Events
Join us as we hear from renowned lecturers and guest speakers, view creative works by filmmakers, and celebrate leaders in the fields of media, film and journalism. Our recurring events include the Estlow Center's Anvil of Freedom Lecture, the Margolin Distinguished Lecture, the InShort Film Showcase and the Wolzien Visiting Professor Lecture.
Thursday, September 18, 2025
2025-26 Margolin Lecture: "Food, Culture & Journalism with Gustavo Arellano of the LA Times"
Join us for a master class in food, culture, and journalism with this year's Margolin Family Distinguished Lecturer Gustavo Arellano, 2025 Pulitzer Prize finalist, 2023 Pulitzer Prize winner, and LA Times columnist. Arellano is widely recognized for his commentary on food and his writing on the resilience of Southern California communities following devastating wildfires. A longtime journalist, he previously served as an investigative reporter and editor at OC Weekly.
- 10:00 - 11:45 a.m. MT
- Anderson Academic Commons, Room 290
Thursday, October 30, 2025
2025-26 Wolzien Lecture: "Campus Can’t Contain Them: DU Students Powering Innovation in Local News"
This year’s Wolzien Lecture spotlights how DU students are breaking through the walls of the classroom to make a real impact in Colorado communities. Wolzien Visiting Professor of the Practice Laura Frank will introduce the MATCH Lab — an innovative partnership where students work side-by-side with local journalists to tackle challenges in reporting, revenue and civic connection. Adding to the lecture, DU students Alyssa Avila, Jay Moraytis, and Dylan Lindsey will share their own stories of discovery and impact, showing how DU is leading a growing national movement to link higher education with the future of local news and stronger communities.
- 5:15 - 7:00 p.m. MT
- Davis Auditorium, Sturm Hall
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Estlow Center Anvil of Freedom Lecturer
Outstanding Contributions to Journalism and Democracy
Established in 1993, our Estlow Center brings in an annual lecturer and recipient of the Anvil for Freedom Award who serves as a keynote speaker at a University-wide event and talks with students to deepen their exploration of journalism and democratic freedom.
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Morton L. Margolin Distinguished Lecture
This annual series is provided in honor of renowned Colorado business journalist Morton Margolin. During his distinguished 35-year career with the Rocky Mountain News and the Colorado Business Magazine, Margolin received many awards, including a nomination for the Pulitzer Prize.
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InShort Showcase & Undergraduate Student Awards
InShort highlights the exceptional work of our film studies students through a screening of their narrative and documentary film projects. Select students from the department of Media, Film & Journalism Studies also receive the Outstanding Student Award.
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Wolzien Visiting Professor Lecture
The Wolzien Visiting Professor of the Practice and corresponding annual lecture was funded by a generous $500,000 gift from DU Alumni Tom and Valerie Wolzien. The gift will also allow the department to bring on a different visiting professor each year for the next four years to speak to students on relevant topics in the fields of media, film and journalism.
Morton L. Margolin Distinguished Lecture
Beginning in 2015, the Morton L. Margolin Distinguished Lecture has been given each year in honor of renowned Colorado business journalist Morton Margolin. During his distinguished 35-year career as a journalist with the Rocky Mountain News and the Colorado Business Magazine that he co-founded, Margolin received many awards, including a nomination for the Pulitzer Prize. His series of news stories exposing controversial U.S. reclamation projects in the Riverton, Wyo., area in 1952 won him that nomination.
Prior to the Morton L. Margolin Distinguished Lecture Series, the University of Denver School of Communication and the Denver College of Business presented the prestigious Morton Margolin Prize recognizing Distinguished Business Reporting in Colorado from 1980 until 2008. A group of Margolin's friends established the award following his death in 1978 to recognize his career as a business journalist for local publications, including the Rocky Mountain News and Colorado Business Magazine.
Past Lectures
2024-25 Wolzien Visiting Professor Lecture from Laura Frank
Watch Wozlien Visiting Professor, Laura Frank, present on "Local Journalism, Higher Education and The Future of Democracy."
2023-24 Wolzien Visiting Professor Lecture Story on Peter Lauer
Peter Lauer’s 40-year career as a director of television and streaming video began unexpectedly with his first job working for MTV in the 1980s. “I didn’t know what a director did, and I had no one to show me,” he said. “If you had an idea, they would send you off into the streets of New York to go shoot stuff.”
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