CU Denver School of Public Affairs alumni Brandy Reitter (MPA ’08) and Jeff Shroll (MPA ’93) were recognized as 2020 Managers of the Year by the Colorado City & County Management Association during its 2020 Annual Awards Celebration.
Each year the CU Denver Alumni Board honors individuals who have a record of distinction with the University of Colorado Denver and/or in their profession, community, and society at large. For 2021, three of the five award winners are alumni of the Master of Public Administration program at the CU Denver School of Public Affairs.
Today, Deanne B. Criswell, a University of Colorado Denver alum, was confirmed as the next administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). After graduating from CU Denver with a master in public administration in 2006, Criswell went on to manage the Office of Emergency Management for the City of Aurora, the third largest city in Colorado, from 2005 to 2011.
Congratulations to Raymael Blackwell (MPA ’16), Travis Leiker (MPA ’14), and Robert Franklin II (MPA ’10), all three of whom have been named to the Denver Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list for 2021. These SPA alumni have been recognized for their contributions to their organizations and the Denver community.
U.S. News & World Report today released its 2022 Best Graduate Schools Rankings, in which the University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs is ranked number 28 in the nation overall, for public affairs programs. U.S. News also released its 2022 rankings for public affairs specialties, in which the School of Public Affairs was ranked highly in all five of its 2021 specialty rankings and is newly ranked in a sixth specialty category. This year’s overall ranking and specialty rankings maintains the school’s position as the top-ranked school of public affairs in Colorado.
On March 5, the CU Denver School of Public Affairs hosted “The Future of Higher Education for the CU System and CU Denver,” part of the First Fridays with the School of Public Affairs virtual event series. Guest speakers were CU President Mark Kennedy and CU Denver Chancellor Michelle Marks. The conversation was moderated by School of Public Affairs Dean Paul Teske.
Several master’s programs at the University of Colorado Denver were recently awarded top ranking status, according to Intelligent.com’s 2021 report. This includes programs in the Business School, School of Education & Human Development, and School of Public Affairs focusing on sustainability, business analytics, early childhood education, and more.
In his December 2020 commencement address, Colorado Supreme Court Justice Carlos A. Samour, Jr. ’87 told CU Denver graduates to “make a difference,” whether for an individual, for a group, or for society as a whole. Justice Samour, who fled El Savador as a child with his family, encouraged CU Denver’s newest alumni to leave the world a better place than they found it. When student David Olguin graduates in 2022, he plans to do just that.
The Master of Criminal Justice (MCJ) program at the University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs has been ranked number 24 in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Online Master’s in Criminal Justice Programs rankings for 2021, placing the program third in Colorado.
For her capstone project, Danielle Rachlin created an hour-long video series for young people featuring environmental enforcement experts. Her capstone experience inspired her to begin a van-life journey across all 50 states to create videos that explore public lands and environmental issues across the country.