Letter From the Chancellor

 
Dear Friends,

The past year was a good one for the University of Denver, as we gained momentum in our movement along a number of strategic paths. We continued to enroll exceptional students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The class of first-year undergraduates that entered the University this past fall was once again our finest ever, having been selected from among a record number of applicants. We hired a number of great new faculty members. Together, our faculty and students produced a level of intellectual excitement on campus that was truly extraordinary.

This excitement was channeled in ways that had a significant impact on the public good, including a host of projects and activities large and small. A particularly important such activity was an analysis of immigration in the United States done by our Strategic Issues Program. The report from this analysis, “Architecture for Immigration Reform,” was very broadly disseminated—both at the regional and national levels—and has had a significant impact on public discourse surrounding this important issue.

The campus itself continued to evolve and is surely among the most beautiful and effective in America. A number of new structures opened during the year, including the SIÉ CHÉOU-KANG Center in our Josef Korbel School of International Studies, the University of Denver Soccer Stadium and the Pat Bowlen Training Center for our varsity athletes. DU Athletics continued its pattern of success, both on the field with its third consecutive Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup for NCAA Division I-AAA and in the classroom, where our athletes posted an exceptional performance and graduation rate. Excellence and integrity: That is simply the DU way.

Financially, the sacrifices made in fiscal year 2009 paved the way for a solid performance in fiscal year 2010. As is shown by the data presented in this report, the University finished the year with a substantial operating margin, our fundraising improved, and our endowment recovered to a market value near the peak it reached before the onset of the recession in summer 2008.

Our positive momentum continues unabated as we strive to be a great private university dedicated to the public good.

 

Sincerely,

Robert D. Coombe