UPDATE: The STEM Horizons project has a favorable ‘preliminary approval’ but will still require final Board of Trustees approval to proceed.
The University of Denver continues its efforts to elevate STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) with a project DU has labeled STEM Horizons, a capital project to update and modernize the campus between Iliff Avenue and Harvard Gulch bisected by Wesley Avenue. This investment supports the recent prestigious R-1 research designation given to the University.
According to the Denver Business Journal, DU’s chief architect Mark Rodgers said the 100 million dollar project “will go beyond updating structures. Instead, it will further unite the southern portion of the campus between East Iliff Avenue and Harvard Gulch Park an area the private research university calls the Innovation Nexus, and support DU’s scientific research capabilities.”
Fitch rating company also acknowledged the investment when assigning an AA-; Outlook Stable rating to the university calling the current financial position of the University robust, despite a decline in graduate tuition revenues. According to Fitch, the University is highly reliant on student-generated revenues (74%) so we expect the project (STEM Horizons) to hinge on considerable financial commitment from donors and grants to back the major project. Over the short term, Fitch sees the project as manageable but the University will need to ‘tightly manage operating expenses‘ over the short term to manage a project of this size and scope.
This move is also in line with the ongoing push to create a value proposition for students (and parents) with areas of study that often pay for themselves upon graduation. The challenge over time will be to compete with Colorado-based universities that already have well-established STEM programs such as Colorado School of Mines, CU, and CSU. Denver was rated #173 in the recent ranking by US News & World Report in engineering and this project is an attempt to bolster DU’s current standing. However, that is likely to take time (and 100 million dollars) to accelerate that process.
The project will unite the properties south of the current Daniel Felix Ritchie science building along Wesley Avenue to include the Seeley G. Mudd Science Building, Physics Building and surrounding structures. The current facilities along Wesley, owned by DU are tired-looking and disconnected from the rest of campus. Denver assets are interspersed with campus maintenance buildings, Hillel, counseling facilities, apartments and residential uses. The idea is to integrate this long-forgotten part of campus with walkways, structures and landscaping to unite the southside of campus while also developing a more natural buffer between the campus and residential properties.
Less extensive improvements will also be made in the west wing of the Boettcher Sciences Building, Rodgers said. DU is using the design firm Anderson Mason Dale Architects (AMD) and landscaping firm Civitas on the project design and layout.
Zoning is expected to be approved by summer according to the article. Rodgers said that he could not provide details about funding for STEM Horizons, but that “the university is confident in its ability to support this project.”
Top photo: Wesley Avenue, Seeley G. Mudd Science Building on the left
Very impressive and having reading today’s WSJ article “Americans Have Lost Faith in the Value of College”, DU has many challenges. This seems like exactly the right direction. I’m wondering how many members of the Summit League have a R-1 designation.
There are 146 universities with that designation – none in the Summit League or WCC. Most are larger state universities so it is a big deal for DU.
Here are the criteria and current list of R-1 Universities:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_research_universities_in_the_United_States
While I have no doubts that STEM programs are worthy of greater investment and that raggedy south end of campus does look like relative crap compared to central campus, moving the reputation needle on DU as a STEM school will take a lot of time and will take more than $100 million.
If it were me, I’d rather DU spent that $100 million renovating the North End of campus into the “DU district” to get a quicker, bigger and more visible ROI. Long overdue.
1) There needs to be a clear, street-spanning gateway to campus on University Blvd and Buchtel as you get off I-25 that you can see from the highway. Budget $3 million for that. Thousands of cars pass here every day.
2) A hew 4,000 seat hoops/gymnastics/volleyball arena/weight room/practice facility linked to the Ritchie Center should go where the ugly old apartment buildings and parking lots are on west side of University. between Buchtel and Asbury. DU could do the sport part of it pretty nicely for $50 million. Huge boost for recruiting, a right sized home court advantage that could also take years of wear and tear off of Magness Arena and Hamilton Gym.
3) That new arena facility should also include have exciting retail frontage, subsidized housing for grad students and faculty, restaurants or food court, a campus visitor center, the DU bookstore, parking garage and a 200-room hotel. Budget another $40 million for that. Building this would create a vibrant hub to north campus, and also free up some room in the current student commons (bookstore).
4) The last seven million should go to build a party deck for Barton Stadium on the lacrosse hill to the roof of Joy Burns Arena. Get a corporate sponsor to spring for it as a hospitality expense, and then charge people to use it for games.
5) These $100m investment could be paid off in 10-20 years through a special transaction fee applied to DU athletic tickets sales, retail sales, hotel sales, donations, naming rights, corporate sales, etc.
6) Phase II of this project could include buying/repurposing the DU built, but under-utilized/privately owned Cable Center as a much-needed new home for DU’s Media, Film and Journalism school.
Have to agree with the need for more indoor space for athletics and public events. It seems that almost every square inch is used at the Ritchie Center and DU clearly needs more public/private space. This truly is the front porch of the University and generates income for the University. As an interim solution, the University could put a bubble over the Stapleton Tennis Center for practices and public use. Yes, it would be ugly but a reasonable short-term option to add much needed space.