Colorado State University is a public university. Founded in 1870, it became Colorado''s first land-grant college in 1879 and was granted university status in 1957. The land-grant concept of a balanced program of teaching, research, extension and public service provides the foundation of the university''s teaching and research programs. Education at Colorado State encompasses the major areas of human knowledge: sciences, arts, humanities and the professions. The university also has a wide range of programs to meet the social, recreational and academic needs of its diverse student population. The Lory Student Center, rated one of the ten best student centers in the country, provides a focal point for student life on campus. Its 562-acre main campus is located at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, in Fort Collins, 65 miles north of Denver.