Press Releases:
November 2007
Nov. 27, 2007
METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE of DENVER
METRO STATE TO HOST DELEGATES FROM SISTER SCHOOL IN CHINA
Denver – Metropolitan State College of Denver will host a 10-member delegation from Yunnan Radio and TV University (YNRTVU) on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. It will be the first face-to-face meeting between the two colleges since formalizing their sister-school partnership in Kunming, China this summer. Dr. Xu Bin, YNRTVU president, is leading the delegation. Translators will be available.
The City and County of Denver formed a Sister-City Alliance with Kunming in the Province of Yunnan in 1985.
Open press events will take place on Thursday 8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., and will include presentations from Metro State President Stephen Jordan and select faculty, the reading of a proclamation from the office of Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and a tour of the College. The proclamation designates November 29, 2007 as “Yunnan Radio and TV University Day.” Most events will take place at the Tivoli Student Union. For a campus map and parking please go to: http://www.mscd.edu/newsroom/directions.shtml
“The development of this exciting partnership showcases the 21st century career preparation that we have available to our students,” says Dr. Jordan, who led a team of faculty and staff to Kunming in May to develop collaborative projects with Chinese universities. “This partnership is an important step for the College as we move towards becoming the preeminent public urban baccalaureate college in the nation.”
Like Metro State, YNRTVU is considered a second-tier institution that offers both distance education and regular classrooms. The name indicates the method of course delivery, not the academic field. “This sister school relationship serves as the beginning steps of the College’s globalization initiative,” says Director of Metro State Global Initiatives, Dr. Betsy Zeller, who traveled to Kunming twice this past summer.
Three projects already are being developed under the partnership, including faculty and student exchange programs and the production of an international documentary. These programs and projects will be implemented during the 2008 summer session.
For more information on the delegation’s visit to Metro State or to learn more about the Office of Global Initiatives contact Angelia McGowan at 303-556-5133 or Dr. Betsy Zeller at 303-556-2989.
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November 13, 2007
METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE of DENVER
Metro State president elected chair of NCAA Presidents Council
Dr. Stephen Jordan to assume chair duties January 2008
DENVER – President Stephen Jordan has been elected chair of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II Presidents Council. He has been a member of the Council since April 2007. Jordan, whose Council membership extends through the 2010 Convention, will serve a one-year term as chair.
"This appointment is a huge honor," says Athletic Director Joan McDermott. "The Presidents Council members are the decision makers and leaders of NCAA Division II, and I can't think of anyone better than Dr. Jordan to head this group. His leadership is going to be great for Division II."
As chair, Jordan will serve as a spokesperson for Division II and will chair the Division II Administrative Committee. He will also serve as a member of the Association's Executive Committee and as an ex officio, nonvoting member of the Division II Budget/Finance Committee. In addition to presiding at the Presidents Council meetings, Jordan will preside at the Division II business session at the annual NCAA Convention.
The Presidents Council serves as a leadership structure and forum for presidential interests in Division II athletics. The council, made up of 15 presidents and chancellors from Division II institutions, establishes and directs Division II general policy and sponsors legislation for approval by the Division II membership. It also has the authority to approve non-controversial legislation.
Involvement with such groups is not new to Jordan. At Eastern Washington University, Jordan chaired the Big Sky Conference's Presidents Council, a board on which he served for seven years. He also was a member of an NCAA presidential advisory group that reported to the Division I Board of Directors. Jordan became president of Metro State in July 2005 after having been president of Eastern Washington University since 1998. He holds a doctorate and a master degree in public affairs from the University of Colorado in Denver and a bachelor degree from the University of Northern Colorado.
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November 7, 2007
METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE of DENVER
Metro State's Veterans Upward Bound program to outreach to fellow veterans
DENVER – The Veterans Upward Bound (VUB) program at Metropolitan State College of Denver will participate in the 17th Annual Homeless Veterans Stand Down on Nov. 8, a day when veterans' agencies and organizations throughout Denver come together to provide services to homeless veterans. The event will take place Thursday, Nov. 8, 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m., at the National Guard Armory, 52nd and Franklin. "It's an important community outreach activity for us to help the veterans, and we also recruit some into our program," says Leroy Chavez, director VUB, which helps veterans of all ages to transition to college life or into the workforce. As a graduate of the VUB program and a member of the Denver Homeless Veterans Stand Down Committee, Chavez is in a position to understand the unique needs of veterans when they return to the U.S. Because of his experiences he's able to meet veterans where they are and direct them to where they want to be.
"When I was discharged from the United States Army in December of 1992 I had to decide on the direction of my life," says Chavez. "I knew that I would need an education for some of my goals but I was apprehensive on starting college because I did not feel comfortable with my academic skill level at the time. It had been eight years since I graduated from high school."
Through the program, eligible veterans can participate at anytime. "A lot of the older veterans come to get computer skills. A lot of the younger veterans need help with transition to higher education," says Chavez. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Metro State's VUB program serves about 120 veterans every year. For more information contact Leroy Chavez at 303-556-3946.
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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.