University of Denver Winter 2023

How will research and community engagement provide a better understanding of these issues? By bringing together colleagues with expertise in these core areas—social, economic, legal/political—we aim to shed light on these issues but also use the tools of our respective disciplines to show the nuance and interrelationships among them. For example, we have colleagues with expertise in K–12 education, while others focus on the immigration/crim inal justice system. They might not seem to be interrelated, but the threat of deportation of parents affects their children’s school outcomes or socioemotional health and well-being. By collaborating with community partners, we endeavor to share this work beyond the walls of the ivory tower to po tentially impact the lives of immigrant community members who are dealing with theste issues. In other words, we want our reach to extend beyond academic circles—to engage and partner with service providers, educators, policymakers and elected officials as well as immigrants themselves. We hope for DU to become a renowned center for work on migration that is rigorous, transformative and commu nity-engaged. We aspire for policymakers and community advocates to turn to DU for cutting-edge advice, recommen dations and implementation support on key immigration issues impacting the country, state and city of Denver. The Sturm Immigration Law & Policy Clinic has opened the way for DU to play this role, training some of the top immigration lawyers in the region and designing and testifying for What do you hope to accomplish through this work?

legislation that made Colorado a trend-setter in severing the ties between the criminal justice system and immigration enforcement. We build on the legacy of our colleagues at the law school and bring together the research expertise, creative works and teaching prowess of our affiliates [across campus] to provide a more holistic contribution to immi gration dynamics. Why is it important for CIPR to provide a more robust picture of migration dynamics? Opinions about immigration are often deeply held but also a product of our own experiences, socialization and even media exposure. Our affiliates, through their research, teaching, creative works and partnerships, provide both a data-driven response and human face to, as journalist Todd Miller wrote, “build bridges, not walls.” Some centers focus on policy, legal representation or social services, or may focus on the humanities and undergraduate education. Our center is unique for bringing these elements together to build on one another. We aspire for law students to work alongside international studies students; social work students to collaborate with students from theater and music; Spanish language students to help translate for psychology clinics; and for history students to sit alongside law students to learn about immigrant detention together. Centers that pigeon-hole themselves to law, policy or the social sciences may miss the creative sparks and generative potential emerging from the arts that allows us to imagine alterna tive possibilities.

26 | UNIVERSITY of DENVER MAGAZINE • WINTER 2023