The Ricks Center was founded in 1984 as the University Center for Gifted Young Children. When the center’s new building opened in 1991, the building and center were named in honor of benefactress Alta Ricks (1905-2005), who donated $500,000 for the facility. Her affiliation with DU began when she met then Chancellor Dan Ritchie through mutual friend and DU law alumnus William Collister, JD ’51. The Ricks Center enrolls 270 children ages 3 through the eighth grade.