Past Alumni Award Recipients

Barb Weiske earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1984 and her Master of Public Administration degree in in 1992, both from CU Denver. She has served the Auraria Campus for 40 years in a variety of roles, starting as a student worker in 1979 and quickly grew to become the General Manager of the Tivoli Denver Shopping Mall to Division Director of the Student & Auxiliary Services Division, Vice President for Operations & Deputy Executive Vice President for Administration, and mostly recently Chief Executive Officer (CEO) from 2009 - 2019. 

Her passion for the Auraria Campus and its three institutions of higher education is not only genuine, it is contagious. When she was appointed CEO, she made it her goal to build the "connectivity" between the institutions of Auraria and the City of Denver. She has accomplished and exceeded that goal in multiple ways. Her style and commitment to her work is unwavering, her staff describes her as "the eye that never blinks" as she's always on the lookout for anything that is out of place or needs attention on the Auraria Campus.

Under Barb's leadership, the Auraria Campus has experienced unprecedented growth, due largely to her advocacy and execution of the "neighborhood concept". The shared neighborhood core now encompasses collective services and disciplines in state-of-the art facilities that are common to all: one library, one science building, one performing arts center, and one student union. Her work in shepherding the neighborhood concept spurred the construction of over 600,000 new square feet of academic/student service space, during a recession. 

In addition to significant renovations of existing facilities, the campus has added almost 3.4 million built square feet since the opening of the original campus in 1976, with more than 40 percent of that growth occurring in the past six years, under Barb's able leadership. The Auraria Campus is now a leading economic engine for the City of Denver and the State of Colorado.

Barb has invested three decades in public administration and community service and has created a long-lasting legacy across our broader community. Downtown Denver is a thriving and attractive center of education, cultural events and industry, due in part to Barb's years of behind-the-scenes work. CU Denver is a stronger institution because of her service to campus and its surrounding neighborhoods. We are proud to call Barb a CU Denver alumna. While she gives her best to all three Auraria institutions, we always feel there's an extra-special place in her heart for CU Denver, her alma mater!