Celebration of Success
The University of Colorado Denver Business School holds an annual fundraising event, the Celebration of Success, which is instrumental in raising funds to support scholarships and professorships.
The Celebration of Success dinner began in 1996 as a way to increase the amount of funding available to student scholarships and to reward outstanding faculty members.
Real success
Since the dinner’s beginning, the UC Denver Business School has raised over $3.2 million. As a result, thousands of students have received financial support towards their quest for an education. Additionally, several deserving faculty members have been awarded term professorships.
The Celebration of Success dinner has earned the reputation as one of the best events offered in the Denver business community. Much of event’s success is attributed to the fact that some of the world’s most outstanding leaders have appeared as keynote speakers. Speakers such as Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, President George Bush, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, U.S. General (ret) and former Secretary of State Colin Powell have shared their incredible wisdom with our audiences.
Prominent Denver community and business leaders have also been supporters of the Celebration of Success by acting as Dinner Chairs. Their involvement is a testimony to their support of the Business School and to higher education.
Past Celebrations
- 2007. Robert Reich
- Former U.S. Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich, spoke on "The Global Economy: China, India, Denver and the Future of Everything”
- 2006. John Malone, Liberty Media Chairman.
- Business School Dean Sueann
Ambron welcomed more than 700
business and community leaders
to the event and acknowledged
the significance of their support.
“We're proud of this Business School that understands business and gives students a taste of the real thing,” said CU President Hank Brown in his introductory remarks. Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper introduced the evening’s featured speaker, Liberty Media Chairman John Malone. Malone, who holds degrees from Yale and Johns Hopkins, has had a long and successful career in telecommunications. - 2005. General Colin L. Powell.
- “Diplomacy: Persuasion, Trust and Values” Persuasion, trust and values – these key elements create the triumvirate of diplomacy whether dealing with local business negotiations or international relations. No one knows this better than General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.). As one of the 21st century’s most fervent purveyors of democratic values, Powell understands the role of diplomacy in furthering the universal ideal of democracy. He understands that persuasion, reason and trust building are critical tools in getting governments to cooperate for the common good.
- 2003. General H. Norman Schwartzkopf
- The message was simple: Take charge and do what is right. Those are the leadership principles of General H. Norman Schwartzkopf (ret.), who was greeted with a standing ovation by more than 800 attendees at the 2003 Celebration of Success fund-raising dinner.
- 2002. Rudolph Giuliani.
- Rudolph Guiliani gave the keynote address.
- 2001. Madeline Albright
- Madeline Albright gave the keynote address.
- 2000. Mikhail Gorbachev.
- Mikhail Gorbachev, former leader of the Soviet Union gave the keynote address.
- 1999. Shimon Peres.
- The former Prime Minister of Israel was the guest speaker in 1999.
- 1998. Margaret Thatcher.
- Margaret Thatcher gave the keynote address.
- 1997. President George Bush.
- President George Bush spoke on "The New Geopolitical Landscape: Why America must continue to lead and stay engaged in the world."
- 1996. General Colin Powell
- Inaugural event. General Colin Powell gave the keynote address.
