Faculty panelists recall CU Denver history

A panel with deep roots in the University of Colorado Denver recently told the wild and woolly story of the university's “Road to Independence and Beyond” during an event celebrating the institution’s 40th anniversary. Panelists and topics included:

• Jarett Zuboy, master's student in history and author of a to-be-published book on CU Denver's history: The Early Yeas, pre-1970s.
• Richard T. Dillon, emeritus English professor and former vice chancellor for academic affairs and CLAS associate dean : Building an Identity: Struggle for Resources and Independence.
• James B. Wolf, emeritus professor of history: Legislation that Created CU Denver and its Drivers.
• Rex Burns, emeritus professor of English: Frontier Hotel and Bar: Early Culture and Camaraderie.
• Suzanne W. Helburn, emeritus professor of economics, former associate dean of the social sciences division: Maintaining Independence
• Diane Messamore, alumna, mathematical and statistical sciences: Early Student Experience.
• Wesley E. LeMasurier, emeritus professor of geology: Life of a Faculty Member in the Tramway Building
• Jana Everett, professor of political science: Women and People of Color in the Faculty in the 1970s.
• Daniel Fallon, former CLAS dean: Building the Campus and the Move to Auraria
• Joel C. Edelstein, emeritus professor of political: Pioneering Pedagogy
• Gordon Hamby, president, Student Government Association: Student Experience on the Auraria Campus.
• Robert Damrauer, special assistant to the provost and professor of chemistry: Becoming a Research University.

Other speakers included Chancellor Don Elliman and Provost Roderick Nairn. Elliman said the 40th anniversary provides a platform on which to both reflect and look forward. "We have, in my view, a bright future. I think the opportunity this campus has to grow and prosper is extraordinary."

The event, the first in a series to celebrate CU Denver’s 40th anniversary, was organized by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and hosted by CLAS Dean Dan Howard. Click here to read more.