2022: Another extraordinary year, part 2

Magazine

The University of Denver Magazine kicked off the year by producing the institution’s first research issue, “Powered by Purpose,” complete with content that celebrated DU’s new R1 status, highlighted the University’s strengths in research related to mental health, and provided an overview of the fundamental research underway at the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. The issue also provided a 50-year timeline of creativity and innovation at DU. It turns out that DU has long nurtured an enterprising research community focused on problem-solving and the public good.

Subsequent issues not only toasted the University’s triumphs—including a ninth national hockey championship—but also explored several topics near and dear to the University community. In the spring issue, well ahead of the November midterm elections, the magazine examined threats to American democracy and the problems posed by polarization and toxic discourse. With the University’s emphasis on sustainability in mind, the magazine looked at the global problems arising from single-use plastics. This fall, the feature story, “Checking in on the Kids," tapped into faculty and alumni expertise on the challenges facing children in the aftermath of the pandemic. In addition to its printed product, the magazine continued to publish a robust online edition with an array of digital content exclusive to the site. The magazine’s first-ever audio story showcased a conversation about grief and healing with an alumnus who lost his son (who attended DU before his death) to the debilitating disease of addiction.

Planning for 2023’s four issues—three in print and one only online—is already in progress. The magazine’s team of writers, editors, designers, and photographers look forward to incorporating DU’s new brand identity into our content, prose, and imagery. 

Issues Management

Though 2022 was not absent of issues to manage, the collaboration and connection that has been formed between MarComm and other units helped tremendously, and we focused on establishing a chain of command that follows national standards and best practices. The unified system, called the Incident Command System, aligns us with those who may come to support DU in a crisis (such as police, mental health professionals, and other emergency responders) and helps position DU to be better equipped to recover quickly and enable returning normalcy to our community when they need it most. After conducting initial training sessions and co-hosting a robust tabletop exercise for senior leadership with Campus Safety, it became clear that we are in a far better position headed into 2023 than we would have been without this work. Our approach to this critical work is to implement improvements and enhancements continuously. Look for a new tool launching in the new year aimed at providing better support to campus stakeholders day-to-day and during a crisis.

Media Relations

In 2022, the University of Denver garnered a record-breaking amount of media coverage. DU was mentioned in the media 915 times, up 34% from last year. Local media coverage increased by 34%, and national and elite coverage increased by 37%. Though these stats are important as we think about reach and how much more DU is showing up in the media, it’s not just about quantity. The quality of national media coverage increased by 7%, meaning DU was featured more prominently in stories. March was DU’s biggest month amassing 143 media hits. The passing of Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and the launch of DU Prison Arts Initiative’s Inside Wire, the nation’s first statewide prison radio show, garnered most of the media attention. April wasn’t too far behind with 124 media hits as the DU hockey team won the national championship. The team was featured in national outlets such as ESPN, NBC, ABC, The Associated Press, and local outlets including the Denver Post, KUSA, KCNC, and KDVR. As 2022 closes, DU is on track to finish strong. From July through December, DU was mentioned 376 times, a 21% increase over the same period in 2021.

DU Newsroom

It was another incredibly busy year for the University of Denver Newsroom! A total of 205 stories were published, created by writers from DU’s central MarComm office and partner content creators from across campus. Although we still have a couple of weeks remaining in the year, the Newsroom has already received over 365,000 pageviews. Some of this year’s most popular stories includes coverage of the DU hockey team winning the national championship, the University’s 2023 ranking by Princeton Review, research taking place in RSECS and NSM studying the impact of Long COVID, and advice from a DCB professor on how to manage the current housing market. Excitement for the Newsroom is on the horizon as we work towards a refresh of the existing site. Please keep an eye out for updates in 2023!

Spanish Engagement

In 2022 we launched a few new practices to help the DU Spanish-speaking community get valuable information. To support Spanish-speaking DU families, we developed a partnership with Student Affairs to translate program commencement event invitations and other resources. To impact what DU Spanish-speaking employees receive, we began by translating selected sections of The Bridge every week. Because many of the Spanish-speaking staff have challenges accessing email, we started printing and posting the Spanish version of The Bridge at five locations around campus and we also post important leadership messages in Spanish. This year, we translated 70 leadership messages, 15 editions of The Bridge, and one of the MyDU videos. We’re preparing for a two-day training for Spanish-speaking employees in Facilities to help them navigate their email accounts and important features in MyDU and planning to host a Spanish MarComm Camp. We are excited about what the future brings for MarComm’s bilingual team!

Thank you for your partnerships throughout 2022.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy holiday season.