University of Northern Colorado
Hallmarks and Quirks
Things I'm Good At:
- My school of music is headed by Grammy-nominated jazz composer/pianist, Dana Landry, and it has one of the first full-scale music technology centers in the country.
- Sustainability is really important to me. I was named one of four recipients of the City of Greeley's first Environmental Stewardship Awards, which recognize individuals and businesses for outstanding efforts and strategies for protecting the environment.
- My School of Theatre Arts and Dance is number one in the state. In fact, one of my alumni, Andy Kelso , recently starred in the Broadway musical Kinky Boots. So rad.
- While we're talking about nationally renowned programs, my Monfort College of Business offers the only program of its kind in the region. It's one of five undergraduate-only business programs in America to receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award from the Office of the POTUS and the U.S. Department of Commerce. Yeah, business is good.
My Top 5 Must-Haves:
- A car. Despite my commitment to sustainability (which is real, seriously) Greeley is really spread out and there's no reasonable means of public transit.
- Gloves and swim trunks. Yes, these may sound like the prerequisites for joining the Polar Bear Club, but with the ever-changing Colorado weather, it's important to be prepared for anything.
- Bilingualism, or the desire to maybe learn a little bit of Spanish. In 2010, Greeley boasted a population that's 36% Hispanic or Latino, so knowing a bit of Spanish wouldn't hurt.
- Nose plugs. You had to find out eventually…I'll be real. The worst thing about Greeley is that it's an agricultural town where stockyards and feed lots are abundant. On certain days of the week, the smells created in this town waft as far away as Fort Collins. Yuck.
- A big appetite. So long as the above doesn't put you off. Greeley offers a wide variety of restaurants. There are sushi bars, Mexican food, pizza joints, fancy Italian dining, and steakhouses galore. When dorm food gets to be too much, which it will, you've got options.
Why You Might Have Heard of Me:
- I started out as the State Normal School and was known for teaching teachers. By 1989 (my centennial birthday), I placed fifth in educating the most teachers nationwide.
- My Michener Library is amazing. It's named after one of my more notable alumni, author James Michener, who wrote the book that Rodgers and Hammerstein adapted into the awesome musical South Pacific.
- I'm the really fabulous school in a town that gets a…stinky rep. Sure, there are things not to dig about Greeley, but when you find a school with as much to offer as I do, does it really matter?
On a regular Saturday night, you can find me...
I'm probably kickin' it with my friends from UNC, bar-hopping, and trying to find the best drink specials. If I'm feeling ambitious, I'll enlist a DD to take a crew of folks over to Fort Collins or down to Denver for some real partying.
Favorite Hangouts:
- Cactus Canyon. If you like attractive wait staff, country music, and tons of drink options, you should check out Cactus Canyon.
- Roma. A pizza and beer joint literally minutes from campus? Say no more. Roma offers pizza and a full bar, but also has salads, appetizers, sandwiches, pasta, and desserts. Yum.
- 357 Club. Aside from the Canyon, this is pretty much the only option for kickin' up your heels for a night of dancing, only instead of country, you'll be inundated with the latest and greatest top-forty hits and nightly drink specials.
- Old Chicago's (Old C's to the locals). This classic restaurant has been fairly recently renovated in shiny chrome. The people here are nice, the menu is huge, and there are always way more beers that you can drink on tap every day.
Quirks:
- Locals are welcome and encouraged to take their kid through the dorm halls for trick-or-treating on Halloween. Tots may even come away with goodies such as Ramen noodles or bars of soap. Well, at least they get something.
- Campus is located very close to one of northern Colorado's premier recreational and medical marijuana suppliers. Now that this is a legal pastime in CO, you might expect to see more students hanging in the food court than usual.
- The Carnegie Institute has deemed UNC a Doctoral Research Institution. This means that research here totally runs the gamut, from using lasers to monitor volcanic activity to how snake venom might be used to treat certain types of cancer.
- Have I mentioned that there are over 3,000 trees on my campus? I didn't? Well, now you know.
Famous Alumni:
- James Michener, author.
- Andy Kelso, Broadway actor.
- Connie Willis, award-winning sci-fi author.
- Steven Dietz, playwright.
- Greg Germann, television and film actor.