Press Releases:
December 2007
December 18, 2007
METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE of DENVER
Hotel Learning Center Slated for Downtown Denver College Campus
Denver - Metropolitan State College of Denver and the Department of Hospitality, Tourism, and Events (HTE) are preparing for a hotel and a Hotel Learning Center (HLC) to be housed on the Auraria Higher Education Center (AHEC) campus located on 125 acres in downtown Denver, Colo. The hotel will include 150-200 guest rooms, restaurant, meeting and banquet space, and the HLC. It's scheduled to open fall of 2010.
"There are approximately 10 colleges or universities in the country that host hotels," says Chad Gruhl, chair of the Metro State Hotel Learning Center Task Force. "We expect to be one of two on the West Coast, along with the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, to host a hotel and a learning center where students and professionals can come to learn about the hospitality industry."
The idea for the hotel was planted more than a decade ago, but is coming to fruition during a record surge in tourism for the city. According to Toronto-based business research company, Longwoods International, 2006 was the best year ever for Denver tourism with 11.7 million overnight visitors coming to the city. This is a 13 percent increase over the 10.4 million overnight visitors who came to Denver in 2005, the largest single one year increase in tourism in Denver's history.
At this point the hotel and learning center are estimated to cost between $30 and $35 million. The official release for the RFP for the management company/flag is scheduled for as early as February 2008.
"Metro State will be offering to individuals and corporations the opportunity to name both the Hotel Learning Center and various public spaces and facilities within the Center," says Gruhl, who is also an assistant professor and director of Hotel Management in the HTE department. "Since the Hotel Learning Center will be located in downtown adjacent to one of Denver's most traveled thoroughfares, it offers a wonderful opportunity to any corporation seeking to publicize its support of higher education."
Questions will be answered at two predetermined dates in mid-January 2008. For more information contact Chad Gruhl via email at cgruhl@mscd.edu.
For information about Metro State, visit www.mscd.edu
For information about the HLC, visit www.mscd.edu/~hmt/resources/hlc.shtml
For information about AHEC, visit www.ahec.edu
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December 12, 2007
METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE of DENVER
Record number expected to graduate from Metro State on Sunday
2008 DNC host committee president Elbra Wedgeworth to deliver commencement address
Denver - Elbra Wedgeworth, former Denver City Council president and current president of the Denver 2008 Democratic National Convention host committee, will address a record 1,064 graduates at Metropolitan State College of Denver's commencement Sunday, Dec. 16 at 2 p.m. at the Colorado Convention Center.
Wedgeworth served as City Council president from 2003 to 2005 and was City Council president pro tempore from 2001 to 2002. She has more than 16 years of experience working in Denver city government, with the unusual distinction of having served in all three branches. In April of this year, Wedgeworth was named Denver Health's chief government and community affairs officer, responsible for all governmental legislative matters on the local, state and federal level and community outreach.
She will address the largest fall graduating class in the College's history - a 13.2 percent increase over last fall. Twenty three percent are students of color. There are many inspiring stories among the record number of expected graduates. Below is a sample:
Claudia Janiszewski - Eleven years after taking her first class at Metro State, Janiszewski is graduating with a degree in non-profit organization administration and development - her first degree. It's been a long, but rewarding road for Janiszewski, who established her own non profit agency, Organization for the Support of Albania's Abandoned Babies (OSAAB), in July 1997. In December 2002, Janiszewski received the "President Civil Merit Medal and Decree" by the President of the Republic of Albania. It was also in 2002 that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She is cancer free now. Her organization made world news when U.S. First Lady Laura Bush visited the OSAAB "Angel's Cradle" nursery in the Tirana maternity hospital while on her visit to Albania in June of this year.(more information available at http://www.osaab.org/)
Darla, Danea and Joshua Buell - A family of three at a graduation usually means two people are in attendance to support the one who is graduating. Not in the case of the Buell family. All three will graduate Sunday from Metro State: Mom, Darla, with a degree in integrative therapeutic practices; son Joshua with a double major in biology and chemistry; and daughter Danea with a degree in behavioral science.
Sharita Clopton - A speech communication major, Clopton is one of 56 African Americans graduating this Sunday and the first in her immediate family to earn a college degree. The Denver native and Manual High School graduate traveled to Ghana for a month-long study abroad program through the College's African and African American Studies program in June 2006. She contracted malaria within a week of her arrival, but recovered and was able to travel with the rest of the group to see slave castles where Africans where held for the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Chajito "Chy" Montoya-Sanchez - A criminal justice and criminology major, Montoya-Sanchez lost two infant children (one to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) and battled drug abuse before enrolling at Metro State. The father was convicted of child abuse resulting in the death of their second child and received a 32-year prison sentence. He's up for a new trial in January 2008. The process inspired her to learn more about the criminal justice system and the law. Montoya-Sanchez is now the director of events for LARASA (Latin American Research and Service Agency) and is responsible for various events including their annual luncheon fundraiser, the Bernie Valdez Awards. She is re-married with a healthy 2-year-old son and plans to go to law school.
Ceremony specifics
Commencement will be held on Sunday, Dec. 16, 2007, at 2 p.m. at the Colorado Convention Center, at 14th and California streets. The doors will be closed promptly at 2 p.m. for approximately 20 minutes to allow for the graduate processional. The commencement exercises are expected to last until approximately 4:45 p.m.
For more information on the commencement ceremony, go to http://www.mscd.edu/commencement/index.shtml.
The ceremony can be viewed live online during the proceedings. Go to http://www.mscd.edu/commencement/webcast/.
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December 7, 2007
METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE of DENVER
Experts Available to Discuss Holiday Topics
The following Metropolitan State College of Denver professors are available to lend their expertise for holiday-themed stories through New Year's.
What does God have to do with Christmas? - Norman Provizer, political science professor, is available to talk about complex constitutional issues surrounding the more politically correct use of the word "holiday" instead of "Christmas." He has expertise in a number of areas, including constitutional law, public policy, as well as media and politics.
Holiday entertaining the right way for you? Metro State's Hospitality, Tourism and Events Department has a team of professionals available to discuss budget-wise and health-conscious meals, holiday desserts, wine-food pairings and alternatives to the traditional ham and turkey. Michael Wray, director of restaurant management, Jackson Lamb, director of culinary management, and Shelly Owens, director of culinary arts are available for on-air cooking and meal-prep demonstrations.
Smart holiday shopping after the mass toy recalls -David Klein, industrial design professor, offers smart shopping tips to consumers as they continue to look for bargains leading up to the Christmas holiday. He has expertise in toy safety.
Happy times and trying times await many during this holiday season? Shawn Worthy, a professor and clinical psychologist whose area of expertise includes family systems, mental health and teen suicide, provides information to make the holidays less stressful and more enjoyable, including developing realistic expectations and creating family traditions.
Holiday celebrations in the Latino/Chicano community - Arthur Campa, professor of anthropology, is available to discuss urban versus rural and North American versus traditional celebrations. His expertise includes folklore, migrant and adult education.
Staying fit through the holidays? Joe Quatrochi, professor of human performance and sport, is available to discuss the importance of maintaining an exercise program through the holidays. The cancer survivor believes there's a routine for everyone. His expertise includes physical activity and disease prevention, physical activity and heart disease.
Balancing on a Swiss Ball may not be the best way for some to work out - Marc Rabinoff, professor of human performance and sport, is available to discuss the safety hazards that many need to be aware of with the popular exercise ball, as well as with other exercise equipment. He can address personal trainer qualifications, fitness fraud, and health club standards.
To schedule an interview with the above experts or any Metro State experts, contact Angelia McGowan at 303-556-5133 or angeliam@mscd.edu.
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December 6, 2007
METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE of DENVER
Boosting EF might enhance school readiness
Study finds pre-school program, developed by Metro State & McREL, improves children's executive functions and cognitive control
Denver - An innovative curriculum for preschoolers developed by two Denver-based organizations, Metropolitan State College of Denver and Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL), improves key cognitive functions and self-control among at-risk students, according to a new study released by a group of American and Canadian researchers in the Nov. 30 issue of Science magazine.
The study of the Tools of the Mind (Tools) curriculum, which was developed by McREL Principal Researcher Elena Bodrova and Metro State educational psychologist Deborah J. Leong, focused on children's "executive functions" (EF) such as resisting distraction, thinking before speaking, and mentally holding and using information.
"Many children start school unprepared to learn not because they do not know their letters or numbers but because they lack one critical ability - the ability to regulate their cognitive, social and emotional behaviors," says Leong, who serves as director of the Tools project at the Center for Improved Early Learning at Metro State. "This study validates the importance of these executive functions.
The researchers noted that these abilities are more strongly correlated with young children's school readiness than intelligence quotient (IQ) or reading and math skills. However, many children enter school lacking these skills, and teachers, who typically receive little instruction in how to develop these skills, remove children from classrooms at "alarming rates" because of their lack of self-control.
The Tools curriculum includes 40 activities that help young children develop cognitive control skills by, for example, encouraging children to tell themselves out loud what they should do, engaging them in dramatic play, and developing their memory and attention skills. Tools has been implemented in schools in Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Oregon. In Colorado, it is being used in 87 preschools that are part of Jefferson County Public Schools through a training program at Metro State Center for Improving Early Learning.
For the scientifically based study, researchers randomly assigned 147 five-year-olds in a low-income, urban school district in New Jersey to be taught with two different curricula over a two-year period. Half of the children received the Tools curriculum and half received the district's Balanced Literacy (dBL) curriculum. Researchers found that even though the two curricula covered the same content, the children in the Tools group scored significantly better on two computerized tests of cognitive skills than the children in the dBL group (84 and 65 percent, respectively).
In addition, researchers were surprised at the level of persistence the children in the Tools group showed on the tests. When they made mistakes, they kept trying, while children in the dBL group often quit quickly. Also surprising was how Tools students were able to transfer the skills they had learned to a new context; many of the children were not computer literate, but they were able to perform well on computerized tests.
According to Bodrova, this study shows how, for at minimal cost, executive functions can be taught to preschoolers and that doing so can increase their chances for academic success. Previous interventions designed to develop executive functions have been cost-prohibitive because they require computers and highly trained professionals.
The study, conducted by researchers Adele Diamond and Sarah Munro from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., and Steven Barnett and Jessica Thomas from the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J., appeared in the November 30 issue of Science magazine (http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/318/5855/1387). A subscription is needed.
For a copy of the article, B-roll footage of Tools in action or to schedule an interview with Dr. Leong, please contact Angelia McGowan at Metro State, 303-556-5133. To schedule an interview with Dr. Bodrova, please contact Bryan Goodwin at McREL, 303.632.5602.
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McREL is a Denver-based, nationally recognized, private, nonprofit organization that is dedicated to improving education for all students through applied research, product development and service. In 2006, McREL provided guidance to educators and policymakers in 42 states and three foreign countries. Visit McREL at www.mcrel.org
December 5, 2007
METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE of DENVER
BOT passes pay-for-performance plan; phases in implementation
The Board of Trustees today unanimously passed a motion by Trustee Michelle Lucero to phase in the implementation of the faculty pay-for-performance (P4P) plan. The decision came at the board's regular December meeting where a vote on the plan was expected.
In making the motion, Lucero said that she recognizes that the plan needs definitive criteria for the three merit-based levels (excellent, exceptional and extraordinary) so that faculty will know what they must accomplish in order to receive one of the three rankings, but at the same time she wants the initiative to move forward. Therefore she proposed that there be two phases:
Phase 1 calls for faculty to be evaluated beginning Jan. 1, 2008 on the new three-tier rating system of needs improvement, meets standards and exceeds standards, rather than on the current evaluation system of A, B, C, etc. Any increases in pay based on this new evaluation system will be base building. (Once P4P is implemented, the level of this annual evaluation will determine whether a faculty member is eligible to apply for a merit-based award.)
Phase 2 states that the criteria for the three levels of excellent, exceptional and extraordinary will be finalized by May 1, 2008. The finalized P4P plan will then be implemented Jan. 1, 2009, with the first payouts in the 2010-2011 academic year. Faculty attaining these levels will receive one-time, non-base building salary increments.
"I think the Board of Trustees has made significant progress while listening to the faculty on the importance of having standards in place before pay for performance is implemented," said President Stephen Jordan. "They want to continue the process while, at the same time, reiterating that there is still work to be done."
Trustee Mark Martinez praised Lucero's motion, saying that it sets the pay-for-performance program in place, while also having a targeted date for the evaluation criteria to be finalized. Faculty Trustee Gene Saxe had asked that the board postpone voting on implementation of the plan until November 2008 so that they would be fully apprised of the criteria before voting. However, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Linda Curran said that the board will be kept apprised of the criteria through reports made to the board's Academic and Student Affairs Subcommittee and that all changes to the "Handbook for Professional Personnel" necessary for implementation of P4P will have to be approved by the board as well.
More about the 'hybrid ' option
The plan the trustees approved has a separate process for determining which level of ranking--excellent, exceptional or extraordinary--an eligible faculty member will receive. This different process was recommended by Curran during a P4P presentation prior to the vote.
Citing the need for both the accountability that the Board has called for and the "local control" that faculty want in decisions affecting their ratings, Curran proposed what she called a "hybrid" option. The elements of that option, which the board approved, are:
- Chairs make recommendations for all levels of awards (excellent, exceptional, and extraordinary) to the deans.
- Deans meet, in consultation with the provost, to assure broad comparability across academic departments and schools for all levels of awards. Deans make the final decisions for Level I (excellent) awards.
- Deans forward their recommendations for Level II (exceptional) and Level III (extraordinary) awards to a College-wide P4P Committee.
- The College-Eide P4P Committee independently reviews the deans' recommendations and forwards its own as well as the deans' recommendations to the provost.
- The provost consults with the Faculty Senate Budget Committee before make the final award determinations and setting the award dollar amounts.
In making her presentation, Curran reiterated that the base-building increases from state appropriations are separate from the non-base-building P4P. These annual base-building awards, which have historically averaged between 3 and 3.5 percent, will continue independent of the P4P system.
For more information about P4P, contact Hal Nees, faculty senate president, 303-303-556-3160 or Cathy Lucas, assistant vice president of communications, 303-556-5131.
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Dec. 4, 2007
METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE of DENVER
Alumni Association Launches "Apprentice Challenge at Metro State"
http://www.mscd.edu/~alumni/apprenticechallenge/
10 student participants announced at kick-off reception
A pre-med student. A veteran of the U.S. Navy. A world-ranked air hockey player. They are among 10 students vying to be named the “Apprentice” in the Apprentice Challenge @ Metro State, an exciting and educational twist to a favorite reality TV show.
On Tuesday, Dec. 4, the students were officially announced in a kick-off reception on the 32nd floor of the Molson Coors Brewing Company in downtown Denver. Developed by the Metropolitan State College of Denver Alumni Association and the Office of Alumni Relations, the Challenge will follow a team of Metro State juniors as they compete for a full-tuition scholarship at Metro State and a one-year paid internship with a local company for their senior year.
“This challenge underscores Metro State’s role as an urban land grant college, involved in meeting the needs of businesses and of the community by solving problems and creating strategies for future growth and sustainability,” says Metro State President Stephen Jordan. “The projects our students are undertaking represent an entrepreneurial, outside-the-box approach.”
The participants will compete January – April, with the culminating boardroom finale experience on May 1, 2008. Each month student teams will develop and implement community-based projects, while being mentored by professionals in the local business and nonprofit community. Project sponsors include Kaiser Permanente, UMB Bank, CH2M HILL and the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado.
“The Apprentice Challenge @ Metro State will empower students to excel and achieve success through experiences that are relevant, high quality and diverse,” says Cherrelyn Napue, assistant vice president of alumni relations. “The student name the Apprentice will win the top award, but all of the participants will take away invaluable experiences and friendships.”
After the culmination of each project, the team who successfully completes the task and meets the objectives outlined by the project sponsor will be rewarded for their efforts. Rewards may include private home or business tours, a plane or helicopter trip to an undisclosed location, a VIP event to an exclusive event and/or access to a local celebrity.
For more information about the Apprentice Challenge @ Metro State, please contact Angelia McGowan, assistant director of communications, at 303-556-5133 or angeliam@mscd.edu.
For more information and the complete press release go to: http://www.mscd.edu/~alumni/apprenticechallenge/pressroom.htm
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Metro State is a fully-accredited, four-year institution, serving more than 21,000 students. It has the second-largest undergraduate enrollment in Colorado and is one of the largest four-year public colleges in the nation. Metro State enrolls the highest number of students of color among four-year colleges in the state. It boasts 60,000 alumni, 90 percent of whom stay in Colorado after graduation. Visit Metro State at www.mscd.edu.