21 Reasons To Attend the Denver Difference Launch Event

The University of Denver is launching an initiative to re-define higher education.  

With the goal of raising $1 billion to launch the University of Denver into its next chapter, DU is kicking off the public phase of The Denver Difference campaign with a community celebration, highlighting the best that students, faculty and staff have to offer. Here are 21 reasons for stopping by Magness Arena in The Daniel L. Ritchie Center on Friday, April 19 anytime between 4 and 7 p.m.  
 

1. Celebrate the Pioneers Champ10nship. Friday night will begin with a DU Hockey celebration featuring players and the record-breaking 10th national championship trophy. 

2. Every academic unit will be there. Speakers, performances and interactive displays will take over Ritchie, truly showcasing what DU can do in research and academic excellence. 

3. Did someone say free food? Beef and vegetarian sliders, goat cheese and honey phyllo, and mini desserts are just a few of the items on the free food menu to start your weekend off right.  

4. The chance to see a dance legend live. Alumna and dance icon Cleo Parker Robinson (BA '70) will take the stage with Cleo Parker Robinson Dance at 4:45 p.m. with excerpts from “THE LUSH LIFE,” a premiere from 1983 that features poetry from Dr. Maya Angelou. 

4. Chat with some outstanding students. Undergraduate researchers who supported faculty will be there to talk about their experiences traveling to Latin America for climate research, working on biomechanics projects and more. (P.S. They have great photos to share too). 

5. Shape what the future holds. Try out the Pardee Center’s International Futures model, the only online open-source data tool of its kind that DU uses to help governments, NGOs and the UN use to analyze the future. 

6. Make s’mores indoors. 4D peer mentors will lead guests in proper marshmallow roasting techniques and First Ascent's signature reflection activity that brings to life the 4D Experience at the James C. Kennedy Mountain Campus  

8. Confront your fear of math. Professors in the Morgridge College of Education share how they’re making math accessible for all students and changing the trajectory of math education worldwide. They’ll show you just how they’re doing it with interactive activities for all ages.   

9. Selfies with DU athletes. Stop by the photo op station and meet DU coaches and athletes before posting selfies to your socials. Relive highlights from 75 years of hockey and 50 years of women’s sports with memorabilia including vintage hockey and skiing championship banners, courtesy of the DU Archives.  

10. Roam around with class(ical). You know what pairs well with a crimson mocktail and the tasty bites at the event? The Lamont School of Music’s ShakadoGat Wind Quintet at 5:45 p.m., featuring some oldies but goodies from J.S. Bach and classical takes on “Mamma Mia.”  

11. Prevent your next injury. Watch live demonstrations of a DU gymnast interacting with sensors, mats and force plates as part of the Human Dynamics Lab’s effort to improve clinical diagnosis and treatment through biomechanical measurement and analysis. 

12. Share our love for Denver. Learn about the latest economic and research impact report about DU's contributions in the Denver Metro region.  

13. Brush up on your legal street smarts. Explore the Towing Rights Advisor and the Denver Street Law Navigator apps, developed by students and professors in the DU Law & Innovation Lab. An interactive quiz will test how well guests “Know their Tow.” 

14. Take in The Spirituals Project Choir. Led by Professor M. Roger Holland II, the community organization is dedicated to preserving and revitalizing sacred songs called spirituals, created and first sung by enslaved Africans in America in the 18th and 19th centuries. These unique performances will begin at 6:20 p.m., and you won’t want to miss it. 

15. Get inside the mind of an athletics recruiter. Understand how DU coaches use data-driven decision-making to coach, recruit, scout and more. 

16. Be the first to see plans for a new building on campus. Look over plans for the new STEM Horizons building, which will create a hub of innovation in biomedical research for the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. 

17. Dance the night away. The Graduate School of Professional Psychology (GSPP) will host a dance party with participants from around the world as part of their work demonstrating how dance and connection can support healthy minds and bodies for children and families. 

18. Learn about your furry friends. Talk with animal experts at the Institute for Human Animal Connection about the science and secrets behind our connections with animals and nature.   

19. Sharpen your dialogue skills. Learn from professors leading freedom of expression though pluralism and civil discourse work on Debate Across the Curriculum. In a featured video presentation, DU alumna and former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will speak about the importance of civil discourse in upholding democracy and why the work that DU is doing on this front is so important. 

20. Make a birdie. Show off your skills on a putting green alongside the men’s and women’s golf teams. 

21. You can still go if you forgot to RSVP. We get it. The inbox monster struck again, and you haven’t RSVP’d yet. The good news is you can still attend the event! To make sure there are enough mini desserts to go around, we kindly ask that you register here. 
     

For more information, visit The Denver Difference website.