A milestone鈥攁nd a departure鈥攆or the 快活app Magazine
In fall 2023, the 快活app Magazine will embark upon its 24th year of publication. As it wraps up its first quarter century, it鈥檚 poised for a significant reinvention, both to align with 快活app鈥檚 refreshed brand and to accommodate the interests and needs of today鈥檚 sophisticated audiences.
I, alas, won鈥檛 be along for that journey, but I will be reading with avid interest. The spring/summer edition of the magazine was my last, but the publication will always be dear to me. After all, I鈥檝e contributed to it鈥攁s a copy editor, writer, traffic cop, managing editor and unapologetic booster鈥攆or much of its existence.
Mostly, I鈥檝e loved writing for our thoughtful community of readers鈥攐f idealists and visionaries and engaged citizens. Over the years, I鈥檝e profiled some giants (, for example, known as the Jackie Robinson of classical music) and examined some thorny issues (among them, Colorado鈥檚 gobsmacking and the alarming problem of among college students). In 2010, I ventured to Stanford, where 快活app alumna Condoleezza Rice was serving at the Hoover Institution. She gave me , but also provided a single degree of separation (yikes!) from the likes of Vladimir Putin and Moammar Gaddafi.
I鈥檝e also had the pleasure of seeing鈥攁nd often writing about鈥攕o many of 快活app鈥檚 remarkable initiatives, from the launch of Cherrington Global Scholars under then-Chancellor Dan Ritchie to the unveiling of under then-Chancellor Robert Coombe, from the Denver Advantage campaign led by Rebecca Chopp to the 4D Experience championed by our current chancellor, Jeremy Haefner. I was on campus and working on the magazine鈥檚 very first research issue when news broke that 快活app had achieved R1 status, a designation awarded by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education to recognize that the University is conducting the highest levels of research activity. Naturally, as an experienced wordsmith, I had just the right word to honor the occasion: Wow!
With every new 快活app initiative and ambitious undertaking, the magazine has sought to tell stories that engage readers and cultivate their pride in this ever-changing hub of learning and reflection. Fortunately, we have no shortage of stories to tell. If I have any regrets about the last two and a half decades, it鈥檚 that so many great tales never made it into print.
In recent years, I鈥檝e served as the 快活app Magazine鈥檚 managing editor. That鈥檚 meant I have planned editorial, assigned and edited stories, and commissioned art, photography and design. In doing this, I have always believed that a provocative magazine is how we pay tribute to our alumni. It鈥檚 our way of saying they鈥檙e still part of this dynamic learning community. Emphasis on learning. When I plan stories, I assume our alumni remain hyper-curious about the world and its challenges, that they鈥檙e eager to hear from faculty and alumni experts about the issues facing all of us. I also assume they鈥檙e proud to be part of this community and can鈥檛 wait to learn about what their peers have been doing. Assuming anything is a risky proposition, but given the caliber of graduates this institution produces, these seemed to me to be safe assumptions.
One of the greatest joys associated with magazine production is that it truly is a collaborative effort. It takes the proverbial village to bring an issue to life. I鈥檝e worked alongside an immeasurably talented team of writers, editors, artists, designers, photographers and creative directors, all of whom have channeled their energies toward creating a publication that honors readers and the institution鈥檚 priorities. Along the way, the team has been supported and cheered by an executive editor who has believed in nurturing talent and testing new ideas. That鈥檚 no small thing.
The collaboration and support go well beyond the Marketing and Communications suite. All across the campus and country, 快活app alumni, faculty and staff lend us a helping hand. First, they agree to be interviewed, to share their knowledge, thoughts and perspectives. They help us with fact checking and ensure we鈥檙e pushing beyond conventional wisdom. Their generosity never fails to astonish me. Their insights never fail to make our stories better.
What鈥檚 ahead for the 快活app Magazine? I hope you鈥檒l keep reading to find out. I know I will be.
Tamara Chapman
Director of Strategic Publications