University of Denver

The University of Denver (DU), founded in 1864, is an independent university in Denver, Colorado. DU typically enrolls about 9,800 students, about equally divided between graduate and undergraduate programs. The 125-acre main campus is a designated arboretum and is located in a pleasant residential neighborhood (University Park) about seven miles south of downtown Denver.

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University - Denver - Colorado - Student

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The University was founded in 1864 as Colorado Seminary by John Evans, the former Territorial Governor of Colorado, who had been appointed by US President Abraham Lincoln. Evans, who also founded Northwestern University prior to founding DU, is the source of the town name "Evanston" (the site of the Northwestern campus) as well as Mount Evans, a 14,000+ foot mountain visible from the DU campus.

Related Topics:
John Evans - Abraham Lincoln - Northwestern University

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DU is one of the top private universities in the American West and ranked in the top 100 nationally, with the nationally-ranked Daniels College of Business as the primary undergraduate and graduate drawing card, but there are also considerable graduate level strengths in law, professional psychology, international studies and social work.

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Historically known as a school with an affluent, upper-middle class student body with about 60 percent of the students coming from Colorado, and the other 40 percent coming from primarily the US East and West Coasts, the Midwest and foreign countries, DU has been transforming itself from its former undergradute reputation as a "ski school" into a much more dynamic insitution that combines a small classes with university level resources, all in a young, vibrant and beautiful area of the United States.

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Under the leadership of former Chancellor Daniel Ritchie (now Chairman of the DU Board of Trustees), about $500 million in capital improvements have taken place in the last decade and the learning inside these new buildings has improved in the same period, as admissions selectivity and rankings have improved dramatically.

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The experiential learning components of all the classes at DU gives students the chance to excel beyond book knowledge. Believing firmly in the value of an experience abroad, the Cherrington Global Scholars program offers every undergraduate the chance to study abroad at no cost above normal DU tuition, room and board. The Honors program at DU, under the direction of Professor Todd Breyfogle, provides bright minds a refuge of conversation and advanced courses.

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DU alumni have distinguished themselves in foreign affairs, politics, business, journalism, and the arts and entertainment, as well as athletics. Prominent alumni include: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, US Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton, Andrew Rosenthal (assistant managing editor, New York Times), the late Lowell Thomas (radio commentator), Susan Waltz (chair, International Executive Committee, Amnesty International), U.S. Sen. Peter Domenici (R-NM), Paul Laxalt (former Nevada governor and senator), Peter Coors (CEO, Coors Brewing Co.), James Cox Kennedy (CEO, Cox Communications), U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Emily Cinader Woods (co-founder, J. Crew), Howard P. James (former CEO, Sheraton Hotels), Peter Morton (founder, Hard Rock Café chain), Elliott Martin (Broadway producer), Scott Rosenberg (founder, Malibu Comics, screenwriter of Con Air and Men in Black), Duane Michaels (photographer) and David Adkins (the comedian known as 'Sinbad').

Related Topics:
Condoleezza Rice - Gale Norton - Andrew Rosenthal - New York Times - Lowell Thomas - Susan Waltz - Amnesty International - Peter Domenici - Paul Laxalt - Peter Coors - James Cox Kennedy - Cox Communications - Byron Dorgan - Mike Enzi - Emily Cinader Woods - Howard P. James - Sheraton Hotels - Peter Morton - Hard Rock Café - Elliott Martin - Scott Rosenberg - Malibu Comics - Con Air - Men in Black - Duane Michaels - David Adkins - Sinbad

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In 2005, Denver selected former provost Robert Coombe as its new Chancellor.

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Denver is one of the only schools in the US that personally interviews every undergraduate applicant (with interviews in more than 25 cities per year), ensuring that most accepted students will find that the University is very interested in the person, not just the applicant's credentials.

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In autumn 2003, DU opened a new 63.5 million USD facility for its College of Law, what was later named the "Sturm College of Law" The building includes a three-story library with personal computers accessible to students. Recently, the University of Denver Sturm College of Law has also undergone an internal renaissance, consolidating its position as the preeminent law school in the Rocky Mountain Region. In 2003, the University of Denver ATLA trial team won the national championship in New Orleans, taking Harvard's title from the previous year.

Related Topics:
Autumn - 2003 - Million - USD - Facility - Story - Library - Personal computer

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Additionally, the University also recently opened the acclaimed $75 million Newman Center for the Performing Arts, which includes a 1,000 seat, four-level opera house with some of the finest acoustics in the region, a 600-seat recital hall with an impressive organ, and a 400-seat flexible theatre space. The Newman Center serves as home to many professional performing arts groups as well as University performing arts events.

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