A new survey research center has been created at the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies with a $1 million gift from public opinion research pioneer and DU alumna Helen Crossley. The Crossley Center for Public Opinion Research will be Colorado’s leading academic center for survey research. It will train students in American public opinion as well as international public opinion related to international policy issues.
Helen Crossley earned a master’s degree from DU in 1947 with an emphasis in survey research and enjoyed a long career in public opinion research, mostly in the area of international affairs. The new center is dedicated to her and her father, Archibald Crossley, one of the founders of survey research.
The Crossley Center will be led by Floyd Ciruli, a well-known Colorado public opinion pollster. Ciruli is the center’s director and an adjunct professor of public opinion and international policy. Ciruli noted that the new center complements the Josef Korbel School’s public policy initiatives that prepare students for management and leadership roles in international affairs professions.
“We are gratified with Helen Crossley’s generous gift and excited to launch the Crossley Center,” said Christopher Hill, dean of the Josef Korbel School. “As the center grows, it will become instrumental in helping students and the greater community understand American public opinion related to international affairs, as well as international public opinion. Both are key in developing international policy and working effectively with individuals in other countries.”
DU Chancellor Rebecca Chopp says the Crossley Center and the gift from Helen Crossley come at the perfect time in DU’s history, as it unfolds its new strategic plan, DU IMPACT 2025. “The University is continuously amazed at the generosity of its alumni,” Chopp said. “The Crossley Center will be able to apply this donation toward the incredibly important research needed for aiding in policy development and enhancing the student learning experience.”
Both Archibald Crossley and Helen Crossley were instrumental in establishing the field’s professional organizations and its ethical and scientific standards. They were founding members of the American Association of Public Opinion Research, the World Association of Public Opinion Research and the National Council on Public Polls.