The Academic Progress Rate is a real-time measure of eligibility and retention of student-athletes competing on every Division I sports team.

The most recent APR scores are based on a multiyear rate that averages scores from the 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11 and 2011–12 academic years.

All 17 DU sports programs scored 956 or higher, including three teams — men’s golf, women’s soccer and women’s skiing — with perfect scores of 1,000. All 17 DU sports programs have scored over 925 for six consecutive years.

The NCAA also announced that five DU sports programs — men’s basketball, men’s golf, women’s skiing, men’s soccer and women’s soccer — were honored with the association’s Public Recognition Awards. The awards are given each year to teams scoring in the top 10 percent in each sport with their APRs.

“We are proud of all that our teams have accomplished athletically, but we are even more pleased with our success in the classroom,” says Peg Bradley-Doppes, vice chancellor for athletics and recreation. “Our student-athletes’ average GPA is 3.33, and our graduation rate is consistently 90 percent or better. We applaud them for all of their hard work.”

The Pioneers sent eight teams and four individuals from four sports programs to NCAA postseason competition to finish with 425.5 points and rank No. 51 in the nation.

Denver led all Western Athletic Conference schools by more than 260 points, and all Summit League schools by more than 250 points. The Pioneers were behind Brigham Young by 79.5 points, but led all other Mountain Region schools.

Among the I-AAA schools, the Pioneers outdistanced themselves 87.25 points, sitting ahead of Wichita State, which ranks No. 65.

“We are honored to capture our fifth I-AAA Directors’ Cup in the last six years,” Bradley-Doppes said. “We take tremendous pride in the overall athletic and academic success of our athletic program. Winning this trophy is important to us. Representing I-AAA and the Front Range as the top-ranked athletic program is quite an accomplishment. Our coaches, student-athletes and staff share this honor with all of our fans, donors, sponsors and followers of Pioneer athletics.”

The Pioneers earned 83 points for their NCAA Final Four appearance in men’s lacrosse, 53 points for women’s lacrosse’s historic run to the NCAA Tournament and 50 points for men’s tennis’ win over Florida in the NCAA Tournament.

Complete standings and the scoring structure can be found on NACDA’s website, DirectorsCup.org.

The Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in up to 20 sports — 10 women’s and 10 men’s.

Business students collaborated with a noted Colorado builder, Oakwood Homes, to construct three single-family model homes in Denver’s Green Valley Ranch neighborhood. Photo: Heidi Von Feldt

As part of a long-standing partnership, students at the University of Denver Franklin L. Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management have collaborated with a noted Colorado builder, Oakwood Homes, to construct three single-family model homes in Denver’s Green Valley Ranch neighborhood.

For 17 years, the Burns School and Oakwood Homes have teamed up on homebuilding projects that allow students to help manage every aspect of the construction project as their capstone class. Historically, the team managed construction on one home per year, but this year they managed construction on multiple model homes.

“The hands-on building experience we received, combined with DU’s classroom curriculum, provide a foundation for successful careers in construction and real estate management,” said student Heidi Von Feldt, the practicum class leader.

Frank Walker, chief operating officer of Oakwood Homes, said students learned about opportunities, challenges and efficiencies that come with managing multiple projects simultaneously.

“Also, this project partnership allowed us to take in the latest in building-science technology and apply it to our work,” he said.

The three model homes utilize energy-efficient technology and meet current consumer demands for open floor plans and finished basements.

Two years ago, the group built a net-zero home, a home that produces as much energy as it uses in a given year, which sold for $315,000. Their goal for 2012 was to build a net-zero home for under $200,000. That home sold for $189,000.

This year’s class focused on getting hands-on experience with managing multiple homebuilding projects at once. Students also created their own corporation, named “DUrt Development Group,” which incorporates social media, marketing and operations similar to the daily aspects of a real estate organization.

Together with Oakwood Homes, the students showcased their finished work in a ribbon-cutting ceremony in mid-May at one of the newly constructed model homes.

Wendy Aiello is president of Aiello Public Relations & Marketing. 

“Go out, and in your own way, live up to the promise of the great American heroes of the past,” Mayor Michael Hancock told graduates at Saturday’s undergraduate Commencement ceremony. Photo: Wayne Armstrong

At Saturday’s undergraduate Commencement ceremony, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock called upon the Class of 2013 to go forth and change the world.

“America is counting on you,” Hancock told the graduates at the ceremony in Magness Arena. “This nation yearns for new American heroes. We live in a world that is changing minute by minute. New innovations drive the endless pace of expectation. And increased connectivity makes our world smaller and more competitive. It is your civic obligation to be able to compete in this new world.

“We count on you to pick up the torch of the trailblazers that came before you,” Hancock continued. “To drive our economy forward, to be ready to discover that new vaccine that will alleviate suffering or to shepherd that deal that will lead to new and lasting peace.”

Hancock’s speech came after opening remarks by Chancellor Robert Coombe and a short speech by graduating senior and student body vice president Parker Calbert, who recalled her work on the 2012 presidential debate.

Hancock finished his speech by urging new graduates to use their unique talents to help create a better world.

“My charge to you is simply this: Go out, and in your own way, live up to the promise of the great American heroes of the past and work however you choose to do so to make this a better world,” he said. “Be the teacher in the Bronx or Denver or East Los Angeles who spends nights helping the next generation learn to read. It will make this a better world. Be the person who joins a nonprofit that advocates for clean water or fair elections. It will make this world a better place.”

Alexa Cain worked on the 2012 presidential debate at DU. Photo courtesy of Alexa Cain

After graduating from the University of Denver in 2012 with a BA in marketing, Alexa Cain enrolled in the one-year MBA program at the Daniels College of Business. She graduates from that program June 6. As an undergraduate, Cain worked on the 2012 presidential debate that took place on campus. DU Today caught up with Cain to talk about marketing, her DU experience and more.

Q: What is your specialty in the MBA program?

A: I’m concentrating on business intelligence and analytics — kind of taking a new perspective on marketing, more the analytical data side of things, which is what I’m looking to go into. Consumer insights, market research, that type of field.

Q: What attracted you to that?

A: I’ve always been a numbers person. I like the creative industry of marketing, but I also like the insights: the psychology and data side of it. I’ve always loved psychology — any extra classes that I had at DU, I would take a psych class — but I can’t stand science. I feel like marketing and business intelligence give me that insight into the psychology of marketing.

Q: That seems like a growing field.

A: It’s kind of a hot topic right now. It’s always been around, people collecting data, but in recent years people are trying to figure out exactly what to do with all the data and how to interpret it. There aren’t that many people in the market who really know what to do with all of it — how to organize it and use it to make business decisions.

Q: You interned for a little over a year in the communication office at Daniels. Have you had other internships during your time at DU?

A: Prior to Daniels I did an internship with [movie theater advertising company] National CineMedia. I was there for six months as a general marketing intern. I was in a department called Fathom Event, which does special events. I did a lot of social media while I was there. After being at Daniels, I started an internship with a company called BrandJuice; they’re a small brand-consulting agency in Denver. They work with big clients like Procter & Gamble and General Mills and help companies brand new product innovations—anything from someone who wants to come up with a new product idea to a company that has a new product and wants to figure out where to sell it and where to place it. They do a lot of qualitative research and customer insights. That’s been very fun as well.

Q: You decided to go to DU for graduate school, so you must like the education you got as an undergraduate.

A: DU was a great fit for me. I loved the small classes. I always tell people that’s probably the greatest aspect, is the one-on-one feel you get in the classroom. You really can personalize it. Even this business intelligence program, you can shape it to what you want to be and work with your professors on different projects. In one of my classes, I got to use BrandJuice, my internship — I got to bridge that gap and use some of my work there as one of my school projects.

Q: Tell me about your work on the presidential debate.

A: I did a lot of the debate prep, in terms of PR and reaching out to different media outlets in order to get people to the debate. We put together a big list of professors at DU who were experts on certain topics, so the media would know who they wanted to interview when they came to campus. I was on a social media team that was participating in live blogging during the debate and encouraging tweets and all kinds of social media postings. I also helped produce a short video that prepared DU students for the day of the debate, kind of prepping them that media’s going to be on campus and how to respond when all that craziness is going on.

Q: That must have been a nice addition to your resumé.

A: It was really cool to be a part of. It was definitely hectic — the office was super-busy — but it was really fun. Most people can’t say that [they worked on a presidential debate].

Q: Did you study abroad as an undergraduate?

A: In my junior year, fall quarter, I studied abroad in Salamanca, Spain. That was great. I’m a Spanish minor, so I took all my classes in Spanish while I was there, and I lived with a host family, so by the time I left I was certainly fluent. That’s another one of my favorite aspects of DU, is just how easy it is to study abroad.

Q: Did that enhance your resumé as well?

A: The biggest benefit I got from it wasn’t necessarily resumé, but just learning a different culture and learning to be really independent. I didn’t go with any friends I knew beforehand.

Q: You grew up in Los Angeles; how did you end up at DU?

A: My sister actually went to DU. She’s one year ahead of me in school, and she is a statistics major, so she was looking at statistics programs across the country and stumbled upon DU. She ended up transferring after her second year. But after I visited her once, I was like, “I want go here; I love it.” I was here to stay.

The graduate Commencement ceremony begins at 4:30 a.m. Friday, June 7, at Magness Arena. For more information or to watch a live stream of the ceremony, visit www.du.edu/commencement.

“Denver Law is committed to creating practice-ready law school graduates,” says Denver Law Dean Martin Katz. “This is a major milestone in achieving that goal.”

The Sturm College of Law has long been recognized as a pioneer in experiential learning, opening the nation’s first law school clinic in 1904.  The school was cited in 2012 by U.S. News & World Report Magazine as one of three law schools demonstrating “best practices” in the field.

The new Experiential Advantage Curriculum combines live client clinics, high-quality externships– including a new Semester in Practice Externship– and legal simulation courses. Among the simulation courses are the Carnegie Integrated Courses, also new, which provide training in doctrine, written and oral skills, and emphasize the development of professional identity.

Students who opt into the program will take 24 credit hours of experiential learning courses in their second and third years in addition to their 6 credit first-year Lawyering Process course.  The result is that at least a third of their three-year law school career will consist of experiential learning opportunities.

“Experiential courses put our students in the shoes of practicing lawyers in real and simulated legal matters,” says Professor Roberto Corrada, the Mulligan Chair of Modern Learning at Denver Law. “Getting to do this for a full year during law school, guided by expert professors and mentors, provides unparalleled opportunities for our students to develop as lawyers.”

“Employers have told us repeatedly that they are looking for graduates with real or simulated practice experience, and the skills and perspective that come from such experience,” says Dean Katz. “We believe that the Experiential Advantage Curriculum will provide our graduates with a significant advantage in the job market.”

The Experiential Advantage Curriculum will be available to all Denver Law students arriving in the fall of 2013 or later. While the program is optional, all Denver Law students are required to take at least one experiential learning course during their second or third year. More information on the Experiential Advantage Curriculum can be found at the Sturm College of Law’s website: www.law.du.edu/experiential-advantage.

The program marks the fulfillment of one of the most important goals in Denver Law’s strategic plan, notes Dean Katz.  The plan called for the school to build sufficient curricular capacity to offer students an all-experiential year as part of its Modern Learning Initiative.

Denver Law also is looking into the possibility of creating an Experiential Advantage certificate, which would formally distinguish graduates who undertook a year of experiential learning while still in law school.

Denver Law is an active participant in “Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers” (ETL), an initiative of the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver.  ETL is dedicated to facilitating and supporting experiential learning in law schools to create excellent, practice-ready lawyers.  A total of 28 law schools with a shared focus on experiential learning are members of ETL’s consortium.

The films being screened are:

“Americano” — The story of an Iraqi refugee who enrolls in a program that helps refugees find employment in Denver coffee shops.

“Final Table” — When one of the world’s best poker players is knocked out within the first 30 minutes of the Amateur Championship, two unlikely players emerge as Final Table favorites.

“Hope Is Free at This Shop” —  A look at Safari Thrift, a Denver-area thrift store that provides jobs for refugees.

“Leveled” — A creative look at death, the great equalizer, through a range of perspectives and reactions to our own mortality.

“Refuge” — A film about wolves and humans finding sanctuary at a Colorado wolf rescue.

“I feel like I have found my family through this organization and have impacted many students in regard to their identity,” says Asian Student Alliance co-president Craig Hirokawa. Photo: Wayne Armstrong

Senior political science major Craig Hirokawa has devoted much of his extracurricular time serving the student body, first as the social sciences senator in Undergraduate Student Government and then as president of the Student Advisory Council (SAC). It’s been his way of creating change and opportunities for students in the Divisions of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS).

“I originally ran two years ago so that I could be involved on campus,” says Hirokawa, who graduates this week with degrees in political science and international studies. “However, I have seen the potential that the Undergraduate Student Government has to create change on this campus. As president of SAC, I have worked to foster an AHSS identity for all AHSS students.”

Ginni Ishimatsu, AHSS associate dean of undergraduate studies, says Hirokawa has made an impact during his time at the University of Denver.

“Craig is an outstanding liberal arts student and leader,” she says. “He has helped build community among our AHSS students by creatively developing inclusive, fun, intellectual programming for his peers.”

In addition to serving AHSS, Hirokawa has been involved with the Asian Student Alliance (ASA) for the past four years. He currently serves as the group’s co-president.

“ASA seeks to address social, political and academic issues facing the Asian-American community,” Hirokawa says. “I feel like I have found my family through this organization and have impacted many students in regard to their identity and ASA’s influence for a more socially just and inclusive campus.”

Hirokawa was able to delve deeper into his Asian heritage when he studied in Japan last year.

“I was located between Osaka and Kyoto, so I was able to quickly access both a city center and cultural center,” he says. “Because I was generally located in the center of Japan, I was able to take trips from Tokyo to Hiroshima. I was also able to meet some distant relatives who still live in Japan. Overall, I felt that I got a sense of my cultural heritage, but also affirmed my identity as a Japanese-American.”

Hirokawa will begin a certification program this summer for a student teaching position with Teach for America, a national nonprofit that places recent college graduates in classrooms in low-income areas. Hirokawa will teach secondary social studies in San Jose, Calif., for at least two years. When his assignment is over, Hirokawa plans to attend law school and eventually work in education law or higher-ed law.

“Originally, I was interested in Teach for America because of the achievement gap in this country, and I felt that getting involved in the program would be a grassroots level for me to become a part of the solution to close this gap,” Hirokawa says. “Now, I’m interested in pursuing education law, so I think having real experiences in the classroom will allow me to be a more focused and informed advocate against the achievement gap.”

Hirokawa says his DU education has made him more aware of education issues in the U.S. “My liberal arts education has made it possible for me to think about the world around me and approach today’s problems creatively and critically,” he says.

The undergraduate Commencement ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, June 8, at Magness Arena. For more information or to watch a live stream of the ceremony, visit www.du.edu/commencement.

“The invitation to join a collective group of universities with such a rich tradition of lacrosse support speaks volumes about the recognition our program has garnered on the national collegiate landscape,” says Peg Bradley-Doppes, vice chancellor for athletics and recreation. “Additionally, the alignment with these institutions certainly fosters our belief in the academic enterprise as they are all considered among the finest in America.”

Head coach Bill Tierney says the move will increase DU’s visibility in the world of college lacrosse.

“In this ever-changing world of college athletic conferences and being only one of two Division I programs out west, the University of Denver lacrosse program must stay at the forefront of opportunities that best serve us, as we move into the future,” Tierney says. “The opportunity to align ourselves with some historically great lacrosse schools in a historically strong conference, and to solidify the University of Denver’s annual opportunity to compete for an automatic qualifier for the NCAA tournament, has made this an easy move to make.”

The Pioneers are leaving the Eastern College Athletic Conference, which they have been a part of since the 2010 season. During its four years in the ECAC, Denver has secured three regular season titles and one tournament championship. The Pioneers also have made the NCAA Tournament for four straight seasons, including two trips to Championship Weekend.

Ban Ki-moon, a strong advocate for sustainable development, has strived to mobilize world leaders and the global public around such pressing challenges as eradicating poverty and hunger, advancing global health, addressing climate change, strengthening peacekeeping and conflict prevention, and empowering the world’s women and young people.

Ban received a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Seoul National University in 1970. In 1985, he earned a master’s degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. His long career in public service in his native Republic of Korea has included postings in New Delhi, Vienna, New York and Washington, D.C., and culminated with his years as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

He became the eighth secretary general of the United Nations on January 1, 2007. In June 2011 he was unanimously re-elected by the U.N. General Assembly and will serve until Dec. 31, 2016.

Hancock became Denver’s 45th mayor in July 2011. A native of Fort Hood, Texas, he is the youngest of 10 children from an Army family that moved to Denver when he was less than a year old. A graduate of Denver’s Manual High School, he attended Hastings College, in Nebraska, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1991. He received his master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado-Denver.

In 1995 he joined Metro Denver’s Urban League affiliate as program director; he became the league’s president in 1999. In 2003, he was elected to Denver City Council and served two terms as council president, from 2006 to 2008.

Approximately 2,900 students will receive degrees at the undergraduate and graduate commencement ceremonies. Both ceremonies will take place in Magness Arena, inside the Ritchie Center on campus.