du.edu
Top: A blanket wrapping ceremony on campus. Bottom: a student works with a faculty member; Native Student Alliance students participate in orange shirt day.
Photos Courtesy of University of Denver and DU Native Student Alliance
It’s one of those schools that doesn’t fit any mold — and at the University of Denver, they’re good with that. The main campus is sun-kissed and scenic, yet moments from a high-rise downtown. The athletic teams have scores of NCAA championships, but the academics are just as fierce. And while it might make more sense to abbreviate the name “UD” or “U of D,” this legendary school is known as “DU” (don’t ask why). Sometimes it’s called the “Ivy League of the Rockies,” but DU is in a league of its own.
DU wants every student to have a four-dimensional experience that focuses on intellectual growth, character, well-being, and career. They like to say that learning isn’t limited to a lecture hall, and they mean it. The university’s inspiring mountain campus is just a two-hour drive from the city, making it the country’s only university to integrate urban and mountain campuses. Well beyond the Rockies, 67 percent of students complete at least one internship, and more than 70 percent of undergraduates study abroad.
Students can choose from hundreds of majors and areas of concentration, and they’re free to mix and match. The school’s degree programs are built for exploration — for example, taking engineering classes as a biology major or exploring international business through the lens of world history. Academic advisors help undergraduates customize their learning paths to pursue their interests and sense of purpose. Whatever major they choose, every DU student benefits from small, focused classes where they can learn from the experiences and perspectives of a diverse student community.
It’s an approach that embraces the premise that the genius is in the doing. For first-year students, the university’s Living and Learning Communities (LLC) offer a chance to live and study with peers who have similar academic and career interests. Each LLC has a specific focus, with options ranging from environmental sustainability to social justice. Even on the athletic field, the commitment to learning dominates, with athletes delivering a 94 percent graduation rate. There’s also a Center for Community Engagement where students learn new skills by collaborating with community partners to help solve problems and improve lives.
With all the options for learning and doing, most students like it so much they never leave. As the alumni know, while people come to DU for a world-class education, they stay for the lifelong connections. Seven out of 10 graduates decide to make Colorado their home.
First-year student orientation tipi raising; a student at commencement.
msu.edu
MSU Pow Wow of Love; Center, from left: fans at Spartan Stadium; Beaumont Tower in the spring.
Photos Courtesy of Michigan State University
With more than 50,000 students and 5,300 acres, Michigan State University (MSU) is one of the country’s largest college campuses. Yet with all that space and a multitude of academic options, the MSU experience is designed for each student to find their way. Located just east of Michigan’s capitol in Lansing, the Big Ten university has a long track record of top academic and research programs as well as a solid liberal arts foundation. MSU is also known for its non-academics like championship sports teams, world-class museums, botanical gardens, and diverse student communities.
Every MSU “Spartan” gets to choose from over 400 undergraduate, graduate, and certificate areas of study offered across 17 degree-granting colleges. The most popular undergraduate majors include advertising, communications, biology, kinesiology and exercise science, and logistics and supply chain management. There’s also a Native American Institute that supports the efforts of Indigenous people in the Americas and sponsors MSU programs such as American Indian and Indigenous Studies and an Indigenous Law and Policy Center.
When you have lots of real estate, it’s important to be green — and MSU has one of the greenest campuses in the U.S. Earlier this year, the board of trustees approved two green infrastructure projects that build on more than 150 years of partnership with Michigan farmers and growers. In addition to renovating MSU Plant Sciences greenhouses, the school is constructing a state-of-the-art Dairy Cattle Teaching and Research Center.
It’s also a big deal that the university’s Facility for Rare Isotope Beams is home to the world’s most powerful heavy-ion accelerator. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the State of Michigan, and MSU, scientists at the facility are investigating atomic nuclei and how the universe formed so they can drive innovation in STEM fields including medicine, nuclear security, and environmental science.
When you’re not discovering the origins of the universe, there’s the Spartan Bucket List. MSU dares you to try every flavor at the dairy store (No. 3), bike the river trail (No. 10), and join a student group (No. 11; there are 1,000+). Once you have the school’s fight song memorized (No. 5), you can check off No. 1 by sitting in the “Izzone,” the loyal student section for men’s basketball. Finally, if expanding your world includes education outside the U.S. (No. 21), MSU offers more than 275 study abroad programs in over 60 countries. It’s all about MSU being a place of possibilities and doing things that could change your life.
MSU Cultural Center groundbreaking.
uark.edu
Clockwise from top left: Cheering on the Razorbacks; Indigenous Peoples’ Day; graduation ceremony; “Courage to Lead” statue.
Photos courtesy of University of Arkansas
Tucked away in the hilly northwest corner of Arkansas, over 32,000 students are hitting the books, cheering on Division I athletes, and advancing critical research at a premier public university. The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, campus houses 10 colleges and schools and offers more than 270 academic programs. Also known as “U of A,” the university anchors one of the country’s classic college towns in the foothills of the beautiful Ozark Mountains.
Whether you’re a STEM ace or future educator, architect, or journalist — or just don’t know yet — the U of A cultivates an inclusive environment where students are encouraged to discover their own paths. With a mission to “build a better world” through opportunity, diversity, and innovation, the school’s faculty and staff are committed to student success. In fact, it’s etched in stone — or rather, cement. Since 1905, U of A has honored every graduating student on its celebrated “Senior Walk,” more than four miles of campus sidewalks engraved with the names of graduates.
With a mission to “build a better world,” the school’s faculty and staff are committed to student success.
In a part of the world rich in Indigenous history, the school’s investment in Native American studies has grown into an Indigenous Studies Program with more than 30 courses in the field. The U of A offers an Indigenous studies minor with classes that explore alternative world views, ecological relationships, societies, religions, arts, and governments of Indigenous peoples. From North American Prehistory to Medical Anthropology, the program prepares students with useful insights for careers ranging from business, law, and the sciences to public service.
U of A students can choose from 78 undergraduate majors, 86 master’s degree programs, and more than 50 doctoral fields of study. Undergraduates seeking guidance about their choice of major can schedule time with a major exploration coach to help with the selection process. The school’s comprehensive academic services include support for first-generation college students, math resources, testing services, and a Student Success Center that provides academic tutoring and workshops on key skills like note-taking, reading, study habits, test anxiety, and time management.
And then there’s “Wooo, Pig, Sooie.” For over a century, Arkansas fans have been “Calling the Hogs” at sports events. It’s a thing: U of A athletes are “Razorbacks,” a type of wild pig — and you can figure out the rest about one of the “most recognizable chants in all of sports.” For student activities beyond raucous athletic crowds, opportunities include community volunteering, student government, fraternities and sororities, award-winning publications, and more than 380 other student organizations, including an AISES College Chapter.
