University of Denver

An update regarding the DEI Action Plan was provided in November 2021. DU claims to "have outlined shared definitions," "honored our Native students and Native community members," "launched a new Latinx Center website," among other updates.

DU will "Continue baseline mandatory training for administrators, faculty, staff, and students."

DU's Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) has a Catalyst Series for Social Justice, which brings campus and community together for discussions and workshops on a broad range of issues such as white fragility, body positivity, and art as activism. The goal is to "inform, prompt reflection, facilitate public dialogue, and spark action." The Catalyst Series for Social Justice has engaged more than 8,000 people since its founding in 2016.

In collaboration with the College of Education Student Association (COESA), Dean Karen Riley of the Morgridge College of Education (MCE) has committed to providing all incoming and current MCE Students with an eBook of How to Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, "to foster reflection, dialogue, and antiracist action." In the fall of 2020, all students started participating in a cross-college, Action Book Club (ABC) throughout the Morgridge College of Education, Josef Korbel School of International Studies, and the Graduate School of Social Work. The purpose of the ABC is to "bring systemic issues surrounding power, privilege, and oppression to the forefront and to invite interdisciplinary community-building to address current issues."

On April 28, 2022, DU Graduate School of Social Work announced that it would be transforming its PhD program to focus more strongly on diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. One of the changes is that as part of student orientation, new doctoral students are required to attend a "power, privilege and oppression (PPO) workshop" that covers tough topics such as how to discuss racism both as students and as future instructors.

After three professors of color in DU’s Graduate School of Professional Psychology left in May 2022, the school worked to fix its "systemic issues" partly by hiring a new dean and finding replacement faculty.

The university announced the creation of the "Faculty Institute for Inclusive Teaching", "an asynchronous, interactive, self-paced, online program on inclusive teaching. It is designed to meet DU’s faculty where they are – either building on years of inclusive teaching practices or just beginning to incorporate inclusive teaching into their curricula."

DU will "Provide resources from strategic imperative planning funds to the office of diversity, equity, and inclusion to implement the action items."

DU will "Grow DU’s existing DEI leadership by expanding the ODEI fellows program."

The ODEI is offering funding for up to $5,000 for "Programming and Learning about Antiracism" as part of the DEI Action Plan.

ODEI has funded three proposals through its antiracism initiative: antiracism in legal education, antiracism in clinical psychology curricula, and antiracism and its impact on CAHSS’ promotion and tenure decisions. ODEI is planning to fund proposals related to addressing anti-Asian and anti-immigrant racism and violence against Native American and Indigenous women, as well as proposals that commemorate or reflect on Juneteenth.

DU will "Create a widespread culture of DEI through new programming related to power and privilege, as well as thinking more expansively about existing programming, such as heritage months."

"The Department of Philosophy at the University of Denver offers an undergraduate specialization in Critical Theory for DU students. Our critical theory curriculum consists in graduate and undergraduate courses taught by faculty across the Humanities, including Philosophy, Communications, Religious Studies, English, Economics, Emergent Digital Practices, and Gender & Women’s Studies."

DU also offers a minor in Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, one of the goals of which is to "Uncover and understand the social, cultural, and historical contributions and lived experiences of racialized populations in the United States, and around the world."

The university library has a "Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Guide" site to "support students in the CRES minor."

The library has "Anti-racist Resources" specifically geared toward wwhite students, staff, and faculty.

Between January and March 2020, the University of Denver hosted its virtual 20th annual Diversity Summit where DU "explored and examined antiracism." The Summit hosted 34 virtual events and four additional DU community events with 105 speakers and 1,555 attendees.

The Office of DEI is hiring Social Justice Peer Educators for 2023-2024, with some online trainings during the summer and the pilot program launching in the Fall.

DU has a list of Social Justice Resources, including links to the DU Equity Portal, Equity Labs, and Catalyst Series for Social Justice.

DU's IRISE program supports interdisciplinary research, scholarship and creative works that promote equality and equity in historically underrepresented communities on issues of inequality, social justice and inclusivity. IRISE founder and interim Vive Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Tom Romero describes IRISE to be about "joining with underserved and underrepresented communities to dismantle systems of oppression and inequity."

The Hubb is DU's student staff-curated blog on social justice and DEI topics.

The Cultural Center at DU provides identity-based student programming, annual cultural signature events, and leadership opportunities and support. It seeks to create an environment where students of color, students of marginalized faiths, and LGBTQ+ students can "critically engage their historical legacies, while enhancing their educational, intellectual and personal/professional interest" as it relates to intersectional identities such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and socioeconomic status.

DU DialogUes provides students with personal, professional and community development opportunities as students engage with one another to "increase mutual understanding around current events, salient identities, and complex issues." Program offerings include single-session dialogues, dialogue series, for-credit courses, and facilitation trainings.

Students Organizing Against Racism (SOAR) LLC aims to "[foster] the knowledge and skills needed to become change-agents in responding to racial and related social inequities in support of a greater public good." 22 like-minded students live together, learn together by enrolling 2-credit seminars, and work with faculty mentors.

DU will "Hire a strong vice chancellor for diversity equity and inclusion(VCDEI) with centralized authority reporting to the chancellor."

DU's WORC (Whites Organizing for Racial Consciousness) hold monthly meetings that attempt to "advance white identity consciousness and criticality, with discussion of and engagement in action steps to deconstruct and dismantle white supremacy."

The Chancellor’s Statement on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion mentioned how DU integrated a culture of Inclusive Excellence in its "processes, systems, mission statements and other structures."

DU's Butler Institute for Families is seeking an anti-racism consultant with expertise in "planning and implementing strategies to build an anti-racist and multicultural organization." The consultant will engage in a multi-year project with an anticipated span of 3 years.