About
Message From the Dean
I’m excited to be a part of the leadership team at DU at this pivotal time for Colorado, Denver and the University.
Denver has become one of the country’s great centers for technical innovation, and the University of Denver is committed to be your gateway to that excitement and energy. Forbes recently named Denver the #1 City in the Country for Business; Area Development magazine named Denver the best metro location in the Nation for economic development and jobs; the Kaufman Foundation ranks Denver and the Front Range in the Top 5 for start-ups in the country; and the unemployment rate for software engineers in Denver is, nearly, 0%. The Wall Street Journal recently talked about Denver as the nation’s Mecca for Millennials.
At DU we’re matching the momentum of Denver and Colorado. The University is making a major push around engineering, computer science, innovation and entrepreneurship.
In the past academic year we’ve seen our Innovation Floor grow and become THE space for creating and building community. We’ve collaborated with Project X-ITE to host an Open Innovation Summit where students, faculty, staff, and industry came together to build the blueprint for a DU Smart Campus. We've had students win awards with Arrow Electronics, the Solar Decathlon and Women’s Startup Weekend. The Inaugural Cohort of our Grand Challenges Scholars Program was selected and are kicking off their four-year journey to make advancements for the betterment of the world while becoming leaders themselves. It's been an amazing year and those are just a few of the highlights!
Of course, our true mark of student success doesn’t rest solely on what they accomplish while at the Ritchie School. A real measure of our programs is where our students go upon graduating. Recent graduates have been accepted to PhD programs at Universities including Stanford, Washington and Georgia Tech; and will be working for companies including Tesla, Space-X, LinkedIn, Google, and Facebook.
These are wonderfully exciting times at your University of Denver and the Ritchie School and we look forward to sharing them with you. Follow us on Facebook and on Twitter. You can contact me at jb.holston@du.edu and follow me on Twitter or on LinkedIn.
You can learn more about our dean, JB Holston, through an interview with DU Magazine.
Mission & Values
Our Mission
Advancing technical and scientific knowledge and capabilities to improve quality of life for our global society
Our Vision
We are a diverse learning and teaching community discovering creative solutions for healthy, global citizens living in a smart, sustainable world
Our Values
We believe:
- Students are the center of our academic programs
- Students gain deeper knowledge through experiential learning
- Inclusive excellence is essential to tapping into diverse talents, ways of thinking and working together
- Collaboration across disciplines, boundaries and fields can lead to breakthroughs and innovation
- Continuous innovation is essential to teaching and research
- Creative thinking is fueled by an inquisitive nature and a quest for discovery
Strategic Plan
The School is at the forefront of inquiry and discovery to address societal goals locally, nationally and internationally. Faculty are dedicated to collaborative, inclusive discovery and knowledge creation. They work across disciplines within the school and around the DU campus while partnering with industry, government, and universities across globe.
