CSU’s Frank named 2018 Citizen of the West

The National Western Stock Show has named Dr. Tony Frank, DVM, Ph.D., the 2018 Citizen of the West, an award that recognizes those who embody the spirit and determination of the Western pioneer and perpetuate the West’s agriculture heritage and ideals. A committee of community leaders selects the recipients.

Frank is the president of Colorado State University and chancellor of the Colorado State University system. He will receive the award at a dinner on Jan. 8, at the National Western Events Center. Proceeds from the event support 100 scholarships awarded annually to colleges and universities in Colorado and Wyoming by the National Western Scholarship Trust.

Growing up in Illinois, Frank was heavily involved in 4-H and has since been inducted into both the Illinois and Colorado 4-H Halls of Fame. After graduating from Wartburg College, he earned his doctor of veterinary medicine degree from the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. in comparative pathology from Purdue.

Prior to his appointment as president of Colorado State University in 2008, he served as the university’s provost and executive vice president, vice president for research, chairman of the Pathology Department, and associate dean for research in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Frank is lauded for his academic vision and leadership enhancing the land-grant mission of Colorado State University.

“Tony has served Colorado State University and the CSU system with impressive leadership for many years. He is an extraordinary visionary who is committed to a broader engagement of CSU regionally, nationally, and internationally, through an expanding role at the future National Western Center,” said Pat Grant, chairman of the board, the Western Stock Show Association.

Frank’s is active in the larger community in his roles on the University Research Alliance; the NCAA Division I board of directors; the National Renewal Energy Laboratory External Advisory Council; board of managers, College Football Playoff; and as past chair of the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities Commission on International Initiatives.

Locally, he serves on the boards of the National Western Stock Show Association, the Boettcher Foundation, the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Food Bank for Larimer County. He has served on panels including the U.S. Department of Commerce Deemed Export Advisory Council, the editorial board of Toxicologic Pathology and as a member of the Colorado Climate Action Panel.

Frank and his wife, Patti Helper, live in Loveland and have three daughters.

To purchase tickets to attend the 2018 Citizen of the West event contact Morgan Unks at 303-299-5560 or [email protected].