Summer 2018

DU honors 2018 class of Distinguished Alumni

DU honors 2018 class of Distinguished Alumni

DU recruited an accomplished group of graduates for its 2018 Distinguished Alumni Awards: Olympic ice skater and U.S. diplomat Michelle Kwan (BA ’09), retired New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Patricio Serna (JD ’70), and Joseph Saunders (BSBA ’67, MBA ’68), former chairman and CEO of Visa. All three were on […]

Creative writers learn to ‘fail better’ in DU’s acclaimed PhD program

Creative writers learn to ‘fail better’ in DU’s acclaimed PhD program

An Army veteran and a child of the hardscrabble rust belt, Samuel Clare Knights (PhD ’14) came to the University of Denver’s top-ranked doctoral program in creative writing seeking what might be called a safe space. No, not the kind of “safe space” associated with like-minded thinking. Rather, Knights says, […]

Julia Farrell graduated in June with a double degree in math and computer science. Photo: Wayne Armstrong

A new graduate takes flight

This was not what Julia Farrell had envisioned for the summer before senior year. She was supposed to be spending those few months nurturing and accelerating her startup, not stuck in an office. But when her business partner left suddenly for another team, a last-minute telecommunications internship offered an immediate […]

In June, Gregg Kvistad concluded his 12-year run in DU’s top academic post. Photo: Wayne Armstrong

Departing Provost Gregg Kvistad looks to what’s next

Since coming to the University of Denver more than three decades ago, Gregg Kvistad has taught classes, conducted research, chaired committees and filled myriad leadership roles: as chair of the political science department, as dean of the Divisions of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and, since 2006, as provost. For […]

$5 million gift establishes new leadership academy

During Alumni Weekend in May, DU announced a $5 million gift from Joe and Sharon Saunders to establish the Saunders Leadership Academy. It is one of the largest endowed gifts in support of scholarships to the University in its history. The initiative includes traditional financial aid support, personal and pre-professional […]

Digitized Clarions preserve DU’s printed past

Digitized Clarions preserve DU’s printed past

Some 47 years after their publication, the yellowing pages of an archived Clarion show their age with every crinkling turn. But the smile on the face of the sexagenarian flipping through them looks like it came fresh off the morning presses. “We were so proud of this,” says Steve Lang […]

Innovation Floor has DU community on the make

Innovation Floor has DU community on the make

Behind the hum of the 3-D printers, obscured by students and their computer monitors, sits Austin Armstrong’s little herb garden. Alongside the parsley and rosemary, technology sprouts. Tiny sensors monitor the temperature, soil moisture and humidity. With the data they collect, Armstrong and co-founder Isaiah Silva think their company, Automata, […]

Talking with DU’s artistic ambassador

Talking with DU’s artistic ambassador

Kendra Whitlock Ingram became executive director of DU’s Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts in November 2016, after serving as vice president of programming and education for Omaha Performing Arts. A big part of Ingram’s job is overseeing Newman Center Presents, the venue’s annual slate of touring […]

assistant coach and alumnus David Carle (BSBA ’12) was promoted to head coach of the men’s hockey team in May. Photo courtesy of DU Athletics

Assistant coach Carle promoted to head hockey position

The Pioneers kept it in the family when it came time to choose a new hockey coach. In May, assistant coach and alumnus David Carle (BSBA ’12) was promoted to head coach of the men’s hockey team. Carle, the ninth head coach in the history of the program, replaced Jim […]

As deputy superintendent at Denver Public Schools, Susana Cordova now leads the district that raised her.  Photo: Wayne Armstrong

Susana Cordova sticks to her roots

Getting ahead in life meant getting out of the community. At least that’s what everyone told Susana Cordova when they urged her to leave her Latino Denver neighborhood behind. An education was her chance to rise up, they said. To be more than a secretary or a factory worker like […]

Shelf Discovery: Great reading from the DU community

Shelf Discovery: Great reading from the DU community

Whether you read for pleasure or edification or both; whether you thumb through a hardcover or swipe through a device, you’re no doubt in the market for new titles to enjoy. The University of Denver’s community of writers is happy to oblige, producing good reads that raise questions and change […]

The men's soccer team’s focus on schoolwork and service netted it its fourth Gold Vest Award in the last five years. The honor is given annually to an outstanding Pioneers team for excellence in community service, academics, spirit, leadership and athletic performance. Photo: Wayne Armstrong

For men’s soccer team, giving back is a real kick

Even at the University of Denver, where the priorities of every athletics team include a focus on academics and community service, men’s soccer stands out. Consistently ranked among the NCAA Division I teams with the highest cumulative GPA, the squad also has a commitment to service that finds its members […]

University lecturer Sam Kamin shares insights on marijuana law

University lecturer Sam Kamin shares insights on marijuana law

Sam Kamin, the Vicente Sederberg Professor of Marijuana Law and Policy at the Sturm College of Law, delivered the 2018 University Lecture on April 24. The annual event showcases the groundbreaking work of faculty members. In the late 2000s, Kamin embarked on a path no one else had walked before […]

A championship season for men’s and women’s lacrosse

A championship season for men’s and women’s lacrosse

For the first time since 2014, both the women’s and men’s lacrosse teams went to the NCAA tournament in the same season. The men’s team defeated seventh-seeded Notre Dame in the first round on May 13 but came up short against Albany in the quarterfinals. It was a similar story […]

Stuart Portman is Orrin Hatch’s resident expert and most trusted voice on the Affordable Care Act. Photo courtesy of Stuart Portman

Alum Stuart Portman brings health care expertise to Senate post

When the longest-serving Republican senator in U.S. history needs help understanding health care, Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), 84, turns to a fresh-faced kid from St. Louis who is young enough to be his grandson. Stuart Portman (BA ’13), at just 27 years old, is the senator’s resident expert and most trusted […]