – what he’s done and where he’s been,” said Jones, noting Blake’s early career as an FBI agent and legislative aide on Capitol Hill, his integral role in creating Highlands Ranch, and his leadership at the Chamber and the CSU System. “Somehow Joe Blake was always able to connect the dots with people, and it was because he genuinely loved humans, he loved people, and he loved Denver.”
Cara Neth contributed to this report.
Past recipients of the Founders Day Medal
2010: The Monfort family
2011: Peace Corps visionary and Professor Maurice Albertson
2012: Philanthropist Pat Stryker
2013: CSU’s eighth president, William Morgan, and his wife, Lilla
2014: Longtime professor Tom Sutherland and his wife, Jean
2015: Decades-long CSU supporters Bob and Joyce Everitt
2016: Veterinary oncology pioneer Dr. Stephen Withrow
2017: Alumnus and Tuskegee Airman John Mosley (posthumously)
2018: Alumnus and business icon Walter Scott, Jr.
2019: CSU’s 12th president, Albert C. Yates
2020: The first woman to graduate from college in Colorado, Libbie Coy (posthumously)
2021: Legendary beef-cattle nutrition scientist and Professor Emeritus John Matsushima
2022: Internationally known reproductive physiology expert George Seidel Jr. (posthumously)
2023: Renowned animal behaviorist and autism advocate Temple Grandin
