January 2020

Dear DU Community Members, 

Welcome to winter quarter! I hope your first week back has been happy and productive. Personally, I feel re-energized by the hustle and bustle, and I’m happy to see the campus come alive. So, happy New Year and best wishes as you dive into your studies, research, projects, and goals.

Over the coming months, which will be busy, I look forward to using this space—my Nineteen newsletter—to keep in touch with you about what I’m thinking, where the University is going, and how you can get involved. For now, I’d like to share some exciting events and updates.

Faculty & Staff Awards

Our snowy autumn resulted in a reschedule of this important annual event honoring the incredible work by faculty and staff members across campus. I look forward to celebrating our honorees with you all on Monday, Jan. 13, from 11:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. in Magness Arena.

Building Community on a New Planet – A Community + Values Event

This year, the C+V Initiative has many excellent events and projects in store so we can all think deeply and intentionally about what community looks like and means at DU—and how we define and live out our values. I hope you can join us next week, Tuesday, Jan. 14, at a C+V Community Talk featuring DU faculty, staff, and students on how they would build community if they could start fresh on another planet.

2020 Diversity Summit

I hope everyone is registered for the many excellent Diversity Summit events taking place from Jan. 21-23. This summit is a key DU project that provides our community with the opportunity to become even more informed and even more invested in the continuous process of Inclusive Excellence and our reach mission to truly become OneDU.

Leadership Transitions

There are several ongoing and important searches for great candidates for leadership positions across DU.
 
• Provost and executive vice chancellor – The search committee has completed the position description and we are actively recruiting candidates for this vital role. 
• Vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion – The search committee is currently reviewing applications to select semi-finalists. Later this quarter, finalists will be brought to campus with the goal of selecting our new vice chancellor early in the spring. 
• Vice chancellor for advancement – We are closing the final round of interviews with the hope of selecting our finalist in February. 
• Vice chancellor for campus life and inclusive excellence – The search committee and search firm have been selected, and the first meeting of the search committee kicks off this week. An announcement of the committee members will be shared in an upcoming Bridge.