You could write a book about all the great community outreach projects run by the faculty and staff in the School of Letters, Arts and Sciences. From institutionalized programs like the Center for Visual Art, the Family Literacy Program and the Golda Meir Center for Political Leadership to individual initiatives like free hearing tests for children and Math Day, the school opens its doors to Denver—and Metro students—in countless ways.

Community outreach is an "extension of our mission," says Tara Tull, LAS interim assistant dean. "Students receive opportunities to learn through service and internships that can lead to jobs. It's all circular. Serving the community serves our students, which in turn serves us."

For instance, the Institute for Women's Studies and Services helps educate underserved communities about scholarship opportunities and support services available through Metro. Working with more than a dozen community organizations such as the Red Earth's Women's Alliance and Rocky Mountain SER (Service, Employment, Redevelopment), the institute spreads the word about scholarships, free computer programs and educational access. "We want to let women know," says Christina M. Sigala, interim associate director for women's services, "that we'll walk with you on your educational journey."

Then there are the students and faculty in Metro's Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences Program who take their skills outside Metro's walls to test the hearing of children and adults in locations such as Faith Christian Academy, the Community School for the Gifted, and the Auraria Early Learning Center, among others.

Programs with DPS
The Department of Music began reaching out even more after the King Center opened in 2000, providing a proper venue for performance and training. Today, the department hosts four major "celebrations"—Jazz, Piano, Choral and Flute—bringing world-class talent to campus for the benefit of Metro State students as well as middle and high school students and educators throughout Colorado. In its fourth year, the Jazz Celebration—a partnership of Metro, Denver Public Schools and the Denver School of the Arts—takes place April 14-16, and will showcase guest artists vocalist Sunny Wilkinson, the Eddie Palmieri Latin Jazz Band and the Dave Phillips Quartet in addition to about 70 student groups from around the state. Concert tickets are free for Metro State faculty, staff and students.

Another LAS project with DPS is El Alma de la Raza, also known as The Alma Project. The initiative, which provides multicultural curricula and teacher training for early childhood educators through 12th-grade teachers, has involved the research and expertise of students and faculty at Metro, including Chicana/o studies Chairman Luis Torres, who worked on the original grant to fund the program and continues his participation today.

Focusing on math and science
Eighth through 12th graders are the focus of Metro's Center for Mathematics, Science and Environmental Education. In its eighth year, the center's Summer Science Institute brings more than 150 Front Range middle schoolers to campus to study microbiology, chemistry, meteorology and other topics with Metro faculty. The high school program, Summer Science Scholars, is entering its third year and gives 18 students the chance to explore biology and chemistry concepts in depth.

Student evaluations indicate that most participants leave the program with more awareness of the sciences and increased interest. "Middle school is where the disconnect happens with math, science and technology," explains Larry Johnson, professor of mathematics and center director. "The future lies in the areas of science, mathematics and technology. We hate to see students shortchange their potential by opting out of those disciplines."

Another community outreach effort in mathematics, run by the Mathematical and Computer Sciences Department, is Math Day, which pits about 200 high schoolers against each other in a math and brain teaser competition.

Bringing scholars to campus
Other LAS outreach efforts include the Richard T. Castro Visiting Professorship, this year held by Cheech Marin, who visits campus next week. See next week's edition of This Week @Metro for more information about Marin's visit. The Rachel B. Noel Distinguished Visiting Professorship also brings noted scholars and artists to campus. To read about Noel, go to
http://www.mscd.edu/%7Ecollcom/@metro/tw@metro_vol2/noel_twv2020905.htm

The efforts described above represent a fraction of the School of Letters, Arts and Sciences' community outreach. They don't even begin to account for the service that students perform as part of individual internships and field placements through departments like Social Work and Political Science, fieldwork done by archaeology students who are helping to uncover bits of Denver's history, and the innumerable hours faculty and students spend working for others in their own lives.