Wednesday
October 8, 2003
Vol 1, No 14

1. Kieft appoints members to four new task forces
2. Mother of Matthew Shepard urges audience to get involved
3. 24-year-old Metro grad receives 40 Under 40 award
4. Mary Ann Watson completes film on Muslim women
5. New procedures for international travel, vendor payment
6. MetroConnect tips available
7. Auraria Library offers access to information 24/7
8. Response to last week's Horowitz article
9. Commission proposes overhaul of state personnel system

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1. Kieft appoints members to four new task forces

Interim president Ray Kieft has appointed more than 30 faculty to serve on four new task forces: retention/promotion/tenure, curriculum, budget and hiring. The task forces will work to identify ways to increase efficiency and simplify processes in these areas.

Referring to his fall convocation speech, Kieft said he is looking for ways to move the college to a flatter, less centralized organizational structure and to increase shared governance throughout the college. "I needed volunteers to think outside the box, streamline and simplify," he said. Kieft added that often organizations have processes in place, but no one takes a step back to look at modifying them. "The criteria doesn't have to change but the process itself could," he said.

Kieft is impressed with the enthusiasm of all the appointees, who were selected from members of related Senate standing committees and names he received from academic administrators and the Council of Chairs.

Arts Chair Gregg Watts, who is serving on the hiring task force, said the task forces are a good way of doing business. "If ever you feel there is a problem within an organization, you have to be willing to offer solutions and make changes," he said. Watts added that he appreciates the fact that faculty are being empowered to make changes. "This feels more like shared governance," he said.

Kieft, who appointed similar task forces while president at Mesa State and Framingham College, said the task forces will review and examine the academic side of the house. "If the experience of these task forces is positive, then it would be my intent to have similar task forces with an entirely different representation look at administrative processes and practices," Kieft said.

The task forces have been assigned to present Kieft with recommendations at the end of the semester. "These task forces will help decentralize areas of decision-making," he said.

The task forces have set initial meetings over the next couple of weeks. At these meetings the task force members will appoint a chair.

For a list of the committee members and the general charge of the task force, go to
http://www.mscd.edu/%7Ecollcom/@metro/tw@metro_vol1/taskforce_twv1100803.htm

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2. Mother of Matthew Shepard urges audience to get involved

The mother of Matthew Shepard, who was beaten and murdered five years ago because he was gay, spoke Monday afternoon in the Tivoli Turnhalle. Go to
http://www.mscd.edu/~collcom/@metro/tw@metro_vol1/shepard_twv1100803.htm

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3. 24-year-old Metro grad receives 40 Under 40 award

Less than two years after graduating from Metro State with a marketing degree, 24-year-old Ross Bruno has earned the Denver Business Journal's prestigious 40 Under 40 award. The awards, presented annually, honor 40 of Denver's rising business leaders. Bruno, owner of BSM Solutions, a strategic marketing firm, is the youngest recipient ever of the award. To read more go to
http://www.mscd.edu/%7Ecollcom/@metro/tw@metro_vol1/bruno_twv1100803.htm

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4. Mary Ann Watson completes film on Muslim women

"Wearing Hijab: Uncovering the Myths of Islam in the U.S.," the latest film production by psychology Professor Mary Ann Watson, is finished. Following a private screening Friday, the film and companion instructor's guide will be available for check out from the Auraria Library.

The film is the latest in a series on diversity that executive producer Watson, along with director Ray LeJeune, video producer at the Auraria Media Center, have created. It is the first of a two-part series on Muslim women and the decisions they make concerning important issues in their religious beliefs and practices. Part I was filmed in the Denver area during summer 2003. Part II will be filmed on location in Cairo, Alexandria and other parts of Egypt next summer.

The videos and companion instructor's guides are used to supplement classroom lectures and to provide students with a glimpse at different cultures.

Other titles in the diversity series are "Rites of Passage: Videocases of Traditional African Peoples," "Voices for Peace: Videocases of Jews and Arabs in Israel" and "The Changing American Indian in a Changing America: Videocases of American Indian Peoples."
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5. New procedures for international travel, vendor payment

Accounts Payable has announced new procedures regarding international travel and the payment of vendors.

All international travel must now be approved by the college president prior to the trip. For details go to
http://www.mscd.edu/%7Ecollcom/@metro/tw@metro_vol1/travel_twv1100803.htm

Before any vendor can be paid for services delivered, a W-9 form, which states the vendor's federal tax identification number or social security number, must be completed. For details go to
http://www.mscd.edu/%7Ecollcom/@metro/tw@metro_vol1/vendor_twv1100803.htm

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6. MetroConnect tips available

To help users take full advantage of MetroConnect, Information Technology presents MetroConnect Tips. In this installment, information on forwarding e-mail to MetroConnect and scheduling rooms via MetroConnect is provided. To view the tips, go to the My Tabs section on the front page of MetroConnect.
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7. Auraria Library offers access to information 24/7

The Auraria Library announces improved access to its online databases, which include Expanded Academic ASAP, LexisNexis Academic and ScienceDirect. Also available through the Auraria Library is AskColorado, a new virtual reference desk service staffed by librarians 24 hours a day. To read more go to
http://www.mscd.edu/%7Ecollcom/@metro/tw@metro_vol1/library_twv1100803.htm

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8. Response to last week's Horowitz article

In last week's article about conservative activist David Horowitz, This Week @Metro inaccurately reported the size of the audience. About 800 people attended the Horowitz lecture. Also, reader Leandro Martinez was unhappy with last week's coverage of the David Horowitz speech. To read his letter, go to
http://www.mscd.edu/%7Ecollcom/@metro/tw@metro_vol1/letter_twv1100803.htm

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9. Commission proposes overhaul of state personnel system

A plan to remove the state personnel system from the Colorado Constitution, opening the door for changes that would make it easier to hire, retain and fire state employees was unveiled Monday by Gov. Bill Owens and former Gov. Dick Lamm. The proposal, prepared by the Governor's Commission on Civil Service Reform, will be considered by the state legislature, and if approved, it will go before voters on the November 2004 ballot. If passed, it would become effective in 2007.

Among the proposed changes to the personnel system is giving higher education institutions the option of creating their own separate personnel systems for their own employees, while protecting employees' retirement rights. To read more go to
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~1681215,00.html

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@Metro is an electronic news bulletin distributed every Wednesday to all faculty, staff and administrators at Metropolitan State College of Denver.
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