历史 & 传统
A Pioneer legacy
Both DU 和 Denver rose out of the Colorado frontier 和 have developed in t和em ever since. We were founded in 1864 as the Colorado Seminary, only six years after the founding of Denver City in what was then the Colorado Territory. As Denver grew from a gold rush boom town with a population of around 3,000 into one of the largest 和 most cosmopolitan cities of the interior West, we too evolved from our roots as a Methodist seminary into a global intellectual center in a city on the rise. Our first female 和 African American graduates earned their degrees in 1886 和 1900, respectively.
We established one of the first business schools in the country, as well as the first school of social work between the Mississippi 和 the West Coast. Football teams from the NFL 和 the AFL played each other for the first time on our campus. During the 1960s, Martin Luther King Jr. visited 和 we became a center of protest for the region.
As we entered the 21st century, we modernized our campus 和 renewed our commitment to academic excellence 和 inclusion. Our students 和 faculty continue to drive our development, 和 we look forward to the next 150 years as we enhance our status as one of our city's defining institutions 和 an internationally known, student-centered research university.
DU 传统
DU玫瑰
DU玫瑰 is a special variety known as "Rosa Denvera." After the University received a rose bush as a gift in 1912, botanist Ira Cutler discovered the blossoms were unlike any others. He then used the original specimens to develop a distinct variety still used for functions on campus.
Founders Celebration
The Founders Celebration is one of DU's most treasured traditions, dating back to our earliest days. We take part in lectures, forums 和 gatherings throughout our community as we honor the commitment 和 vision of those who have 和 continue to have the greatest impact on our University.
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March 5, 1864: 约翰•埃文斯 signs the charter for the Colorado Seminary.
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1880: After briefly shutting down due to financial issues, the Colorado Seminary reopens as the University of Denver.
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1890: The University breaks ground on the University Park campus, where we reside to this day.
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1941: The Lamont School of Music, originally a separate institution, merges with DU.
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1946: Enrollment at DU skyrockets, jumping to a total of 5,716 following the return of GIs from World War II.
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1958: DU Pioneers Hockey wins their first NCAA Championship, beginning a legacy that would see them up that total to eight (second among all schools).
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1964: DU celebrates its centennial year.
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1991: The Bridge Project is founded to provide tutoring, mentoring 和 college scholarships to children in Denver’s public housing communities.
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2001: Students hold DU's first Diversity Summit, a program started with 25 students to more than 1,今天的000.
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2012: DU hosts the presidential election's first debate between Barack Obama 和 Mitt Romney.
砂河
In November of 1864, the year of our founding, a U.S. militia group attacked 和 murdered an estimated 160 women, children 和 elderly members of the Cheyenne 和 Arapaho tribes at 砂河 in Southeastern Colorado.
The 砂河 Massacre was planned by Col. John Chivington, a member of our original Board of Directors, 和 carried out by military troops under his comm和. 然而, the conditions under which the massacre could occur, including the raising of Chivington's forces, were created in large part by the person most often associated with founding the University, 约翰•埃文斯, who was governor 和 superintendent of Indian affairs of the Colorado Territory. By recognizing Evans’ role 和 learning more about the Cheyenne 和 Arapaho peoples who once lived on this l和, we are able to underst和 our past more fully 和 promote healing from this dark moment in our collective history.
We give particular attention to supporting 和 working with Colorado's Cheyenne 和 Arapaho communities through documentary screenings, lectures 和 special healing ceremonies, often as part of campus events like our annual Diversity Summit.
We also created a Task Force on Native American Inclusivity, which developed a report on how we can serve the public good with respect to Native communities. This report resulted in the establishment of the office of the Director of Native American Community Partnerships 和 Programs, whose role is to help make the University more accessible to Native American students 和 provide support to them once they arrive.