Nineteen

Welcome back to a new term; we are off to a great start. The energy across campus is palpable.

Bienvenidos a un nuevo trimestre; hemos tenido un gran comienzo. La energía en todo el campus es evidente.

Why a holistic, 4D experience? Because we want our students to have lives of purpose and careers of fulfillment, and we want them to be servants of the public good. But the world is complicated.

Welcome to winter term! I wish you all a happy New Year and the best in this new beginning. I’m excited about DU’s future. I’m excited about this year. And it’s because of this community’s strength of commitment, intellect, ingenuity and character that I feel my optimism is very well placed.

In a profoundly challenging year, your work, care and commitment to our community has been inspiring, heartwarming and uplifting.

Whether you’re a first-year student, a transfer student, or a grad student, I hope you find at DU a place where you can grow, connect, belong, and to which you can contribute your own unique perspectives and ideas. We are happy to have you here.

Though students, faculty and staff have scattered, our campus innately knows that another academic year has come to a close, and that DU has set forth its next generation of outstanding graduates who are equipped to make a consequential dent in the universe.

Since my last Nineteen newsletter in February, concerns and needs related to the coronavirus have occupied nearly every waking moment. Most of my communications—I know there have been many—have focused on the decisions we are making and our reasons why.

But as promised, Nineteen is different. Today’s, I hope, is especially uplifting.

I’m proud to join the campus this year in celebrating Black History Month. For much of American history, the achievements of our black community members have gone unrecognized. This robs far too many of their rightful place in our halls of fame, history books and collective memory.

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Over the coming months, which will be busy, I look forward to using this space—my Nineteen newsletter—to keep in touch with you about what I’m thinking, where the University is going, and how you can get involved.

One thing that distinguishes this university from so many others is its strategic plan, DU IMPACT 2025. The plan, and all we have accomplished so far, is a tribute to so many of you who have devoted yourselves to this ambitious, rigorous effort to build on DU’s strengths.

I’m so proud to be here, working and learning among you all. When I attended move-in day for our first-year and transfer students, pride was abundant in our new students and their families. They were thrilled to be here, to be a part of this community, to live on this campus, to grow alongside their peers, and learn from this institution’s esteemed educators

This past weekend, nearly 600 students—over half of whom received advanced degrees—become University of Denver alumni. Their accomplishment is the reason we are all here, each day, and it was an honor to celebrate them and see the pride and joy on the faces of their loved ones.

More than anything, an institution—a formal term for a community with a common goal—is supported and defined by its culture. Culture can’t be mandated, and it certainly isn’t created top-down. It’s built over time by the diverse people who spend significant portions of their lives working, studying, collaborating, innovating, and connecting with their colleagues, peers, and friends.