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Weekly Letter from the Provost—July 24 Edition 

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Author(s)

Elizabeth Loboa, PhD

Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor

Announcement  •
Faculty & Staff  •
Dear colleagues,  

I hope you are having a restorative 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. 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 to send 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

Preparations Underway for DU’s FY 2026–27 Operational Transformation

As Chancellor Haefner announced during this spring’s town hall, DU will launch an operational transformation initiative in AY 2026–27 to enhance administrative support and structures to accompany DU’s academic transformation activities that were announced in June and will be implemented throughout the upcoming academic year. The primary goal of operational transformation is to reduce, rationalize, and ease the administrative workload on DU’s staff and faculty, who have experienced considerable role expansion over the past few years of personnel reduction. We will do this by simplifying and training users on new business processes and emerging technologies to improve efficiency, productivity, and employee and student experiences. 

The Operational Transformation Steering Committee (OTSC) held its first meeting last week to review its roles and responsibilities in supporting the initiative’s governance, scope, and timeline. The steering committee meets again next week to bring forward recommendations to operational transformation’s executive sponsors, Chancellor Haefner, Senior Vice Chancellor for Business and Financial Affairs Mark DeLorenzo, and me, as to processes for review as well as in what sequence. 

We will provide additional information on this initiative in subsequent newsletters and hope to have a website in place by the start of fall quarter to keep you informed as the work progresses. In the meantime, please contact Harper Johnson or Daniel Eady if you have recommendations for the steering committee to consider or if you have an interest in serving on one of the many subcommittees we will be standing up during the 2026–27 academic year. 
 
Steering Committee: 
  • Harper Johnson, Vice Chancellor for IT, Co-Chair 
  • Daniel Eady, Senior Vice Provost for Operations and Strategy, Co-Chair 
  • Jeff Banks, Vice Chancellor for Human Resources and Inclusive Community 
  • Brad Bohlander, Senior Vice Chancellor for University Relations 
  • Naomi Boyd, Dean, Daniels College of Business 
  • Clint Emmerich, Associate Vice Chancellor for Financial Planning and Analysis 
  • Abigail Girard, Staff Senate President 
  • Stu Halsall, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs 
  • Eric Hartman, Chief Risk Officer 
  • Bobbie Kite, Dean, College of Professional Studies 
  • Allison Riola, Chief of Staff, Office of the Chancellor 
  • Sarah Watamura, Faculty Senate President

DU Upgrading Learning Spaces Across Campus this Summer

This summer, DU is making improvements to the teaching and learning experience by upgrading the audio-visual equipment in 21 classrooms across campus. 

AV upgrades can be found in Sturm Hall (13 rooms), SIE complex (four rooms), and JMAC (one room). These upgrades include five new HyFlex classrooms with projectors/video displays, speakers, cameras, and microphones to provide a quality remote and in-person learning experience for hybrid offerings. The remaining 13 classrooms are getting new video displays/projectors and sound systems to improve the in-person experience. The IT Digital Media Services team, in coordination with the Facilities Capital Project team, has completed seven rooms as of July 13 with another 11 expected to be completed by early August.  

In addition, the Registrar, Facilities Capital Projects, and IT Digital Media Services coordinated on three spaces that are receiving full classroom refreshes: Olin 103 and 105 and Frontier 45. These refreshes include furniture, carpet, paint, and new digital technology. These rooms are on track for completion by the beginning of fall quarter.
 

University of Denver Officially a Member of the West Coast Conference 

DU officially joined the West Coast Conference as a competing member on July 1. Over the course of that week, DenverPioneers.com provided great coverage on many of the storylines associated with the conference transition. Below are a few highlights: 

Goal 1: Shape Enrollment and Improve Retention and Graduation Rates

Fall 2026 Enrollment Update

The core new student enrollment assumptions for fall 2026 are 1,050 new first-time first-year (FTFY) undergraduate students and 1,642 new graduate students (on-campus and online). For undergraduate students, we are working aggressively to retain them (1,189 FTFY deposits as of July 21) and to defend against melt. Currently, we are only seeing a 6.9% melt rate, which is down from 8% 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 22, we have received 1,668 deposits with 313 international students in this group. International student matriculation remains our largest risk with only 54 international students currently holding visas and 167 in process. Current modeling puts us on a path to 1,600 new graduate students for fall 2026, which is slightly under our goal of 1,642. We are running another series of instant admit days this month in Daniels College of Business and Ritchie School to try to close the enrollment gap. And we are also reviewing DU’s summer 2026 graduate enrollment landscape to determine whether and how enrollment growth this summer might help us achieve our new graduate student enrollment goals for the 2026–27 academic year. 
 

Goal 2: Improve Career Outcomes and Better Prepare Our Students to Succeed and Lead in an AI-Transformed Workforce

Refreshed Career Outcomes Dashboard in Development

Last fall, the offices of Career and Professional Development and Institutional Research released a public-facing dashboard to display program-specific outcomes data (starting salaries, placements) at the undergraduate, master’s/professional, and doctoral levels by college/school. The dashboard currently includes three years of data (2022, 2023, and 2024).  

This summer, the team has been working to update the dashboard with data on our 2025 graduates as well as to include new features such as internship completion rates. As pressures increase on the value proposition for higher education, applicants and, often, their parents anticipate this level of transparency, and DU has a great story to tell. Be on the lookout for information about how to access the refreshed and enhanced dashboard early in the fall quarter. 

Reminder: 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. 

  • Aug. 11, 2-3 p.m. (Domestic Students and Families) 
  • Aug. 19, 8 p.m. (International Students Only) 

Find more information on this website.  

Goal 3: Strengthen Academic Excellence

Real Estate Program Provides Rare Access to Dedicated Executive Coach

The Franklin L. Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management has launched a new executive coaching program, an initiative designed to pair every incoming graduate student with an experienced industry professional on the advisory board. The program gives students invaluable access to accomplished mentors, who perpetuate The Daniels Effect with advice and support. 

DU Receives Grant from Department of Veterans Affairs

Last week, we learned that DU was awarded a $201,000 grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs. DU was awarded these funds to collaborate with area K-12 schools, inviting and educating teachers to offer veteran-focused curriculum on local veteran history. Also, as part of the work, DU will expand its More Than a Headstone initiative. Collaboratively, high school and university students will document the biographies of Colorado veterans, develop virtual walking tours for the Veterans Legacy Memorial, and explore enhanced community collaboration with Fort Logan National Cemetery. Congratulations and thank you to Professors Carol Helstosky and Elizabeth Escobedo in the Department of History for this recognition. It is exciting to see federal funding come through our University to support local programming.  

Wishing you a productive remainder of your summer! 

Sincerely,

Elizabeth G. Loboa  
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor 

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