Colorado & communities

Aug 21, 2023 by Ellen Patterson

The School of Public Affairs recently had the honor of sitting down with a unique trio of alumni – Elsa Holguín (MPA '11), her husband Ed Lucero (MPA '98), and her daughter Denise Gomez (MPA '16) – a multi-generational example of the impact of SPA’s programs in the greater community.

Jul 19, 2023

Kristin Wegner Guilfoyle works at the intersection of technology, environment, and society. She currently leads networks at the Joint Institute for Strategic Energy Analysis (JISEA), at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Jul 7, 2023

Greg LeBlanc joined the Town of Snowmass Village in March of 2022 after serving for five years with the City of Grand Junction, Colorado. Prior positions include serving Boulder County, Colorado and the City and County of Denver. He holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental biology (Ecology) from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado Denver.

Jun 29, 2023

Tony Frank is the Director of Business Development for PCs for People. He is based in the Denver office where he develops partnerships with businesses, government agencies, nonprofits, affordable housing organizations, schools, and other community groups to ensure PCs for People is maximizing the impact of providing affordable computers and low-cost internet across Colorado. He holds a Master of Public Administration with a Local Government Policy concentration from the University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs.

Mar 16, 2023 by Toula Wellbrook

The new Center for Community Safety and Resilience (CCSR), housed at the School of Public Affairs at CU Denver, hosted an event to disseminate the findings of a recently produced report on crime rates in Colorado from 2010 to 2021. The report co-authors are School of Public Affairs faculty Professor and CU Regent Callie Rennison and Dr. Sheila Huss, clinical assistant professor and interim co-director of the CCSR.

Feb 28, 2023

This year, as CU Denver celebrates its own golden anniversary, SPA is also celebrating 50 years of education, research, and outreach that helps cities and communities operate better and more equitably.

Feb 28, 2023

Look around you: From roads that link neighborhoods to city governments that introduce recycling programs, to people that raise funds to build playgrounds and concert venues, our world is shaped by civics and public affairs. And students who are interested in a career in these sectors can make big impacts in their communities. At CU Denver, students can choose an educational path that focuses on public administration or public affairs—but how do these degree choices differ?

Feb 27, 2023 by Toula Wellbrook

CU Denver’s new Center for Policy Democracy, (CPD) housed at the School of Public Affairs and co-directed by Professors Tanya Heikkila and Chris Weible, hosted the inaugural Conference on Policy Process Research (COPPR) on the Auraria Campus from January 12 to 14, 2023. Of the nearly 400 policy process researchers who attended the hybrid conference, more than half represented institutions outside the U.S. An evening reception was hosted at the Tivoli Turnalle on January 13.

Feb 21, 2023

For Aaron Franz, a CU Denver student and veteran, the future is always on his mind. That’s why he decided to meet with CU Denver’s February Alumni Resident: Denver City Council Member Chris Herndon MPA ’13. As an International Studies major hoping to pursue a career in public administration, Franz had the opportunity to talk with Herndon about transitioning to being a civilian after serving, higher education later in life, and future career goals.

Feb 17, 2023 by Toula Wellbrook

The School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver established the new Center for Community Safety and Resilience (CCSR), a collaborative and innovative center whose mission is to advance research-based evidence and practice toward individual and community safety, resilience, and justice through effective programs, practitioner and community education, and public policy advocacy and analysis.

Jan 31, 2023

Imagine if your day job involved stewarding a public education system with nearly 900,000 students and 178 districts? That’s the reality for Katy Anthes MPA ’01, PhD ’07 Colorado’s Commissioner of Education and two-time graduate of CU Denver’s School of Public Affairs (SPA). A self-described “education policy wonk,” Anthes earned a master’s and a doctoral degree from SPA and taught statistics and public administration as an adjunct faculty member. These experiences laid the groundwork for her current role leading education policy on a statewide level.

Jan 24, 2023 by Toula Wellbrook

The Master of Criminal Justice (MCJ) program at the University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs is ranked among the top 25 programs in the nation for online graduate criminal justice, for a fourth consecutive year according to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Online Master’s in Criminal Justice Programs rankings.

Nov 16, 2022

Since 2017, students in Randy Harrison’s ‘Economic Development’ class (PUAD 5630) have had the opportunity to engage with Colorado communities in an experience unlike any felt in a typical classroom. Through its partnership with Downtown Colorado, Inc., this SPA course allows students to become project coordinators in a process known as the Colorado Challenge Program; here, students connect with community members and experts in the field to establish a plan of work to engage public, private, and non-profit partners in addressing a significant community challenge over the course of their semester. Through their partnership, SPA students and DCI have connected with and created initiatives for almost 30 Colorado communities.

Oct 18, 2022 by Joan Fishburn

For more than three decades, Michael Penny (MPA '97) has exemplified the ideals of leadership, collaboration, partnership, and teamwork as the administrative manager for both large and small municipalities across Colorado. His passion and dedication to building robust communities that address the critical needs of citizens, businesses, and industry are evidenced by the strong footprint Michael has left in each community he has touched.

May 23, 2022 by Maria Limon

Maria Limon, Rural Technical Assistance Manager and Fostering Youth Leadership Specialist for the Center on Domestic Violence at the CU Denver School of Public Affairs, shares powerful experiences of working with Team Unstoppable, a group of youth leaders at several high schools in Denver for the last year and a half. They are “an unstoppable movement using humanity’s compassion and love to end all forms of violence.”