From Interim Dean Rachel A. Walsh, October 2024

As we begin the final month of the Fall quarter, I’d like to thank the CAHSS community – our students, faculty, staff, alumni and donors – for making Homecoming 2024 a week to remember. It was a pleasure to have so many alumni back on campus to reconnect with friends and participate with students, faculty and staff in a busy and stimulating week of activities. 

Thanks to the efforts of our Media, Film and Journalism Studies program, this year’s Estlow and Margolin masterclass lectures were highlights of Homecoming in which we celebrated the 125th anniversary of The DU Clarion, our student newspaper. Our guest lecturers and alumni, David Von Drehle (’83) of the Washington Post, and Sara Castellanos (’09) of The Wall Street Journal, both former student editors of the newspaper, offered thought-provoking insights on AI, disinformation, the future of democracy and journalism.  

We at CAHSS continue to manage through the budget challenges facing many institutions in higher education. So, it’s even more important to recognize our accomplishments as a College and the generosity of alumni and donors as we operate under difficult financial circumstances. This week we published the 2023-2024 Impact Report, our annual summary of the accomplishments of students and faculty supported by the generous contributions of alumni and donors last year. The report highlights several notable achievements which I hope you’ll learn more about here. 

These achievements, along with the depth and breadth of learning and entertainment opportunities at CAHSS distinguish our College. As we head into the final weeks of the fall term, I encourage you to explore the concerts, programs, and lectures that we have to offer.  

The Lamont School of Music will host several special events this year in recognition of its 100th anniversary, one of which is right around the corner. The Lamont Symphony Orchestra Centennial Celebration, on Wed., Nov. 6, is one such program that you’ll want to be sure to attend. This concert pays homage to the year of the School’s founding with a selection of iconic works that premiered in 1924. The program will be performed by our talented students, faculty and distinguished alumni and general admission tickets are free! 

Our Center for Judaic Studies and our Department of Languages, Literatures & Cultures also will present programs that are part of the upcoming Denver Film Festival. These are just two more of the many opportunities CAHSS offers that make our College unique. I hope you’ll take advantage of them! 

Warmly, 

Rachel A. Walsh 

Interim Dean, Associate Professor  

College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences