ENROLLMENT & FINANCIAL SUPPORT

After the 2017-2018 academic year, we decided to refocus and restructure how the mission of this area of the strategic plan is implemented.

We are thankful for the time, energy and work that the working group members gave to these initiatives. Over the course of the last two years, the working group:

• Focused on graduate student enrollment and financial support
• Explored unique and unconventional scholarship models
• Explored the impact and potential of pre-collegiate experiences a DU

From the focus on pre-collegiate, we have formed a working group under the Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity charged with developing a strategy around college access at DU.

The working group also helped to advance the work of a bold new program called the Denver Promise. This program will help close the unmet need gap and provide greater access to hundreds of diverse, talented, Denver-area students.

The focus on graduate student aid led to a broader question of how to improve the graduate student experience overall. We now have a working group focused on the graduate student experience and you can follow their progress here.

Last year the working group collaborated across campus hosting a session on college access and a feedback session with graduate students:

In collaboration with the Office of Academic Innovation, Morgridge College of Education, CCESL, and IRISE, we hosted a College Access Pop Up Event in April. The event brought together faculty and staff committed to research and practice across P20 education pipeline programs, college planning and transition, and educational access for STEM, among others. The goal of this Pop Up was to cultivate collaboration across campus between faculty, staff, and students.

At the beginning of spring quarter, they also helped organize an opportunity to seek feedback from graduate students. We asked them about their graduate experience in relation to financial aid. 34 graduate students attended and it was a great event! In addition, 1690 graduate students, or 30% of the graduate student body responded to a survey about their experience at DU. We learned why they come to DU, why they stay and the most impactful aspects of their graduate education.

Special thank you to the working group members Tracey Adams-Peters, Sarah Hoffman, Jon Kraus, Sharon Lassar, Corinne Lengsfeld, Scott Luetenegger, Cecilia Orphan, and Linda Quintanar.