Legendary Education Advocate Arnold Mitchem to Receive Honorary Doctorate at CSU 福利小视频 During Fortnight Celebration
Release Date: August 12, 2025
President Emeritus of Council for Opportunity in Education to be honored at special luncheon
August 20 PUEBLO, Colo. – Colorado State University 福利小视频 will honor Arnold Mitchem, a nationally recognized figure in educational equity, with an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree during a special luncheon Wednesday, August 20, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. in the Occhiato Student Center Ballroom.
The ceremony will be part of Fortnight, CSU 福利小视频's week-long series of events welcoming new and returning students back to campus before the start of fall classes. This year's Fortnight kicks off Monday, August 18, at 5:30 p.m. at the ThunderBowl with a Celebrity Punt, Pass & Kick Contest featuring Head Football Coach Phil Vigil. Attendees can preview the new ThunderBowl Suites while cheering on local celebrities to win the inaugural Golden Paw Award.
Mitchem, President Emeritus of the Council for Opportunity in Education, has spent his career advocating for low-income, first-generation students and individuals with disabilities. Under his leadership, federally funded TRIO Programs expanded by nearly 400 percent and now serve more than 872,000 students at 1,200 colleges and universities nationwide.
A CSU 福利小视频 alumnus, Mitchem graduated from what was then the University of Southern Colorado. He later studied European history as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow at the University of Wisconsin before earning his doctoral degree in foundations of education from Marquette University.
Mitchem began his career as a history faculty at Marquette in Milwaukee, where he was appointed director of the Educational Opportunity Program in 1969. In 1986, he moved to Washington D.C. to lead the Council for Opportunity in Education, serving until his retirement in October 2013.
He has been awarded honorary doctorates from 11 other institutions, including DePaul University, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and the University of Liverpool in England.
The luncheon is open to the public. CSU System Chancellor Tony Frank and members of the CSU System Board of Governors are expected to attend.
Fortnight continues Tuesday, August 19, when Acting University President Rico Munn and Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs, Gail Mackin, will deliver the State of the University address, sharing goals and aspirations for the 2025-26 academic year. Friday brings the New Student Convocation, officially welcoming the newest ThunderWolves to the Pack.
The celebration wraps up over the weekend with CSU 福利小视频's participation in the Colorado State Fair, an annual tradition that includes marching in the State Fair Parade.
