PHILANTHROPY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF DENVER
ILLUMINATING IMPACT
The University of Denver celebrated a milestone event in 2024—the public launch of The Denver Difference: What DU Can Do, a billion-dollar campaign for the people, programs and places of our University. The campaign is fueling DU’s goal to redefine the promise of higher education – through scholarships, the 4D Experience, excellence in research, athletics and interdisciplinary initiatives that solve complex social problems.
The campaign launch heralded a new era for the University, honing a fundraising focus on those priorities that are at the center of the DU experience. Alumni, friends, parents, faculty and staff contributed over $72 million this year to support these priorities, giving more than $72 million. Donors’ enthusiasm about DU’s future strengthened schools and colleges across campus, as well as interdisciplinary programs that have meaningful impact on society. This strong support from the DU community—surpassing last year’s total—indicates great confidence in the bold direction for our University’s future.
A WORD FROM OUR CHANCELLOR
My thoughts lean to the future when I reflect on how philanthropy makes a difference at the University of Denver. How will DU transform the future of higher education? How will we best prepare our graduates for success in an ever-changing world? How will we provide the defining combination of education, experiences and opportunities that make a DU education like no other?
It is these questions that drive our goals and future. And they are at the center of The Denver Difference, our billion-dollar fundraising campaign. The campaign’s launch was a celebration of our strengths: the people, programs and places that are uniquely DU. But more than that, the campaign is about our bold vision for how, with visionary support, we will maximize what we do best to define and model the future of higher education for the betterment of our students, communities and world.
Philanthropy plays a key role, and I am grateful for all the ways you invest in DU. Your generosity empowers us to provide scholarships to outstanding students, increasing accessibility and access during an age when both weigh heavy on the minds of universities and students alike. Your gifts fuel our excellence in research, teaching and programs that span multiple disciplines and make a tangible difference in lives here in Denver and far beyond. As donors, you are the true difference-makers. You create opportunities for our students, and you make possible our optimistic vision for the future.
In this report, you can witness myriad ways philanthropy makes a difference. Join me in celebrating the opportunities and innovations that are only possible because of the investment of individuals like you. Thank you for your involvement and generosity that help make the future of our university incredibly bright.
Jeremy Haefner Chancellor
The Denver Difference:
DU’s Campaign to Reimagine
Higher Education
Reimagining the promise of higher education officially began April 19, 2024, when the University of Denver publicly launched The Denver Difference campaign – a $1 billion effort to establish a new model of how universities can deliver higher learning and contribute to society in the 21st century.
“We are preparing a new kind of leader and thinker for what’s ahead, so they can solve problems and create knowledge that directly improves the human condition. In that process, we can also help our students rise to the toughest challenges we and our society face together,” said DU Chancellor Jeremy Haefner.
The Denver Difference will not only expand scholarship opportunities so a greater number of talented and diverse students can realize their dreams and goals, but it will also make DU’s 4D Experience possible for every student. The 4D Experience focuses on helping students grow intellectually, expand their curiosity and creativity, and broaden their experience and expertise. It encourages the discovery of paths to meaningful careers and lives of purpose. It allows students to explore who they are, building character and practicing the kind of reflective thinking that deepens learning. And it nurtures all aspects of well-being to help students thrive physically, emotionally and financially.
DU Community Celebrates
Launch of the $1 Billion
Denver Difference Campaign
There’s no better way to celebrate the launch of a $1 billion campaign than by throwing a party! And on Friday, April 19, hundreds of people came to DU’s Magness Arena to experience firsthand what the University of Denver has done – and where it’s headed.
Following a celebration of DU’s hockey prowess – the Pioneers’ record-breaking 10th national title is the most of any collegiate program – mainstage performances by Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, led by alumna and dance icon Cleo Parker Robinson (BA ‘70), the Lamont School of Music’s ShakadoGat Wind Quintet and The Spirituals Project Choir brought the audience to its feet.
While there’s no shortage of DU’s athletic and artistic achievements to celebrate, one of the primary goals of the campaign is to expand scholarship opportunities. As Chancellor Jeremy Haefner told attendees,
“The Denver Difference is about reimagining the promise of
higher education and delivering a new kind of university
experience – one that will transform and enrich not just the
lives of our students, but also communities and societies
around the globe.”
Our
People
are a
Powerful
Force
Through the 4D Experience, we provide a holistic education so our students can be the new kind of leader that the world needs. Students find mentoring and career preparation at DU, in addition to character development and opportunities to deepen their academic excellence and well-being. Philanthropy powers that success through scholarships and programs that support students throughout their journey here.
Pioneering New Pathways
for Equity in STEM
Alumna Joan Ritzenthaler (BA ’71) moved to Denver when her father, Clint Kelley, accepted a job at DU, where he went on to become a beloved professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry until his retirement in 1971.
For Ritzenthaler, being the child of a DU professor came with an extraordinary benefit: having most of her tuition discounted. She says she knows how fortunate she was to get a DU education at a fraction of the cost that other students paid. And that wasn’t the only benefit. “I got to know good people, and I got to learn a lot,” she says. In fact, she still keeps in touch with friends from the Alpine Club, DU’s venerable outdoor enthusiast organization.
In addition to teaching chemistry, Clint Kelley was a volunteer mountaineering instructor and avid mountaineer who sadly fell to his death in 1982 while on a climb. To honor her father’s legacy as well as commemorate her own student experiences, Ritzenthaler made a generous bequest gift to establish the Clint Kelley Endowed Scholarship Fund. The fund provides financial support for undergraduate students who participate in DU’s Equity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (E-STEM) program.
E-STEM – a partnership of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, the Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science, and Academic Affairs – nurtures the strengths of incoming undergraduates from historically underrepresented backgrounds who major in STEMmsubjects, helping them transition to the college environment and navigate their paths at DU.
A Mentoring Relationship That Creates Opportunities and Optimism
There’s little doubt Ivan Hernandez (BSBA, MBA ’16) would have been successful even without an exceptional mentor. The eldest of three children of immigrant parents, Ivan understood from an early age that college would be the key to his future. But paying for that education would be his responsibility, which is why he wasted no time on the entrepreneurial side – beginning with buying bulk candy and reselling it to classmates in elementary school.
At the same time, Ivan pursued every scholarship opportunity available, eventually gaining the attention of Greenhouse Scholars, an educational foundation that enabled him to enroll at DU and introduced him to Taylor Kirkpatrick (MBA ’04), CEO of a large family business enterprise, who would ultimately become Hernandez’s long-term mentor.
While Taylor Kirkpatrick’s family circumstances were significantly more comfortable than Ivan’s, he nevertheless grew up with a sharpened sense of both responsibility and obligation espoused by his mother. Honoring her teachings led to a lifelong commitment for Taylor – including extensive volunteering and leadership work, financially supporting DU’s Graduate School of Professional Psychology and serving as a DU Trustee.
A consulting engagement of Taylor’s fortuitously evolved his mentoring relationship with Ivan into what became a business partnership. “When I got involved with Banner Signs as a consultant,” Taylor recalls, “I suggested Ivan apprentice there and if things worked out, I’d buy the company and install him as president.” Since becoming president, Ivan’s leadership has increased revenue 48% and profitability 151%, and has garnered Banner Signs a Colorado Companies to Watch award in 2021.
Today, Ivan has adopted Taylor’s giving back mindset as a model for his own philanthropy – via scholarships to local high school students, speaking engagements, and passing along the counsel and support from which he benefited. What Taylor Kirkpatrick gets from mentoring is equally powerful: “The act of giving back is a powerful tool and it gives me a sense of fulfillment, purpose and self-worth – most of all, gratitude and optimism for the future of the communities where I live and work.”
Opening the Door for the Next Generation of DifferenceMakers Through Scholarships
The Saunders Leadership Academy, founded by former DU trustee Joseph Saunders (BSBA ’67, MBA ’68, Hon. PhD ’09) and his wife, Sharon, supports promising students burdened by significant financial need. But what defines the unique and innovative Leadership Academy is the inclusion of personal and pre-professional leadership and growth training, family engagement and support, and structured mentorship and internship opportunities.
Since 2018, 15 students – from across the country and with diverse backgrounds and experiences – have benefited from Saunders Leadership Academy support in their journey to becoming the next generation of leaders.
“I believe that my experiences at the University of Denver greatly contributed to my successes both in my personal and my business life,” Saunders said. “And so my wife and I are pleased and excited to partner with the University of Denver to open this door and offer young, motivated students this wonderful opportunity to receive the leadership training and experience they need to build their future careers.”
Scholarship Seeds Planted in New Mexico Are Flowering at DU
Ten years ago, when philanthropist Andrew Davis invested $60 million to fund the Davis New Mexico Scholarship, it inaugurated a remarkable opportunity for first-generation college students from that state – supporting the full cost of attending one of six partner colleges and universities. And unlike many other scholarship programs, for Davis New Mexico Scholars, “full cost” means just that: four years of tuition, room and board, books, travel funds, mentoring, emotional support and networking opportunities to dedicated students who are the first in their families to attend college.
In 2014, DU was selected as one of the three original partner schools for the Davis New Mexico Scholarship recipients, and today we host over 100 scholars — more than any other institution – which has proven a remarkable benefit not only to those students but also to the DU community. As a result, the DU campus is a richer, better, more vibrant place. With Davis New Mexico Scholars as part of the student body and jointly, the scholarship and DU have demonstrated that first gen students can thrive on college campuses, and dramatically so.
- Since 2014, 95% of Davis Scholars have persisted into their second year – higher than the overall DU rate, and leaps and bounds over national rates for first-gen students.
- Since Covid, Davis Scholars’ six-year graduation rate is 83%, and three of those four classes had a 100% graduation rate.
To enhance the impact for DU’s Davis Scholars, the University has contributed $2.5 million, adding to the Davis Foundation’s contribution this year of $3.1 million. To date, Davis Scholarships totaling more than $10 million have been awarded to more than 150 students, according to the Center for First Generation Student Success, and participants in the program have a four-year graduation rate of 93 percent.
In addition to DU, other higher ed institutions participating in the Davis Scholarships partnership include the University of Portland, Lawrence University, Southwestern University, Loyola Marymount University and St. Edward’s University.
DU Student Employees Demonstrate the Excellence of the 4D Experience
Without DU’s student employees, the University simply couldn’t function. It’s a win for the students too – earning income to help offset living costs and gaining valuable professional experience.
In recognition of their outstanding contributions and achievements, DU’s Career and Professional Development Office (CPD) and Office of Student Employment annually select the undergraduate and graduate Student Employees of the Year. Of DU’s more than 2,500 student employees, 76 candidates were nominated, and Zainab Alikhan and Cole Young were ultimately selected.
Zainab Alikhan, who graduated in spring 2024, was the Undergrad Student Employee of the Year. A Biochemistry major who served as Vice President of the Neurodiversity Resource Group and previously worked for Scribe America and as a Thrive Peer Educator, Zainab also worked for the DU Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Program and was a Resident Assistant for Housing and Residential Education.
Equally impressive is Cole Young, Graduate Student Employee of the Year, an MSW student who will be pursuing an MA in International Human Rights at Korbel. Grounded in social justice and human rights values, Cole has worked for the Asia Pacific Transgender Network, is currently doing his MSW internship at Lutheran Family Services Refugee & Asylee Program, and he is also currently a Research Assistant at DU’s Butler Institute for Families.
While Zainab’s and Cole’s backgrounds and performance make them deservedly stand out, their experience at DU is emblematic of other students’ 4D Experience. Unlike most university educations, the 4D approach goes beyond academics to encompass four different dimensions of learning – intellectual growth and curiosity, careers and purpose, wellbeing, and character and values. The 4D Experience is embedded in student employment through reflective trainings and through extensive supervisor resources that enable them to provide student employees with mentorship and career guidance. Through 4D, DU students learn not only how to rise to the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly changing world but also how to thrive in new and fluid environments.
Providing the 4D Experience to every student is obviously resource intensive, requiring faculty support, mentors, advisors, program specialists, involved alumni and much else – including much more 1:1 and small group activity than is typical. Yet when DU can demonstrate the success of its 2,500 student employees, and award winners Zainab Alikhan and Cole Young in particular, 4D is a theory not only proven in practice but also worth every penny of investment.
Our
Programs
Advance
the Human
Condition
Our programs are advancing the human condition, making meaningful progress toward a better future through research, scholarship and action. Gifts in support of DU’s programs – both interdisciplinary and across the entirety of the DU landscape – empower our outstanding faculty to take an inspired approach to their work: teaching, learning through research, and applying the results of their work to the urgent questions of society. We are solving complex social issues through visionary leadership, scholarship, research and partnerships.
Pardee estate bequest brings total University of Denver giving to $24.5 million
During his lifetime and through an estate gift, Frederick Pardee’s visionary generosity to DU totaled just under $25 million and led to the creation of the Pardee Institute for International Futures in DU’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies. The Institute provides a permanent home for the International Futures computer simulation model begun by Barry Hughes over 40 years ago.
Pardee’s work as an economic analyst at the RAND Corporation focused on quantitative modeling and economic analysis, but it was his part-time interest in real estate that resulted in founding a privately held investment and development firm. In turn, that financial success allowed Fred Pardee to pursue his interest in advancing the human condition through systems and data.
When Pardee met DU professor Barry Hughes, they connected on their shared interest in economic modeling. Hughes was developing his International Futures model, which combines interconnected models across multiple domains, leveraging historical data to identify and measure trends and forecast hundreds of variables for 188 countries up to the year 2100.
In 2007, Pardee provided the funding for the Korbel School to establish what would eventually be called the Frederick S. Pardee Institute for International Futures, with Hughes serving as founding director. Pardee’s generous contributions over the years merited an honorary PhD in 2013, and while Pardee passed away in 2022, his impact on the University and on improving life for millions around the world lives on and will be felt for generations.
By the Numbers
Academic and Research Excellence
1DAY4DU Continues Momentum of The Denver Difference Campaign Launch
Now in its 10th year, 1DAY4DU had one the most successful fundraising efforts since its inception. Surpassing last year’s annual day of giving, upwards of 2,015 donors generously contributed more than $1.5 million to the University, helping support 19 key projects – all directly linked to The Denver Difference campaign.
Those 2,015-plus donors – including 100% participation by DU’s Board of Trustees – championed a range of projects from DU’s Free Expression and Pluralism Initiative to the James C. Kennedy Mountain Campus, many of DU’s Schools and Colleges, the 4D Experience, Mental Health Care, Athletics, Student Leadership and Financial Aid.
This year’s May 15 annual day of philanthropy is especially important in so closely following the previous month’s launch of The Denver Difference: What DU Can Do – a $1 billion campaign that promises to redefine the promise of higher education. Val Otten, senior vice chancellor of University Advancement, remarked that the success of both 1Day4DU and the campaign launch is more than coincidental.
“What I see and hear from our supporters is a sense that DU is on the cusp of true greatness and that their financial support, regardless of the magnitude of donation, is a powerful affirmation of DU and The Denver Difference,” says Otten. “As much as that support conveys respect and affection for the University, it further cements the bond among those of us who take pride in being part of the DU community.”
What also makes this year’s 1Day4DU notable is that a majority of crowdfunded project gifts were from donations of $100 or less, a compelling figure that demonstrates the broad as well as deep philanthropic support from which DU benefits – and which further confirms this year’s campaign as a special milestone in DU philanthropy.
Gifts of Art Expand University Collections, Research and Learning
During the 2023-2024 academic year, the University Art Collections received many incredible artworks from donors across the country. Their generous gifts included antique maps, naturalist prints, American street photography, a sizeable collection of European Post-Impressionist paintings and numerous works by Colorado historical artists, including many by alumni and former faculty members of the University of Denver. The art will be featured in exhibitions, displayed in buildings across campus, researched by faculty and students, and featured as part of the curriculum in a variety of disciplines.
Ambrose Collection Enhances Experiential Learning
As part of his estate plans, DU alumnus Dean Ambrose (BA ’61, JD ’64) left much of his extensive art collection to the university for future study and display. Ambrose amassed his impressive collection of post-war and contemporary artists throughout his successful career as an attorney in Los Angeles.
Having loved his time at the University of Denver, Ambrose wanted to leave a legacy for the benefit of students, faculty and the Denver community. Following his passing in October 2022, DU received more than 60 works by well-known artists like Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein and Frank Stella.
Geoffrey Shamos, curator of the University Art Collections, said, “Dean Ambrose had an excellent eye and created an impressive collection with some of the most important artists of the past 50 years. We are honored to be able to preserve and showcase this wonderful gift.” Art from the Ambrose Collection has been utilized as part of the curriculum and displayed on campus. Next year, the work will be featured as part of a student-curated exhibition at DU’s Madden Museum.
DU
Rules
Division 1
Sports
DU Hockey’s 10th national title – the most in the country – inspired DU alumni and fans throughout the country. Across all sports, Denver Athletics continues to dominate the field and inspire fans. We are Denver’s home for college sports, with fans breaking records in gymnastics attendance, 102% capacity in hockey this season and nationally ranked attendances for both programs in Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
Legendary Skier Otto Tschudi Invests in the Future of DU Skiing
Norway-born Otto Tschudi (BS/BA ’75) skied for the Norwegian national team from 1964 to 1972, competed in two Winter Olympics, and earned four top-10 finishes in World Cup slalom. After being recruited to DU by legendary alpine ski coach, Willy Schaeffler, Tschudi dominated NCAA competition for the University – winning five NCAA Titles, NCAA downhill championships in 1970, 1971 and 1972, and the slalom and combined championships in 1971.
Turning pro in 1972, Tschudi skied for the Winter Park Pro Racing Team, and then worked as a TV ski commentator and director of skiing at Winter Park and Sun Valley Idaho. In the years since, he led institutional international equity sales at Stifel, based both in London and San Francisco.
Otto Tschudi’s athletic career at DU helped reignite the University’s prominence as a ski-racing team. And to help sustain and advance DU skiing prowess, he recently made a generous gift that endows the alpine ski coach position. “This is a gift that’s both transformational for our student-athletes and a fitting legacy,” says Josh Berlo, vice chancellor for athletics and Ritchie Center operations. “Having Otto’s name on this coaching position is an honor for Athletics and an extension of his legacy at DU. We are tremendously grateful for this remarkable gift from one of the greatest and fastest Pioneers to ever race for DU!”
“Otto’s visionary gift creates an unmistakable legacy here at DU,” adds Val Otten, senior vice chancellor for Advancement. “By investing in our championship programs and opportunities for our student-athletes, he strengthens one of the key priorities of The Denver Difference campaign. Otto’s name has long symbolized excellence in skiing here at DU, and we are thrilled that this gift will provide a sustained level of annual support for the ski team.”
Our
Scholarships Change
Lives
Gifts to scholarships open the door to DU for bright students from all backgrounds, empowering those students to create a future of leadership and impact in the world. During 2024, donors gave nearly $32 million in support of scholarships, which is the most of any year of the campaign.
The Impact of a Great Teacher Is Mirrored in the Gratitude of his Students
Jerome (Jerry) Kesselman last taught a DU course more than two decades ago. During his tenure he achieved near legendary status for his teaching, his passion for accounting and professional ethics, and his commitment to DU and his students. Today, 24 years after Jerry Kesselman’s death, former students, colleagues and members of the accounting profession continue honoring his legacy through gifts to the Kesselman scholarship funds.
What made Jerry Kesselman iconic in DU history was his passion for instilling ethics in accounting – he taught a professional ethics course from his first year on campus – helping pave the way for Daniels to become a pioneer in bringing ethical perspectives to business education. A passionate and engaging lecturer whose students said, “He made accounting interesting,” Jerry influenced the lives and careers of scores of students, among them, Krishen Mehta.
Mehta came to the US as a visiting secondary school student at age 16, when he stayed for a few days with the Kesselman family, and later, as an MBA student in accounting and finance, he lived with them, becoming especially close with the Kesselman children, son Neil and his late sister JoAnn. Today Mehta is Senior Global Justice Fellow at Yale University and, among other roles, served as a member of the advisory board to DU’s Korbel School.
Honoring Jerry Kesselman as both a teacher and mentor, Mehta endowed scholarships in the names of Jerry (2011) and Fern Kesselman (2014) at the School of Accountancy to which Neil and his wife, Carol, as well as many other accounting alumni, have contributed generously. The scholarships continue to benefit DU students, with recent awardee Holly Trujillo (BSAcc ’23) noting, “The Kesselman scholarship was invaluable in giving me the opportunity to not worry about finances.” There’s no better testimonial to honor the legacy of a great teacher.
By the Numbers
Scholarships
A Life in Sonata Form: From Lamont Scholarship Recipient to High-Impact Lamont Donor
According to music scholars, a sonata typically has three movements: a beginning or exposition, then a new development and finally a recapitulation. If lives and careers can in some sense parallel musical forms, it’s definitely a sonata that captures Mel Cooksey’s path.
After completing his BME at DU, Mel was able to attend the Lamont School of Music for his master’s degree thanks to scholarship assistance, and he never forgot what that support meant or the kindness of those donors who made it possible.
Cooksey then earned his doctorate (DMA) at the University of North Texas and accepted teaching positions at the University of Saskatchewan and at Hastings College in Nebraska. When his wife, Lynne, received a teaching/performing opportunity in the Philadelphia area, Mel decided it was time to make both a geographical move and a major career transition, as well.
In sonata terms, that new theme was clearly a departure: leaving music professionally and pursuing an opportunity in the specialty of insurance risk management. That meant a significant learning curve initially, and Mel gained expertise by working for established agencies until founding his own firm in 1992, Agency Risk Management. Still serving as president of the highly successful company, Mel and Lynne had a reached a stage where they could financially show appreciation both for his Lamont education and the financial aid that made it possible.
That became the sonata’s third movement, a return to the original theme, which happened in 2023, when Mel and Lynne established a testamentary endowed scholarship fund of $500,000 supporting Lamont students studying woodwinds. The gift is a means of giving back and, just as important, paying it forward for future generations of wind musicians at Lamont. “I was able to attend DU because of significant scholarship help, which allowed me to focus on my academic goals without graduating in debt,” Mel explained. “My wife and I are hoping this endowed scholarship fund will help others do the same.”
That’s a sentiment perhaps challenging to use in a song lyric, but to the faculty, staff and wind instruments students at Lamont, it’s every bit as beautiful as a Beethoven, Mozart or Haydn sonata.
Redefining Pay It Forward: How an extraordinary act of faculty support led to an extraordinary gift
The likelihood of John Montaña attending college and achieving a noteworthy professional career seemed highly improbable. Hailing from the tough environment of Walsenburg, Colorado, where his family worked in mining and labor, college wasn’t an option, and for the first three decades of his life, John worked as a janitor, in a warehouse, and as a truck driver and laborer.
It was the combination of a recession and lack of jobs that prompted John to apply to Metropolitan State College (now Metropolitan State University). Despite confessing to feeling “clueless about how it all worked and what I was supposed to do,” he nevertheless managed to thrive as a geology major. To help support himself, Montaña took a work study job for music professor Glenn Yarberry, Ph.D., and over time, he developed a relationship with Yarberry and visiting fellow trombonist Murray Blumenthal, Ph.D., a psychologist who taught at DU’s Sturm College of Law.
When Montaña achieved a high score on the LSAT and decided to apply to law school, Yarberry willingly offered to write a recommendation on his behalf and asked Blumenthal to do the same. But they went well beyond crafting recommendation letters – successfully securing a full-ride scholarship for Montaña, which enabled him to attend and graduate from Sturm law school at DU, establish a legal career and launch his own firm specializing in legal records, record retention and information governance.
Today, Montaña and Associates, now part of the Berkshire Hathaway companies, stands as a global leader in the information management consultancy field. Montaña retired as CEO from the company, and now he runs a small law practice advising big pharmaceutical and consumer products companies. He is also part of a tech startup that develops AI-driven products for the legal and compliance market.
Reflecting on the support he received from Yarberry and Blumenthal, Montana shared, “When I asked how I could thank them, they told me to pay it forward.” Faithful to that counsel, John dedicated a $1,500,000 bequest to establish the Blumenthal-Yarberry Endowed Scholarship Fund at DU. The gift enables deserving students to pursue a Sturm legal education for generations to come, instilling the expectation that they, like John Montaña, will embrace the challenge to pay it forward.
Two Loves, One Legacy
Michael Massey received his undergraduate degree from DU and went on to get his law degree from the Sturm College of Law. His future wife, Kathie, studied at the Colorado Women’s College, now part of DU.
According to Mike and Kathie’s daughter, Michele Alexander, “They both had two very different loves of DU.” Kathie had pursued her own passions and saw DU as a place where she could provide other students the opportunity to do the same. After a career practicing law, Mike returned to DU as a professor where he developed a mentorship program that would forever change the school, growing the Professional Mentoring Program into the largest of its kind in the nation.
Aside from Mike’s work with the University, the Masseys attended Newman Center and Lamont School of Music performances. Mike loved to perform, and he and Kathie also shared a passion for the arts, weaving it into the life they made together.
When Mike and Kathie decided to establish their legacy at the University, they created two scholarships to support education for generations of students to come: one for the Sturm College of Law and another for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
After Mike and Kathie passed away in 2022, Michele and her husband, Tim, sought to honor their legacy with a lead gift to DU. In recognition of that gift, and of the Masseys’ many contributions, the program has been named the Michael Massey Professional Mentoring Program. “The mentoring program was so small when he started,” Michele shares, “and it has grown so much in the years since. I would like to see it continue to grow and be amazing. While my parents were polar opposites,” she adds, “the fact that they were able to make this incredible estate and leave so much for the community, for education and for helping others in the future is pretty remarkable.”
By the Numbers
Internship Spotlights
Scholarship Story: From Humble Beginning to Chasing the American Dream
To help support Ming Liew’s childhood in Malaysia, his father emigrated to the US to find better job opportunities. Even with his mother’s little corner store, it was impossible to make ends meet – in Ming’s words, “It barely kept us alive.”
After immigrating to the US during the Great Financial Crisis, the family’s financial stress partly eased at the expense of his parents working multiple jobs to make ends meet. Ming and his siblings essentially raised themselves, always dreaming of a better life. That dream finally happened when Ming and all three of his brothers were accepted into college. “I’m most proud that it was a collective achievement,” he recalls – “especially as first-generation students whose parents didn’t graduate middle school.”
The Hope’s Enduring Flame Scholarship – funded by donors including Paul and Terri Dorr, and the Taylor and Blake families – made it possible for Ming to attend DU. Because of these generous donors, he was able to fully immerse himself in DU’s offerings and take advantage of the Daniels College of Business opportunities, all of which enabled him to intern across different firms, industries and cities, participate in case challenges, and study abroad in Europe. “Daniels made my four years here amazing,” Ming adds with appreciation.
Thanks to his hard work and the generosity of donors that allowed him to attend DU, one of Ming’s internships led to a career opportunity in New York and his chance to pursue his own American Dream. Leaving DU was hard, of course, but he quotes no less an authority than Winnie the Pooh in saying, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
Scholarship Story: Fulfilling the dying wish of a father and the hopes of her students
Rawa Abu Alsamah is nearing completion of her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies at the Morgridge College of Education – a notable milestone for anyone, but a remarkable achievement for this Saudi Arabian native, the only one of eight siblings to pursue higher education.
Committed to teaching as a career, Rawa worked with both special education and gifted students for seven years and claims, “They taught me more than I taught them.” When she decided to pursue her Ph.D. and shared that dream with her 12-year-old students, even they were aware of the enormous financial burden involved.
Fortunately, generous donors at DU stepped up with scholarships and grants. “I will never forget that day,” Rawa recalls, “when after explaining to my students the amazing opportunities DU offered, they made me a pink origami dinosaur as a way of showing support. That was because they saw in me a future version of themselves, and that fueled my determination to succeed.”
Once at DU, the opportunities made possible by scholarship support exceeded Rawa’s wildest dreams, and this past year she was honored to be among the finalists for Colorado Teacher of the Year. “Much credit goes to my family for unwavering support. It was my father’s dying wish that I pursue further education, but without financial assistance, such as the Dodd Miller Scholarship, none of this would have been possible. I’m profoundly grateful for the generosity of supporters like the Miller family, and hope that through The Denver Difference Campaign, we as a community can continue to pay forward our good fortune, ensuring that future generations of students have access to the same life-changing opportunities at DU as I did.”
Scholarship Story: Envisioning a Future That Scholarships Make a Reality
The American-born daughter of two Iranian immigrants, Romina Dadkhah grew up in Centennial, Colorado, and frequently visited the DU campus with her parents to eat at Jerusalem’s restaurant on Evans. She remembers her 10-year-old self, sitting outside Jerusalem’s restaurant, watching a student walk by and imagining being a student at DU.
Today, Romina is a marketing major at the Daniels College of Business thanks to the Path Forward Scholarship. While she chose DU especially because of its respect for students from varied backgrounds and its offerings in Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic, taking advantage of those opportunities would have been nearly impossible without scholarship support.
“I really want to thank the donors who contributed to the Path Forward Scholarship, because without that financial assistance, I wouldn’t have been able to pursue my interests in film, business and law. And as a student who’s endured the passing of a parent, the Path Forward scholarship also helped reduce financial pressure on my family.”
Remarkably, Romina’s childhood memory has become a reality. “Now, years later, I am that student, and I’m grateful for the Path Forward Scholarship that made it possible.”
Scholarship Story: When Law School Seemed Impossible, Scholarship Support Made It Real
Nick McGraw is a third-year student in DU’s Sturm College of Law. There’s nothing unusual about that, except Nick is also 36 years old, has a full-time job, is married and the father of two teenage boys, and previously served in the US Navy for six years.
Nick is hardly alone among nontraditional students at the Sturm College of Law or in other DU programs, yet his story underscores that even though desire and commitment are critically important, so are the means to realize an objective. To be sure, there’s absolutely no question about Nick’s desire and commitment to law school – which began with watching the TV show Matlock and dreaming of working in the criminal justice system. Unfortunately, though, an initial attempt at college proved unsuccessful and led to his enlistment in the Navy.
Even after marriage, a family and a full-time job, Nick’s commitment to law school remained unwavering. “But as a loving husband and father of two teenage boys, quitting my job to get here was never an option, nor was taking on upwards of six digits of debt. So the part-time program at Sturm and the scholarship support I received were not just the deciding factors in my coming to DU, they’re what made it possible for me achieve a dream I’ve had my entire life,” he notes.
Realizing a career in law has entailed a significant sacrifice on his part – six-plus years of nights and weekends devoted to classes and study, all while working and helping raise a family – but it’s important to recognize that sacrifice would have been fruitless without scholarship support made possible by generous donors. “For that,” Nick goes on, “I would like to thank each and every one of you; you truly are the Denver Difference.”
By the Numbers
Fiscal Year 2024 Totals
July 1, 2023–June 30, 2025
Total dollars raised
$72.1M
Support from Faculty and Staff
$363,257
Gifts under $1,000
10,166
1,661
Volunteers
10.9K
Donors
556
Faculty and Staff Donors
4,633
members of our giving societies
Post-graduation
Careers & Lives of Purpose
77.7%
undergraduate students participated in career preparation programs
46
students received the Summer Internship Award
63.9%
traditional master's students participated in career preparation programs
Global Reach
Over 70%
DU undergraduates study abroad (55 different countries)
46
students received the Summer Internship Award
63.9%
traditional master's students participated in career preparation programs
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#23
Happiest Students
#24
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U.S. News
& World Report
Rankings 2024
#121
National Universities
Tied for #79
Best colleges for veterans
#75
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Undergraduate psychology programs
#45
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