Weekly Letter from the Provost—July 10 Edition
I hope you are having a restful and productive summer. Whether you are teaching, conducting research, greeting current or prospective students, or preparing exhibits or performances, your contributions are greatly appreciated and valued in our quest for even greater academic quality. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to DU’s academic mission. Previous newsletters can be found on the provost’s communication center on the University’s website.
As mentioned in the final weekly of the spring 2026 quarter, I plan on sending these updates biweekly during the summer months. If you have suggestions for what we should include in future communications, please submit your ideas or stories here. Suggestions received before noon on Monday will be reviewed and considered for publication in that week’s newsletter. Others will be held for consideration until the following newsletter.
Today’s update falls into four categories:
- Campus news and happenings
- Goal 1: Shape enrollment and improve retention and graduation rates for all students
- Goal 2: Improve career outcomes and better prepare our students to succeed and lead in an AI-transformed workforce
- Goal 3: Strengthen academic excellence
Campus News and Happenings
Committee Chairs Appointed to Lead the Dean Searches for Our Newest Colleges
In my June 9 message to the community presenting the case for DU’s academic transformation, I announced that we would promptly initiate two internal searches in September 2026 for the founding deans of NSM/Ritchie and MCE/GSSW/GSPP. As a reminder, all members of our community with aligned expertise, a strong track record for leadership, and demonstrated capacity to motivate innovation are encouraged to apply. The founding dean postings will become available over the summer, with an application due date of Oct. 15, 2026.
My thanks to Naomi Boyd, dean of the Daniels College of Business, for accepting my request to chair the search for the founding dean of NSM/Ritchie, and to Sahara Byrne, dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, for agreeing to chair the search for the founding dean of MCE/GSSW/GSPP.
The search committees—which will involve faculty and staff of each impacted college or school—will be formed in September. If you are interested in serving on the search committees, please email provost@du.edu.
Sturm College of Law Dean Reappointed
Informed by the recommendation of the Sturm faculty executive committee, which conducted its assessment during spring 2026, I am pleased to share that Dean Bruce Smith has agreed to extend his service as dean of the Sturm College of Law for an additional two years through May 31, 2028. Adding to his 10 years as dean, this extension will allow him to build upon and solidify the college’s increasing momentum. Please join me in congratulating Dean Smith.
Goal 1: Shape Enrollment and Improve Retention and Graduation Rates
DU Remains on Track to Meet Fall 2026 Enrollment Goals
The core new student enrollment assumptions for fall 2026 were 1,050 new first-time first-year (FTFY) undergraduate students and 1,642 new graduate students (on-campus and online). For undergraduate students, summer is a time when those who have already deposited can reconsider for various reasons, and so we are working aggressively to retain them (1,187 FTFY deposits as of July 7) and to defend against melt. Currently, we are only seeing a 6.2% melt rate, which is down slightly from 6.6% at the same time last year. Should that trend continue, we are on pace to meet our enrollment goal of 1,050 new FTFY undergraduates for fall 2026.
For graduate student recruiting, as of July 7, we have received 1,597 deposits and continue to see an uptick in activity over the summer. We have 163 international students with visas in process with 53 having already been issued. We are running another series of instant admit days this month. Based on these data points, we have a positive outlook on our ability to meet our enrollment goal of 1,642 new graduate students for fall 2026.
DU Sets Record for Student Fulbright Participation
Scholar Development and Fellowship Advising is proud to announce seven U.S. Student Fulbright winners and three alternates this year! In addition, two of our 2025 winners have successfully renewed their grants for a second year abroad. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is a federally funded opportunity for graduating seniors, graduate students, and recent alumni to conduct independent research, pursue a graduate degree, or teach English in over 140 countries. We are excited about the impact these amazing DU students and alumni will make in places like Mauritius, Spain, Colombia, France, and the U.K.
This year’s Fulbright grantees are:
- Frankie Stroud (English Teaching Assistantship to Colombia)
- Beau Anderson (English Teaching Assistantship to France)
- Haley Gilbert (English Teaching Assistantship to Mauritius)
- Victoria Alarcón Macías (English Teaching Assistantship to Spain)
- Haley Graham (English Teaching Assistantship to Spain)
- Halle Fadil-Moore (Fulbright-University of Sussex Award to pursue a master’s degree in Conflict, Security, and Development at the University of Sussex)
- Avery Becklenberg (Fulbright-University of East Anglia Award to pursue a master’s degree in Global Development Management at the University of East Anglia)
- Alternates: Joshua Brito-Mariani (English Teaching Assistantship to Armenia), Rhianna Lewis (English Teaching Assistantship to Greece), and Catalina Palacios (Fulbright-University College London graduate study award)
Goal 2: Improve Career Outcomes and Better Prepare Our Students to Succeed and Lead in an AI-Transformed Workforce
Summer Support for Student Employment
This summer, DU’s Student Employment team is here for our students, both incoming and continuing. They will host recurring Zoom sessions on everything students need to know about finding a job on campus.
- July 21, 10 a.m. (International Students Only)
- Aug. 11, 2-3 p.m. (Domestic Students)
- Aug. 19, 8 p.m. (International Students Only)
Find more information on this website.
Support DU’s Understanding of Career Outcomes for Recent Graduates
Do you know a recent graduate who has confirmed their postgraduate plans? Please help DU collect comprehensive information on the career outcomes of recent graduates. If you hear from a 2026 graduate who has confirmed a job or graduate school, please ask them to report their post‑graduation plans in PCO as soon as possible (PCO requires a student login). This short tutorial video is available to explain the process to graduates.
It only takes a few minutes and helps DU report accurate and thorough information on career outcomes.
It also helps current and future DU students understand what students do after graduation.
If you hear from graduates who are seeking employment, DU’s career services teams are here to help. Graduates can log into PCO to schedule an advising appointment or contact career@du.edu for assistance. Goal 3: Strengthen Academic Excellence
DU’s Writing Center Students Present Their Research at International Conferences
Earlier this month, 13 DU student staff members from the DU Writing Center presented their research at two virtual, international conferences: the Canadian Writing Centres Association Conference and the Consortium on Graduate Communication Conference.
The group includes undergraduate and graduate students representing 11 different fields in humanities, social sciences, and STEM fields, and their presentations were similarly varied. They shared research insights on DU students and their relationship to AI, STEM writing support, the pedagogical role of the student administrator, and much more. Thank you to Juli Parrish, director of the Writing Center, for her leadership in support of all our students and for providing opportunities for our outstanding student staff members to explore and present research with impact.
Daniels Adjunct Faculty Member Brings Real-World Sports Deals to the Classroom
Daniels alumnus and adjunct professor Tad Yo is bringing two decades of sports deals, and roughly $700 million in contracts, directly to the classroom.
His sports finance class brings in real-world experts, from former NBA All-Star and executive Kiki VanDeWeghe to Matt Murphy, president of NBC Sports Bay Area, and Guiselle Torres, general counsel of Denver Summit FC, giving students direct access to some of the biggest names in the business of sports.
Read more on this blog.
Wishing you a restorative and productive start to your summer!
Sincerely,
Elizabeth G. Loboa
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor