​​​​​​​​​​​​​Laura E. Sponsler

Laura E. Sponsler, Ph.D, is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Higher Education at the University of Denver and serves as the Resident-Scholar for Teaching and Professional Faculty.  In her role, Dr. Sponsler integrates teaching, scholarship, and service in service of the institutional mission to be a great private university dedicated to the public good.  Her work broadly examines the role of colleges and universities in creating more democratic practices for all constituents and institutionalizing the civic mission of higher education.  Previously, Dr. Sponsler served as the founding director for NASPA’s Lead Initiative, a civic learning and democratic engagement network, and as a practitioner in service-learning.  Laura received her Ph.D. in Higher Education and M.S.Ed. in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania, and has a B.S. in biology from Saint Joseph’s University.