Dec 22, 2025 by Laura McHugh

Tierney Bamrick, a PhD candidate in the School of Public Affairs, has published a single-authored article in The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society.

Dec 19, 2025 by Laura McHugh

SPA bids farewell to Dawn Savage as she retires in January 2026 after 30+ years at CU Denver, nearly three decades at SPA. A cornerstone of student advising, Dawn shaped academic services, mentored colleagues, and supported thousands of students with compassion and expertise. In lieu of gifts, she requests donations to SPA scholarships to continue her legacy of student success.

Dec 17, 2025 by Laura McHugh

The School of Public Affairs is proud to celebrate Gabriella Ruyle, a first-year Criminal Justice major, for earning the Most Involved First-Year Student of the Semester award for fall 2025. CU Denver’s First-Year Experiences (FYE) program honors students for their outstanding engagement and leadership during their first semester on campus.

Dec 15, 2025 by Laura McHugh

CU Denver’s School of Public Affairs hosted its second annual Dr. Mary E. Guy Distinguished Lecture, featuring Rutgers scholar Norma Riccucci on public management.

Dec 12, 2025 by Laura McHugh

The University of Colorado Denver has been ranked among the world’s top programs in Public Administration by the 2025 Shanghai Ranking Global Ranking of Academic Subjects.

Dec 8, 2025 by Laura McHugh

MPA student collaborates with Institute for Local Self-Reliance's Energy Democracy Project to create a practical guide for communities pursuing public power and local energy control.

Dec 4, 2025

Jaylyn Sherrod has two major priorities in life: learning and basketball. And she puts the work in to excel at both. They 24-year-old is graduating from CU Denver with her second master’s degree this December, while also playing for the Minnesota Lynx in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Nov 25, 2025

Juan Salinas survived a collapsed lung as a toddler thanks to a Flight for Life pilot’s quick action, an experience that inspired his passion for emergency preparedness. Today, as Safe Schools program manager for Katy ISD, he credits his CU Denver master’s degree for equipping him to lead crisis response with confidence.

Nov 20, 2025

Tanya Heikkila, PhD, longtime public policy leader and SPA professor, has been named a 2025 National Academy of Public Administration fellow.”

Nov 13, 2025

CU Denver’s Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration (BAPA) program empowers students to create meaningful change in their communities. Whether advocating for social justice, managing nonprofit organizations, or working in government, graduates are equipped to lead with purpose.

Nov 3, 2025

Luke Gorka, a student pursuing a master’s degree in Public Administration at CU Denver’s School of Public Affairs, is proving that flexibility and connection can go hand-in-hand. Balancing a full-time nonprofit job and an active lifestyle, Gorka credits SPA’s hybrid learning model—offering both online and in-person options—for helping him stay on track academically while remaining engaged with faculty and classmates.

Oct 24, 2025 by Laura McHugh

PhD candidate Hope Yohn’s short film Bright Future, which explores the ripple effects of sexual assault trauma, has been selected for the Austin Film Festival, showcasing her creative and academic contributions to the School of Public Affairs.

Jun 27, 2025 by Dee Dee Flynn

The University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs is pleased to announce the appointment of Distinguished Professor Chris Weible, PhD as Interim Dean, effective July 1, 2025.

Jun 16, 2025 by Nora Scanlon

In this School of Public Affairs interview, recent graduate and transfer student Jan Arismendy Valderrama '25 shares his journey from Caracas, Venezuela, to CU Denver, where he pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Law Enforcement and a minor in Public Administration. He discusses how his background in law enforcement, passion for public service, and drive for leadership in policy reform led him to CU Denver, and how faculty support and flexible programming helped him thrive. He also reflects on favorite professors, landing a full-time role with the CU Boulder Police Department, and advice for future students navigating nontraditional academic paths.

Feb 25, 2025 by Dr. Deserai Crow

As the recent crisis in Los Angles demonstrates, disaster preparedness and recovery are more salient issues than ever, and they are also more politicized. On January 30, 2025, Congressman Jason Crow (CO-6) joined Center for Community Safety and Resilience (CCSR) and CU Denver’s School of Public Affairs to discuss the unprecedented level of politicization regarding disaster relief funding in Congress.

Dec 2, 2024 by Ellen Patterson

Jeff Lamontagne is the Executive Director of Dinosaur Ridge, where he has served since 2017. Over the past 22 years, Jeff has led three nonprofit organizations in the Denver Metro area, beginning with Second Wind Fund, which he co-founded in response to a local high school suicide crisis. He also served as Executive Director of Bluff Lake Nature Center and has been involved with five boards during his career.

Dec 2, 2024

Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice major Lindsay Abramson shares experience as a student at CU Denver and as an intern with Auraria Police Department.

Oct 24, 2024 by Dr. Sheila Huss

The Center for Community Safety and Resilience (CCSR) and the School of Public Affairs presented a panel discussion on intimate partner violence on October 22, 2024. The panel addressed many facets of intimate partner violence, including language and definitions related to the term, contributing factors, effective interventions, and ways that people and communities can be involved to prevent the problem and support survivors. The event took place in October because October is Domestic Violence Awareness month, a designation begun by Congress in 1989.

Mar 21, 2022

We often assume the ideal about our governments: they should act proportionately to the problems at hand. Governments should respond to minor issues with minor policy changes and major issues with major policy changes. This assumption of proportionality cumbers the effectiveness of solutions found across literatures, including adaptive management, sustainable development, and direct and deliberative democracy.

Feb 7, 2023

Professor Tanya Heikkila, Co-Director of the Center for Policy and Democracy at the School of Public Affairs, and co-author Andrea Gerlak, offer their perspective on navigating the Colorado River crisis.