Timeline of Impact
2021
JUNE 17, 2021
STRATEGIC PLAN LAUNCHED
After engaging over 3,000 community members and generating over 7,000 ideas in six months, we released our 2030 Strategic Plan: Make Education Work for All to reimagine the potential of higher education and strengthen society.
AUGUST 3, 2021
PARTNERSHIP WITH COLORADO SMART CITIES DEEPENED
This innovative partnership with the nation’s largest smart cities alliance will enhance Denver’s growth as a global city.
AUGUST 12, 2021
AWARD-WINNING CITY HEIGHTS RESIDENCE HALL AND LEARNING COMMONS WELCOMED STUDENTS
We opened our first residence hall to provide an affordable downtown housing option to first-year students—with proximity to jobs, internships, research opportunities, and more..
SEPTEMBER 13, 2021
RANKED #1 IN SOCIAL MOBILITY
U.S. News & World Report ranked CU Denver the No. 1 university in Colorado for enhancing students’ socioeconomic standings. CU Denver achieved this milestone again in September 2022.
NOVEMBER 4, 2021
DISPLACED AURARIAN SCHOLARSHIP EXPANDED
Tuition-free education for people displaced from the Auraria neighborhood (1955 to 1973) was expanded to include all direct descendants, in perpetuity, and bring more education and opportunity to our community.
2022
FEBRUARY 24, 2022
NEW APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS FUEL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
The College of Engineering, Design and Computing launched two federally registered apprenticeship programs in construction project management and user experience design to provide work-based learning opportunities for students and industry.
MARCH 7, 2022
EARNED MILITARY FRIENDLY SCHOOLS GOLD AWARD DESIGNATION
We received national recognition for providing outstanding support to military students and ensuring veterans’ ongoing educational and professional success.
MARCH 16, 2022
CU DENVER ANNOUNCES COMMITMENT TO REVITALIZE HISTORIC NINTH STREET
Led by CU Regent Nolbert Chavez and in partnership with AHEC and our community, CU Denver embarked on an initiative to preserve and renovate historic homes along Ninth Street—as well as define their usage— as one important way to honor and celebrate our history as we build our collective future.
MARCH 25, 2022
LED COVID-19 ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION WITH U.S. SEC. XAVIER BECERRA AND GOV. JARED POLIS
Chancellor Michelle Marks hosted government representatives and leaders in higher education, public health, and the local community at a roundtable discussion on “Whole Health/A Community Response to COVID.”
MAY 21, 2022
DANA CRAWFORD PRESERVATION PROGRAM NAMED
Our historic preservation program was named after award-winning Denver preservationist and industry icon Dana Crawford, which will help create the next generation of city planners and placemakers.
JUNE 1, 2022
INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED MURALIST PAINTED CAMPUS
Thomas Evans, the alumnus and acclaimed artist known as Detour, debuted large-scale works depicting seven successful CU Denver graduates and the promise of higher education.
JUNE 7, 2022
CU DENVER STUDENTS SUPPORT NOAA CLIMATE RESEARCHERS IN ANTARCTICA
Twenty-two graduate students from CU Denver’s College of Architecture and Planning completed the first design and construction phase of safe and sustainable laboratories to house scientists at the Cape Shirreff field camp in Antarctica.
JUNE 14, 2022
JOINED ALLIANCE OF HISPANIC SERVING RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES
We became a founding member of a collective of 20 leading Hispanic-serving research universities that aims to increase access to doctoral programs for Hispanic students.
SEPTEMBER 15, 2022
ANNOUNCED PARTNERSHIP WITH APPLE
In a partnership with Apple, CU Denver strengthened local K-12 tech education and our Pathways2Teaching and P-TEACH programs by providing an expansive Apple technology hardware package, supporting student scholarships, curriculum development and teacher training in K-12 schools throughout the front range.
SEPTEMBER 27, 2022
BECAME UNIVERSITY INNOVATION ALLIANCE MEMBER
As the only Colorado university in the University Innovation Alliance, we are ensuring that public research universities here in the Rocky Mountain region enroll, support, and graduate more diverse students.
OCTOBER 13, 2022
INITIAL RESEARCH GRAND CHALLENGES COHORT ANNOUNCED AT CU DENVER’S FUTURE FEST
The first wave of collaborative research projects aimed to solve some of society’s grandest challenges were announced and presented, including climate change, community health, and urban infrastructure.
OCTOBER 27, 2022
CENTENNIAL HOUSE BLESSING
As part of our Ninth Street initiative, CU Denver hosted a blessing for the Centennial House in the Ninth Street Historic Park on our Auraria Campus as we work to honor our past and affirm our commitment to a more inclusive future.
2023
USHERED IN THE NEXT 50 YEARS OF CU DENVER
CU Denver will start a new chapter in 2023, turning 50 on January 11! As we celebrate our 50th anniversary by revisiting our accomplishments in the last 50 years, we will also work together with our internal and external communities to continue building a strong framework for our future.