University of Colorado Boulder history

CU opened its doors (or rather, its door) in 1877.

CU hired its first female professor, Mary Rippon, in 1878.

In 1912, the University of Colorado in Boulder established the Denver extension to offer courses in downtown Denver.

CU hired its first female professor, Mary Rippon, in 1878. Its first African American female graduate, Lucile Berkeley Buchanan, received her degree in 1918.

Macky Auditorium was built in 1923, the last building designed by the original architect of the campus, Charles Klauder.

The university mascot, the buffalo, was chosen via a campus newspaper competition in 1934 and was first used at a football game that fall when students rented a bison calf to display.

In 1947, CU Denver was located in the Fraternal Building at 14th and Glenarm.

In 1971, the current College of Liberal Arts and Sciences was established.

In 1973, Colorado lawmakers amended the state constitution to establish additional CU campuses, transforming the University of Colorado – Denver Center into the University of Colorado Denver.

In 1977, CU Denver students began taking classes on the Auraria Campus, alongside students from Metropolitan State University of Denver and Community College of Denver.

CU Denver students, faculty, and alumni marched on the Colorado State Capitol in 1979—to preserve the university's sovereignty in the face of a potential merger.

Originally founded by passionate real estate leaders in Colorado in 1989, the CU Real Estate Center is embarking on its 25th year at the University of Colorado.

In 1990, the university acquired a new building at the corner of 14th and Larimer Streets, which became the CU Denver Building.

In 2004, the Board of Regents voted to consolidate CU Denver with the CU Anschutz Medical Campus.

In 2013, CU Denver unveiled its official mascot, Milo the lynx, who was named for a combination of the Mile High City and the campus' location near Lower Downtown.