Just because students and faculty might have been on hiatus over the summer doesn’t mean a lot hasn’t happened. Here’s some news you might have missed:
DU has taken on the government — in a new panel study. DU’s Strategic Issues Panel (SIP) began its fifth major study Aug. 12, aiming to understand the role of state governments in the 21st century and develop recommendations for governance. SIP Director Jim Griesemer and a panel of 20 leaders in government, academia, business and public service hopes to have findings and recommendations ready by next summer.
Speaking of governance, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor visited the Sturm College of Law Aug. 26 to speak to a group of high school and college students. She fielded questions from students and talked about hardships she endured before becoming the nation’s first Hispanic justice.
Two former secretaries of state shared the stage at the annual Korbel Dinner Aug. 27. Condoleezza Rice was the keynote speaker and was awarded the 2010 Josef Korbel Outstanding Alumni award. Madeleine Albright — the daughter of Josef Korbel, the school’s namesake — introduced Rice.
Former U.S. ambassador to Iraq Christopher Hill also was at the event — and he’ll likely be at more. Hill became dean of the Korbel School of International Studies on Sept. 1.
Additionally, DU announced its 2010–11 Bridges to the Future theme: “9/11: Ten Years After.” The series will explore Sept. 11, why the attacks happened and how Americans are being challenged to rethink their values. Richard Clarke, chairman of Good Harbor Consulting LLC and a former White House counter-terrorism czar, will speak at the fall event, which will be 7 p.m. Nov. 4 in DU’s Newman Center for the Performing Arts.
Not only was campus quieter over the summer, but it also was a little more at peace, thanks to the addition of a “peace pole,” a gift from the Class of 2010, who wanted their gift to be different from that of any other senior class. The pole is located near Evans Chapel and will be dedicated in a ceremony on Sept. 21.
There are other physical changes on campus.
Swimmers may rejoice over the $290,000 worth of improvements the El Pomar Natatorium received during the summer months. And students in general may be thankful to see a new website launched by Penrose Library. It’s meant to be more user-friendly for library patrons.
The University’s newest building — Katherine A. Ruffatto Hall — welcomed students who took summer courses there beginning June 14. The new 73,568-square-foot, $21.6 million building is the home of the Morgridge College of Education.
And just north on University Boulevard are some new lunch options to consider. Zingers — a chicken, chili and sandwich shop at 2075 S. University — opened up. Crimson and Gold, a new bar and restaurant at 2017 S. University Blvd., just earned the license to serve patrons beer with their burgers and plans to open soon enough for DU hockey fans to stop in before a game. A new Jimmy John’s — also at 2075 S. University Blvd. — will open Sept. 7.
The alumni ranks grew by about 700 after the August Commencement ceremony.
U.S.News and World Report ranked the University 11th on its national universities “Up-and-Comers list” and 86th among the nation’s top-100 universities. DU was also included on Forbes magazine’s 2010 list of America’s Best Colleges. DU ranked 207th out of the 610 schools that were included in the magazine’s third annual college rankings.
Individuals at DU earned some recognition, as well.
DU hockey coach George Gwozdecky was recognized by his hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario — he will be inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame Sept. 25.
English professor Bin Ramke won a 2010 Colorado Book Award for his book Theory of Mind: New & Selected Poems. The prestigious award, given in 13 different book categories, represents the best writing in the state for a given year.
Law Professor Tom Russell’s research on race and segregation at the University of Texas uncovered a dormitory at the University of Texas law school that named for long-dead Professor William Stewart Simkins, who was an active member of the Ku Klux Klan in the early 1900s. The University of Texas Board of Regents voted unanimously July 15 to remove Simkins’ name from the dorm. Russell was named one of the day’s “Most Intriguing People” in a July 17 CNN column.
Peter Adler, a DU sociology and criminology professor — with his wife, Patti, a sociology professor at the University of Colorado — received the George Gerbert Mead Award for lifetime achievement by the American Sociological Association. The Adlers have co-written or edited more than 20 books and 100 scholarly articles and chapters.
Chancellor Robert Coombe named James Herbert Williams, professor and dean of DU’s Graduate School of Social Work, the first recipient of the Milton Morris Endowed Chair. The Morris Endowment for Faculty Enhancement is given to a faculty member with a record of excellent scholarship and teaching.