Impact Report 2025-2026
Each year, the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (CAHSS) Impact Report highlights the contributions of students and faculty, with the support of alumni and donors, toward our mission of fostering curiosity and creativity in a complex and changing world. This year’s report covers the most notable achievements at the College in the 2025-2026 academic year.
A Note from Dean Byrne
Academic year 2025–2026 was a year of creativity, dedication, and academic excellence at the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (CAHSS), thanks to the collective efforts of our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and donors. Driven by generous philanthropy, we exceeded our fundraising goal; fueling our artistic ambitions, groundbreaking research, and profound scholarship opportunities, all of which position the College as an academic and artistic center within academia.
This annual report serves as a testament to our community's sustained commitment to enhancing student opportunities, now and in the future. I am particularly excited about the successful launch of our 4D Fridays initiative to center career outcomes within the academic experience and the opening of the CAHSS imp:ACT Institute to elevate our interdisciplinary programs and academic innovations.
I invite you to become part of the CAHSS community; every act of support is crucial to positioning a liberal arts education as integral to cementing the value of humans and demonstrating the powerful roles we play across the world. I look forward to seeing you at our inspiring musical concerts, engaging faculty lectures, captivating theatrical performances, innovative research presentations, and the many other CAHSS or DU events that may resonate with you.
Thank you,
Sahara Byrne
Dean, College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
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Two Spanish Students Win Prestigious Fulbright Scholarships
Spanish program students Frankie Stroud and Haley Graham each won a Fulbright, sending them to teach English in Colombia and Spain. -
From Hong Kong to the Governor’s Office: The Unexpected Places CAHSS Takes You
Emerson Fox, an English and communication studies major from Hong Kong, parlayed her CAHSS education into a policy internship at the Governor's Office in Colorado. -
Characters and Carpentry: DU’s Student Actors Do It All
Theater students at the University of Denver not only study acting, but set design and construction as well. Those skills were on full display during a recent student production of “Into the Woods.”
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Lamont Professor Wins Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition
Remy Le Boeuf, chair of Jazz & Commercial Music at Lamont, won the 2026 Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition for his piece "First Snow." -
Lights, Camera, Purpose: Teaching Film That Matters
Joe Brown, associate professor in the Department of Media, Film & Journalism Studies, teaches film as a storytelling tool with real power to move people. -
CAHSS Communication Studies Professor’s Classes Foster Interpersonal Connections, Build Real-World Skills
Communication studies professor Beth Suter builds real-world skills in her classes, from collaboration and negotiation to argumentation and public speaking.
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Driven by Purpose: How DU Shaped One Alumna's Path Toward a Doctoral Degree
Aliyah Williams (BA '21) is drawing on her psychology and criminology studies to pursue a doctorate focused on mental health in communities of color. -
This Anthropology Alumna Is Putting the World's Cultural Heritage in Your Hands
Whitney Peterson (MA '18) uses 3D technology at the nonprofit CyArk to digitally preserve cultural heritage sites and open them to audiences worldwide. -
Finding His Path: How an MFJS Alumnus Turned His Degree Into a Launchpad for Public Service
Derek Dash (MA '22) turned his media and public communication degree into a career in public service, now advising Colorado's governor on communications.
Philanthropic Impact
The College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (CAHSS) has raised $21.4 million in philanthropic support this year from alumni, parents, and friends of CAHSS and DU.
This year’s philanthropic support for CAHSS is part of DU’s new capital campaign, The Denver Difference, which was launched in April 2024 with a goal of $1 billion to support student scholarships, faculty research, new programs and initiatives across campus.
Highlights from the 2025–26 academic year include:
Scholarship support of more than $3.3 million to help talented students afford a DU education and a CAHSS major or graduate degree.
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Student internships, research, and travel experiences benefited from nearly $100,000 in new funding, including funding for paid student internships over the summer.
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More than $10 million in gifts of art to support the growing University Art Collection, including seven outdoor sculptures from the Denver Art Museum and funds to renovate the photography lab.
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Department-specific gifts, including...
- $50,000 for the Center for Art Collection Ethics summer museum training program
- $50,000 for the Asian Studies program
- $40,000 for students to do fieldwork at the Amache National Park
- $100,000 for the Rocky Mountain Jewish Historical Society and Beck Archives
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New DU Photo Lab Honors the Legacy of a Celebrated Alumnus
A major gift of work from renowned photographer and alumnus Duane Michals (BA '53) will name DU's newly renovated photo lab in his honor. -
New Grant Brings Indigenous Knowledge to the Core of a DU Education
A $500,000 Mellon Foundation grant to anthropology professor Kelly Fayard is weaving Indigenous knowledge, languages, and ways of knowing into DU's core curriculum.
Connect with Us
Hannah Thompson
Director of Alumni Engagement
Jennifer Garner
Executive Director of Development
