“Denver is in the spotlight,” said John Straayer, Colorado State University political science professor. “We’re the bull’s-eye.”

But Fort Collins’ future looks promising, largely because of CSU, its new School for Global Environmental Sustainability and the research coming out of the university, experts said.

It’s the kind of success that naturally caught the national party’s attention, said William Chaloupka, political science professor at Colorado State University.

Maury Albertson, a Colorado State University professor, and two colleagues will be honored today at the Peace Corps & Friends celebration for their role in the creation of the modern Peace Corps.

Republicans still hold an edge in CD-4, but independents are a force to be reckoned with, said John Straayer, a political science professor at Colorado State University who studies Colorado politics.

“Help recharge the (Ogallala) aquifer?” Joel Schneekloth, a regional water resource specialist with the Colorado State University extension, said with a laugh. “I’ve heard a lot of wild, goofy ideas, and this is one of them.”

Today through Sunday, members of the global community effort are visiting Fort Collins for “The Peace Corps Family Reunion: Bring Your Piece of the Promise” at CSU.

The event will honor three Colorado State University researchers, including one credited with creating the Peace Corps template.

Obama’s problem, said John Straayer, a political analyst at Colorado State University, is that “there’s still a mystery element to this guy, and the opposition so far has done a good job of defining him.”

An annual rite of fall has begun: CSU’s freshman move-in.