University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs

The School of Public Affairs is located on the 5th floor of the Lawrence Street Center.

The University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs is located in the Lower Downtown ("LoDo") district of Denver, Colorado. The School is fully accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA). The School offers graduate programs in public administration, public affairs, and criminal justice, and undergraduate programs in criminal justice and public service.

Academics

The School of Public Affairs offers a number of highly ranked programs, including environmental policy and management (ranked 11th), nonprofit management (21st), public management and leadership (23rd), and public finance and budgeting (17th). The online Master of Criminal Justice program was ranked 19th nationwide in January 2019.

Degree programs

Public affairs and administration

• Doctor of Philosophy in Public Affairs
• Master of Public Administration
• Bachelor of Arts in Public Service
• Dual Master of Public Administration / Master of Criminal Justice
• Dual Master of Public Administration / Juris Doctor (Boulder)
• Dual Master of Public Administration / Master's in Economics
• Dual Master of Public Administration / Master of Public Health
• Dual Master of Public Administration / Master of Urban and Regional Planning
• Pathway Bachelor of Arts in Public Service / Master of Public Administration

Criminal Justice

• Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice
• Master of Criminal Justice
• Pathway Bachelor of Arts / Master of Criminal Justice
• Dual Master of Criminal Justice / Master of Public Administration

Concentration areas

Both the Master of Public Administration and Master of Criminal Justice programs offer students the opportunity to select a concentration area within the degree. Approximately one-third of the master's students select and complete a specific concentration; others choose electives from a variety of concentration areas to best meet their professional goals.

• Crime Analyst
• Disasters, Hazards and Emergency Management
• Emergency Management and Homeland Security
• Environmental Policy and Management
• Gender-Based Violence
• Local Government
• Nonprofit Organizations

Graduate certificates

The School of Public Affairs offers a variety of graduate certificates to help individuals advance in their career. Anyone who has completed a bachelor's degree from an accredited university is eligible to enroll in one of the School's graduate certificate programs.

• Crime Analyst
• Disasters, Hazards and Emergency Management
• Emergency Management and Homeland Security
• Environmental Policy and Management
• Gender-Based Violence
• Local Government
• Non-profit Organizations

Other certificate programs

• Colorado Certified Public Manager Program: The School offers a nationally accredited certification program for public managers that consists of 12 modules conducted via weekend seminars and an online format.
• Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Certificate: The School is a partner in the Center for Sustainable Infrastructure Systems and offers a multi-disciplinary, four-course certificate in Sustainable Urban Infrastructure.

Research and outreach

Faculty roster

The School of Public Affairs has 22 tenure-track faculty members and a number of instructors and lecturers.

Paul Teske, a University of Colorado Distinguished Professor, was appointed Dean of the School in July 2008. Prior to his appointment as Dean, Teske served as the Director of the Center for Education Policy Analysis and Director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education at the School of Public Affairs, in addition to his teaching and research activities as a professor. He earned his Ph.D. and M.P.A. degrees in Public Affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. Teske received a B.A. in economics and political science, with highest honors in economics, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a James Johnston Scholar and Phi Beta Kappa.

Research centers

Center for Education Policy Analysis

Led by Dean Paul Teske, the Center for Education Policy Analysis CEPA works with state, local and nonprofit partners interested in analysis of school finance, governance, innovation and reform, and policy implementation. The center also manages the Education Policy Fellowship Program.

Center for Local Government

As director of the Center for Local Government, Dr. Toddy Ely works with city managers, the Colorado Municipal League, the Denver Regional Council of Governments, the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and others on local government issues like fiscal indicators, resilient response to emergencies and transit-oriented development. Training is offered through the center's Certified Public Manager program.

Center on Domestic Violence

Founded in 2000, the CDV is an academic, research and service center whose work focuses on ending domestic violence by fostering institutional and social change through leadership development, education, research and community collaboration. The center is led by Barbara Paradiso.

Center on Network Science

Drs. Danielle Varda and Robyn Mobbs co-direct the Center on Network Science, which works to improve network systems by serving as a resource for network managers and leaders. Training is offered through the Network Leadership Training Academy.

Criminology and Criminal Justice Research Initiative

The Criminology and Criminal Justice Research Initiative serves as a resource for public, private and nonprofit criminal justice entities that respond to crime and victimization issues in Colorado. The initiative is co-led by Drs. Lonnie Schaible and Angela Gover.

Wirth Chair in Sustainable Development

The University of Colorado established the Wirth Chair in Environmental and Community Development Policy in 1993. It honors the environmental and sustainable development achievements of former Senator and Undersecretary of State Timothy E. Wirth. The Wirth program works to fulfill its mission through a variety of ongoing programs and activities, including monthly Sustainability Series events, the annual Wirth Chair Sustainability Awards, and extended learning trips to international sustainability sites. The current Wirth Chair is Mark Safty.

Workshop on policy process research

Drs. Chris Weible and Tanya Heikkila run this workshop, which focuses on how difficult policy issues, especially in the area of environmental policy, are discussed and resolved. Recent work has focused on organic agriculture regulation, aquaculture, fracking and water policy in Colorado.

Leadership and governance training

Certified Public Manager Program

Designed to offer individuals in the public and nonprofit sectors an opportunity to develop and improve their management and leadership skills.

Colorado Education Policy Fellows Program

Participants hold full-time positions in diverse organizations at the local, state and national levels.

Denver Community Leadership Forum

The program aims to build strong linkages and working relationships among leaders from different sectors and provide an understanding of new leadership needs and capacities.

Network Leadership Training Academy

This training includes conversations about network leadership, activities to share and demonstrate skills and ideas, and tools to translate back to practice.

Rocky Mountain Leadership Program

Attendees include elected officials and upper-level managers from the federal, state and local levels of government, and nonprofits.

Summer Institute in Education Systems Leadership and Policy

This week-long interactive seminar in Denver, Colorado, is designed for current and aspiring leaders and entrepreneurs working in public and private sector organizations engaged in education systems transformation and redesign. The institute is led by Scholar in Residence Parker Baxter.

Notable people

Alumni

The School of Public Affairs has more than 7,000 alumni around the globe. Many of them hold prominent leadership positions, including the 5 who made the 2015 "40 Under 40" list in the Denver Business Journal.

Awards and honors

• Angela Gover, Professor: 2017 Founder's Award from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (Feb. 2017)
• Mark Pogrebin, Professor: 2016 David R. Maines Narrative Research Award (Nov. 2016)
• Callie Rennison, Professor: 2016 Bonnie S. Fisher Victimology Career Award (Nov. 2016)
• Guyrene Ben, MPA Student: 2015 CU President's Student Diversity award for her work with American Indian STEM students (May 2015)
• Tanya Heikkila, Professor: 2015 CU Denver Graduate School Dean's Mentoring Award (April 2015)
• Mary Guy, Professor: 2015 CU Denver campus Award for Excellence in Leadership and Service (April 2015)
• Lucy Dwight, Senior Instructor: elected Secretary of the Faculty Assembly for the University of Colorado Denver (April 2015)

Leo C. Riethmayer Outstanding Colorado Public Administrator Award

Named for the School's founder, the Riethmayer Award annually recognizes a distinguished Colorado public servant. Past recipients include:

Year	Name	Title (at time of award)
2017	James Eklund	Director, Colorado Water Conservation Board
2016	Ron LeBlanc	City Manager, Durango, Colorado
2015	Dianne Ray	Colorado State Auditor
2014	Aden Hogan	City Manager, Evans, Colorado
2013	Rulon Stacey	President, University of Colorado Health
2012	Bill Vidal	President/CEO, Hispanic Chamber Commerce/Metro Denver
2011	Mike King	Executive Director, Colorado Dept. of Natural Resources
2010	Linda deLeon	Associate Dean, School of Public Affairs
2009	Hilary Fletcher	County Manager, Pitkin County, Colorado
2008	Chris Wiant	President and CEO, Caring for Colorado Foundation
2007	Roxane White	Manager, Denver Department of Human Services
2006	Luis Velez	Chief of Police, Colorado Springs Police Department
2005	Gregory Mohrman	Chief, National Water Quality Lab, U.S. Geological Survey
2004	Curtis Long	Director of Personnel, City of Sterling, Colorado
2003	Tom Baker	Town Manager, Basalt, Colorado
2002	Gary Sears	City Manager, Englewood, Colorado
2001	Ronald Secrist	Office of the City Manager, Boulder
2000	Samuel Mamet	Colorado Municipal League
1999	Bill Christopher	Westminster City Manager
1998	Don Warden	Financial Director, Weld County
1997	Mike Rock	Lakewood City Manager
1996	Stephen V. Berson	State Court Administrator
1995	Jerome F. Wartgow	President, Colorado Commty. College & Occuptl. Ed. System
1992	Clair Villano	Director, Consumer Fraud Division, District Attorney's Office
1991	E. Robert Turner	Colorado Community College & Occupational Ed. System
1990	John Buechner	Chancellor, University of Colorado Denver
1989	James Griesemer	City Manager, Aurora, Colorado
1988	Dick Humphrey Ross	Colorado Commission on Higher Education
1987	Andrew McCowan	Englewood City Manager
1986	John Scott	Director, Air Force Accounting and Finance
1985	Gale Christy	Littleton City Manager
1984	Lyle Kyle	Research Director, Colorado Legislative Council
1983	Mary Jo Downey	Executive Director, Denver Regional Council
1982	Con Shea	Assistant Director, Colorado Department of Highways
1981	Jack Kinstlinger	Executive Director, Colorado Department of Highways
1980	Betty Miller	Region VII Administrator, Housing and Urban Development
1979	George Fellows	Colorado Springs City Manager
1978	Kenneth Bueche	Director, Colorado Municipal League

Former faculty

• Leo Riethmayer, Professor, Founder of the School of Public Affairs
• John Buechner, Professor and President Emeritus of the University of Colorado
• Marshall Kaplan, Professor, Dean Emerita (1981-1995)
• Peter deLeon, Distinguished Professor
• Linda deLeon, Associate Professor and Associate Dean
• Kathleen Beatty, Professor, Dean Emerita (1996-2008)