CU South Denver Update
Sep. 14, 2020
Dear CU Denver Community,
I am writing to let you know that the CU system will put the CU South Denver facility up for sale in the coming months. The Board of Regents was briefed on the plan this morning.
After considerable due diligence, CU leadership determined that the facility is not financially viable, despite our pursuing operational efficiencies and closing the museum and theater. We have taken several steps to make the facility both an academic hub and an event space since it was gifted to the university in 2015. Yet the subsidies that CU Denver, CU Anschutz, and the president’s office have had to provide (and anticipate we would have to continue to provide) toward the effort are unsustainable.
Since my arrival, I have personally toured the facility. I have met with employers in the south metro area that hire CU Denver graduates. And the inspiring conversations I had with those business leaders shed light on the significant opportunities to continue, and even expand, our educational partnerships and pathways. I want you to know that I view the south metro area as vital to CU Denver and the University of Colorado, as well as the state. We remain unwavering in our commitment to serving this important region.
CU South Denver will continue to operate at reduced levels through August 2021. We will continue to teach the already-scheduled on-campus and remote classes planned for this academic year.
I would like to thank our deans, faculty, and staff who contributed to the creative ideas and inventive programming to re-envision the use of the space. Unfortunately, the facility’s unique configuration made it challenging to convert it effectively.
To the Liniger family, who gifted the property to CU, I would like to offer my sincere thanks. Their generosity opened the door for us to further explore and innovate on how we serve the south metro residents and business community. I look forward to building upon this work together.
Michelle Marks
Chancellor
@MarksMichelleA