Leading Research Institutes

The University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) has long led the University in research expenditures, with $12.8 million in expenditures in 2022–23, up from $11.8 million the previous year. The University’s top funded investigator last year was GSSW Research Professor Robin Leake, executive director of the Butler Institute for Families.

Now, the Butler Institute and GSSW’s Institute for Human–Animal Connection (IHAC) have been named official DU Research Institutes. The two GSSW institutes are among just six DU programs to receive the new designation.

“These new Research Institutes possess national and international reputations of significant stature, creating the peer reputation needed for their departments or divisions to become highly respected,” says Corinne Lengsfeld, senior vice provost for research and graduate education. “They serve the fundamental mission of the University by creating an accessible educational environment that attracts, retrains and retains top faculty and students.”

To be considered for designation as a Research Institute, an entity must have a three- to five-year annual average of $1.5 million in research expenditures from external sources. It must also contribute to the fabric of the University through the number of faculty involved and students taught and trained.

Through research, evaluation, organizational improvement efforts, trainings, coaching and dissemination of information, the Butler Institute works to improve early childhood, behavioral health, child welfare and tribal systems and programs. IHAC works to elevate the value of the interrelationship of human, animal and environmental health and welfare through education and research.

“At GSSW, our scientific focus is on racial and social justice, community-engaged research and interventions that improve individual and community well-being,” says Associate Professor and Interim Dean Lisa Reyes Mason. “It’s wonderful to see the contributions and impact of the Butler Institute and Institute for Human–Animal Connection recognized.”