Lake of the Red Feathers — They were told college was going to be an adventure. I was told that it would be held in the rolling hills of the Rocky Mountains.

The University of Denver welcomed its class of 2026 on Sept. 7. 1,640 of her freshmen from 1,168 different high schools. At a ceremony held at Magnes Arena on the Denver campus, President Jeremy Hefner confirms DU’s commitment to its trademark ‘4-D experience’ – dimensions that emphasize academic growth, well-being, character and purpose and highlighted how their visit to the new James C University went. Kennedy Mountain Campus, a former Girl Scout camp east of Red Feather Lakes, which was acquired last October, has set these goals in motion. Push further.

Throughout the fall semester, the first cohort of freshmen will climb the mountain for “First Ascent,” an Outward Bound-inspired program that DU describes as “a weekend packed with a variety of activities, including hiking, climbing, and more.” travel to campus. Meditate on arts and crafts, s’mores around the campfire, and challenge courses that promote individual and group achievement. …and they would forge a lifelong friendship that helped define her time at DU. “

In addition to the freshman orientation program, DU plans to use the campus for the remainder of the year for faculty-led research projects for students interested in sustainability and environmental sciences, as well as staff leadership building.

“By the time they graduate, all DU undergraduate and graduate students will have the opportunity to learn and grow in this amazing place.”

For DU students, the far-reaching and captivating vistas of the front range have always been a reality of daily life, but the reality is that for many students, stepping into the rocky, forested highlands is a daunting task. , was not always feasible.

More than 11 months ago, Hefner secured a $11.25 million contract for the college to acquire Magic Sky Ranch at 17900 Red Feather Lakes Road from Girl Scouts, backed by a record-breaking gift from a billionaire alumni. Things changed when we announced the deal. Colorado, which was mainly used as a summer camp. This price is slightly down from her $12.7 million her scouts asked for the property when she first put it up for sale in 2015.

Located at an elevation of 8,000 feet, DU’s new mountain campus is a 724-acre mountain estate adjacent to the Roosevelt National Forest with 60,000 square feet of buildings, most of which were constructed in 2007. Cabins, cafeteria with full kitchen, gym and athletic complex with climbing wall, and facilities for outdoor leadership training.

Surrounded by 600 acres of contiguous land and national forest, the land is a 124-acre parcel accessible only by trail and features aspens, pines, ponds and rock formations, and is home to deer, wild turkeys, birds of prey and the occasional bear. and moose live here.

The decision by DU’s board of directors to name the campus after Kennedy was not surprising. The purchase of this property would not have been possible without his $26 million donation. In addition to upgrading the camp’s facilities and infrastructure, the donation also helped establish an annual program for all his DU students and faculty. The university hopes that these programs and the operation and maintenance of the mountain campus will continue to be funded by charity so that students and their families do not have to pay additional fees.

An avid outdoorsman who graduated with a BA in Business Administration from DU in 1970, Kennedy was named publisher of the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel in the late ’70s and later co-founded Cox Enterprises, a media giant founded by his grandfather. I became the chairman. His resume also includes chairman of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission, a civic advisory board appointed by the governor.

Last year, Forbes magazine estimated Kennedy’s net worth at over $9 billion.

In January, the elevated portion of the Mountain Campus was named Andy and Barbara’s Upper Camp. This was to commemorate his $20 million donation to his DU to support programming and operations on the premises. Andy Taylor joined Kennedy in her 1970 graduating class, and with the couple’s continued support of the college’s programs, the school named Daniels Her College of Business Taylor Her Family Faculty Center.

The acquisition of Magic Sky Ranch was the culmination of two years of research by a team led by DU Senior Associate Vice President of College Admissions, Brandon Busby. In consultation with a board subcommittee, Hefner, and other administrators, he toured his 40 facilities, none of which were a perfect fit. It was either too close to civilization, too small, too inaccessible, or unsuitable for year-round use. More importantly, Buzbee’s team was looking for a location that offered opportunities to further his DU’s academic mission, which included research in the natural sciences, anthropology, and more.

Magic Sky proved the perfect answer. 7 miles from the nearest community, but with existing buildings and good water rights. DU also sees as a plus the fact that these rustic properties rarely constitute exclusive, upscale resorts. because it serves as a model of fairness. Haefner touted the benefits of what he called the “digital desert.” “

Archaeological surveys conducted by DU researchers and indigenous partners have revealed only artifacts and foundations scattered around the site, but not enough to qualify the campus for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. Things could be found, they say, and they’ll be keeping a close eye on how the campus evolves. being developed.

On May 16, Stuart Halsall was appointed Vice Chancellor of the Mountain Campus. The British native has held various roles at his DU for over 23 years and has been Chief Operating Officer of the Athletics and Recreation Division since 2019. He is now responsible for overseeing the campus, monitoring the students and visitors there, and building partnerships with Larimar County leaders and neighbors.

Other possible uses for the Mountain Campus are as diverse as the imagination of staff and students. Whether it’s the scenic arena where DU Pioneer athletes train, art students interpreting the outdoors on campus, business students honing their leadership skills, or the beauty of nature. It can be a place to exercise in silence, or it can simply be a quiet place. A place to write papers and de-stress before and after finals.

A philanthropist, Kennedy has always championed the cause of conservation, a mindset that DU’s executive director of sustainability, Chad King, hopes the mountain campus will foster. “It has been demonstrated that when people have experiences in nature, they have a deeper connection with nature, and their reasons for preserving nature often become clearer.”

As the use of these campuses expands over the next few years, university authorities envision forming a structured program available year-round to all DU students, although the Girl Scouts are primarily available in the summer. Used this facility.

Girl Scouts of Colorado focused their mountain activities on the 360-acre Flying G Ranch adjacent to Pike National Forest near Deckers, which they had owned since 1945. But the nonprofit decided it was too small, too seasonal, too small to meet growing demand, and put it up for sale. Instead, Scout Mile High Council chose to focus on her 1968 purchase of her Larimer County property. , from 2007 he operated Magic Sky Ranch as a resident camp until 2013, at losses of approximately $750,000 a year. By 2014, Girl Scouts, who ended up using it only about 68 days each year, decided to sell it and went public in 2015 through real estate company DTZ.

Six years after Magic Sky Ranch hit the market, Scout announced a deal with DU that would allow it to be used for up to six weeks each summer for at least the next seven years.

The 2021 deal was brokered by Denver-based Mirr Ranch Group. Mirr Ranch Group specializes in representing buyers and sellers in complex land transactions. The company’s founder, Ken Mirr, graduated from his Sturm College of Law in DU in his 1986 and, with his team, helped brokers from his alma mater secure contracts with Girl Scouts. rice field. Among the Mirr Ranch Group’s cap feathers is the fact that a portion of Caribou, the Boulder County site of his studio’s iconic recording studio, was sold to him in 2014 for $45 million. can be mentioned.

The Girl Scouts authorized approximately $3 million from the sale to be spent on deferred maintenance projects at other facilities, with the remainder held in a separate account to distribute the principal, including members, volunteers, board and staff. We are awaiting input from the stakeholder committee on how it will go. used or invested.

The University of Denver is the latest university to establish a high country campus, but the University of Colorado Boulder and Colorado State University have also upped their game in recent years.

A century ago, CU Boulder students learned geology at a height of 9,500 feet near Nederland. This place is now a mountain research base. Not only are CU undergraduates there to study plant and animal ecology, but it is also an excursion destination for young learners from kindergarten to senior year.

In addition to 190 acres of land, CU has a permit from the US Forest Service to conduct research on an adjacent 1,775 acres as part of the Mountain Climate Program that began 70 years ago. Since 1980, the National Science Foundation has funded the Niwot Ridge Long-Term Ecological Research Program to examine the effects of climate change on forests and alpine tundra.

Meanwhile, CSU is upgrading a 1,600-acre mountain facility at 9,000 feet above sea level, just over 50 miles west of its home campus in Fort Collins, near the northern edge of Rocky Mountain National Park. In June 2020, with approval from the Larimer County Commission, 6 existing 3-bedroom cabins were demolished and converted into 14 1- and 2-bedroom studio cabins that comply with the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act. replaced. The existing 760-square-foot lab attached to the housing will be replaced by a new 6,476-square-foot research and education center on the same site, housing research enhancements such as centrifuges, microscopes, refrigerators and freezers.

Located off Colorado Highway 14 in Poudre Canyon and adjacent to Larimer County Road 63E and Pingree Park Road, the CSU Mountain Campus has held classes since 1915. Together with five faculty members, you’ll learn about watershed management, grazing science, and more that can be applied to agriculture and general land management. Other studies on the site include forestry, meteorology and climate, groundwater, seismology, fisheries, and wildfire recovery, most notably in the foothills of the Northern Front Range.