A Message from President Aceves
Dear Colleagues,
As we usher in March, we embrace Women's History Month, a dedicated time to recognize and celebrate the significant contributions women have woven into the tapestry of our society. Recognizing the importance of this occasion, I sought the insight and perspective of Dr. Kate Partridge, Ph.D., Director of the Women's and Gender Studies Program at Regis. Here is what she shared.
“For the last several years, I have welcomed new undergraduate students to Regis as an instructor in the First-Year Experience. In my class, The Mile-High City, students have learned about the history, cultures, and politics of Denver as they reflect on their own place at Regis. I enjoy taking students on excursions into the city, visiting sites like Confluence Park, and walking around Northwest Denver. I live on a street near our campus, myself, and one of my favorite historical facts about the neighborhood is one connected to the history of Catholic communities in Denver. Maybe you know this history, too.
Just a few minutes’ walk from our campus, on the 4800 block of Federal (where McCoy’s is now), is the former site of the Queen of Heaven Orphanage. Here’s a photograph of it from the archives at History Colorado. Queen of Heaven was founded by Frances Xavier Cabrini, also known as Mother Cabrini; Cabrini hailed from Italy, and she arrived in Colorado at the turn of the 20th century to support the families of Italian miners, some of whose children were eventually given shelter at Queen of Heaven. The site on Federal is the second home of Queen of Heaven, and it was demolished to allow for the construction of I-70—part of a complex story of immigrant communities in this neighborhood. Mother Cabrini’s legacy (including her canonization as the first American woman saint) is fascinating, and I’d encourage you to learn more about her life and work, and to take opportunities to visit the many sites around Denver, like the Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden, that pay tribute to her work.
Women’s History Month, celebrated in March each year, gives us an opportunity to consider the contributions of women like Mother Cabrini who have shaped our communities. We celebrate the women who were the first to open doors and shatter ceilings alongside those who have recognized injustice and demanded change. As an institution committed to standing with the marginalized, this work is essential to our Jesuit mission. Women’s History Month offers us a chance to not only honor the contributions of these women, but also to recommit ourselves to putting the lessons of their lives, their writing, and their ideas into action.
As a university community, we have the unique opportunity to welcome guests and faculty experts to share their perspectives on how we can do this work meaningfully. I am excited that Regis will host a series of events over the coming weeks that highlight the work of women in diverse fields, and with a particular focus on Latine communities. We are honored to welcome Dr. Antonia Novello, the first Hispanic Surgeon General of the United States, and her co-author Jill Tietjen, for a conversation on Novello’s new autobiography, hosted by Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions. In addition, the Salvadoran writer and editor Susana Reyes will join us for two events: a keynote address, Editando Centroamérica (Editing Central America), on feminist literary activism in Central America, and a personal narrative workshop, ¿Por Qué Escribimos? Why do we write?, co-facilitated with Dr. Heider Tun Tun (HiPPE). (Both Reyes events will be in Spanish, with simultaneous English translation.)
I invite you to visit the Women’s History Month site to learn more about these and other events, including a fiction workshop with Chicana feminist and YA novelist Tisha Reichle-Aguilera and a Good Trouble Conversation, A Conversation on Radical Empathy in Multicultural Women’s Fiction, featuring Dr. Lara Narcisi (English) and Dr. Nicki Gonzales (Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion). I am grateful for the work of our organizing partners, including ODEIE, the Office of Mission, MarCom, Service Learning, Rueckert-Hartman, and the Regis College Women’s and Gender Studies Program, English Department, and History, Politics, and Political Economy Department for their generous contributions to these events.
As we enter Women’s History Month, I encourage you to find an opportunity to join us in this work, whether by attending an event, telling your story at a writing workshop, or devoting a few minutes to learning more about the women who have shaped our intellectual and personal lives.”
Thank you, Dr. Partridge. I sincerely appreciate you leading and sharing our program's history and the many experiences that allow our students to witness the contributions of women throughout the Denver community. I encourage our campus community to participate in the many events taking place throughout the month. It is an excellent opportunity to delve deeper into the stories that pay homage to the countless women who have and continue to inspire and guide us.
Kindly,
Salvador D. Aceves, Ed.D
President