Explore the University of Colorado Denver or CU Denver's historical roots with me on this live-streamed, interactive campus tour. 

Covering over 150 acres of land, the Auraria campus was named by a pioneer miner who first claimed the land in 1858. When the University of Colorado Boulder looked to expand in 1912, the University of Colorado – Denver Center was born. By 1973, a transformation was made to have CU Denver become its own independent university and has now grown to include seven schools of study and numerous graduate-level programs. Like much of the Denver Metro area, CU Denver has been expanding over the last decades. CU Denver has added several new buildings that are central to the student community – the Student Commons Building, the Lola and Rob Salazar Student Wellness Center, and there is the current construction of the new City Heights Residence Hall designed primarily for first-year students.

The Auraria campus houses three distinct public institutions. Along with Metro State University and Community College of Denver, CU Denver shares a campus that is convenient for students who live throughout the Metro area’s many diverse neighborhoods. Each institution has a few specifically designated buildings; however, many of these buildings are shared spaces (including the Tivoli Student Union and the Auraria Library). Since the CU Denver campus sits on both the West and East side of Speer Blvd, it provides the best of two worlds – the college campus experience and a metropolitan feel. During the tour, I will tell you more about which spaces are communal and which ones are for the dedicated use of CU Denver students.

CU Denver boasts an inclusive community that fosters respect for diversity. There are numerous examples of how CU Denver has worked to grow/maintain a reputation as a diverse academic community. In 2018, 58% of first-year students were students of color and 49% were 1st-generation college students. The university maintains a first-of-its-kind global collaboration through its establishment of the International College Beijing. CU Denver also participates in the Western Undergraduate Exchange program which offers a discounted tuition rate to students that are from states in the Western part of the United States. By 2004, CU Denver grew to become an R1 ranked research university, the highest rating given by the Carnegie Institute, and confirmed that the University of Colorado, Denver is making a mark amongst the top US universities.

Also called “CU in the City”, the University of Colorado, Denver has a strong connection with downtown Denver. Many of Denver’s best destinations are CU Denver’s closest neighbors. This section of the tour will allow for a discussion of the ways people get to and from campus – walking/biking/public transit/car travel. It will also offer us the opportunity to talk about the “social scene” of Denver. With such proximity to downtown Denver, the tour will, of course, include a trip to Larimer Square and the 16th Street Mall.