Weekly Letter from the Provost—November 6 Edition
Dear colleagues,
Congratulations on making it to week 9. I continue to hear great things from our students about their meaningful experiences on their individual journeys to discovery. This feedback—and the impact it represents—is a credit to your hard work and dedication. Thank you for the contributions, big and small, you are making to help our community shape lives of purpose!
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
Founding Dean Search Updates
I am grateful to each of the search committee members and to their chairs (Sahara Byrne, MCE+GSSW+GSPP; Naomi Boyd, NSM+RSECS) for their engagement to support first-round and finalist interviews.
For the MCE+GSSW+GSPP search, we will welcome two finalists for the founding deanship—Kim Gorgens, PhD, and Sarah Watamura, PhD.
Kim Gorgens, PhD, ABPP, Professor, Graduate School of Professional Psychology
Wednesday, Nov. 11
10:30 to 11:45 a.m.
Anderson Academic Commons, Room 290
Zoom: https://udenver.zoom.us/j/83257942844
Survey: https://udenver.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9ZiTCmIpFpAUycm
Sarah Enos Watamura, PhD, Professor, Department of Psychology, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Thursday, Nov. 12
1:15 to 2:30 p.m.
Community Commons, Room 1700
Zoom: https://udenver.zoom.us/j/88632260281
Survey: https://udenver.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9XjLx8yIDIaQDUW
I am grateful for the DU community engaging in these search activities, and I look forward to reviewing your feedback on each finalist. With input from you and the search committee, the chancellor and I will make our selection of the next founding deans. The goal is to announce the dean appointments in December in time for a Jan. 1, 2027, start date.
Reminder: Engagement Opportunities to Shape DU’s Academic Strategy
As mentioned in last week’s newsletter, I am asking you all to please join us for one of the three remaining opportunities to provide early input on the academic strategic plan. Thank you to all who attended our first session on Thursday this week.
In each 2-hour opportunity (registration available below), I will provide an overview of the strategic plan (15-20 minutes), and we will offer specific prompts to work with others to provide input on aspects of the plan, including defining high-impact teaching practices, identifying existing and emerging areas for interdisciplinary partnership and research, suggesting promising areas for donor engagement on scholarships and endowed faculty lines, and recommending strategic investments in areas of strength.
These sessions are co-hosted by the Faculty Senate and the Office of the Provost and will be co-facilitated by Shannon Sliva and Sarah Watamura. Feedback from the sessions will be gathered cumulatively, so you are welcome to attend multiple sessions if you want to continue the conversation with different groups of faculty.
- Nov. 17: 10 a.m.–noon, Zoom only, register here
- Nov. 18: 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m., Burwell Center, Room 340, in person only, register here
- Dec. 2: 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Burwell Center, Room 340, in person only, register here
Staff of Color Association (SOCA) Meeting Recap
On Monday, Chancellor Jeremy Haefner, Senior Vice Chancellor for Business and Financial Affairs Mark DeLorenzo, and I met with SOCA for a conversation around some of their most pressing questions at this point in the fall quarter. Discussion topics included bonus payments and merit increases, goals and anticipated outcomes for Operational Transformation, and a reaffirmation of DU’s commitment to inclusion as one of its core values.
DU Law Stars Event
On Wednesday night, I had the privilege of participating in DU’s annual Law Stars event. Begun 32 years ago under the leadership of then-Chancellor Dan Ritchie, in partnership with the Sturm College of Law Alumni Council, the DU Law Stars event celebrates truly outstanding achievements by alumni and faculty of Denver Law. Thank you to Dean Smith for the invitation, and congratulations to this year’s Law Stars:
Eric Hilty (JD ’92), William L. Keating Outstanding Alumni Award
Elizabeth “Liz” Espinosa Krupa (BA ’91, JD ’94), Robert H. McWilliams, Jr. Alumni Professionalism Award
Crist Whitney (JD ’21), Bruce B. Johnson Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Professor Tammy Kuennen, Robert B. Yegge Excellence in Teaching Award
Goal 1: Shape Enrollment and Improve Retention and Graduation Rates for All Students
Nominate an Advisor for the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Academic Advising
Do you know an outstanding academic advisor on campus? Please consider nominating them for the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Academic Advising. Graduate and undergraduate faculty and staff academic advisors, for whom advising is at least a portion of their responsibilities, are eligible to be nominated. Nominate an advisor today!
Save the Date: Student-Athlete Support Services (SAAS) Open House
Spend an evening with SAAS on Jan. 20, 2027, to learn more about a day in the life of a student-athlete through facility tours, short presentations, and other engagement activities. Afterward, join us to cheer on the men’s basketball team as they face Portland. Please mark your calendars now. More information, including registration details, will follow as we get closer to the event.
Goal 2: Improve Career Outcomes and Better Prepare Our Students to Succeed and Lead in an AI-Transformed Workforce
Fall 2026 Student Success Forum: Connecting Enrollment, Retention, Graduation, and Career Outcomes
DU community members are invited to the fall 2026 Student Success Forum: Connecting Enrollment, Retention, Graduation, and Career Outcomes on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, from 2–3:30 p.m. in Community Commons, Room 1600.
Student success doesn’t begin at orientation or end at graduation. It starts with enrollment decisions, continues through persistence and degree completion, and culminates in meaningful career outcomes.
Join colleagues from across campus for the fall quarter Student Success Forum focused on several interconnected facets of the student journey: enrollment, retention, graduation, and career outcomes.
Together, we will explore current data and trends, examine what we are learning about student experiences, and connect our own work to these student outcomes.
Designed for faculty and staff across the university, this session will combine institutional insights, interactive discussion, and practical takeaways that participants can apply within their own roles and areas of responsibility.
Goal 3: Strengthen Academic Excellence
Miller National Academy Launch
Last week, the University of Denver formally announced that it will be the home for The John and Sandy Miller National Academy for Free Expression and Pluralism. The Miller National Academy will serve as a national institution dedicated to renewing the principles of free expression and pluralism that have long supported a flourishing democratic society. Nationally recognized educator and former presidential speechwriter Mary Kate Cary is leading the academy as its founding executive director. The launch has already garnered significant national media exposure and is in a strong position for long-lasting impact.
Denver Dialogues: Making Sense of the Midterm Elections
The 2026 midterm elections will shed light on the political and policy preferences of the American public and their reactions to the positions and messaging of political elites. The elections will also have major implications for domestic and foreign policy in the years to come, as well as for the future of the Democratic and Republican parties and the overall health of American democratic institutions.
Join us for a discussion with experts from our Denver Dialogues think tank partners to break down the election results, what lessons can be drawn from them, and what they may signal for the years ahead.
Denver Dialogues is an event series hosted by the Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs and the Scrivner Institute of Public Policy, in partnership with premier American think tanks to model civil discourse about major issues facing the nation and the world.
Thursday, Nov. 12, 4:30–6 p.m., Zoom
Reminder: Call for Proposals: Faculty Research Fund
DU is accepting proposals for the fall cycle of the Faculty Research Fund (awards of $3,000), with applications due Dec. 1. Funding decisions are made by the Academic Planning Committee of the Faculty Senate and the vice provost for research. Please see this webpage for more information, and apply via this link.
Reminder: Proposals Now Accepted for DU Research Center and Institute Designation
Proposals are now being accepted for designation as a University of Denver Research Center or Research Institute. Applications are due Dec. 1, 2026. This proposal process is guided by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) policy on Research Centers and Institutes (ORSP-05). Review Section 3 of ORSP-05 for the relevant application criteria.
Please note that research centers do not have to submit all the materials required by the institute process, and the policy has been updated to reflect this change. Questions should be directed to Corinne.Lengsfeld@du.edu.
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. Previous newsletters can be found on the provost’s communication center on the University’s website.
Wishing you a strong finish to the fall quarter!
Sincerely,
Elizabeth G. Loboa
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor