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:
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
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.
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.
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.
Sincerely,
Ryan Mulligan
President, Master of Urban and Regional Planning Alumni Association
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.