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Classes link Metro to downtown
Summer courses meet to discuss world affairs, education at Skyline Park
By Kate Johnson
jokathry@mscd.edu

As leaders from eight of the world’s top industrialized nations made their way toward St. Petersburg, Russia to discuss a variety of global issues, Metro’s American National Government class traveled to a park in downtown Denver to hold a forum addressing similar issues.

On July 13, Political Science Chair Robert Hazan gathered with his class beneath a pavilion-style tent at Skyline Park, where various lecturers examined issues such as renewable energy, finance, trade and counterterrorism—all topics to be debated at this year’s Group of Eight Summit.

The class forum was held as part of an initiative by Metro President Stephen Jordan in conjunction with the Downtown Denver Partnership.

In addition to the political science forum, Heather Boylan, Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education, is holding her Education in Multicultural Urban Secondary Schools class at Skyline on Thursdays this month.

The initiative, of which Jordan is a board member, aims to reconnect Metro and the Auraria campus with downtown Denver, thereby increasing visibility and strengthening Metro’s image in the community.

“I think it’s a great first step in building those connections,” said Metro Education Ventures Director Carol Svendsen.

Jordan has asked Boylan to survey students about the Skyline class experience, which she said she would do this week. She said she wants to do a thorough job to gather evidence that the program is a success.

Boylan said she felt the students were having a great time with the outside classes, but were still taking it seriously. She said attendance for the classes has been “amazing.”

“Students have been amazingly engaged in the educational process,” she said. “It’s been a really positive learning experience.”

Hazan said these classes are also an opportunity to attract potential Metro students.

“It helps us to engage high school students in the community with Metro’s academic activities,” he said.

Hazan’s class invited Metro professors Kebede Gellan and Jim Cole, along with President and CEO of the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce Deborah Palmieri as speakers.

The class discussed the issues that the G8 would be facing over the weekend, such as energy, protection of the environment, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. The G8 consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Cole, a political science professor at Metro, criticized the G8 nations as the world’s leading arms dealers and for having financially helped only 17 of the most heavily indebted third world nations. He denounced the summit as a long, drawn-out process that accomplishes nothing.

Cole said global energy security is at risk because terrorists could attack nuclear power plants that have been automated. That concern rises if the United States and Great Britain increase their nuclear power production.

Palmieri, an expert on Russian-United States relations, said this year’s summit is significant in part for its location. The gathering comes just nine years after former President Boris Yeltsin first represented Russia in the G8 in 1997, which was held in Denver.

“Russia’s come a long way in those nine years,” she said.

One point of tension between the United States and Russia is North Korea. She said that despite Russia’s dismissal of North Korea’s recent missile tests as a minor threat, they are still trying to reach a compromise with the Western nations regarding negotiation with the rogue country.

Mark Margaretten, a student in Hazan’s class, said he enjoyed having the forum outside.

“It removes the barriers of academia,” Margaretten said.

When Jordan sparked the Skyline Park class initiative, he sent out requests for volunteers to hold their classes outdoors.

The initiative came to the surface in part because the focus of the DDP’s Leadership Program this year is to lessen the gap between downtown Denver and Metro.

John Kerns, event manager for the DDP, said he thinks that the partnership with Metro will help attract students to downtown living and generally clear up misconceptions about downtown Denver.

According to a 2006 brand audit condeucted by Stacy Lewis & Associates, Metro’s lack of visibility may be due to the “Speer Boulevard Gap.”

Kerns said the DDP wants to continue its partnership with Metro.

“Our support is 100 percent around this program,” he said.

Clayton Woullard contributed to this report.