In this installment of my series of insider guides to great locations to visit in the United States we visit the glorious State of Colorado. Our tour guide is my Embassy colleague Libbie Wride, who will highlight great things to see and do in our Rocky Mountain State, including some of her favorite Colorado places and adventures off the usual beaten path.

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ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH
by Libbie Wride

It is said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the beauty of Colorado’s magnificent landscape is unquestionable. The State features high plains in the east, adventurous canyons in the west, and the majestic Rocky Mountains in between. Colorado blends outdoor adventure with urban sophistication. Where else can you hike up a 14,000-foot mountain in the morning, and then catch a Broadway-style play later that evening?

Colorado is located in the heart of the United States. The eighth largest State in America by size, it is approximately the same overall square mileage as New Zealand. The eastern part of the State is high semi-arid plains once covered in 4-foot tall grasses and massive herds of bison and prong-horns, and is now covered mostly in grazing lands, and dry-land and irrigated crops, including sweet corn that rivals the summer corn of New Zealand.

The western half of the State is of course the southern Rocky Mountains, rich in history and opportunity, with skiing, hiking, biking, kayaking, and just plain relaxation. Wyoming and Nebraska bound the state on its northern border, with Utah to the west, New Mexico and Oklahoma to the south, and Kansas and again Nebraska to the east. Interestingly, the four States of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet at one common point known as the Four Corners, which is also known as the heart of the American Southwest.

The State was named for the Colorado River, which early Spanish explorers named the Río Colorado due to the red colored silt the river carried from the mountains (in Spanish the word Colorado means Colored). On August 1, 1876, then U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant signed a proclamation admitting Colorado as the 38th state. Colorado is nicknamed the Centennial State because it was admitted to the Union in 1876 — the centennial year of the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The highest point in Colorado is Mount Elbert, soaring a whopping 4401 meters above sea level in the majestic Rocky Mountains.  Colorado is the only U.S. state that lies entirely above 1,000 meters in elevation. In fact, the lowest point in the State (1,011 m) holds the distinction of being higher than the high elevation points of 18 states and the District of Columbia.  Just over five million people live in Colorado, giving it one of the lowest population densities (37th out of 50th States).

Denver, the capitol of Colorado, is the most populous city in the State. The Mile-High City, which is officially measured at 1,609 meters above sea-level (exactly 1 mile), settles the hills and plains that mark the eastern barrier of the Southern Rocky Mountains. The backdrop of craggy mountains scraping the bottom of clouds to the West and blue skies pulled taught over smooth plains to the East maintain the same rugged, outdoors atmosphere of the original frontier settlement from 1858.

Denver’s citizens have a pronounced love for the arts, going so far as to voluntarily tax themselves each year to increase funding for venues such as the Denver Museum of Art, and the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. An established and active jazz and folk music scene has attracted some of music’s greats to live in the state, including John Denver and Bob Dylan. The Mile-High City doesn’t stop at auditory and visual delight, though.

The city is famous as much for its art and museums as for its parks. More than 200 urban parks make up a massive network of rest stops for tired citizens. The largest of these, the City Park, is 314 acres (130ha), contains the Denver Zoo and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Outside the city, hikers and bikers will find a further 14,000 acres (5,665ha) of well-maintained mountain parks.

For those who would rather kick back and enjoy a Coors Light (brewed in Golden, Colorado) while watching a game, the Mile-High city hosts a bevy of professional sporting teams with large, enthusiastic fan bases. The Denver Broncos play American Football at Mile-High Stadium, and have 6 Super Bowl appearances, with two wins. The Colorado Rockies, Denver’s baseball team, play at Coors field. The Colorado Avalanche, who have 2 Stanley Cup victories since they arrived in the city in 1995, are housed in the Pepsi Center alongside the Denver Nuggets, the city’s basketball team.

The folks in Colorado also practice the high art of brewing. The largest breweries in the state include Coors, Anheuser Busch’s Budweiser plant, and the New Belgium Brewing Company. Denver’s breweries combine to make the city number 1 in beer production per capita in America, and number 2 in number of total breweries.

Any student of the art can come to the Great American Beer Festival, held each fall in the city, to sample as many of these masterpieces as they choose.  The festival is an annual tradition in Colorado which dates back to 1982.  An entry ticket not only lets you in the door but will also entitle you to unlimited one-ounce samples of any beers you choose.

Given Colorado’s intense physical beauty, it is natural that our tour will take us to Rocky Mountain National Park.  Northwest of Boulder in the north-central region of the State, the Park covers 416 square miles, is entirely situated above 2,200 meters, and contains over 60 mountains higher than 3600 meters.

In the Park you can witness the full grandeur that Colorado has to offer including the Continental Divide and the headwaters of the Colorado River. Established in 1915, the Park’s long and varied history includes evidence of 10,000 years of human occupation. Its landscape is not limited to mountains; clear lakes and rivers, alpine tundra, beautiful meadows, flora, and sub-alpine forests also dot the terrain.

Over 300 miles of excellent trails offer opportunities for mountain biking, extended hikes, day hikes, short walks, fishing and picnics. In winter you can try cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Rocky Mountains National Park is a must see attraction – after all over 3 million visitors a year can’t be wrong.

You can’t talk about Colorado without highlighting the amazing skiing available in the state.  With 55 peaks over 14,000 ft (4267 meters), Colorado’s “14ers” make for some of the best skiing and snowboarding found in the United States, with powdery slopes beckoning to everyone from beginners, to the double black diamond crowd. Colorado has the highest altitude lift terrain in the United States, contributing to massive amounts of powder during peak season.

Ski season runs from October to April, and resorts range from posh celebrity enclaves like Aspen and Vail, to family-friendly Durango with activities for children and teens, to the adventurous Steamboat Springs, which has produced 69 Winter Olympians – more than any other town in North America. Check out ColoradoSki.com for information on Colorado’s premier winter sport opportunities.

For our next stop, we shift south to Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park, world famous for the distinctive carved-stone and mud-brick cliff dwellings. It was home to the Ancestral Pueblo people who made the mesa tops and valleys their home for more than 700 years, between the 7th and 14th centuries AD. A mesa is a flat-topped, steep sided rocky outcrop, typical in parts of the U.S.

The word Mesa Verde literally means green table in Spanish. Many of the Native American peoples currently living in the American southwest (particularly close to the Four Corners area I mentioned earlier) are direct ancestors of the ancient Pueblo tribes.

Today the park is home to almost 5,000 Puebloan archeological sites. Of the 600 or-so cliff dwellings, the Cliff Palace and Balcony House are perhaps the best known. While the complex apartment-like cliff dwellings would have been occupied by hundreds or even thousands of people at their peak, their main means of protection were simple wooden ladders which could be lifted up and into the dwelling in the event of an attack. These and other sites can be reached independently or with a guided tour.

Now that you’ve seen a bit of what the State has to offer, I’ll take you a bit off the beaten path to some of the spots most dear to my family’s heritage and Colorado’s history. We start with a journey to Craig, in the northwest corner of the State where my great-grandfather Alvor Milton Ranny first settled in 1883.

Alvor spent a year traveling the Colorado wilderness and building his homestead, and kept a diary of that year, jotting down one or two sentences each day. In early 1883, Alvor, his brother Edwin, and three friends left the state of Michigan for the wilderness of Colorado.  A two-day train ride to Pueblo, followed by a one-week mule-train to Denver where they bought horses and supplies marked the beginning of the long journey to establish a new home.

The group left Denver, traveling west along what is now Interstate 70. Alvor’s diary kept a tally of deer and elk that were shot each week, a huge amount of meat for just the five men. As Colorado was in the midst of the silver mining boom, and the meat must have been sold to the miners. About 100 miles west of Denver, the men turned north, traveling up through Yampa to Steamboat Springs, turning west to end in July in what is now Craig. The remainder of the year was spent building cabins and clearing land, establishing the township and a school district. A website of Ranny family genealogy quotes from Alvor:

“In the summer time of 1883 a brother and myself took Horace Greeley’s advice, and went to Pueblo, Col., thence to Denver. Bought a pair of horses, wagon and camping outfit and made a trip over the Rocky Mountains. I kept a daily diary, but the experiences of this trip are fresh in my memory. We traveled slowly, taking plenty of time to catch trout and shoot game. The scenery was charming. The month of June was perfect. We reached this place on July 7, 1883. Here each of us located a 160 acre farm covered with sage brush. We built log cabins bringing the logs from the river bank a mile distant.”

Returning to present day, Fort Collins, along the Front Range, is my home city. Fort Collins boasts an excellent school system, a large high-tech industry, including HP, Intel, LSI, and the cutting-edge Orthopedic Center of the Rockies medical facility. Like the rest of Colorado, the Fort Collins area is a natural and recreational paradise. To the west of town are two splendid 1-day hikes – Horsetooth Mountain and Gray Rock. Or you can sit at Fossil Creek reservoir and watch the bald eagles.

To end the day, head back into town to Coopersmith’s for dinner and a pint of Poudre Pale Ale on the Old Town plaza, or stop at the New Belgium Brewery which has been an industry leader in sustainability and conservation in northern Colorado. New Belgium is the best micro-brewery around, despite what another of the Ambassador’s guest bloggers previously said about Portland, Oregon. A nice, cool Fat Tire amber ale, their flagship brew, or Blue Paddle pilsner lager for a hot summer day always hits the spot.

Fort Collins is also home to Colorado State University, a nationally rated public school of about 25,000 students with the #2 veterinary school in the nation. To celebrate the start of the new scholastic year, each August brings the New West Fest to town.

The entire downtown area is closed off, filled with arts and crafts vendors, beer gardens, street performers, local talents, national performing groups, and thousands of people for three days.  The last time I attended, in 2010, Earth, Wind and Fire headlined the event.  This last year was Allison Kraus and Union Street Station.  Wow.

One of my favorite family vacations when I was younger was a road trip across southern Colorado. Our first stop was Garden of the Gods, another Natural National Landmark just outside Colorado Springs. It has formations of beautiful red sandstone uplifted by the movement of the Rocky Mountains and carved out over eons by rain and wind, telling the story of ancient shallow seas, estuaries, and sand dunes.

In the early 1900’s, Garden of the Gods was a popular honeymoon spot. Elvie Grace Ranny, daughter of Alvor, married Harry Wride (my grandparents), and this is where they came in 1918. It was a full day’s drive over dirt roads at that time. Elvie’s diary of their honeymoon still exists, and it is cute reading.

I am a bit of an historical geology buff and was enthralled with the fossil records during our trip. I could have spent a week trying to determine the prevailing winds that formed the dunes or which direction the water flowed to form the ripples caught in the rock record. Most people however would be content with just one day. So was my family.

So, on we went to Royal Gorge. When it was built in 1929, it was the world’s highest suspension bridge, built 956 feet over the Arkansas River.  Today it is more amusement park, but for all that still an interesting place to visit. I suggest you take a walk across the bridge and stand in the middle looking straight down on the white water rafters zipping through the canyon.

Better yet, take the incline railway to the bottom of the gorge where you will get wet from the mist of the water rushing by. You will see an entirely different perspective of the size of the canyon, the river, and the bridge. New in recent years for the thrill seekers are the zip line where you sit in a small seat and are dangled over the canyon, plus the skycoaster which will drop you at 50 mph from a free-fall tower.

From there, we drove to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. More sand dunes! These are much cooler, however, than the fossils of the Garden. Located just northeast of Alamosa, these 750 foot high dunes look completely out of place against the backdrop of the Sangre de Cristo Mountain range.

What is so fascinating to me is the closed system in this valley. Prevailing winds are from the southwest, constantly moving the dunes towards the mountains.  Mendano and Sand Creeks run down the east side of the dunes at the foot of the mountains, carrying the sand with them and re-depositing it on the valley floor where the winds pick up the sand and blow it once again toward the mountains. Activities include swimming in Mendano and Sand Creeks, hiking the dunes and sliding back down again, bird watching in the wetlands, or star gazing through the clear, cool nights.

Our final stop on that trip before returning home was Telluride for the annual Bluegrass Festival. This festival over the third weekend in June, is one of several outdoor music festivals held each year in Telluride, and one of many various music festivals across the state. For three days, the stage in the middle of the town’s fairgrounds is filled with acoustic instrument musicians from across the country. More than 10,000 people descend on Telluride for this family-friendly festival.

Most festival goers camp in designated forest areas outside the Telluride city limits. If you are lucky, you can get a camp spot in town next to the festival grounds, but don’t expect to sleep much! Everyone brings their instruments, and there are impromptu jams all night long. The Festival grounds are on a first come first served basis – the earlier you get in line, the closer you get to put your blanket to the stage. We put our blanket close to an easily recognizable land mark, and let the girls, ages 10 and 6 at the time, wander where they would. No one would bother them, and everyone would look out for them.

And of course, any mention of Telluride circles us back to Colorado’s world-leading ski culture and beautiful natural surroundings. An old mining town of approximatey 2200 residents, Telluride sits in a box canyon surrounded by steep, forested, snowcapped peaks, with beautiful water falls at the head of the canyon. There is a free gondola that carries you up to the ski areas. An all-season resort, Telluride has world-class hiking, campaing, mountain biking, rock climbing, and more, in addition to skiing.

Had enough? I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface. There is so much more to talk about … Dinosaur National Monument … Denver Center for the Performing Arts … Denver’s 16th St Mall … Fort Collins Symphony and Larimer Chorale … Cheyenne Mountain Zoo … the Million Dollar Road from Durango up to Ouray … Boulder’s Pearl St Mall.

All of those and more are must-see attractions. I encourage you to come see for yourself.

- LW

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I can vouch for what Libbie says. I have been to Colorado several times, from the dynamic city of Denver to the extraordinary ski towns of Beaver Creek, Aspen, and Vail (but unfortunately not yet Telluride). It’s very easy to fall in love with the State, particularly if you like outdoor activities. (I would also suggest that with its superb recreational options, extensive seasonal job opportunities, and strong tertiary education institutions, Colorado is a particularly great place for students.)

For more information about travel to Colorado, things to see and do in the State, and how to plan the details of your trip, take a look at Colorado – Come to Life.

Last year was the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the U.S. Marines and Army to New Zealand during WWII. Scattered around the North Island are reminders of the positive effect their presence had on both the people and the country. Our Consul General in Auckland, Jim Donegan, recently helped mark the opening anniversary of one of those sites – the 39th U.S. General Army Hospital in Cornwall Park. Below, Jim shares highlights of the anniversary ceremony and talks about the history of the hospital. Over to you Jim.

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JD:  Thank you Ambassador. I was honored to participate recently in the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the opening of the 39th U.S. General Army Hospital, organized by Members of the Cornwall Park Trust. The story of the hospital is fascinating, and representative of the close friendship that existed between the United States and New Zealand during WW II – one that continues to grow and flourish today.

The years 1942 and 1943 were precarious, to say the least, for freedom loving nations. Axis Powers had made gains throughout Europe and Asia, and Allied forces were stretched thin. For New Zealand it was a particularly challenging period. Japanese forces were deployed dangerously close in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific islands nearby, and most of its own military was bravely fighting alongside other Allies against the axis powers in Europe and Africa. But the tide was turning.

In the summer of 1942 U.S. Marines began to arrive in New Zealand to begin the long, hard campaign to push the Japanese back, starting with brutal battles such as those that took place in the Solomon Islands. The success of those campaigns would have been impossible without the participation of the people of New Zealand. While their own forces were battling in Europe and elsewhere, New Zealanders adopted the American soldiers as if they were their own, making them feel at home as they prepared to deploy, and nursing them back to health after they had experienced the horrors of war. The hospital that was constructed in Cornwall Park was an example of that care. The facility contained over 1,500 beds; and during its almost two-year lifetime, over 23,000 soldiers were treated, a remarkable record.

Appropriately, once the war was over, the facility turned to peacetime operations as Cornwall Hospital, including maternity care; there were a number of ceremony participants who were born in the maternity wards, and it was a great pleasure to chat with them after my address. It was also an honor to meet and hear about the history of the hospital from Don Taylor, who served there with the intelligence section of the Auckland 5th Battalion in 1943.

While the hospital buildings have long been removed from the park, the original flagpole remains, and during the ceremony members of the World War II Historic Reenactment Society raised one of the (48 star) U.S. flags that flew over the facility in 1943, which is in almost perfect condition thanks to the care it has received from Aucklanders over the years.

After the official ceremony, the many hundreds of participants enjoyed the park and were entertained by the Prohibition Swingtet, the Sisters of Swing, and a display by the Jitterbugs School of Swing Dancing. The Reenactment Society also displayed military vehicles, weapons and equipment and provided briefings about wartime life in Auckland.

All in all, it was an inspiring and enjoyable day for everyone who attended, as well as yet another reminder of the enduring and ever-strengthening bond between New Zealand and the United States.

- JD

One of the most interesting efforts I’ve encountered as Ambassador is the Global Partnership Initiative, launched by former Secretary Clinton in 2009 as part of the Department’s commitment to deploying new tools and approaches of 21st Century Statecraft.

The Global Partnership Initiative (GPI) promotes the creation of strategic collaborations among business enterprises, civil society NGOs, and public institutions to solve problems, maximize the impact of development aid, and stimulate innovation in diplomatic engagement through collective action. It creates a platform to include new participants in development and diplomacy activity in highly impactful ways.

Serving as convener, catalyst, and collaborator, the GPI has thus far worked with more than 1,000 partners and bundled approximately US$ 650 million from private and public sources to tackle chronic problems and address challenges that often get overlooked in traditional diplomatic practice. To give you a flavor of the nature of the effort, I summarize below the GPI’s four flagship initiatives and several of its other projects.

Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves

Nearly half of the people in the world rely on open fires and stoves that emit toxic gases to cook their meals each day, resulting in (by some estimates) up to four million deaths annually. Launched in 2010, the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves seeks to address this preventable health risk by creating a cost-effective, clean cookstove market. The Alliance’s interim goal is to help 100 million homes adopt clean cooking solutions by 2020.

In 2012, the Alliance reached several key milestones including doubling its size to more than 500 partners in 38 countries; publishing a groundbreaking strategy for universal adoption of clean cookstoves and fuels; establishing the first-ever set of international cookstove standards; commissioning several cookstove research and testing centers; and catalyzing more than US$ 150 million in investments for clean cooking research.

That’s an extraordinarily powerful set of steps forward on a serious problem that you probably didn’t know existed. To learn more about the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, including how you can become involved, check out cleancookstoves.org.

Partners For A New Beginning

Launched in April 2010 and chaired by former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, Partners for a New Beginning (PNB) provides a coordinating platform to address youth unemployment rates in the Middle East and North Africa, which are the highest in the world. The program seeks to create partnerships that will produce 20,000 new jobs initially, job training for 40,000 young people, and an ongoing focus on sustainable job creation.

To date, PNB chapters have been launched in Algeria, Egypt, Indonesia, Morocco, Pakistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Jordan, Mauritania, and the Palestinian Territories. Each local chapter identifies country-specific priorities, develops projects that address employment gaps, and works with local and American partners on implementation. PNB and its partners — including Cisco, Coca-Cola, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the International Youth Foundation, Mastercard Foundation, Souktel, and IBM — have launched more than 120 new projects since September 2010. The Aspen Institute serves as the PNB Secretariat. To learn more about the program and how you might be able to get involved, click here.

International Diaspora Engagement Alliance

“Diaspora,” the Greek word meaning “to scatter,” is used in English  to refer to a community of people who live outside their shared country of origin or ancestry but maintain some sort of link to it. In many respects diaspora is a very American concept because the U.S. is home to more immigrants (including my grandparents) than any other nation, and those immigrants send billions of dollars in remittances each year to their families overseas (as my grandparents did). This America-based, global diaspora community holds great potential to connect the U.S. and the rest of the world in a transformative fashion, as well as to influence the direction of development and diplomacy.

Launched at an inaugural Global Diaspora Forum in May 2011, our International Diaspora Engagement Alliance (IdEA) is structured as a non-partisan, non-profit organization managed via a public-private partnership between the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Migration Policy Institute. More than 1,500 diaspora communities groups, businesses, and public institutions have already convened on IdEA collaborations including investment, capacity-building, enterprise mentoring, and volunteer projects overseas driven by diaspora communities in the U.S.

 

IdEA has also sponsored four competitions to spur entrepreneurship and business development in target regions. The Caribbean IdEA Marketplace, African Diaspora Marketplace, and Latin American Idea Partnership (La Idea) have all effectively leveraged the strength and expertise of diaspora communities to stimulate economic activity. I was pleased to join Secretary Clinton in the Cook Islands during the Pacific Islands Forum in July 2012 to launch the fourth competition – the Pacific Islands Diaspora Marketplace.

Our intention is to continue to catalyze innovation, engagement, and impactful giving by diaspora communities through an annual Global Diaspora Forum. The 3rd Forum is scheduled for May 14-15, 2013 and will expand to multiple cities instead of just Washington, DC. This year’s focus will include developing a diaspora volunteer corps and creating a more structured platform for diaspora philanthropy.

Accelerating Market-Driven Partnerships

The fourth and newest anchor program of the GPI is called Accelerating Market-Driven Partnerships, or AMP. Announced last April during the Secretary’s Global Impact Economy Forum, AMP is intended to bring together a coalition of government, business, and non-profit entities to develop, seed, and scale innovations that generate revenue opportunities while also strengthening communities and protecting the environment.

The first AMP pilot project is in Brazil, where recent economic growth lifted more than 30 million Brazilians out of poverty but created significant environmental and social challenges. AMP is working to facilitate strategic relationships between the government and potential corporate partners to address those challenges through development of new business models that will attract private enterprise. For example, AMP is working to bring to market new solutions in waste recycling, e-waste, and bio-degradable packaging — a multi-billion dollar potential market opportunity that creates jobs, relieves pressure on the government, and benefits the environment.

Other Projects

In addition to the four large flagship programs described above, the Global Partnership Initiative is working to facilitate a number of other collaborative, enterprise-based, cross-border projects. I will just mention a few of those by way of example.

Liberalizing Innovation Opportunity Nations (LIONS@FRICA). In 2012, the State Department launched the LIONS@FRICA partnership at the World Economic Forum on Africa. Linking key public and private sector partners, the effort is intended to strengthen Africa’s startup and innovation ecosystem, promote and facilitate new investments in Africa’s technology entrepreneurs, and foster innovative business models.

Mekong Technology Innovation Generation and Entrepreneurship Resources (TIGERS@Mekong). This month (February 2013), GPI is launching TIGERS@Mekong, a new public-private platform designed to boost competitiveness and stimulate growth in target Mekong Delta economies by training and supporting young innovators and entrepreneurs.

The Global Equality Fund. Last year GPI launched a new partnership with the mGive Foundation to promote the State Department’s Global Equality Fund by means of a mobile giving campaign. The Global Equality Fund provides support for civil society groups around the world that are working to protect the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

I have occasionally quarreled with diplomacy traditionalists who don’t see the foreign affairs point of any of the above activity. I think that a Metternichian focus is far too narrow and self-defeating in our modern era. Diplomacy has always been about building relationships, finding commonalities, and creating productive networks and partnerships. When practiced wisely, diplomacy uplifts, empowers, and stabilizes. It defuses potential conflict and avoids potential upheaval.

That’s what the Global Partnership Initiative is intended to do. It is impactful, strategic diplomacy at its finest, an inclusive idealism firmly rooted in pragmatic, results-oriented realism. And it saves, enriches, and enhances the lives of millions of people around the world, which elevates all of us. Sounds right to me.

This 11th installment in my series of articles about great American universities brings us to a place I haven’t discussed previously, the “Show Me State” of Missouri, near the geographic center of the continental U.S.

The University of Missouri — the flagship of the State’s university system — is one of the most well-regarded tertiary education institutions in the Midwest. It was the first school in the world to offer a degree in journalism, and U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks it in the Top 100 of America’s thousands of universities and colleges. 

I have never been to the University myself, but my Educational Adviser, Drew Dumas, is an expert — he earned a bachelor degree in journalism there and then worked in the school’s international office. I’ve picked his brain for insights and personal recollections, and this article is based on his experiences. 

Colloquially referred to as Mizzou, Drew’s alma mater was established in Columbia, Missouri in 1839 as the first public university west of the Mississippi River. The University grew rapidly from its initial focus on agriculture and engineering, and now comprises 19 individual schools and colleges. Mizzou is one of only 34 public schools in the elite Association of American Universities.

Mizzou is home to more than 34,000 students and 2,100 professors and instructors. The majority of students take classes on the main campus, which consists of 345 buildings spread across 1,250 acres (505 hectares) of land just south of the Columbia downtown. If all of the experimental labs, farms, and other off-campus locations are taken into account, Mizzou occupies an astounding 19,425 acres (7,861 hectares).

The main campus is divided in two by color. The old core of the University is situated around Francis Quadrangle in the Red Campus, so called for the color of the bricks used. This section of campus also contains The Columns, the last remnants of the University’s original building — old Academic Hall — which burned down in 1892. The 6 columns of the Hall’s entrance stand where they always have, preserved as a National Historic Landmark.

The White Campus, with neo-Gothic-style buildings, is named for the color of the limestone used in its construction. Memorial Union, built in remembrance of Mizzou alumni who died in World War I, is the central structure on White Campus. To the south lie most of the student residence halls, the University Hospital, and extensive sports facilities.

Journalism has been one of the University’s many academic strengths since Mizzou established the world’s first school of journalism on September 14, 1908. The program is internationally well-regarded for the depth and diversity of its courses and for its “hands-on” approach. It consistently places high in elite rankings, particularly with respect to post-graduation job placement.

There is great flexibility to craft your own custom curriculum, and students may choose from a wide range of work/study environments including a local NBC newsroom (the only commercial affiliate newsroom used for university training in the country), a public radio studio, the local newspaper or magazine, and alternative studios such as Newsy. The famous “Missouri Method” puts students in a position to actually write, lay out, report, or produce the news, rather than simply observe professionals.

Drew tells me that the journalism school excels in networking, each week bringing speakers to town from media giants such as Google, CNN, and the Associated Press to interact directly with students. Also, there’s a powerful Mizzou Mafia — composed of the large number of prominent alumni of the journalism school — which actively seeks and hires Mizzou grads.

Another highly regarded school at Missouri is the Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business. Its MBA program was recently ranked among the best in the United States by Business Week, the undergraduate program ranked in U.S. News & World‘s top 50, and the school ranked #1 overall for having the lowest cost to students. Public Accounting Report ranked Mizzou’s masters and PhD degress in accountancy 13th and 11th in the country, respectively.

The business school places significant emphasis on out-of-classroom learning and provides several workshop and professional seminar series for network-building purposes. MBA students formed the Trulaske Consulting Agency, which runs a supplemental, well-funded program of case studies, strategy sessions, and seminars. The school’s Dean – Joan Gabel – was recently honored as one of the rising women stars in business school deanships.

One of the first schools established at Mizzou was the College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (CAFNR). For all of its more than 170 years in existence, CAFNR has been considered one of the nation’s elite agricultural education institutions. Particularly well-regarded is its program in plant and animal science research, which is ranked 15th worldwide by Thomson Reuters.

CAFNR’s research programs are a powerful draw for students. The College’s annual research expenditure is the highest at Mizzou, totallying about US$ 32 million each year. The College operates the Agricultural Research Station, a series of strategically placed farms and research centers around Missouri that afford students and researchers the opportunity to engage in targeted, impactful research on a wide range of issues including drought resiliency, agricultural emissions, and cattle growth.

There are many other excellent programs at Mizzou. I’ll singleout just one more, the College of Engineering. Ranked in the top 5% internationally by Fiske, this College offers rigorous programs at all academic levels which integrate internships, practical field work, independent research, and theoretical discussion in class. Plus, Mizzou engineering students have access to the largest nuclear research reactor of any university in America.

Major corporations (such as Boeing) employ engineering students on campus for commercial research projects, including analysis of different alloys and stress-testing of components. Even undergraduate students work with faculty and major corporations on such projects, and this intense real-world experience coupled with constantly upgraded facilities contribute greatly to the program’s stature.

Among Missouri’s esteemed alumni are entertainment figures such as Brad Pitt (who remains 1 credit shy of his degree), Sheryl Crow, Jon Hamm, and Sally Ann Salsano (creator of Jersey Shore) … sports superstars such as Mike Shannon, Ian Kinsler, Lloyd Carr, and Roger Wehrli … and business icons like Sam Walton, founder of Walmart. And then there’s New Zealand’s own Charlotte Bellis of Sky News and 60 Minutes.

In addition to a loyal alumni corps, Mizzou has deep-set traditions that often date back more than 100 years. The athletic teams are called the Tigers in homage to a local pro-Union Missouri militia of the same name during the American Civil War which guarded the University and town from Confederate raiding parties.

Mizzou’s colors are the black and gold of the stripes of the Bengal tiger, the University’s mascot. Truman the Tiger — named after President Harry S. Truman, a native Missouran – attends most athletic contests as well as many of the community events held on campus and around Columbia during the year.

Competing in the fierce Southeastern Conference, Mizzou is home to an intense sporting culture. For example, in just the last 13 years, 40 of the school’s baseball players have been signed to pro contracts. The football team draws huge crowds, playing at the 70,000-seat Faurot Field, better known as The Zou (a shortened form of Mizzou).

Mizzou’s rivalry with the University of Kansas is one of the most bitter in American collegiate sports, stretching back to the American Civil War. There was exceptionally vicious fighting across the Missouri/Kansas border during the war. Relentless attacks from Kansas provoked a group of Missourans to raid and burn Lawrence, Kansas, home of the University of Kansas. More than 150 years later, neither side has forgiven or forgotten.

Physical combat aside, a particularly beloved area of campus is Speakers Circle, concentric brick and cement circles with slightly raised tiers. On this protected ground anyone may exercise their right to free speech without fear of retaliation, whatever their message. The Circle draws many different characters to the campus, some of whom are eccentric or provocative, fanning vigorous debate.

Then there’s the special relationship with St. Patrick, patron saint of engineers. Engineering Week is celebrated the week of St. Patrick’s Day, with students wearing green to show their affiliation and the dome of Jesse Hall illuminated in vibrant green each night. There is even a stone shamrock inlaid in the walkway of Francis Quadrangle, outside the engineering building. Tradition holds that all those who step on the shamrock at any point while at Mizzou are destined to marry an engineer.

Drew tells me that there are 7 unspoken traditions in which a student must participate in order to be truly considered a Mizzou Tiger. The most innocent of the 7 include standing in Speakers Circle and shouting “I love Mizzou” three times as loudly as possible, riding the bronze tiger statue in Tiger Plaza, and swimming in Brady Fountain. I’ll leave the others to your imagination (or to your googling pleasure), since they are slightly less seemly (including one involving streaking).

Every August freshmen students gather at the iconic Columns in the Quad for Tiger Walk. Students walk or run through the Columns toward Jesse Hall to symbolize their entrance to the University. The event provides an excellent opportunity to connect with fellow students, and most student organizations set up booths and displays around the Quad. Tiger Prowl, a corresponding celebration that takes place each May, involves senior students walking away from Jesse Hall back through the Columns, to symbolize their imminent graduation and reentry into the world.

Mizzou is credited with founding Homecoming, one of America’s greatest and most beloved school traditions. Widespread in high schools and universities, homecoming generally involves the return of alumni, student parties and contests, a parade, speakers, afternoon tailgate parties, and an evening football game, all in celebration of love of and loyalty to school.

Homecoming at Mizzou is invigorated by the more than 70 fraternities and sororities that make up one of the oldest and largest Greek systems in America. About 22% of all Mizzou students participate in the Greek societies, most of which are located just west of campus in million-dollar mansions in what’s known as Greek Town. There is also a line of Greek houses through the middle of campus called Frat Row.

As with many American schools, one of Mizzou’s great assets is its location. Columbia is a vibrant college town of approximately 110,000 residents with rich history, vibrant nightlife, and a friendly, small-community atmosphere. It is surrounded by a sea of corn fields, forests, and beautiful hills and valleys, and the friendly country atmosphere of rural Missouri permeates and enriches the quality of life at the University.

Downtown Columbia (known as “The District”) has historic shopfronts, cobbled streets, parks, clubs, music and other performance venues, hip restaurants, and pubs heavily frequented by students. Drew tells me that among his favorites were (and are) Shakespeare’s Pizza, Harpo’s, and the Broadway Diner.

Perhaps the largest public event in Columbia each year is the Roots ‘N Blues ‘N BBQ Festival. The celebration kicks off late each summer and brings some of the best jazz and bluegrass bands from around America to town. All day and night the Festival hosts live concerts on stages set up in the streets. And there’s a world-class barbeque competition in which the nation’s best grill-masters come to battle for huge prizes. The competing teams grill samples to hand out, giving everyone a chance to taste some of the world’s best BBQ.

Outside Columbia, students and visitors can explore unspoiled nature areas and wilderness. The beautiful Ozark Mountains are nearby. There are caves and walking trails at Rockbridge Park for spelunking, as well as the Katy Trail (the longest recreational rail trail in America), which passes through Columbia on its 240 mile (390 km) run across Missouri.

As you would expect, close at hand are a full array of recreational options …  excellent hiking and camping … fishing … hunting … boating, swimming, sailing … agricultural and ethnic festivals … tractor races … farmers’ markets … huge corn mazes (one of my own favorite challenges) … and much more.

When you’re hankering for a road trip, metropolitan Kansas City is just a 2-hour drive west, and St. Louis is only 1.5 hours east. Just a half hour away is Fulton, where Winston Churchill gave his iconic Iron Curtain Address. And then there’s Branson, a great getaway famous for country-western entertainment and theme parks.

To learn more about life in Columbia and its immediate environs, check out the city’s website. To get a sampling of all the great things to see and do in the State of Missouri, browse VisitMo.com.

For more information about the University of Missouri, including the many fields of study, graduate programs, and opportunities for international students, visit the school’s main website. And of course, feel free to email our Educational Adviser, Drew Dumas, at DumasAG@state.gov with any questions that you may have about Mizzou. He’s got first-hand experience and would be delighted to discuss whether Missouri is right for you.

Next up will be Stanford University in my home state of California, followed by my alma mater, Princeton University. Let me know if you have suggestions for other features thereafter.