Impact Report 2020-2021
Letter from the Dean
As the new Dean for the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (CAHSS), I'm delighted to be part of this vibrant community of scholars, artists, students, alumni and friends.
Like so many people and institutions spanning the world, our College has faced incredible challenges over the past year. Thankfully, despite these odds, our community has continued to thrive. In this impact report, we share some of the highlights of the past year to demonstrate the creativity, flexibility, dedication and resilience of the CAHSS community.
Our faculty continues to innovate in programming and curriculum to enrich student experiences, generate new research and creative works, and more. Thanks to the support and advocacy of DU students, faculty and alumni, CAHSS announced plans for the formation of a Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Program and major; this development followed on the success of the minor. Our First-Generation College Student Program is planning for expansion to support CAHSS students’ sense of belonging at DU. And the Center for Innovation in Liberal and Creative Arts (CILCA) continues to endorse launches of pilot programs that help our students have transformative experiences.
Our alumni continue to demonstrate how their DU liberal arts education impacts their lives, careers and communities long after graduation. For example, Emergent Digital Practices Alumnus Ben Efram (BFA ’17) quickly pivoted his technology business in fall 2020 to help battle wildfires across Colorado.
In the coming months, I look forward to meeting you and learning about the passions that you bring to the CAHSS community. I invite you to connect with events and projects that support the Keystone Strategic Plan and our exciting vision for the College.
Rhonda M. Gonzales, Dean
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
Impact Report Table of Contents
CBS Denver - May 31, 2021
University Of Denver Team Working to Make Sure Holocaust Stories Are Never Forgotten
Television interview with Adam Rovner, associate professor and director of the Center for Judaic Studies.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education - May 10, 2021
Preserving the Past and Building the Future: Meet Historian Rhonda Gonzales
Article features Rhonda M. Gonzales, dean for the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences.
Denver Gazette - April 18, 2021
Asian Americans in Colorado Say Enough Is Enough After Year of Pandemic-related Hate
Article quotes Ping Qiu, teaching assistant professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures.
Associated Press - March 10, 2021
Myanmar’s Searing Smartphone Images Flood a Watching World
Article quotes Kareem El Damanhoury, assistant professor in Media, Film & Journalism Studies.
Colorado Public Radio - February 8, 2021
CPR Classical Launches Yearlong Spirituals Radio Project
Article features new series on The Spirituals and M. Roger Holland II, director of The Spirituals Project and a teaching assistant professor in music and religion.
Life - October 2, 2020
House Passes 'Savanna's Act' to Address Missing and Murdered Native Americans
Article quotes Billy Stratton, associate professor in the Department of English & Literary Arts and special advisor to the Chancellor and Provost on Native American partnerships and programs.
The Art Newspaper - September 25, 2020
The Only Way Is Ethics: US Museums Should Not Neglect Provenance Research in the Funding Crisis
Op-Ed by Elizabeth Campbell, associate professor of history and director of the Center for Art Collection Ethics.
The Crime Report - July 13, 2020
The Link Between Mass Shooters and Domestic Violence
Op-Ed by Anne DePrince, professor in the Department of Psychology and Public Impact Fellow.
The Impact of Philanthropy
CAHSS Raises Over $250,000 to Support Social Justice
In his last year as dean of the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (CAHSS), Danny McIntosh was committed to making CAHSS an intentional community that provides an equal and just educational experience for its students. To that end, he created a fundraiser to support institutions in the College that investigate and address the root causes of social, racial, economic and environmental justice.
Through the generosity of our donors and alumni, the College raised over $250,000 to support the Dean’s Fund for Excellence, Casa de Paz Learning Community, the Center for Art Collection Ethics, the Prison Arts Initiative, the Spirituals Project and multiple student internship opportunities.
Read more
Myhren Generosity Enhances the Student Experience Across Campus
For more than 30 years, students and programs across the University of Denver have felt the impact of Trygve (Tryg) and Vicki Myhren’s leadership and philanthropy. The Myhrens’ most recent gift carries forward that legacy, investing $1 million in mission-centered priorities spanning the campus and benefiting students well into the future.
”The University of Denver is deeply grateful to Tryg and Vicki Myhren,” says Chancellor Jeremy Haefner. “With the leadership, generosity and support like the Myhrens’, DU’s students are better able to pursue lives of purpose and meaningful careers; they are better able to become the leaders the world needs.”
Read more
Gift from Robert and Judi Newman Benefits Music Students
Thanks to the generosity of Robert and Judi Newman, longtime friends of the University of Denver, graduate students at the Lamont School of Music will have a special opportunity starting in fall 2021.
The Newmans' gift to Lamont funds a two-year fellowship for master of music students in performance or conducting. Combined with a tuition waiver, this award will cover students’ full cost of attendance. As a result, the fellowship will encourage more students to apply to Lamont, strengthening the school’s recruiting efforts. The Newmans first started the Newman Graduate Fellowship in 2011 to support Lamont students.
Read moreStrategic Initiatives
Center for Art Collection Ethics
The Center for Art Collection Ethics (ACE) brings conversations about the legal and ethical dimension of art collection stewardship to the DU community and beyond. ACE offers expert-led training programs to equip graduate students and emerging professionals with the skills they need to implement ethical stewardship practices in libraries, museums, and other cultural institutions. ACE examines the latest advances and challenges in art stewardship through our news blog and social media, providing thought-provoking commentary from a historical perspective.
Learn more
DU's Prison Arts Initiative (PAI)
The DU Prison Arts Initiative (DU PAI) generates creative and collaborative learning experiences that enrich the lives of people who are incarcerated and shift the conversation about prison. As part of DU’s commitment to the public good, DU PAI's programming opens dialogue between incarcerated people and their communities. DU PAI empower individuals to see themselves as leaders capable of creating meaningful change, both inside prison systems and well beyond.
Learn more
Center for Innovation in the Liberal & Creative Arts (CILCA)
The Center for Innovation in the Liberal and Creative Arts (CILCA) reimagines liberal and creative arts education in a way that emphasizes flexibility and adaptability. CILCA offers the space, seed money and administrative help necessary to support new pilot projects and signature academic programs. By investing in these new models of courses and curriculum, CILCA supports improvement and innovation in scholarship, research and educational practices.
Learn more
November 21, 2020
Artwork and Performances from People Inside Colorado’s Prisons
In an unprecedented live virtual performance, DU's Prison Arts Initiative and group leaders within the Colorado Department of Corrections broadcasted their work to thousands of people who tuned in from around the world.
May 13, 2021
Harper Lecture with Tommy Orange
Bestselling and award-winning author Tommy Orange was in conversation with Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology Kelly Fayard for the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences' virtual Harper Distinguished Speaker Series lecture.
January 14 to February 28, 2021
"Coming Home" Viki Myhren Gallery Exhibition
This exhibition at the Vicki Myhren Gallery showcased the work of University of Denver’s alumni and former faculty. Titled “Coming Home,” the exhibition signified returning to DU, a place the artists called home at one point in their lives, and represented the long and prominent history of the School of Art & Art History.
January 19, 2021
CAHSS Faculty Lecture With W. Scott Howard
W. Scott Howard gave a virtual faculty lecture on Susan Howe’s Factual Telepathy. Howard, who received the Dean’s Meritorious Sabbatical Award to support and strengthen faculty research for 2019–2020, is a professor in the Department of English & Literary Arts, editor of Denver Quarterly and author of “Archive and Artifact: Susan Howe’s Factual Telepathy” (Talisman House, 2019).
October 22, 2020
Livingston Lecture with Elizabeth Escobedo
Elizabeth Escobedo, associate professor of history, gave a lecture on the history of immigration and race in the U.S. Escobedo specializes in 20th century Mexican-American history and is the director of diversity, equity and inclusion for CAHSS. She oversees the Casa de Paz Learning Community and the Critical Race & Ethnic Studies minor program.
Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminology Lisa Pasko
"Latinas in the Criminal Justice System: Victims, Targets, and Offenders"
In "Latinas in the Criminal Justice System," Vera Lopez and Lisa Pasko bring together a group of distinguished scholars to provide a nuanced picture of Latinas as victims, offenders, and targets of deportation.
Professor of Anthropology Bonnie J. Clark
"Finding Solace in the Soil"
"Finding Solace in the Soil" tells the largely unknown story of the gardens of Amache, the War Relocation Authority incarceration camp in Colorado.
Director of the Rocky Mountain Jewish Historical Society & Beck Archives Jeanne E. Abrams
"A View From Abroad: The Story of John and Abigail Adams in Europe"
In this engaging narrative, "A View from Abroad" takes us on the first full exploration of the John and Abigail Adams’s lives abroad.
Associate Professor of English & Literary Arts
"Birth Chart"
In "Birth Chart," a collection of heartfelt, ruthless poetry, Rachel Feder rethinks the relationship between astrology and motherhood.
Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center on American Politics Seth Masket
"Learning from Loss: The Democrats, 2016–2020"
In "Learning from Loss," one of the nation's leading political analysts offers unique insight into the Democratic Party at a moment of uncertainty.
Professor of Political Science Joshua C. Wilson
"Separate but Faithful: The Christian Right's Radical Struggle to Transform Law & Legal Culture"
In "Separate But Faithful," Amanda Hollis-Brusky and Joshua C. Wilson provide an in-depth examination of the Christian Right's efforts, including their causes, contours and consequences.
Assistant Professor of Spanish Chad Leahy
"Jerusalem Afflicted: Quaresmius, Spain, and the Idea of a 17th-Century Crusade"
"Jerusalem Afflicted: Quaresmius, Spain, and the Idea of a 17th-century Crusade" introduces readers to a unique call to arms in which Franciscus Quaresmius calls on King Philip IV of Spain to undertake a crusade to ‘liberate’ the Holy Land.
