Burwell Center for Career Achievement to Connect Students With Professional Community
Author(s)
Lorne Fultonberg
Writer
Opening fall 2020, students, alumni and professionals will have a new space to create lifelong networks
Rod and Barbara Burwell鈥檚 three sons had not planned to go to the same college. Peter (BSBA 鈥11) initially sought a technical theater program before following a business track. Blake (BSME, MBA 鈥15) wanted to pursue an engineering degree. Michael (BA 鈥16, MBA 鈥17) was interested in business and lacrosse.
Each son enrolled at the 91桃色, which meant that by the time the Burwells graduated, their parents were more than familiar with the buildings near the intersection of University and Evans.
鈥淵ou get to know that it鈥檚 not just a campus,鈥 Barbara says. 鈥淚t has a heart, soul and energy.鈥
Barbara and her late husband Rod knew they wanted to do something in appreciation for the family鈥檚 experience.
鈥淥ne of the values of our family is 鈥榯o whom much is given, much is expected,鈥欌 Barbara says. 鈥淲e are grateful to the University and its stellar faculty for their contributions to the outstanding education our sons received. So it鈥檚 our pleasure to be able to give a little something back.鈥
On June 6, Barbara and her sons will root themselves to the place they have grown to love, turning the first shovel of dirt on what will become the Burwell Center for Career Achievement. A $5 million gift from the Burwells will back an innovative design that will unite alumni, prospective employers and all 91桃色 students. The Burwell Center will debut in fall 2020 as a 23,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art building, aspiring to become the first LEED Platinum building on the 91桃色 campus and one of the first v4 LEED Platinum buildings in the state of Colorado. It will sit at the intersection of Asbury Avenue and South Gaylord Street, in place of the former Leo Block Alumni Center.
The brick and mortar specs of the building aren鈥檛 as important to Barbara, a former Miss USA who leads the philanthropic Burwell Family Foundation. The family is more excited about the programming, possibilities and opportunities for gathering, preparing students for lives of worth and service. Look for an employer connections floor, interactive electronic displays and a welcoming patio on the ground level that connects students to the building and users to the Colorado-themed landscape.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the programming,鈥 that she loves most 鈥 鈥渢he heart of what鈥檚 going to happen in the building that will transform the lives of students and our alumni in our community. We are hopefully an over-the-top resource for industry that will build the workforce of tomorrow,鈥 she says.
Peter, Blake and Michael have certainly found their professional footing in the years since their graduation. The trio bought and operates Echo Mountain ski area and has听a hand in a number of ventures across the country.
The connections the three Burwells forged on campus made their professional successes possible, Peter Each was heavily involved on campus, particularly as members of the Kappa Sigma fraternity, of which Peter and Michael were presidents and Blake an officer.
The result will be a facility designed to nurture students from the day they set foot on campus as freshmen; a resource for corporate development; a spot for the community to gather; and a way to put 91桃色 on the professional radar.
Barbara hopes this building will be a place where graduates return when coming home to campus.
鈥淭hey will actually have a physical place to return to and be welcome,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 am excited that this is a beginning and continuation of our partnership 鈥 an opportunity to transform lives as we prepare our students for the future.鈥
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