09 02 25 University of Denver Chancellor Jeremy Haefner on this student move in day

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now on Colorado's Morning News, it's moving day at the
University of Denver, do you. Chancellor Jeremy Haffner will be
greeting families on campus in the morning.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Nearly twelve hundred students going to be suddenly into their
new homes at DU as first year students. Two thirds
of them are from outside of Colorado and joining us
now in the KWAE Common Spirit of Health hotline is
the Chancellor of the University of Denver, Jeremy after Chancellor,
we appreciate coming on with us this morning. What does
the start of the new school you mean for you
and for do you?

Speaker 3 (00:26):
I am delighted to have this opportunity. Thank you so
much for inviting me. You know, this is an exciting
time for of course all of higher education, but at
the University of Denver, this is especially exciting times. As
you said, twelve hundred students moving in today. We've got
our convocation. We're beginning a lot of orientation for our students.

(00:48):
This is all a templary of the University of Denver
emphasizing the student experience. We're intending to be a premier
student experience university in the classroom and outside of the classroom.
Great example of that is the brand new Stem Horizon
building that we are constructing currently on the south end
of campus, five floors Life Sciences. The bottom floor will

(01:12):
be all for undergraduate students in their general education laboratories,
so they'll have modern facilities to work from. We're emphasizing
free speech and civil discourse in a significant way here
because we believe we have an obligation to serve our
students and prepare them for the skills they need to

(01:35):
listen across differences. Those are just some of the things.
We've got a Kennedy Mountain campus two hours away that students,
all the first year students will experience. So lots and
lots of excitement, Chancellor.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
I know, do you face a recent financial deficit to
impart to declining enrollment? New reports says do you reports
a twenty five percent decline in international enrollment. So what
is the university doing to not only boost and mom
but also make sure some tough cuts are necessary or
made when needed.

Speaker 3 (02:05):
Absolutely, these are challenging times, not just for the University
of Denver, but for all of higher education. In fact,
even the big public flagships and the premier elite universities
are having to make significant budget cuts partly because of
the changes that are coming out of Washington. They are
impacting international students, they are impacting research grants. For example,

(02:30):
at the University of Denver, we're doubling down on domestic students,
really encouraging them and inviting them to enroll. Our undergraduate
population has popped up from earlier estimates, or I'm highly
encouraged by that trend. We're introducing new programs that will

(02:51):
attract students that otherwise wouldn't come to the University of
Denver in the Allied Health area, for example. And we're
always making sure that students are attracted by the things
that happen outside the classroom. So, for example, we're really
serious about how we prepare our students for a world

(03:11):
where artificial intelligence is really part of their daily lives,
their constant daily lives. And so I'm excited by how
we can offer our students, and that will also be
very forthcoming for our students as we move forward. Budget
cuts are challenging, are heard, change is hard. It impacts

(03:33):
all of us at the University of Denver. But I'm
convinced that University of Denver is a super resilient university.
It is going to flourish over the long run.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
I know it's been a little bit personally difficult for
you as well, Chancellor. I know the faculty members that
vote of no confidence over the summer due to what
they say financial mismanagement. How are you handling that, navigating that,
trying to heal some of the divide and division moving forward? Yeah?

Speaker 3 (03:59):
Absolutely. You know, as I said, there's so many challenges
facing higher education. Public trust is at all time low,
the costs are substantial Washington. Of course, all these are
impacting everyone at the university and especially at the University
of Vendor. Change is necessary, and it's really really, really hard,

(04:22):
especially how artificial intelligence is changing how faculty teats in
the classroom. So we are really making sure that we
have the ideas coming out of the community to really
invest in our future. It's something that we call do
You Forward. I'll be going around with our new provost,

(04:42):
doctor Elizabeth Leboa, who is an engineer by trade, and
we'll be examining the data and having these conversations with
faculty and really trying to understand how they're looking at
these changes and how we can support them in this
A major transition here. These are hard times for higher education,

(05:04):
but important times at the same way.

Speaker 1 (05:07):
And Chancellor, I know you mentioned making sure voices are heard,
the importance of that, and the concerns and changes that
we've seen in higher education. There's been some criticism over
do you scaling back some of its DEI initiatives? What
have been some of the changes or the rationales behind
those decisions.

Speaker 3 (05:23):
Well, we've always taken a wait and see approach ever
since President Trump took office to see what exactly he
will do in the space of higher education. On February fourteenth,
p issued an executive directive on diversity, equity inclusion, and
yet it was unclear what exactly was the intent of that.

(05:48):
At the end of July, the Department of Justice, which
of course interprets the law and bears with the law
enforcement aspects of it, issued a very detail memo that
explain to higher education what they consider as no longer
lawful activities that universities have been doing. You know, it's

(06:13):
things of like diversity statements that universities have required applicants
or students to fulfill. It is scholarships that are directed
towards protected classes in particular, the Department of Justice has
issued this memo that says many of these activities are unlawful.

(06:34):
I personally don't agree with everything in that memo, and
there are things that we are standing firm on, but
we are wanting to comply with the law, and so
we have stopped a lot of these activities. That, however,
is important to know that our values of inclusivity what

(06:56):
we really want our university to stand for a place
where people are welcome, have a sense of belonging, and
they have the support they are necessary. We're about to
roll out a new approach to all of this that
of course doesn't involve those things that are unlawful, but
really supports our students, faculty, and staff where they need it.

(07:20):
And I'm really really excited about that. This is not
just relabeling anything. This is making real changes in support
of our community. So look for more information as we
roll this out in the coming weeks.

Speaker 2 (07:34):
The Chancellor to the University of Denvers, Jeremy Haffner, thank you, Chancellor,
appreciate you answering some questions for us, and have a
good opening day if you will, if you will to
move in day for DU students. Thank you.

Speaker 3 (07:44):
Thank you very much. I appreciate the opportunity