DU Launches $1 Billion Denver Difference Campaign With Community Celebration

The event featured the best of DU, including the 4D Experience, research, athletics and world-class music and dance.

A community celebration on Friday marked the beginning of the public phase of The Denver Difference campaign. Hundreds of people descended upon Magness Arena to experience firsthand what the University of Denver has done—and where it’s headed.

Aimed at raising $1 billion, the campaign is more than halfway toward its goal.

“The Denver Difference is about reimagining the promise of higher education and delivering a new kind of university experience—one that will transform and enrich not just the lives of our students, but communities and societies around the globe,” Chancellor Jeremy Haefner told the crowd.

A celebration of the DU hockey team’s record-breaking national championship kicked off the evening’s events. Denver is the first team to win 10 national titles, the most of any collegiate program.

Attendees were also treated to mainstage performances by Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, led by alumna and dance icon Cleo Parker Robinson (BA '70), the Lamont School of Music’s ShakadoGat Wind Quintet and The Spirituals Project Choir.

One of the primary goals of the campaign is to expand scholarship opportunities.

Senior Sunjoi Gandhi, who attended the event as a student that has received several DU scholarships, knows firsthand the significant role they can play in life.

“I’m able to graduate DU debt free, which is currently my biggest accomplishment,” she says. “I hope to go on and do very good things with the education I’m getting.”

Gandhi will graduate with degrees in computer science and socio-legal studies with a minor in mathematics.

Those at the event also had the opportunity to learn about and participate in several interactive displays from almost every corner of the university.

Whether it was making s’mores indoors to celebrate DU’s holistic approach to learning through the 4D Experience, getting a first look at plans for the new STEM Horizons building, or seeing the work of the Human Dynamics Lab come to life through demonstrations by DU gymnast Jessica Hutchinson, there was something for everyone.

The community celebration was preceded by an intimate preview reception Thursday evening where guests enjoyed TED Talk-style presentations about free expression & civil discourse, the 4D Experience, the impact of scholarships on students’ journeys and more.

“Together, we can become a place known for the character of our graduates—difference-makers and engaged world citizens defined by their intellectual prowess,” Haefner said.

To learn more about The Denver Difference Campaign and how your involvement can make a difference for our students and our world, visit denverdifference.org.