By name alone, the University of Denver’s mission to take on “Grand Challenges” sounds like a daunting proposition. Yet the year-old initiative, fostered by the Center for Community Engagement to advance Scholarship and Learning (CCESL), can perhaps best be exemplified by a neon-colored Post-it note hanging on a whiteboard. There’s just enough room for a broad idea — just a few words really. But then another Post-it is placed beside the first. Then another, and another.

It’s May 2017 and Craig Hall has become a sea of sticky notes, a room alive with chatter and excitement. Nearly three dozen students from an array of disciplines engage with faculty, staff and the larger community at DU’s first Homeless Hackathon.

On this day, they are simply sharing ideas to improve the daily living of Denver’s young homeless population. But within months, professor Kimberly Bender and associate professor Matthew Rutherford would design and teach a seminar devoted to concrete solutions. And with the help of a DU Grand Challenges grant, the students would go on to connect with their local community, conduct research and grow their aspirations into action.

“The DU Grand Challenges approach is one of engagement,” says CCESL’s director Anne DePrince. “I see such potential in what we can accomplish when we approach university-community collaboration in a mutually beneficial and reciprocal way.”

Bolstered by the cooperative spirit of the Hackathon, the DU Grand Challenges (DUGC) initiative — which sprouted out of the University’s strategic plan, DU IMPACT 2025 — is snowballing into its second year. Further success at last spring’s A Community Table event, has only increased momentum.

“We hope to see a lot more of these partnerships develop out in the community that really make an impact on addressing the needs of the community,” says Vicky Berkley, the DUGC program manager.

Not that the initiative’s inaugural year was a slouch. The highlights included a half-dozen community forums and nearly $30,000 in grants. But this year, DePrince is focused on leveraging that success into something bigger, through a framework she calls “collective impact.” In keeping with the DUGC three-year cycle, last year’s theme, “Improving Daily Living,” will move into the action phase, while a new theme, “Increasing Economic Opportunity,” will be introduced in its aspiration phase.

“You have a chance to bring your voice into the conversation, to put your fingerprints on a plan, to take action in collaboration with others from DU and our communities,” she says. “We can galvanize leaders, tackle grand challenges, and amplify the voices of changemakers to work together toward improving daily living and increasing economic opportunity.”

Here’s what’s new this year, made possible by funding from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations:

• Advancing Community Engaged (ACE) Student Grants will support students doing community-engaged research or creative work that meets the needs of a community partner. Individuals can apply for up to $2,000 in grants as they collaborate with a faculty member and community partner. Teams of students are eligible for $5,000.
• Grand Challenges Champions is a 20-student cohort designed for upperclassmen who want to tie it all together and create something tangible. Partnering with a faculty member, students will engage with the community and create an online portfolio of their experience, with an emphasis on self-reflection and sharing experiences with others.
• The Leadership Fellows Program is an opportunity for students who want to “roll up their sleeves and get involved,” as DePrince says. Funding from Arthur Vining Davis Foundation provides a stipend to students and members of the community as they take action to improve daily living. Fellows will join faculty and staff, aided by a University-funded stipend, to form Collective Impact Cohorts. Over the course of two years, cohorts will have opportunities for hands-on learning and involvement as they develop action items in the areas of environmental sustainability, housing and food insecurity, safety, and migration. Each group will be eligible for up to $100,000 in funding from the University to pursue their collaborative project.

“The idea,” Berkley says, “was to provide a lot more opportunities for people — faculty, staff and students — to participate and be a part of DU Grand Challenges and to encourage multidisciplinary teamwork as well. They are going to turn aspirations into tangible and measurable actions.”

For evidence, look no further than the seminar Bender and Rutherford taught last fall. Their students consulted community organizations like Urban Peak and worked with municipal entities like RTD to brainstorm solutions to youth homelessness. This year, they hope to take their creative ideas — like a summer camp that teaches employment skills or a card that grants access to useful community and cultural organizations — to the next level.

“This is learning by doing,” DePrince says, “learning in action and in partnership.”

Highlights of the fall season at the Lamont School of Music include the Lamont Symphony Orchestra, in a concert saluting the centennial anniversary of legendary composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein and featuring violinist and faculty member Linda Wang (Oct. 9, free); Lamont Opera Theatre’s “A Night at the Opera,” featuring scenes from Donizetti’s “L’elisir d’amore,” Verdi’s “La Traviata” and Britten’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (Nov. 2, free); and the Lamont Jazz Orchestra, which is celebrating a recent high-profile performance at the Monterey Jazz Festival. “Miles Ahead” will feature the music of Miles Davis and Gil Evans (Nov. 5, free). All concerts are in the Newman Center for the Performing Arts.

Lamont and the Newman Center also welcome five guest artists this season: pianist Ashlee Mack, performing composer James Romig’s “Still,” a solo work inspired by the collection at Denver’s Clyfford Still Museum (Oct. 11); trumpet soloist and chamber musician Craig Morris, with pianist Rebecca Wilt (Oct. 12); and University of Missouri Conservatory faculty pianist Robert Weirich (Nov. 16). Tickets for all guest artist performances are $10.

The Newman Center also hosts a concert series, Newman Center Presents, featuring nationally touring performers. The series this fall welcomes choreographer Camille A. Brown and her dancers (Oct. 4); jazz guitarist Pat Metheny and his quartet (Oct. 17); the U.S. Army’s Jazz Ambassadors, playing a free concert (Oct. 20); Denver-based kids act the Okee Dokee Brothers (Nov. 4); Colorado’s own Aspen Santa Fe Ballet (Nov. 10–11); and the Turtle Island Quartet with pianist Cyrus Chestnut (Nov. 16). The concert series offers free and discounted tickets for faculty, staff and students.

For fans of the visual arts, DU has an on-campus gallery and an anthropology museum, as well as dedicated exhibit space in the Anderson Academic Commons.

This fall, the Myhren Gallery hosts “Axis Mundo: Queer Networks in Chicano L.A.” a traveling exhibition that explores the intersections among a network of more than 50 Los Angeles-based queer Chicanx artists between the late 1960s and early 1990s (through Dec. 2, free). The Museum of Anthropology in Sturm Hall, meanwhile, will open a new exhibit, “Indigenous Futurisms,” on Oct. 5. Featuring new artwork by Lakota/Cherokee comics artist Kristina M. Bad Hand and comics artist and game designer Elizabeth LaPensée, the show explores the relationship between pop culture and native life. Part of the 15th Indigenous Film and Arts Festival, the free exhibit will be up through Nov. 16.

In the Anderson Academic Commons, “Blazing the Trail: Colorado Jewish History” and “Square Dance in the American West” are on display on the lower level, while “Jacques Parker: The Mountaineer’s View” — showcasing pencil, ink, and watercolor works created by the machine gun squad leader and member of the 10th Mountain Division during his service in World War II — is mounted on the upper level near the Dean’s Suite.

Finally, DU’s theater department offers two productions this fall. “Savage/Love,” Sam Shepard and Joseph Chaikin’s collection of monologues on romantic love, is paired with Shepard’s “Red Cross” Oct. 11–21 in JMAC Studios; and Neil LaBute’s “The Shape of Things” plays Nov. 1–11 in the Newman Center’s Byron Theatre.

Name: Chris Klein
Degree: MBA '08
Company: Rachio
What it does: The smart sprinkler system plugs into hyperlocal weather forecasts to prevent unnecessary watering. An accompanying smartphone app allows users to adjust watering schedules based on soil type, sun exposure and slope, among other things.
Quotable: “I like big problems. And I like something that is meaningful and could possibly leave this planet in a better place than it was in when I got here.”
Read more: DU Grad Discovers Passion, Success Through Conservation

Check back tomorrow to meet another of DU's entrepreneurs!

After years of planning, four planes, 30 hours, one train and a harrowing taxi ride through Mombasa, senior international studies and music major Lane Dickey finally made it to Taita-Taveta County in Kenya to begin his research. What had started as a simple conversation between student and professor about the conservation of the mpingo tree — commonly used in clarinet production — snowballed into a full-scale research project that could shape future conservation efforts.

Back in 2017, when Dickey’s faculty advisor, professor Robert Uttaro of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, was spending time in Kenya, a friend pointed out two forests and the striking differences between the two in the progress of deforestation. While Wundanyi, a cloud forest, had experienced segmentation and deforestation, nearby Mount Kasigau had remained largely intact and protected. This summer, with funding from a Partners in Scholarship (PinS) grant, Dickey made the trip to learn why.

His research focused on the role of community in conservation. “I think it’s important to talk about conservation in slightly different terms,” Dickey says. “It’s usually this very Western idea of going in and saving these trees, but a lot of the time, local tradition and local culture can do a better job.”

For much of the trip, Dickey was on his own with only a translator/research assistant to guide him. In Wundanyi, he would wake up at the University of Helsinki Research Center where he stayed, hop on a motorbike and cruise up steep slopes to knock on strangers’ doors. He employed a semi-structured interview technique to learn from locals about the role the forest plays in their daily lives, how rules are made around use of the forest and how effective the government has been at stopping the spread of deforestation.

Discussions of that last issue were often punctuated with frustration, Dickey says. “Every time you mention the Kenyan Forestry Service, everyone kind of groans and gets mad. The Kenyan government definitely has its problems, and it’s very apparent to the people.”

It became clear to Dickey that the successful mitigation of deforestation in Mount Kasigau resulted from something other than government conservation efforts. “Especially in Mount Kasigau, a lot of the local traditions and the local culture are what is protecting the area,” he says, noting that past generations viewed Mount Kasigau from a religious perspective and that the forest is home to sacred spots for prayer.

What’s more, the Kasigau community has made purely altruistic choices over the years, with the intention of preserving the forest. “The community used to live further up into the forest on the mountain, but then decided for the longevity of the forest that they should move further down in to the lowlands,” Dickey says. “In Wundanyi, it’s the opposite. People are encroaching a little bit more to the top.”

Just recently returned from Kenya, Dickey is still reviewing his data but has already concluded that community intervention plays an important role in conservation. Research like this, Uttaro says, is crucial to moving the needle in the right direction. “The biggest issue facing this generation is climate change. We should be pivoting toward, and doing, this type of research.”

Beyond its benefit to the planet, Dickey’s research will also benefit his future, says Uttaro. “Whether he goes out into the private sector, whether he goes on to graduate school, he has something that he did other than just sitting in a classroom. [Research] exposes [students] to a new relationship with the world and with different cultures. They are talking to human beings from different societies, different cultures and different lives.”

Still, Dickey is uncomfortable with doing research purely for his own gain. Instead, he says, research ought to do more than improve a student’s resume. “The nature of research can feel very extractive sometimes,” he says. “It needs to be much more of a two-way street.”

In fact, he hopes to see his conclusions go on to have a larger impact. “My hope, and professor Uttaro’s hope,” he says, “is to create a model of local governance institutions that are more effective in conservation.”

“Doug and Mary have been champions for the University of Denver for many years, providing support and expertise in countless meaningful ways,” said Chancellor Rebecca Chopp. “Their generosity in establishing the Scrivner Institute represents a visionary leap forward in connecting academic excellence across disciplines with practical expertise to solve the greatest issues facing our society. We are immensely grateful for their partnership as together we envision and create a bold future for the University of Denver.”

The Scrivners’ gift, building on decades of involvement in and support of DU, is a particularly significant commitment  as the University prepares for the public launch of a major campaign that will bring its bold vision for the future of higher education into reality. As expressed in its strategic plan, DU IMPACT 2025, the University is committed to addressing the world’s most pressing problems—problems that increasingly demand broad academic collaboration. As DU endeavors to re-define higher education in this 21^st century era of collaboration, public policy teaching, research and scholarship will figure centrally.

The Scrivner Institute of Public Policy will continue the University of Denver’s longstanding practice of infusing ethics and leadership into curriculum. The Institute will combine an academic research focus with practitioner experience and contribution, and it will incorporate data sciences and analytics to broaden the ways in which public policy issues are studied and addressed.

The Scrivners’ commitment will endow the current public policy program by providing funding for an endowed chair, professorships, fellowships, scholarships and programmatic priorities, enabling the Institute to attract, retain and grow top teaching and research talent while ensuring an exceptional, wide-ranging student experience that prepares DU graduates for rewarding careers and engaged citizenship.

“The University of Denver has long been an important part of Mary’s and my life, from meeting and marrying here to serving on the Board of Trustees and in numerous other ways,” said Doug Scrivner. “We recognize that this university has a unique interdisciplinary excellence and an ability and opportunity to affect real change in some of the most crucial arenas of our society. We are thrilled to emphasize our legacy here at DU through the Scrivner Institute, knowing that the knowledge created here, combined with an exceptional student experience, will impact our world in countless ways for the years to come.”

The Scrivners’ visionary gift reflects their longstanding love of the University of Denver. Doug and Mary married in Evans Chapel on his graduation day from law school. Doug has served the University in a number of leadership capacities over the years, including serving on the University’s Board of Trustees for many years and chairing the Board from 2014-2018. During his tenure as Board Chair, he worked closely with Chopp to pursue and begin implementing the University’s strategic plan, DU IMPACT 2025. Scrivner has been a champion of transforming the student experience and better connecting our campus community to the city of Denver and Colorado.

Over the past year he was instrumental in guiding the Board and University in a campus master planning process that produced the Denver Advantage Campus Framework Plan. The Framework Plan focuses on the University’s commitment to create a campus designed to fuel collaborations and relationships proven to help students succeed during their time at the University and beyond.

He also chaired the Visiting Committee and has served as an adjunct professor at Sturm College of Law, and he served as a member of the Advisory Board of Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers at the Institute for Advancing the American Legal System on which he serves as a member of the executive committee. Mr. Scrivner also served on the executive committee of University of Denver’s Institute for Philanthropy and Social Enterprise.

“Doug’s service to the University, particularly as Chair of the Board of Trustees, is a source of inspiration to many,” said Jeremy Haefner, provost and executive vice chancellor. “Through this gift, he and Mary are demonstrating a remarkable commitment to the University’s vision of designing an education that meets the issues of the day with smart, informed solutions.”

If Kayla Knopp had her dream job, she’d be penning advice columns for the newspaper. If the University of Denver doctorate student's research is any indication, she would never be short on material.

After all, her recently released study, “Once a Cheater, Always a Cheater?: Serial Infidelity Across Subsequent Relationships,” contains some jarring findings. For one, a 40 percent of unmarried couples report infidelity. Worse: cheaters are more likely to cheat with future partners. Worse still, those who are cheated on are even more likely to endure similar heartbreak.

“The past matters for relationships,” says Knopp, who will graduate with a PhD in clinical psychology in May. “What we do at every step along the way in our romantic histories ends up influencing what comes next — whether that’s infidelity or cohabitation or a bunch of other relationship behaviors. That history tends to come with them.”

As a researcher who specializes in romantic commitment, Knopp has read plenty of papers on unfaithful partners. What consistenly went missing, she realized, was data on serial infidelity. In other words, will the cheat repeat?

Fortunately, Knopp had at her disposal five years of data compiled by psychology research professors Galena Rhoades, Howard Markman and Scott Stanley. With collaboration from this DU team, Knopp was able to track 1,600 individuals from relationship to relationship and examine their behavior. She found:

• Someone is three times more likely to cheat if they have cheated in the past.
• A person is two to four times more likely to be cheated on if they have been cheated on or have suspected cheating in a prior relationship.
• Men and women are equally likely to cheat or be cheated on.
• A person's likelihood of cheating is found, not in a single demographic characteristic, but in a complex combination of factors, including cultural values and available partners.

“Regardless of whether you are the perpetrator of the infidelity or whether your partner was, those experiences are substantially more likely to repeat themselves,” Knopp says. “However, there are lots of people who break those patterns.

“I don't want to suggest that it’s someone’s fault that someone is cheating on them, but I think it’s important to acknowledge that we all play a role in our relationships. For people that find themselves having that experience, it may be worth taking a look at whether they could do something to prevent that from happening again.”

As Rhoades, who is also a practicing psychologist, sees it, her findings are especially useful for her professional peers. In their work with clients, they may be able to spot signs that warn of future infidelity.

"The research points to how important it is that we talk with people about what their relationship experiences are and what they want to leave behind or take with them from those experiences into new relationships," she says. "Science like Kayla’s work can help people choose partners wisely and make their relationships better going forward."

Knopp looks forward to diving deeper into that science and examining the motivations behind serial infidelity.

“Hopefully, by identifying risk factors, then that gives people a little more power and control in their own lives,” she says. “That might be really important to discuss, so we can plan ahead to avoid unwanted outcomes in the future.”

Elizabeth Escobedo is an associate professor of Latina/o history, with a specialization in 20th century Mexican American history. She enjoys teaching a wide-range of topics in U.S. history, including modern America, the Latina/o and Chicana/o experience, women and gender, and the history of race and ethnicity in America. Her book,

In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, Escobedo answered questions from the DU Newsroom about her background and culture.

What is something you do to celebrate your background and heritage? Are there any traditions you celebrate?

I talk to my kids about our family's history a lot. It's so important for young people to understand the diversity of the human experience, and to be able to see the history of their families and communities represented, and how their stories are linked to those of others. 

Did you always know you wanted to be a historian? What other job would you be doing if you weren’t a historian?

I did always want to be a writer and history teacher. My mother is Euro-American and father is Mexican American, and growing up I was puzzled about why I was never seeing the Mexican American side of my family represented in my classes and textbooks. I wanted to change that. 

I've always dreamed of working at National Public Radio (NPR), behind the scenes. And I love Broadway musicals, so if I wasn't a scholar I'd probably be trying to immerse myself in the theater world somehow. But first I'd have to learn how to sing!

Are there any places in Denver you would recommend for anyone interested in learning and connecting more to Hispanic culture?

The Santa Fe Arts District is full of gems that celebrate Latinx culture. Su Teatro Cultural & Performing Arts Center brings community theater to life with a number of theater productions each year, and el Museo de las Americas offers exhibits and programs on arts and cultures from ancient to contemporary times. You can also just wander the alleyways of Santa Fe and come across vibrant Chicana/o murals that represent the history of the Latinx community in Denver. That history is all around us. 

Who in your life has inspired you?

I've always been inspired by people who are willing to sacrifice to fight against injustice. And I only have to look so far as my own family to see examples of that. Both of my Mexican American tías married black men at a time when anti-miscegenation laws made it illegal to do so in California. In spite of the law, and a family and a community that was telling them not to, they bravely hopped in a car and drove across state lines and got it done! 

In an effort to make the University an inclusive and welcoming place to be, what would you like to see changed or improved?

I would like to see more and more students of color become a part of the DU college community, alongside expanding efforts to help students from underrepresented backgrounds feel welcomed, and a sense of belonging, on campus. 

For faculty members, designing a new course is easy, right? Just a pick a textbook, write up a syllabus that follows the chapters, and call it a day.

Not so fast, says Virginia Pitts, director of university teaching with DU’s Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL). If you want students to really get something out of a class — and if you want to measure just how effective that learning is — you need to think intentionally about outcomes even before you even start to think about a syllabus. That’s why this summer, the OTL offered two weeklong Course Design Institutes for DU faculty members.

“Something a lot of the participants talked about as something wonderful they got out of this was the space and time and support to step back and think about what really matters to them,” Pitts says. “What do they feel has been working and not working, and how can they reshape their course to meet the goals that they come in with? That space matters a lot. And the time matters a lot to faculty members.”

In a blog post on the sessions, Pitts wrote that “participants started out by articulating their ‘big dream’ for their course, reflecting on questions such as, ‘What is the primary impact you want your course to have on students’ lives?’ and, ‘Five years after this course is over, what do I hope my students will still carry with them? Throughout the week, they engaged in a series of interactive workshops and discussions and collaborative and individual work as they designed or redesigned their courses to achieve that big dream, using research-based perspectives on how learning works.”

Among the principles participants explored were significant learning — guiding students to understand why what they’re learning is important and how to relate it to other subjects — and how to measure success, as well as the metaphor of “focusing on big rocks first.”

“Imagine you have an empty jar, and you’ve got to fill it with a bunch of rocks and sand. If you start with the sand, and then put the tiny rocks in, and try to squeeze the big rocks in at the end,” they often don’t fit, she explains. “Imagine that the big rocks are those really important things you want people to learn, like critical thinking, or learning how to collaborate with others,” Pitts says. “Often those big rocks end up being an add-on. We don’t design around them; we design around the sand: the details of the content.”

DU faculty members also learned about the importance of active learning, a lesson that hit home for Sandy Johnson, director of the global health affairs certificate program in the Josef Korbel School of International Studies.

“I was really looking for tools to get students to engage with each other — to take what can be stagnant material and be able to bring it to life,” says Johnson, who attended the Course Design Institute for inspiration as she planned a new class on cities and human security. “It was important for me to come up with ways for students to dissect a city. I don’t want them to be overwhelmed by how complex what goes on in an urban center can be; I want them to find ways to really become an urban detective. That is more than reading, more than lecturing — that’s working together in projects.”

Thanks to the Course Design Institute, Johnson learned about the “jigsaw method” of creating a class, where each student becomes an expert on a different component of a subject area, then meets with other students to fill out the big picture.

“For example, for my cities course, one student might become an expert on transportation, one might become an expert in energy, and one might become an expert on how we deal with health issues,” Johnson explains. “With the jigsaw structure, they’re building that expertise over time, and they’re able to get into groups with experts on different topics. The transportation person could meet with the energy person and the health person, and the transportation person might be talking about what does transportation look like in a smart city like Chicago, and we can use a lesson from that for building transportation for a city like Mumbai.”

A total of 43 faculty members from around campus attended the two Course Design Institute sessions this summer. Represented subject areas included chemistry, languages and literatures, business, psychology, higher education, religious studies, electrical engineering, music, theater, sociology and journalism. In addition to getting time to take a step back and think about what really matters to them as teachers, Pitts says, the faculty members also appreciated the opportunity to collaborate with their peers around the University.

“It’s so fascinating to have people in groups from really different disciplines, but now they have this shared language for talking about course design and talking about learning,” Pitts says. “I think people realize that once you have this shared language, you’re able to talk about teaching and learning with people who teach something really different and get ideas from each other and learn across disciplines.”

A recent $687,000 gift from the Arnold & Porter Foundation to the University of Denver will create two new endowed scholarships at the Sturm College of Law to support outstanding students with a demonstrated commitment to civil liberties and civil rights. The gift also will support a strategic litigation fund designed to advance the nationally recognized work of the law school’s Civil Rights Clinic, part of its No. 8-ranked clinical program.

• The Abe Krash Access to Justice Endowed Scholarship Fund, seeded with a $250,000 gift from the Foundation, will endow — in perpetuity — scholarships for students with a demonstrated interest in civil rights and access to justice. The fund honors the landmark contributions of Abe Krash, currently of counsel to the firm of Arnold & Porter, who formed part of the firm’s legal team that represented Clarence Gideon in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case of Gideon v. Wainwright (1963), which guaranteed the right to counsel in criminal matters.
• The Arnold & Porter Civil Rights Endowed Scholarship Fund, seeded with a second $250,000 gift, will endow scholarships for students with a demonstrated commitment to public interest law and prisoners’ rights.
• An additional contribution of $187,000 will advance the work of the Civil Rights Clinic, with a particular focus on litigation and advocacy on behalf of incarcerated individuals — an area of law in which the clinic has achieved a well-earned national reputation.

“Throughout its distinguished history, Arnold & Porter has been a national leader in advancing justice for the underserved,” observed Sturm College of Law Dean Bruce Smith. “So, too, has the University of Denver. We launched the American clinical legal education movement in 1904 and have been a leader in clinical education ever since. Arnold & Porter and the University of Denver share a significant and enduring commitment to the public good, and we are tremendously grateful to the Arnold & Porter Foundation for its vision and generosity.”

“This transformative gift from the Arnold & Porter Foundation will foster the advancement of civil rights and the training of future leaders in this vital area,” said Armin Afsahi, the University’s vice chancellor for advancement. “This gift testifies, yet again, to the firm’s dedication to civil liberties, civil rights and access to justice.”

“We are pleased to support the important work of the Civil Rights Clinic at Denver Law and those students dedicated to devoting their careers to advancing the cause of civil rights and civil liberties,” said Richard M. Alexander, chair of Arnold & Porter and the Arnold & Porter Foundation. “Our firm has a long-standing commitment to public service, and our Denver office, opened in 1980, has played a vital role in advancing these pro bono efforts.”

“Arnold & Porter’s remarkable commitment recognizes the critical contributions of the Civil Rights Clinic in protecting the constitutional rights of people who are incarcerated, including access to medical and mental health care, the free exercise of religion, outdoor exercise and the conditions of solitary confinement,” said Laura Rovner, director of the Civil Rights Clinic and professor at the Sturm College of Law. “This momentous gift will help us to impart the legal doctrine, skills and professional values necessary to forge the next generation of civil rights lawyers.”

No way was Nicole Good coming to the University of Denver. There was just nothing new and exciting about it.

For one thing, it was too close to Greenwood Village, where she had grown up. The gymnastics meets she had once watched with her mom, a former DU all-around star, had lost some luster. And how many times had she heard her dad’s stories about his Pioneer diving exploits and his tiny college house near the Ritchie Center’s El Pomar Natatorium?

“It’s not for me,” she remembers thinking. “I can do something different. And then going through the college search I decided to apply, just as my in-state school to keep it open.”

Was it fate that Good, now a sophomore studying accounting, would end up on the DU campus? Maybe not. But the more she learned about her family’s long history at DU, the more enrollment felt like an odd genetic destiny.

The Good-Johnson clan has now sent enough students to DU to field a Pioneer soccer team. Last fall, Nicole became the 11th family member to don Crimson and Gold and would be the 10th to graduate, following in the footsteps of all four of her grandparents, both her parents, an aunt, two uncles and a first cousin. That’s not to mention her beloved distant relative, Marilyn Girouard, who created an endowment to fight alcohol and substance abuse.

“It’s funny how it’s really the best fit for me personally, and it has nothing to do with my family,” Good says of DU. “It was the best program hands down, and I absolutely love it here. I’m so happy with that choice.”

A farmer plants the seed

When Vern Johnson's (BS ’58) parents immigrated to the United States from Sweden, their son wasn’t content to live a farmer's life on the plains of Greeley. A high school program provided the opportunity to visit the University of Denver campus. There would be no going back.

To put himself through school, Johnson worked as a butler for a family in the Cherry Creek area. He was proud to be the first from his family to attend and graduate college. Johnson and his wife, flutist Phyllis Parker (BM’59), didn’t go on and on about their alma mater, but their four children never doubted the role it played in their lives.

“He was really grateful to DU and long afterward continued to stay connected,” said Tina Good, née Johnson (BSBA ’88), Nicole Good’s mother. “We knew that and probably knew that DU would be a part of our life going forward.”

The Johnson-Good Legacy

The connection grows

Tina says her parents never pushed any of their children to continue their Pioneer legacy, but when the time came to pursue higher education, each found their own path to campus. For Tina, the draw was an excellent gymnastics team, which she walked onto in 1984. Her older sister Beverly (BSBA ’82) also had briefly been a part of the team as she pursued an economics degree. After two years of college elsewhere, her older brother Brian (BSBA ’88) transferred to DU, where the self-described “wandering kid” found his place and a passion for playing music at his sister’s meets — a duty he still performs for the gymnastics team 30 years later.

By the time she received her diploma, Tina had earned a scholarship, was twice named the team’s MVP and in her senior year captured Female Athlete of the Year honors. But it was during her freshman year that a friend introduced her to the man who would extend her Pioneer family.

Darin Good (BSBA ’03) was a member of the swimming and diving team whose own parents, Leland Good (BSBA ’57) and Janis Clark (who earned an associate degree from the Women’s College in 1957) had met on campus. Seven years later, Tina and Darin wed and began to realize the literal Pioneer family they had created.

“We never even really thought of it until we had kids of our own,” Tina recalls, “and then you start dreaming together and you go, ‘wow! Oh my goodness. DU really has a presence in our life, doesn’t it?’”

The next generation

When the time came for Nicole Good to select a school, she says she felt no pressure from her parents.

“I’m glad to hear that!” Tina laughs, “because [Darin and I] we were both secretly going ‘pick DU, pick DU.’” The family tradition is one thing, but Tina and Darin, a regular guest lecturer at the Daniels College of Business, say they knew their daughter would emerge with the skills required to lasso a job in a competitive market. The University’s alumni network and community connections are tremendous advantages, Tina adds.

“Every single one of us in the [family] have had very, very different experiences at DU,” she says. “But [they’ve all been] very positive.” Adds Nicole: “I think we’ve had pretty different experiences, but we share that pride of the amazing education we got and the things we can do with that.”

Nicole prefers to downplay her family’s long association with DU. She has never felt the need to “carry the torch” and is much more content describing the tight-knit community and her close relationships with her professors.

But she can’t ignore what her Uncle Brian describes as the “overflowing pride” that comes with the legacy. It’s the way her parents carry themselves when they return to campus.

The Goods say they have never been prouder to be graduates. They delight in the fact that Nicole has sat in some of the same lecture halls as her parents, but they also beam at the way the campus has evolved.

“It’s part of our history,” Tina says. “And to see that continue to grow and become what it is today, you’re proud of your alma mater. It just makes you feel like you want to stay super connected.”

“It has been a tremendous privilege to serve as dean of the Daniels College of Business,” said Chrite. “The faculty, staff and students are extraordinary and our alumni community, advisory board members and corporate partners have been inspiring and generous.”

Under his direction the College launched the Center for Consumer Insights and Business Innovation Center (CIBIC) which explores human behavior and its impact on market offerings, introduced new, technical certifications and offerings to enhance the College’s undergraduate programs, in addition to expanding industry partners and connecting to the community as a member of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.

“Brent is an outstanding leader in the business community and has expanded DU’s industry partners in meaningful ways,” said Chopp. “He brought a great vision and energy for enhancing the programs at Daniels over the past four years including creating new spaces and approaches to pedagogy like a new graduate studio to allow for greater engagement across our populations. He has also been responsible for innovative approaches at the College that encourage experiential and active learning.”

During his final year at the College, Chrite will guide and prepare the College for its accreditation, which will take place in fall 2019.

“The Daniels College has been a household name in the business community for many years,” said Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, Jeremy Haefner. “Brent can be credited for building upon that recognition and increasing the impact of our programs. Throughout the coming year the College will prepare for accreditation, joining other major business programs across the globe by advancing standards of research and business practices.”

Chrite came to the University in 2014 after serving as dean and professor of management and international business for four years at Montclair State University.

Over the coming weeks the University will identify a search committee and begin the process of finding the University’s next dean of the Daniels College of Business.

What does park maintenance and packing school supplies for youngsters have to do with law school? Everything when you are a new student at the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law.

Incoming first-year law students, graduate students and transfer students were welcomed to campus Aug. 6-9 for orientation. As part of the introduction, new students participated in the third annual Denver Law Day of Service to contribute to the public good and support local communities. Students stocked school supplies for children in Jefferson County, provided grounds maintenance and gardened, organized canned foods at multiple hunger relief organizations, and served meals.

The Day of Service allows students to build relationships with each other and live out the University’s mission to be a private university dedicated to the public good. Denver Law students have countless opportunities to use their legal training to help the community, and this event introduces them to that concept before their first law school class, according to associate professor and director of externships and public interest initiatives, Alexi Freeman.

Community and pro bono work are embedded in the law school’s culture, and this opportunity gives students the opportunity to commit to fostering public good into action. It also immerses students in the real-world challenges around them, helping to contextualize the lessons learned in the classroom. The Day of Service is also about preparing students for the future.

“Having our incoming students participate in the Day of Service is integral to our plan to introduce our students to the responsibilities and privileges for serving as lawyers in our community,” Freeman said.

For law student Paige Pashea, who volunteered her time at Observatory Park near DU, that commitment to the public good was one of the aspects that attracted her to Sturm.

“The great thing about [Sturm] is that it has a very interactive legal community and they want to help others. I was very interested in that from the start,” she said.

This year, Sturm partnered with 10 groups: Bluff Nature Center; City Harvest Food Bank; Denver Parks and Recreation; Food Bank of the Rockies; Groundwork Denver; Metro Caring; The Action Center; Third Way Center; Volunteers of America Early Childhood Learning Center; and Volunteers of America Mission

Omar Silva used his volunteering experience for both public good and a chance to strengthen his network, which will be vital during his legal education. “It’s a good way to give back to your community and meet new people,” he said. “I get to make new friends that I will see through my three years of law school.”

That’s exactly what the event is designed to do.

“The Day of Service is a wonderful way for students to build community with each other while doing good. Our Day of Service takes them out of the building, allows them to work as a team, and decompress and contribute to the needs of the broader Denver community,” Freeman added. “They made us proud.”

Earlier in the day, professor Hillary Hamann asked the students in her first-year seminar (FSEM), Colorado’s Rivers, to put on metaphorical hats and get inquisitive as they stood on a bridge overlooking Clear Creek. Later that afternoon, gathering at the mouth of Idaho Springs’ Phoenix Gold Mine, they strapped on real hard hats and did just that.

That’s the goal of DU’s FSEM program — to get the gears turning. Students are tasked with choosing an FSEM outside of their comfort zone and get the chance to think, learn and bond their way toward a smooth transition to university life.

The FSEM groups first come together during Discoveries Week, where they meet their classmates and professor, who serves as their mentor throughout their first year at DU. “We are doing rigorous academics to try to help them there, but I also serve as a kind of mentor,” Hamann says. “We develop a really strong relationship, and I think that’s great for just helping ease that transition to college.”

Discoveries Week culminates in a field trip, where each FSEM takes the opportunity to get out into the real world. While one class headed to the zoo to better understand human nature, and another explored the Bible and social justice through indoor skydiving, Hamann’s class ventured out to view Colorado’s rivers firsthand.

The day started with a stop at Mayhem Gulch, where Hamann and her students got an up close view of one of Colorado’s most important waterways, Clear Creek. The group discussed the various roles Clear Creek plays in society, from providing locals with water and a place for recreation, to sustaining flora and fauna and diluting waste. “For most of our students coming from out of state, Colorado is a real difference. It’s arid. It’s mountainous,” Hamann says. “I like to give them some options for where they might want to come and recreate, but also have them thinking just a little more broadly about how they have an impact on the environment around them.”

The highlight of the trip was a deep dive into the Phoenix Gold Mine accompanied by a certified miner — and a self-described crazy person — named Dave. He regaled his audience with tales of how a lucky lightning strike revealed the mine’s mother lode, a vein containing six rare minerals, including gold, copper and iron.

As students collected stories about tommy knockers, touched the real gold still wedged deep in the mine’s walls and stared down holes hundreds of feet deep, they also learned an important lesson about mining’s history and its impact on the state’s rivers. Hamann pointed out that Clear Creek sits on the Environmental Protection Agency’s 303(d) List thanks to minerals that remain in the river as remnants of the state’s mining heyday.

This underscored an important element of Hamann’s course. “We have to take these rivers and balance a lot of different things,” she says. “The water eventually flows out to the plains where it helps to grow our food, so I think that understanding watersheds is a really great way of pulling together a lot ideas of sustainability.”

Her students agree. “I thought it was really interesting,” Maya Mozolewski from Chicago says. “It was super informative, but entertaining, and it kind of got you into the perspective of the conditions of the mines. I mean, I think this is absolutely great, because nothing else I’m taking is anything like this.”

In her role as Advancement's associate director of career and professional development information systems, Jennifer Anderson deals in data. Anderson uses data as a super power, helping the University to better understand the life cycle of each student’s career journey at DU and beyond. Anderson helped build a data-tracking system — Pioneer Careers — in partnership with a vendor and launched it last year. With the system in place, DU has been able to refocus efforts around career development and help students plan for their futures. In fact, as students ready for graduation, Anderson personally greets them at the bookstore, encouraging them to make use of campus career resources and documenting data regarding their post-graduation plans.

According to colleagues like career advisor Kimberly English, Anderson’s work has had an impact far beyond her department. “She has done so much to integrate career development into the fiber of our campus,” English says. “Jennifer’s expertise has allowed for us to build a campus-wide experiential learning module, galvanize faculty around career development through our incredible outcomes data, and empower our students who might not be sure what their options are after graduation.”

Staff Innovator Award: Ingrid Weyher

As assistant to the chair in the Department of Languages and Literatures, Ingrid Weyher is one of two support staff members attending to one of the largest departments on campus. Weyher juggles many tasks at once, including budget and finance, HR hiring and general administration. Yet, she still finds time to go above and beyond her duties to make a difference. Noticing that each department in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS) operated differently, she looked for ways for them to share knowledge and best practices. Weyher became a founding member of the CAHSS staff committee and was instrumental in creating the CAHSS training sessions.

Chad Leahy, assistant professor in the Department of Languages and Literatures, says that’s far from the end of Weyher’s innovative streak. “Since arriving three years ago, Ingrid has revolutionized the culture in [Languages and Literatures,] bringing with her a professionalism and efficiency that have significantly impacted how we operate as a unit,” he says. “She introduced new efficicencies and streamlined processes for tasks such as assigning major advisors, facilitated easier methods for processing paperwork and reimbursements [and] began tracking key data on enrollments and staffing in new ways.”

Crimson & Gold Award: Brian Elizardi

Brian Elizardi, director of alumni engagement, is a Pioneer through and through. Elizardi’s connection to the University dates back to his undergraduate studies. He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from DU and has held numerous positions at the University, including roles with Campus Life, Admissions and Advancement. In the past year, Elizardi has taken his dedication to DU a step further through the creation of a series of alumni engagement efforts called Pioneering Denver. Pioneering Denver brings Denver-based alums together to engage with one another and with the broader community, all while fostering a greater sense of connection to the University.

According to Lillie Lamm, assistant director of alumni engagement, Elizardi’s work has been instrumental in bringing together the Pioneer community. “Far from the chapter models and happy hours seen in traditional alumni engagement shops, Pioneering Denver and all of Brian's efforts connect our community in interesting and meaningful ways that create lasting impact for our alums, students and our beloved city,” Lamm says. “Brian is constantly challenging the way we think about our work, how to insert creative and forward-thinking ideas and following up with the dedication to see his ideas come to life.”

Departmental Award: Conference and Events Services  

DU’s Conference and Events Services (CES) is responsible for all of the celebrations that populate the University’s calendar each year. Whether those celebrations, conferences and ceremonies are internal, or serve the external community, CES is dedicated to holding events that align with DU’s key values of excellence, innovation, engagement, integrity and inclusiveness. To that end, CES works on countless events at no cost, such as the Veteran’s Cording Ceremony and student-organized events. What’s more, CES guides students, staff and faculty through the work of hosting events on campus and offers 25Live training and best-practices to improve the process.

Kelsey Job, conference and events manager, says representing the University properly is all in a day’s work. “Conference and Event Services aims to include, educate and empower both internal employees, educators and students, as well as welcome the external community to explore the University of Denver,” she says. “This department exemplifies inclusive excellence.”

To read more about this year's faculty award honorees, please click here.

The 2018 CASE Affiliated Student Advancement Programs award, given by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education at a conference in Kentucky, recognizes outstanding organizations and leaders in student philanthropy. Through the award, CASE has shined a light on the visionary innovation of DU’s Student Foundation (DUSF) in its efforts to provide meaningful opportunities for students to give to causes they care about and that help their peers.

In the most recent academic year, a third of undergraduates at DU gave to causes and programs at the University.

The CASE award recognizes DUSF’s work in 2017, the first year the student organization was in existence. DUSF was founded to increase student giving and to provide students with hands-on experience in fundraising and development. CASE gave special mention to DUSF’s signature programs, including:

• DUSF Grants: The organization provides eight $500 grants to student organizations each year to support events, programs and projects focused on supporting students, sustainability and enhancing the student experience.
• Philanthropiggy: Students receive a DUSF-branded piggy bank to collect change that will support the Student Emergency Fund, which helps students who find themselves in a place of financial hardship.
• One Day for DU: DUSF was one of the crowdfunding projects during the University’s annual day of giving in 2017. DU raised more than $1,200 in gifts from students and over $2,200 total, in addition to a gift that provided a 5:1 match for every dollar that was donated by students.

"Awarded each August at the CASE Conference for Student Advancement, the 45th annual CASE ASAP Network Awards celebrates student advancement excellence,” said Robyn Neeley, senior manager of Career Programs at CASE. “We were thrilled that the University of Denver Student Foundation was selected for an Outstanding Emerging Organization award for its commitment to student engagement and student philanthropy at their institution."

DUSF exists to increase student giving across campus and, in the process, foster leadership among these individuals who will soon enter the professional workforce. As students give and participate in fundraising and fund distribution, they deepen their understanding of the difference that their philanthropy and their leadership can have in others’ lives. DUSF fosters civic engagement and leadership as it encourages students to give to the DU causes that hold the most meaning for them.

“The work of DUSF nurtures our students’ nature of goodness and giving,” said Armin Afsahi, vice chancellor for Advancement at DU. “As they give to DU, and as our student leaders participate in the nonprofit leadership function of philanthropy, they become an example for millions of their fellow college students who will become the leaders of tomorrow.”

DUSF has seen exponential growth since the year for which it won the CASE award, growing in its stature as a leader among peer institutions. The organization saw a 105 percent increase in student donors from 900 in Fiscal Year 2017 to 2,190 in Fiscal Year 2018, and one-third of all undergraduate students were donors in 2018. Philanthropiggy’s presence across campus led to a 40 percent participation rate last year among first-year students, more than tripling the giving rate of the previous year. The efforts of DUSF across campus are influencing participation in student giving at all levels, building a strong culture of philanthropy among the student population.

“DU is already asking for thousands of dollars in tuition from students. A lot of students think: Why should we give to DU?” said Harriet Pryor, a junior and Director of Stewardship for DUSF. “DUSF asks students to think not so much about giving back, but about paying it forward. We ask them to think about those experiences and groups that have really made their DU experience special and consider how they might pay it forward to current and future DU students.”

The Winter Carnival Scholarship Fund, eliminating the cost barrier for students wanting to attend this time-honored tradition, was one way students paid it forward this year. Upon purchasing Winter Carnival tickets, students were asked to consider making a small donation towards someone else’s ticket. In all, 230 students donated to the fund, and all donations were matched by DUSF. The money collected provided scholarships for students to attend the 2018 Winter Carnival.

“Throughout the development world, donors want to see the personal impact of their donations on the causes they really care about,” said Nicholas Bowlby, assistant director of student philanthropy at DU and a graduate student himself. “This is true amongst the DU student population, too. The top 10 programs and funds to which students contributed in 2017-2018, including the Club Sports Program Fund, The Student Emergency Fund and The Food Pantry Gift Fund, all have a direct impact on DU students.”

“We want students to realize that most of us don’t have much money to give, but when students give a dollar here and a dollar there, it really makes a difference. We’ve raised thousands of dollars this year for causes that students care about from students giving the little they did have,” Pryor said.

Never forget. That’s the only wish Patrick Mills, a retired navy captain, has of everyone today.

“I hope that we don’t forget. A lot of people were killed on 9/11, and they had nothing to do with anything. They were just going to work, including those people at the Pentagon.”

Mills, now a doctoral student in DU’s Morgridge College of Education, was one of about 20,000 people working in the Pentagon on that fateful day 17 years ago. After flying for 20 years, he was assigned to serve as a military assistant to the secretary of defense, first William Cohen and later Donald Rumsfeld.

He remembers standing outside a congressional breakfast on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Rumsfeld was speaking to 12 congressional representatives about changing their focus from post-Cold War era concerns to what he considered an asymmetric threat, meaning an insurgency or resistance movement. During the meeting, a note was delivered to Mills to give to the secretary. It read: “light civil hits twin towers.” The meeting immediately ended, and about 30 minutes later it became clear just how big the story was.

“The building shook, which was very unusual,” Mills recalls. “Then almost immediately, through the ventilation system, you could smell and taste it; it was an acrid smell.”

Hijackers had crashed American Airlines flight 77 into the western side of the Pentagon. Mills and the secretary were located in offices on the opposite end of the building.

“I see Secretary Rumsfeld, who at that time was 68 years old, and he was running from his office with the defense protective service guards chasing him. They wanted to evacuate him, but he wanted to go to the crash site and pull victims out,” Mills says. “You would have been very proud of your military that day.”

Mills says that for the next few days only critical personnel were required at the Pentagon, but so many others wanted to be there to help determine what had happened, who had attacked and what the response should be.

Mills stayed at the Pentagon until the next spring, when he volunteered to join the Navy fleet in the Middle East for a six-week deployment. Afterward, he was transferred to Colorado-based NORAD in Cheyenne Mountain, where he remained until retiring in 2006.

Now at the age of 62, Mills is only months away from receiving his doctorate in education.

“You’d be surprised at what some retired military are doing,” he says. It’s hard to take off your uniform and go play golf. You still feel like you have a draw to some sense of mission.”

He says his new mission is working on education reform and tackling the challenges facing K-12 public education.

“I’m focusing on the idea of leadership and impact on quality as a measureable, not just as hyperbole,” Mills says. “There’s plenty of evidence [in] Colorado and nationwide that our kids are not meeting the standards for numeracy and English language arts. It’s a quality problem, and we deal with quality problems all the time in the military and in industry. Those are solvable problems.”

Philip Beaver, a professor in the Daniels College of Business, is also a survivor of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon. Please click here to read his story.

Our first event will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. HRIC will sponsor a Lunch & Learn event on Friday, Sept. 21 from noon-1 p.m. in the Anderson Academic Commons room 290. The event will feature prominent Mariachi musician, Juventino Romero and his renowned group, Mariachi Sol de Mi Tierra. Lunch and beverages will be provided, co-sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

“History of Mariachi” will provide a historical and musical approach to the evolution of the music of Mariachi. Romero will explain the traditions that have come to identify Mariachi music as a unique genre: instrumentation, performance style, performance clothing and singing style, to name a few. In 2011, UNESCO recognized Mariachi music as an “Intangible Cultural Heritage,” truly Mexican in origin, but now recognized globally in national and international competitions throughout the world.

To register to attend the Lunch & Learn event, please click here.

The University of Denver is numbered among the country’s top 100 institutions of higher education. U.S. News & World Report ranks DU 96th in its list of best national universities.

This year, U.S. News & World Report adjusted the criteria that is used to determine overall rankings. They are now based on six different categories: outcomes, faculty resources, expert opinion, financial resources, student excellence and alumni giving. Furthermore, peer assessment surveys are now conducted by U.S. News rather than by a third-party organization.

Faculty resources considers five factors to assess a school’s commitment to instruction: class size, faculty salaries, faculty with the highest degree in their fields, student-faculty ratio and proportion of faculty who are full time. The University of Denver ranks 52nd in this area, an improvement of 10 spots from last year. Only 5 percent of classes at DU have 50 or more students and the student-faculty ratio is 11:1.

“We are delighted with the increase in our ranking regarding our superb faculty. It represents a recognition of the close connection between our students and the faculty at DU, ” says Chancellor Rebecca Chopp.

In addition to the overall ranking, the University of Denver places in the top 100 in several other categories. DU ranks 58th among Best Value Schools. This ranking takes into account a school’s academic quality and the net cost of attendance for a student receiving the average need-based scholarship or grant. Forty-two percent of students receive need-based grants at DU.

DU ranks 59th in the category of Best Colleges for Veterans. A university qualifies for this list if it enrolls a minimum of 20 veterans and active service members and if it is certified for the GI Bill and participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program. Universities participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program make additional funds available for veterans attending an out-of-state or private institution.

U.S. News & World Report ranked the Daniels College of Business 87th on the list of Best Undergraduate Business Programs, an improvement of four spots from last year. The ranking is based on program accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business; the results are based solely on surveys of business school deans and senior faculty.

“While we’re pleased with the recognition from U.S. News & World Report, we know that the quality and impact of our undergraduate program extends far beyond this ranking,” says E. LaBrent Chrite, dean of the Daniels School. “Our students leave Daniels with the requisite technical and adaptive skills necessary to create value in the 21st- century market while they realize their passions and purpose.”

A: It is an honor to join the DU family and a privilege to serve as provost and executive vice chancellor. In my short few weeks on the job, my appreciation for and delight about this university has further blossomed. There are so many terrific things happening, many aligned with DU’s strategic plan — DU IMPACT 2025 — so it is not surprising that one of my first tasks will be to assess and rank my priorities as provost.

A second objective will be to immerse myself into the DU community, culture and traditions. I am eager to get started and build practices of regularly meeting and communicating with all our stakeholders. Communication, especially to the internal community, will be important to me.

A third objective is to ensure that our implementation of DU IMPACT 2025 continues to make great progress. DU’s success in the future — moving to the next level of greatness and excellence — will be the result of careful and enthusiastic execution of the strategic plan and goals.

Finally, I am passionate about supporting the campus’ student-centeredness and growing interdisciplinary work, whether it is along the teaching and learning dimension or along research, scholarship and creative work. I look forward to supporting both these concepts across the university.

Q: Before coming to DU, you served as provost and senior vice president at Rochester Institute of Technology. What are the differences or similarities between the two schools?

A: There are considerable differences between the two institutions, and that is why it is so important for me to understand the culture and history of DU. DU’s mission to serve the public good was a huge attraction to me. Of course, DU is an urban university sitting inside the dynamic, on-the-move city of Denver. And finally, DU has a wonderful split of graduate and undergraduate populations that affords many opportunities for intergenerational learning.

But there are similarities, too. Both institutions emphasize experiential or integrative learning. Both emphasize international education, although their approaches are quite different. And both wish to expand and grow their research and scholarly activity, especially with interdisciplinary work.

Finally, I want to point out that there are many aspects of DU that differentiate it from other universities, besides its mission. The excellence of the faculty and their strong support of students, the community-engaged professional schools, the strong liberal education framework, our leading study abroad program, and the true engagement of faculty, staff and students with the Denver community are just some of the reasons why DU is a very special place.

Q: Since coming to DU, what opportunities have you been able to identify?

A: While I still need to do more learning and listening, there are some themes that are becoming more in focus. First, Denver is a fascinating place. It is a strong technology town that attracts creative young people. But it is also a town that is committed to sustainability, and the people are big into well-being. Interesting restaurants are abundant, and many focus on the farm-to-table approach. The hospital system is first-rate and doing cutting-edge research. Finally, Denver is an aviation town with an excellent airport and many industries in the aerospace industry. I wonder how our portfolio of academic programs aligns with these opportunities. This is exciting to think about.

Another observation is about DU’s ability to make the proverbial “dent in the universe.” I have already learned of a number of emerging collaborations across the colleges and schools that lead me to believe DU can be an international thought leader in a few select areas. Preventative and behavioral health and community-engaged scholarship are just two examples that have already impressed me. But I know there are many more, and I will be working to see more areas emerge. In the end, our job will be to creatively and innovatively seize opportunities to make a positive impact.

Q: Are you glad to be back in Colorado? As an athlete, what do you like most about the state?

A: My wife, Maurin, and I are super happy to be back in Colorado. Sunshine, mountains and people who cherish being outdoors — we love it. The other night we were sitting on our porch, and we observed a hummingbird moth, a full moon, bats AND a swooping owl. How cool is that? As a person who loves to be athletic, I’d have to say I’m really looking forward to the 300 days of sunshine, so that I can get out there and run, bike and swim.

Q: What is your favorite local run or hike?

A: Hard to say because I’ve had so many great runs, and I know there are many more out there. But I’m loving the Harvard Gulch trail, the Highline Canal trail and the Cherry Creek trail the best so far. And that is not even in the mountains!

Q: You are an Ironman competitor — how many races have you completed, and when is your next one scheduled?

A: Four so far: Wisconsin, Mont Tremblant, Lake Placid and Florida. I have the badges of honor on my body to prove it! They are so fun! My favorite part is going down to the finish line and cheering on the finishers at midnight. The looks on their faces tell the story of human perseverance and dedication that is simply inspiring. Everyone should experience this.

As for my next one. It has to be Ironman Boulder, right? June 9, right before DU Commencement. I am so looking forward to it!

This week, the University of Denver’s Class of 2022 began the first chapter of its college experience. Through move-in, Pioneer Passage and Discoveries Week, each of the 1,500 first-year students is starting to fill the pages with a personal tale of exploration and inquiry.

Before the students — hailing from 48 states and 24 countries — set foot on campus, they cast their eyes on Molly Birnbaum’s memoir, “Season to Taste” — the selection for this year’s One Book, One DU program. The three-year-old common-reading program grows out of DU IMPACT 2025 and student requests for a shared intellectual experience outside the classroom.

Over the course of 300 pages, students accompany Birnbaum from college — where the art history major dreams of culinary success — to career. They follow her into the kitchen of an upscale Boston-area restaurant and later into the hospital, where a collision with a car has left her without her senses of smell and taste.

As Birnbaum searches for a scientific explanation and a remedy, she finds a new world of challenge, frustration and delight. She discovers a new way of relating to the world while confronting her vulnerabilities.

After reading Birnbaum’s account, the incoming students were asked to respond to a prompt and tell their own story of something they’ve lost or fear losing. Responses to “One Prompt” can come in any form — a traditional essay, video, work of art, or anything else a student can imagine.

“Shared stories can help us share who we are,” says L.P. Picard, a teaching associate professor in the University Writing Program who also helps coordinate One Book. “But the act of listening to someone else’s story can also help us begin to appreciate where each other is coming from. And I think in order for us to have important conversations on campus, in order for us to fulfill some of the missions of DU IMPACT 2025, it’s crucial that we understand where we’re all coming from, what these different backgrounds are bringing to the table and how they come together to create a tapestry on campus.”

“Season to Taste” is meant to break the conversational ice for the new academic year. Additional programming calls for numerous opportunities to spotlight the book and student responses. Each of this year’s All Campus Lectures explored a theme floated in the book, and Birnbaum is expected to visit campus later this month. Other projects, like the Many Voices, One DU publication, will showcase the experiences of this diverse class.

Jennifer Karas, vice provost for academic programs, says the initiative satiates the community’s hunger for connection while also sending a message to the newest class of Pioneers.

“Let’s come together and do what we do here, which is talk and reflect and learn from each other,” she says. “[Students] get this in the mail with a DU logo on it and a letter from the chancellor right away, saying, ‘Welcome. This is what we do. We think, we reflect, we engage, we’re community members.’”

In selecting this year’s One Book, Picard and her colleagues received 82 nominations, which a committee whittled down to 10. As students, faculty and the chancellor weighed in, the group searched for a work that is accessible, linguistically appropriate, cross-disciplinary and identity-focused. In years past, the committee has selected “The Truth About Stories” by Thomas King and “Hillbilly Elegy,” by J.D. Vance.

As a writer, Picard likes this year’s selection for its vivid, rich descriptions of often-overlooked senses. As a part of the DU community, she admires the way it cuts across academic boundaries and speaks to the student experience.

“The University is really trying to heighten conversations around mental wellness and mental health,” she said. “I think a big problem that some of our students may face is having an invisible disability. So what does it mean when you carry around an invisible injury or something that other people can’t see and they don’t see that you’re struggling?”

Experiences like Birnbaum’s, Chancellor Rebecca Chopp wrote in her introduction to the specially printed DU edition of the book, are formative. They are experiences that should be shared.

“We will learn from each other,” she wrote. “That’s the adventure of education, and I’m so happy you will be taking this journey at DU.”

One Book, One DU Related Events

• Encountering Stories: Tuesday, Oct. 23, 6 p.m.
• A Conversation with Author Molly Birnbaum: Thursday, Sept. 20, 7 p.m.
• Many Voices, One DU Submissions Due: Saturday, Dec. 1

Students and their parents heard from Chancellor Rebecca Chopp and others on the importance of the values that will define their time at DU. In an address that focused on shaping the DU community, Chopp drew upon lessons from the memoir read by all incoming students as part of the One Book One DU program, “Season to Taste: How I Lost My Sense of Smell and Found My Way.”

Chopp noted that “Season to Taste” provides an example of how to create community. The book details the story of Molly Birnbaum, an aspiring chef who loses her sense of smell in an accident. “Birnbaum reaches out and learns everything there is about the sense of smell,” Chopp said. “She not only receives community, she creates it. Values and community are what we mean when we talk about DU. You’re here to create your own sense of values, but you’re also here to build this community.”

Chopp also discussed the history of DU, sharing examples of such high points as being one of the first universities to admit women to science degrees, as well as such low points as when the institution faced insolvency and almost had to close. “Values are never perfect; they’re always evolving,” she said. “Get to know your values, get to know others’ values, and do it in the sense of ‘One DU.’”

Finally, Chopp revealed her ABCs for college success. The first, “Ask questions.” “There is no better time in your life to do so, and it is the key to your academic success and the key to building community,” she said. Second, she continued, “Balance. Balance is the key to life. Make sure you’re doing well academically. Make sure you’re engaging with friends. Make sure you’re staying fit and well; make sure that you’re serving the public good.”

Last but not least, “Connect.” Chopp said. “I’m a first-generation college student. My family was poor, and most of my friends were also first-generation college students whose families were from the same socioeconomic background. It was in college that I learned about the sheer joy and fascination of connecting with someone really different than me.” She added, “Connect with someone really different. You need mentors and guides to do this journey.”

Students also heard from Jeremy Haefner, provost and executive vice chancellor. After starting at DU this summer, Haefner said he could identify with the incoming class. Todd Rinehart, vice chancellor for enrollment management, opened the event with statistics about this year’s incoming class, including the fact that 69 percent of students are from out-of-state and that they come from 925 different high schools.

“The University of Denver supports students and programs that enhance health and well-being,” Chancellor Rebecca Chopp said. “The launch of the Collegiate Recovery Community further ensures student wellness and creates a deeper sense of belonging on this campus.”

According to recent studies, it is estimated that 31 percent of college students meet the criteria of a substance abuse disorder, while 6 percent meet the criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol dependence. While colleges across the country have taken steps to address the needs of these students, less than 5 percent of higher education institutions currently have recovery-focused programming.

“Alcohol and other drug use are not new issues on college campuses, and neither is recovery,” said Dylan Dunn, CRC coordinator. “Knowing the prevalence of alcohol and other drug use on college campuses and understanding the severity of the opioid crisis nationally and in Colorado, conversations began for the need for services for those in recovery from a disordered relationship with alcohol and other drugs.”

This reality of the crisis registered in a tragic way last year with the loss of one of DU’s undergraduate students, Jonathan Winnefeld, to an overdose. "We are grateful that DU recognizes the unique requirements for their students in recovery—like the thousands who are in recovery on campuses across the country—and has built a quality, stigma-free program to support those battling the disease of substance use disorder,” Admiral James and Mary Winnefeld, Co-Founders of the S.A.F.E. Project said.

The CRC will provide a community lounge space for studying, hold drug- and alcohol-free social events and present educational seminars. Staff members will also host weekly recovery talks and peer support meetings, open to those on all paths of recovery. The ultimate goal of the CRC is to provide students with the support needed to prevent relapse and promote academic performance.

With the addition of the CRC, students who are in recovery will now have access to a full continuum of care. “From prevention and public health education, to counseling and now recovery support, we are equipped to support student wellness in all forms,” Michael LaFarr, executive director of the Health and Counseling Center said.

The University of Denver continues to recruit the best possible students. The average high school grade point average for the 2022 incoming class is 3.70. The first-year students also averaged a 28.06 on their ACT and a 1266 on their SAT tests.

A majority of the incoming class traveled more than 500 miles to come to DU, with 69 percent coming from out of state. In addition to first-year students, about 185 transfer students will start this fall.

The class of 2022 will be more diverse than those of recent years. Nearly a quarter of the incoming class identifies as an ethnic minority other than white. First-generation students will make up 19 percent of the class.

Monday, Sept. 3, is move-in day for first-year students at the University of Denver. Nearly a quarter of the roughly 1,500 students identify themselves as a member of an ethnic group other than white, making the Class of 2022 the most diverse ever to attend DU.

For a majority of the incoming class, their journey to Denver requires a plane ticket or more than a daylong drive. Sixty-nine percent of students are coming from out of state, representing 48 states and 24 countries. In fact, 66 percent of first-year students are traveling more than 500 miles to become Pioneers.

• 31 percent are from Colorado
• 17 percent are from the West
• 21 percent are from the Midwest
• 12 percent are from the Northeast
• 8 percent are from the Southwest
• 6 percent are from the Southeast
• 6 percent are international

First-generation college students make up 19 percent of the class, while 10 percent are legacy students who have had a sibling or parent attend DU before them.

In addition to first-year students, DU is welcoming about 185 transfer students for the fall quarter. About half of these students are from Colorado.

For more information on how you can impact the University of Denver, please click here.

Carbon nanotubes may be strangers to most, but for University of Denver alumna and physics pioneer Azure Avery, they hold the magic of a pink, feather-light sugar nest disappearing on a child’s tongue for the first time.

“When raw, [carbon nanotube material] is sort of this really soft, black, sooty-looking cotton candy,” Avery says. Those aren’t technical terms, and they don’t reflect the depth of Avery’s subject-matter expertise, but they do say a lot about her approach to physics.

For Avery, the world of physics is Disneyland, and carbon nanotubes are her favorite ride. In the handful of years since she earned her PhD in physics from DU, Avery has spent her time exploring the potential of the tiny tubes through a collaboration involving DU, Metropolitan State University of Denver, where she is an assistant professor, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Although she had wanted to be a physicist early on — even beginning her undergraduate studies as a physics major — unexpectedly confusing coursework soured her relationship with the discipline. “Nobody told me that this was a class unlike any other class I had had before,” Avery says. “You’re learning to think and problem solve in a very different way than you’ve ever had to before. That was part of the difficulty. I didn’t know that, so I thought the problem was me, and I thought I just wasn’t smart enough to do it.”

So she quit. Avery took up psychology instead and earned her bachelor’s degree in that subject before eventually taking a job at Xerox. Her love of physics became a hobby, relegated to the back burner only to be reheated and enjoyed with the latest headline about space discoveries or exciting events at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Eventually that pull became too strong to ignore.

While plenty of others dance with the idea of reinventing themselves, Avery allowed physics to sweep her off her feet. “I knew what my passion was,” Avery says. “This was me going back and saying ‘I’m not going to let anything keep me from doing this this time. I know I can do it, and I am going to make sure I do it.’”

At age 30, Avery went back to school and earned her bachelor’s degree in physics, followed by a master’s degree. When it came time to pursue doctoral studies, she enrolled at the University of Denver, where she found a home in Barry Zink’s lab cutting her physics teeth.

“I got to learn everything,” she says. “I got to learn how to work all of the equipment; I had opportunities to go and present work at conferences, which is where your networking starts. [Zink] really gives a lot of autonomy and support and opportunities to learn. That completely formed the researcher that I am today.”

Avery returned the favor too, says Zink. “She was my second graduate student and she had a huge impact on the stuff we were doing, and the things we are still doing,” he says. According to Zink, Avery’s thesis work was instrumental in establishing DU’s reputation in the field, and her bright personality has had a lasting effect on the department. “She is both relentless and relentlessly positive,” Zink says. “I think [Avery] was a huge helpful presence to get the culture of the department to be pushed in a good direction.”

After completing her PhD, Avery settled into a postdoctoral placement with NREL, where she joined an elite group of prominent researchers focused on building knowledge and solutions around sustainability and energy efficiency.

Today, as an assistant professor working with undergraduates, she approaches teaching with the goal of keeping students from the same frustration she encountered early on. “I try to warn them that this class is going to be different,” Avery says. “I also try to use different techniques for learning in my classroom that I was never exposed to.” One of the keys to instilling a passion for physics in her students, Avery says, is connecting the concepts and equations to the real world. So, between slides on classic lessons like Newtonian laws, Avery slips in golden nuggets that let students hear the sound the sun makes or watch spiders use electric fields to fly.

When Avery isn’t teaching, she’s learning. Through a continued partnership with NREL and DU, Avery is further exploring the carbon nanotube. Since pioneering a method for measuring the thermoelectric properties of nanotubes, Avery has spent the last few years digging deeper into the material’s potential as an effective organic thermoelectric.

“There are so many knobs to turn because there’s not just one type of carbon nanotube. There are single-walled and multiwalled, but then there are different-sized nanotubes, which have different properties. Some of them are metallic,” she says. “There are a lot of different pieces to try along the same little idea.”

Small though they may be, the “spaghetti-like” carbon nanotubes are full of potential and have certainly captured the curiosity of the scientific community. Already, Avery has seen them used to create jackets capable of using body heat to charge cell phones. In the coming years, she expects to see a carbon nanotube envelope that can harness heat waste created from outdated appliances, like, say, air conditioners.

Driven by an insatiable appetite for solving pressing problems, Avery cannot get enough of her job. “I get to put together systems. I get to do wiring, and I get to actually build things. I get to go into a machine shop and make parts if I want to,” she says. “It’s very interesting, and it’s never what you expect. It always throws you a curve ball, and it’s never going to work when you want it to. It’s always going to break when you don’t want it to. I just love to do things and see what happens and try to figure out what’s behind what I observe.”