As Pulitzer Prize winning author Thomas L. Friedman stated in his landmark book, The World Is Flat, "…more people in more places can now compete, connect and collaborate with equal power and equal tools than ever before." America's most rapidly growing cities (Denver, Colorado, jumped to #6 in the Forbes 2014 rankings) are fueled, in part, by the expansion of international business and research collaborations.

The Denver metropolitan area is a magnet for a wide variety of professionals and has one of the nation’s most educated workforces. A key player in Denver’s development and success is a major public research institution, the University of Colorado Denver. The university joins with notable businesses, civic organizations, and international educational partners in building alliances that support students, faculty and business professionals in aligning with their strongest interests in research and innovation, program development, and community services and outreach.

“We are graduating tomorrow’s leaders, from Colorado and around the world. McKinsey recently reported that businesses with ethnically diverse leadership were 35% more likely to outperform their industry standards“, explained John Sunnygard, Executive Director, International Affairs, University of Colorado Denver. (McKinsey, January 2015, Why Diversity Matters.)

Since 2010, overall international enrollment at the University of Colorado Denver has grown by 51%. As of the Fall 2014 census, 1,856 international students are enrolled at the University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus. They make up nearly 9% of the student population on the downtown Denver Campus and are coming from countries ranging from A to Z: Angola to China to Venezuela to Zambia. Approximately 400 University of Colorado Denver students travel abroad each year to study, serve and conduct research.

CU Denver’s 9% international student enrollment and its 50% ethnic diversity create a learning environment that “embraces and builds upon differences in ways that enable students to function effectively, not only in their disciplines, but also in a diverse global market,” according to Sunnygard.

Foreign student contributions from tuition/fees and living expenses equal a total contribution to the State of Colorado of $303.4 million. (Source: IIE: Institute of International Education, Open Doors Report, 2014.) Approximately half of this amount is spent in Denver, according to the Brookings Institute.

International scholars and research post-docs are involved in teaching and research collaborations that contribute to new discoveries and awarded grants in pharmacology, pediatrics, medicine, civil and electrical engineering, and many other fields.

The University of Colorado Denver has deep degree partnerships in China, Spain and Thailand. The institution collaborates with Gensler, an international architecture and design firm, to provide internships for American students in China and for Chinese students in Denver.

“We are constantly seeking out how to integrate our academic programs and students around the world into the Denver community.”

As Denver continues to expand its role as a leading international city, the University of Colorado Denver is planning more initiatives with educational and business partners to build strong, mutually beneficial partnerships that engage and serve local, national and global communities.

Sunnygard concluded, “We welcome ideas and look forward to collaborating to build a thriving global community.”

For more information, visit online:
International.ucdenver.edu

To read stories about international students and learn about the university’s degree programs and partnerships, visit:
Internationalnewsroom.com