Articles written by: Doug McPherson

Annual simulation gives students hands-on experience leading humanitarian efforts

Annual simulation gives students hands-on experience leading humanitarian efforts

The International Humanitarian Crisis Simulation at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies teaches graduate students in international relations, psychology and social work what it’s like to stay cool, calm and effective in the midst of a humanitarian crisis.

University extends welcome mat for military veterans

University extends welcome mat for military veterans

Three programs were added last year: the Veterans Advocacy Program at the Sturm College of Law, and a mental health clinic and military psychology specialty at the Graduate School of Professional Psychology.

DU extends welcome mat for veterans

DU extends welcome mat for veterans

After Joshua Oakley finished his service as a captain in the U.S. Army in 2015, he headed straight for the University of Denver. “I grew up in the area and always knew DU was a premier school,” says Oakley, who served three tours of duty in Iraq and is now […]

Legal Reform: IAALS celebrates 10 years of improving the U.S. legal system

Legal Reform: IAALS celebrates 10 years of improving the U.S. legal system

The American legal system is known for many things — for crowded dockets and lengthy appeals, for citizen jurors and cases too often settled because of budget concerns — but being user-friendly isn’t one of them. For the last decade, Rebecca Love Kourlis and the University of Denver’s Institute for […]

DU Land Use Institute hosts 25th anniversary conference

The Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute (RMLUI) at the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law held its 25th annual conference last week with 30-plus educational sessions on topics ranging from urban sprawl, demographic shifts and regional planning to acid mine drainage, water use, climate change and economic forces shaping […]

Psychology students uncover prevalence of brain injuries among prisoners

A student-led service-learning project at DU gives graduate psychology students experience conducting traumatic brain injury screenings and accruing supervised clinical hours with Denver County Jail inmates.

Law school’s strategic plan targets the student experience

“When I became interim dean in 2009, I thought it would be good if everyone was on the same page. And if that page was heavily informed by high-quality data and feedback from our stakeholders, all the better,” Katz says. “A lot of people at that time talked about the importance of a dean’s vision. But to me, it seemed silly to talk about a vision if that vision wasn’t in line with the goals and aspirations of the key stakeholders — particularly the faculty, who are the people who get things done at a law school.”

Psychology student capitalizes on internships, volunteer opportunities for career insight

Kendra Weed watched intently as a mother told her daughter she was pregnant with another little girl. “It was a really emotional moment because the daughter broke down in tears fearing that her mother would love the new baby more and forget about her,” says Weed, a junior psychology major […]

Gymnast triumphs over injury for all-around success

Gymnast triumphs over injury for all-around success

Gymnasts are known for bouncing around, but one Pioneer is proving she can bounce back. In October 2012, first-year student Nina McGee was twisting and spinning in the air after springing off the vault during practice. When she landed, she couldn’t move for several seconds. Eventually she crawled off the […]

DU scientists contributed to Orion space project

DU scientists contributed to Orion space project

Teddy Long (MS ’13) says the rocket was about three miles away as he sat with his wife in the Kennedy Space Center in December to watch the first test launch of the Orion space capsule — NASA’s effort to put humans on Mars. “We were sitting next to coworkers […]

Kristen Hamilton is the women’s soccer team’s all-time points leader and leading goal scorer, and she’s the only NCAA Division I athlete in history to be named player of the year in three conferences. Photo courtesy of DU Athletics

Women’s soccer player makes Pioneer history

Senior finance major Kristen Hamilton made University of Denver history in January, becoming the first Pioneer women’s soccer player to be drafted to the National Women’s Soccer League. The Western New York Flash picked Hamilton up in the fourth round. A standout on the field since her first year at […]

Erica Chenoweth, who joined the Korbel School in 2012, has focused her research on investigating whether and when nonviolence works — and influential groups around the world are taking notice. Photo: Wayne Armstrong

Korbel Professor Erica Chenoweth is getting noticed for her work on nonviolent resistance

The Philippines’ famed “Yellow Revolution” of the 1980s, which resulted in the departure of President Ferdinand Marcos from office and the restoration of democracy in the country, also was one of history’s greatest nonviolent protests. The streets were filled with thousands of unarmed Filipinos — so many weaponless citizens that, […]

First-year student Zach Miller, who grew up on an Indian reservation in New York, is a starter on the men's lacrosse team. Photo: Clarkson Creative

Lacrosse is part of first-year player’s Native American legacy

It’s said that Native Americans invented lacrosse, its origins taking root as early as the 12th century, played by the Iroquois in what is now New York state, southern Quebec and Ontario, Canada. European immigrants have changed the game some since then, but what hasn’t changed is the zest and […]

Gene Tang opened 1515 Restaurant in 1997. Photo: Wayne Armstrong

Alumnus Gene Tang lives a life of hospitality

Food and cooking always have played a role in Gene Tang’s life. He has fond memories of growing up in Hong Kong, where his parents ran a boutique hotel and restaurant. “I was reared in the hospitality business,” he says. Tang (BSBA ’71, MBA ’75) says he learned early on […]

Troy Walker is a regular at Denver’s two Comedy Works clubs; in summer 2011 he performed at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison as part of a Film on the Rocks event; and in April 2012 he was part of a group of Denver comedians who traveled to the Bridgetown Comedy Festival in Portland, Ore. Photo: Wayne Armstrong

Jester with a JD: Law school alum Troy Walker takes comedy seriously

Jokes about lawyers are well-documented. Jokes from lawyers — that’s a different story. Actually, that’s this story. Meet Troy Walker (JD ’11), a lawyer who tells jokes — for a living. He’d been joking around long before he entered the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in 2008. “I’ve […]