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Spring 2023 MURPAA Newsletter

Message from MURPAA President

On behalf of the entire CU Denver Master of Urban and Regional Planning Alumni Association (MURPAA) Board, I hope you and your family had a happy and safe holiday season. Over the last year, the Department of Urban and Regional Planning has been hard at work on the re-accreditation process through the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB), which includes an update to its five-year strategic plan. We thank all alumni who have provided invaluable feedback through the focus groups, the survey below, and the upcoming group interview with the PAB Site Visit Team on Monday, January 30th.     As we embark on the Spring 2023 Semester, we are looking forward to building connections between alumni and students that support this new talent entering the profession.  We hope you will consider participating in some of our programs to foster those connections: 

  • MURP Connect events provide virtual and in-person networking opportunities for students with professionals across the Planning profession through one-hour small group discussions.  
  • Capstone Conversations is a pivotal idea exchange event for capstone students to ask alumni for advice on their projects. It has transitioned to a virtual event.  
  • College of Architecture & Planning Mentorship Program is an online platform for students and mentors to match and meet with each other. CAP Mentorship program. 
  • MURP Alumni LinkedIn Group is a great place to find out about MURP Alumni events and opportunities, connect with other alums, and find or post job openings MURP Alumni LinkedIn. 
  • MURPAA Distinguished Planner Lecture & Award is the annual award and evening event given by MURPAA to a distinguished alumnus, or other individuals who have supported our alumni and students and made a mark on the planning profession. See below for this year’s recipient! 

We hope to connect with you at one of our upcoming in-person, virtual, or digital events and platforms!    

Sincerely,  

Ryan Mulligan 

President, Master of Urban and Regional Planning Alumni Association

Kimball Crangle Receives MURAPP's 2023 Distinguished Planner Award & Lecture

We’re delighted to announce that Kimball Crangle has accepted her nomination as our MURPAA Distinguished Planner for 2023!  Kimball has been a powerhouse in the Affordable Housing world in Colorado for years.  She is currently the Colorado Market President for Gorman & Company and was formerly the Senior Developer for the Denver Housing Authority.  Kimball's career has focused on understanding all elements of affordable housing development from policy through financing, construction, and implementation.   
 
Please join us March 28th for a lecture, award ceremony, and reception to celebrate Kimball's achievements. The event will be at CU Denver on the Auraria campus. 
Four MURP Students at a Halloween Social.

Give Back to the Planning Profession

The MURP Scholarship allows students from all backgrounds to choose CU Denver to pursue their master's degree in the planning field. This year our enrollment was the lowest it has been in decades with just 32 new students compared to 45-50 in past years. Our applications were strong, but due to the cost to attend graduate school, paying for housing, and other factors, fewer students were able to make the decision to come here. Low enrollment affects the program as well as the pipeline of planners for local firms, governments, and nonprofits.  Scholarship funds will help us to support more students so they can pursue their graduate degrees now, rather than later. It also supports existing students so they can take advantage of the unique opportunities our program offers, such as the incredible experiences in the summer studios in Colorado's small towns and abroad. 

Every year the MURP Scholarship Fund gives out every dollar contributed.  Last year that was just under $2,000, but this year our goal is at least $5,000!  Any contribution to the fund, even $25, will help us to reach our goal to support several more future and current students.

Fisheye lens shot of Denver near Union Station

Strategic Plan 2022-2027

In February 2022, we launched a year-long process to update our five-year strategic plan, which is a requirement for accredited planning programs. The timing was also critical with the changes in the world, and the planning field, since the COVID-19 pandemic, the arrival of our two new tenure-track faculty members in 2019 and 2021, and the changing planning profession due to climate change, social inequality, and technological advances. The seven permanent faculty led this effort informed by a decade of one-year out surveys from alumni, years, evaluations, feedback from the annual MURP Student Townhalls, more than 25 informal interviews with employers, alumni, and lecturers, additional meetings with our adjunct faculty, five alumni focus groups in October and two meetings with 11 area employers.

To help us finalize and adopt this plan, please take this short alumni survey. We value your input on our three priority goals and 18 objectives, including how they address the needs of the profession and the education of future planners. Click here to see the full draft of the 2022-2027 Strategic Plan.  

Fall/Winter 2022

Message from MURPAA President

On behalf of the entire CU Denver Masters of Urban and Regional Planning Alumni Association (MURPAA) Board, I hope you and your family are having a happy and safe holiday season. While this year has no doubt been challenging, let’s recognize the sacrifices we have all made to establish our own respective “new normals” to keep ourselves and each other safe, all while working together to advance the planning practice locally, across Colorado, and across the country. 
 
Over the last year, the CU Denver MURPAA has been hard at work building connections between current CU Denver students, alumni, and planning professionals across the country.

  • We hosted MURP Connect events over the last two years that provide both virtual and in-person networking opportunities for students.
  • We presented resume and portfolio workshops for students and alumni to better market themselves in a competitive marketplace.
  • Capstone Conversations, a pivotal networking and idea exchange event for capstone students, transitioned to a virtual event while still providing the same opportunities for students and alumni to engage. 
  • Finally, we have updated the MURP Alumni website to share our programs and ways for alumni to become more involved. 
  • We cannot wait to get together with you in person soon. In the meantime, we encourage you to keep up with our work by following us on LinkedIn and Facebook and participating in our alumni events.

 

Sincerely,  

Ryan Mulligan 

President, Master of Urban and Regional Planning Alumni Association

 

Get Featured

To be featured on the University of Colorado Denver Urban and Regional Planning make sure to add “University of Colorado Denver Urban and Regional Planning” to the education section of your profile. This way, your profile is listed on the MURP Program LinkedIn page under the “Alumni” tab. Click here for the how-to guide. 

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