ULA Lecture Series
University Library Association lectures are sponsored by the University Library Association (ULA) and the University Libraries. Members of the DU community, including students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, neighbors and friends, are welcome to attend at no charge.
All lectures are held in the Anderson Academic Commons, Room 290.
Refreshments: 1:30 p.m.
Lecture: 2:00 p.m.
Thursday September 10, 2026
Ingrid Tague Ph.D. presents: Pets and Their People
Anderson Academic Commons, Room 290
Pets are so ubiquitous in America today that it's easy to take them for granted. We have pet hotels, aromatherapy for animals, and a multibillion-dollar industry devoted to providing them food and entertainment. But where did this obsession with pets come from? For most of our history, keeping an animal that didn't earn its living, either as a worker or as food, would have been seen as a bizarre waste of resources at best, and downright sinful at worst. In this talk, Ingrid Tague will explore our strange and wonderful bonds with our pets, showing how, beginning in the eighteenth century, they came to hold such an important place in our lives. Why do we think that love of animals is a good indicator of moral character? And if pet keeping is good for us, is it also good for our pets?
Thursday October 8, 2026
Lewis Griffith Ph.D. presents: Cyberwar: Fact, Fiction or Future
Anderson Academic Commons, 290
The label "cyberwar" gets thrown around routinely, which is odd given there is no consensus on what it means or if cyberwar is, has, or ever will happen. There is no question that the technological space known as cyber is an important arena of strategic competition between conflicting state and non-state actors, yet the debate about whether "cyberwar" is a reality, a euphemism, or the wrong way to understand the security challenge(s) rages. We will examine the competing understandings of national security/militarized activity in cyber (war now, war never, or war someday) and the associated trade-offs for managing strategic cyber engagements going forward.
Thursday November 12, 2026
Holly Harmon and the Denver Art Museum presents: Defining the Diva
Anderson Academic Commons, 290
What does it mean to be a diva? Learn the origin of the term and how perceptions of these cultural megastars have changed over time as we explore DIVA, on view at the Denver Art Museum from October 4-Janurary 31. Hear the stories of iconic divas from the worlds of opera, dance, theatre, film, and popular music, including Josephine Baker, Sarah Bernhardt, Maria Callas, Aretha Franklin, Judy Garland, Lady Gaga, Tina Turner, Cher, and Rihanna. Discover how divas throughout time used their platform and influence to challenge the status quo, push the boundaries of artistic expression, and ultimately shape our culture while inspiring social change.
Thursday January 14, 2027
Chancellor Chopp Ph.D. presents: Rethinking Alzheimer’s: Hope, Science, and the Power of Lifestyle
Anderson Academic Commons, 290
A thoughtful, honest discussion of my personal experience alongside emerging science.
- Your diagnosis and pathway to improvement
- What we know (and don’t know) about cognitive decline
- The role of lifestyle: sleep, stress, social connection, purpose
Thursday February 11, 2027
Rupert Jenkins Presents: Minor White and the Birth of Modern Photography in Colorado
Anderson Academic Commons, 290
Rupert Jenkins is the author of "Outside Influence: Photography in Colorado 1945-1995” (University Press of Colorado, 2026). Seen through a social, political, and cultural lens the book draws from more than 120 personal interviews to identify Colorado's principal in-state creators, mentors, and advocates from the modernist era of film processing to the emergence of interdisciplinary digital practice.
This presentation begins in 1951 with a now-legendary conference on photography at Aspen's Jerome Hotel that introduced Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, Minor White and other eminent photographers to the state. White in particular had a transformative impact on a small but influential group of Denver's mid century practitioners: Arnold Gassan, Walter Chappell, Nile Root, Syl Labrot, and two DU graduates: Winter Prather (MS 1945) and James O. Milmoe (MFA 1977). Aided by images and documents, Jenkins will discuss their careers and particular legacy on Colorado's history of fine art photography.
Thursday March 11, 2027
David Fastman Presents: A Gift with an Agenda: Examining Books Given to the University of Denver Library by the German Foreign Book Exchange
Anderson Academic Commons, 290
In 1936, the University of Denver received a gift of books from the German Foreign Book Exchange. Included in the gift were German classics, books on art, and German history. However, over 50% of the gift was in fact propaganda and eugenics literature. The gift was controversial at the time and still raises relevant questions about how and why libraries collect materials today.
Thursday April 8, 2027
Provost Elizabeth Loboa Ph.D. presents: History of Higher Education
Anderson Academic Commons, 290
Explore the evolution of higher education and the institutions, ideas, and social forces that have shaped colleges and universities over time. This talk considers how higher education has responded to changing cultural, political, and intellectual landscapes—and how its history continues to influence the role of colleges and universities today.