Community + Values Update
DU has the responsibility and power to
solve complex problems,
engage multiple perspectives,
nourish democracy,
foster greater belonging,
show compassion beyond boundaries, and
shape the future of our world.
Members of the DU Community,
This past spring, we launched the Community+Values initiative. Since then, across campus, dozens of DU community members have come together to further define the scope of C+V and establish the initiative’s structure. We are deeply grateful to these individuals, and we look forward to all we will accomplish together in the coming months.
Today, we would like to share with you updates on what has happened so far, what is on the horizon and how you can get involved.
What is C+V?
Bringing the community together. Courageous, engaging conversations. Connection to our clubs, schools, affiliations, and teams—and to the whole. A clear, community-built articulation of our values. Living out OneDU.
Built on the foundational aspirations of transformative direction four in DU IMPACT 2025, the C+V initiative is our collaborative work to reimagine our future as a connected community—an earnest and bold endeavor to define what personifies and empowers us. Through it, we will re-examine and articulate our values and begin to dismantle what it is that divides us, isolates us and stands in the way of the sense of belonging the community has expressed a yearning for—all while building upon that which connects us.
What’s happened so far?
Over the summer, we invited seven capable and passionate faculty and staff members to co-lead and further define C+V’s three pathways: Explore, Experience and Evolve. Next, together, we convened a steering committee of over 20 individuals, including three diversity and inclusion and two mental and physical wellness advisors. Last week, we hired four outstanding graduate student fellows to support this work.
This group will only continue to grow as the initiative gains momentum. We are now expanding the committee to best represent the breadth of the campus and forming working groups dedicated to each pathway.
What’s next?
— Bi-weekly progress updates on the C+V website
— Regular progress updates in The Bridge, Pulse and Grad
— Invites and recaps for each C+V event
— Comprehensive updates in every DU Magazine issue
— Quarterly check-ins with the DU Clarion editorial team
As C+V grows, the initiative’s website will house updates, documentation, events, invitations to get involved, and much more. Today, visit the website to see details about the steering committee, pathway leaders and other support.
It goes without saying, we invite broad and enthusiastic participation. This work will only succeed if we all lend our voices, ideas and expertise. Many have already raised their hands; the pathway co-leads will connect with you, and any new volunteers, soon.
Our success will not only help address division and encourage connection here at DU; we also have the potential to serve as a powerful model of a functioning and rewarding community in the 21st century. We are so excited to engage all of DU in this ambitious and valuable work.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Haefner, chancellor & C+V co-lead
Ann Ayers, dean, Colorado Women's College & C+V co-lead