Weekly Letter from the Provost—October 23 Edition
Dear colleagues,
I had the opportunity to represent DU this week, and to tell our great story, at the Inside Higher Ed U.S. Universities and Colleges Summit. This was an invitation-only event for presidents, chancellors, and provosts to candidly engage on the challenges and opportunities we are all navigating. I spoke in the “Architecting future talent, innovation and economic resilience” panel. DU is committed to value for our students, most notably in the form of outcomes that prepare them for careers and lives of purpose, and this is something other university leaders want to hear and learn about. When we focus on sustaining and advancing DU’s value—the value that each of you supports through the vital service you provide—we are at our strongest and best! For that, you have my profound gratitude.
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 efforts to confidentially review applications and conduct first-round interviews this month.
Because of their work, we are on track to engage the broader DU community during the finalists’ second-round interviews later this month and in November. With that in mind, I ask DU faculty, staff, and students to save these dates for potential public colloquia for each of our finalists:
- Oct. 30 at 11:30 a.m.
- Nov. 2 at 12:30 p.m.
- Nov. 10 at 10:30 a.m.
- Nov. 11 at 10:30 a.m.
- Nov. 12 at 1:15 p.m.
Following each colloquium, we will share an electronic survey to gather community feedback on each finalist. Please watch for emails that confirm the colloquium dates and that provide the survey. I will also share these in my newsletter every Friday.
Also, during their second-round interviews, the finalists will meet with the Chancellor’s Cabinet; vice provosts and deans; the Board of Trustees; the respective boards of advisors for the colleges or schools involved in the mergers; the respective associate deans, chairs, and directors; and the Chancellor and me.
I am grateful to the DU community for engaging in these search activities, and I look forward to reviewing your feedback on each of our finalists. With input from you and the search committees, 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.
University Council Meeting Recap
University Council met on Wednesday with a very full agenda. I encourage you to follow up with leadership from your unit for additional information or with questions, but I wanted to provide an overview in this week’s newsletter.
Enrollment Update
Now that we have passed week 3 census, we have greater clarity on our fall 2026 enrollment at the undergraduate and graduate levels. With 1,105 first-year, first-time undergraduates at fall census, we surpassed our fiscal year 2027 budget goal of 1,050. At the graduate level, summer and fall enrollments came in at 1,833 (only 39 enrollments below our summer and fall budget of 1,872 students). I want to thank the deans, their teams, and the central recruiting/admissions staff for their efforts at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Budget Update
While meeting our fall enrollment goals helped us deliver a net-zero budget for fiscal year 2027, we do not operate in a vacuum. Challenges continue to arise to which we must respond in service to our students and our community. Mark DeLorenzo, senior vice chancellor for business and finance, provided an update on DU’s fiscal year 2027 forecast. While the initial forecast for FY27 revenue exceeds budget, challenges exist to contain expense, particularly with the increased cost of health care. We will respond to challenges to contain expense while keeping our focus on service to our students and our community. Nate Bauer, associate vice chancellor and director of financial aid, also gave an update on the graduate financial aid landscape and how that might impact our ability to recruit and retain graduate students.
Academic Strategic Planning
As shared in previous newsletters, we will spend considerable time this fall, winter, and spring engaging the DU community to develop the ideas, investments, and metrics that will guide and inform DU’s academic strategy. During University Council, I shared the framework we will use and the timeline we will follow to develop this new academic strategy. I will share information (and invitations) with you on how to participate in the process in upcoming newsletters.
Two of the highest-priority, near-term areas of focus for the next strategic plan will be strategic enrollment management (informed heavily by the work of my Goal 1 committee last year) and establishing a resilient, strategic foundation from which we are able to pay more market-driven salaries to our faculty and staff. To discuss our current plans to establish strategic enrollment management for DU, Nate Bauer was joined by Adrienne Oddi, associate vice chancellor and director of admissions, and Kristy Firebaugh, assistant provost for student success. I concluded this portion of the agenda by reviewing the impact our reduced faculty headcount will have on student-faculty ratios to help in making the case for market-driven salaries.
Katia Miller, Staff Senate president, and Sarah Watamura, Faculty Senate president, also provided updates on the work their community governance bodies are doing this academic year.
Most of the remaining agenda topics (Operational Transformation, Zoom to Teams Transition, Founding Dean Search Updates) are covered in other sections of this newsletter.
Operational Transformation Update
Based on a review of recommendations from DU’s earlier operational excellence work and recommendations from the Goal 1, 2, and 3 committees, the Operational Transformation Steering Committee has established a list of nine high-priority projects to activate this year. The list has been reviewed and endorsed by academic leadership, including the deans and vice provosts, as well as by the Chancellor’s Cabinet. The Steering Committee is in the process of staffing and activating these projects with the intention to provide regular status updates through the Bridge, this newsletter, and the Operational Transformation website.
Reminder: Zoom to Teams Transition
As was announced on Friday, Oct. 9, the University of Denver is transitioning from Zoom to Microsoft Teams as its enterprise collaboration and video conferencing platform. The University will fully sunset Zoom on Friday, June 11, 2027.
To help us develop support resources, tell us more about how you currently use Zoom and how we can support your transition to Teams through a brief survey.
Goal 1: Shape Enrollment and Improve Retention and Graduation Rates
Update on Study Abroad Support for Students
DU has long valued study abroad, with an annual average of more than 70% of undergraduates participating in programs around the world. These experiences allow students to cultivate their curiosity through new cultures and perspectives, deepening their understanding of the diverse and complex world we live in. Through study abroad, students deepen their critical thinking, build confidence in navigating ambiguity, develop resilience and compassion, expand global networks, and gain broader perspectives within their academic fields.
The Cherrington Global Scholars (CGS) benefit was established to help build and sustain this strong culture of study abroad at DU, embedding it as a central component of undergraduate experiential learning. We are continuing that dedication and tradition through a new iteration of support along with a new name. The Global 4D Experience (G4D) will offer up to a $1,450 total benefit to offset students’ flights or immigration costs associated with study abroad. This benefit replaces CGS, starting with those students going abroad in fall 2027. This benefit update does not impact the current model for tuition, housing, or meal costs for students on DU’s study abroad program.
Eligibility requirements for the G4D benefit will remain the same as they were for the CGS benefit, namely 90 credits completed/in progress at time of eligibility check, a 3.0 minimum GPA at DU, and good academic and conduct standing.
The high-impact practice of study abroad truly embodies DU’s 4D ethos. Connecting it more intentionally to this framework will integrate study abroad more deeply into the fabric of campus initiatives, programs, and outcomes. We look forward to continuing our campus partnerships in strengthening students’ global learning through study abroad. For full eligibility requirements, please see this website.
Reminder: New Student Success Data “Hive” Now Available in Data Insights
The Offices of Student Success and Institutional Research are pleased to share a new Student Success Data “hive” in Data Insights within My4D. Instead of searching across Data Insights for different dashboards, this hive compiles multiple success metrics in one place to provide data across the student lifecycle, from registration through graduation and beyond.
You can access the hive here. Note that a VPN is required if you are off campus. Please contact studentsuccess@du.edu with any questions.
Goal 2: Improve Career Outcomes and Better Prepare Our Students to Succeed and Lead in an AI-Transformed Workforce
Task Force Launching to Support DU’s Ability to Provide Internships and Experiential Learning to All Students
One of the key pillars of DU’s academic transformation efforts is a focus on outcomes throughout the entire student lifecycle. Last year, I charged the Goal 2 committee to bring forward recommendations to improve career outcomes and better prepare all students to succeed and lead in an AI-transformed workforce. After reviewing and reflecting on their report, I believe that one of the most impactful and high-priority goals DU must achieve is to reach 100% student participation in internships/experiential learning in the next three years.
Our internal data indicates internships are arguably the strongest influence on career preparation, career readiness, and, ultimately, career outcomes/job placement. To fulfill our promise, I believe the 100% internship/experiential learning goal is both attainable and vital.
To help DU achieve this goal, I launched a new task force that will build on the Goal 2 committee’s recommendation and bring forward a draft strategy, detailed investments, and KPIs that will inform our work in line with DU’s academic strategic planning efforts. I want to thank them in advance for their service and look forward to their insights and recommendations. I will share their names in subsequent newsletters once the group has been formally charged.
Career and Professional Development Industry Insights Panels
Please encourage your students to join Career and Professional Developmentthis quarter for Industry Insights, a series of engaging in-person panels and networking opportunities where students explore diverse career paths, connect with top industry professionals, and gain valuable insights to power their job search.
Whether students are exploring a first job or considering a career pivot, these events are designed as a launchpad for all students to bring their curiosity, questions, and ambition.
Goal 3: Strengthen Academic Excellence
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.
DU Faculty Research Featured in Nature and The Conversation
I am pleased to share that Elysia Davis, professor of psychology in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS), has co-authored a paper featured in both Nature and The Conversation . The team’s research shows that providing psychotherapy for depression to pregnant moms not only reduces their own depression but also affects babies’ brain development. Congratulations, Professor Davis, and thank you for this impactful work.
DU Faculty Member’s Book Published by Johns Hopkins University Press
Hilary Smith, professor and chair in the CAHSS Department of History, released a new book last week. It is worth noting that this new work was published by Johns Hopkins University Press, the top press in Smith’s subfield of the history of medicine. Congratulations, Professor Smith, on this tremendous accomplishment.
Reminder: Nominations Close Oct. 28 for the 2027 RSCW Awards
The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs invites nominations of outstanding DU faculty for the second annual Research, Scholarship, and Creative Works (RSCW) Awards. These awards celebrate exceptional research, scholarship, creativity, and impact across career stages and disciplines.
New this year is the RSCW Dissertation Award, which recognizes an exceptional doctoral dissertation that demonstrates significant achievement in research, scholarship, or creative work. Nominations are open until Oct. 28.
Learn more about award categories and the nomination process on the RSCW Awards website. Reach out to ORSP at honorifics@du.edu with questions.
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 continued energy and momentum as we prepare to bring the fall quarter to a close, as hard as that is for me to believe!
Sincerely,
Elizabeth G. Loboa
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor