Joan Foster, interim vice president of academic affairs has announced the appointment of. Linda Curran as interim associate vice president of academic affairs for curriculum and programs. She began work August 2.

Curran comes to Metro with both academic and administrative experience. She holds a Ph.D. in anthropology and M.B.A. from the State University of New York at Binghamton. For 10 years she taught at the University of Colorado at Denver. Her many responsibilities there included service on the Curriculum Committee of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Honors Advisory Committee, the campus-wide Core Curriculum Oversight Committee, the Campus Academic Policies and Procedures Committee and the Cultural Diversity Core Curriculum Committee.

As an administrator, Curran has worked as budget director for the Office of State Colleges, the central office for Metro's former Board of Trustees, and served as vice president for administration and finance of the System of State Colleges. While holding the VP position, Curran agreed to serve briefly as interim vice president for financial and administrative services at Mesa State College to help during a time of transition. There, she became familiar with Banner, the administrative software system used at Metro.

Foster said Curran was selected from a field of excellent applicants. "Dr. Curran's breadth of experience provides her with the background to perform the duties of the position and shows her flexibility in taking on projects as needed," Foster explained. "Because her work has been connected to but not part of Metro State, she also brings a fresh perspective to the college."