Press Releases:
February 2008
Feb. 28, 2008
METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE of DENVER
STUDENTS BLOG ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES IN
SEMESTER-LONG “APPRENTICE CHALLENGE @ METRO STATE”
Denver - The 10 students vying to be named the “Apprentice” in the first Apprentice Challenge @ Metro State are learning a lot about themselves as they near the mid-way point of this pilot program. They are sharing their experiences with the public at www.mscd.edu/~alumni/apprenticechallenge/competitors.htm.
The two five-student teams (The A-Team and 5280 Closers) are getting hands-on opportunities to work with successful business and nonprofit leaders on projects that impact the local community. They have completed one project and are now working on their second project which charges them assisting non-profit communities to meet some of the needs of Mayor Hickenlooper’s Denver’s Road Home initiative to end homelessness.
Having one of four total challenges under their belt, the teams are starting to understand what it takes to be a winner and to be successful. In her blog, public relations major Erin Kasch says it’s not easy to balance school, work, friends and the Challenge.
“I find myself wishing I was my dog or a kid again. My dog Otis sleeps almost all day, gets to go to the dog park on the weekends, gets lots of love and attention from his humans, gets to play with his friend Oliver (who lives on the fourth floor) and he receives the occasional bacon treat from mom,” writes Kasch, who toured the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs as a member of 5280 Closers, the winners of the first project. “Ahh, the life of a dog! So simple! To be a kid again would be even better! No responsibilities, summers last super long.”
The A-Team is down, but not out. In her blog, marketing major Kaleigh Braun congratulated the other team for their win, but stated “You may have won this battle but The A-Team will win the war!” Her teammate, computer information systems major, Chris Wilcox adds, “You guys came out strong and set the bar for the rest of the competition. But don't get too comfortable, there is plenty of competition left.”
Though they are competing as teams, only one person will be named the “Apprentice” and win a full-ride scholarship and an internship.
To learn more about the team projects visit http://www.mscd.edu/~alumni/apprenticechallenge/ or contact Angelia McGowan at 303-556-5133 or angeliam@mscd.edu. Students are available for media interviews.
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Developed by the Metropolitan State College of Denver Alumni Association and the Office of Alumni Relations, the Apprentice Challenge @ Metro State follows two teams 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. The winner will be announced at The Boardroom Finale on Thursday, May 1 at 7 p.m. at the Tivoli Turnhalle on the Auraria Campus.
Feb. 25, 2008
METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE of DENVER
DENVER HONORS LEGACY OF MRS. RACHEL BASSETTE NOEL
Denver - Memorial services for Mrs. Rachel Bassette Noel, one of Denver’s most respected leaders, will be held 3 p.m. Sunday, March 2 at Shorter Community AME Church at 3100 Richard Allen Court in Denver. Mrs. Noel, 90, passed away Monday, Feb. 4, 2008 in Oakland, Calif.
Her eulogy will be delivered by Vincent Harding Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Religion and Social Transformation at the Iliff School of Theology.
Others scheduled to speak include Denver Mayor John W. Hickenlooper, former Denver Public Schools Board Member Ed Benton, Senators Regis Groff and Gloria Tanner, as well as Metropolitan State College of Denver President Stephen M. Jordan. Among the family members who will speak are Kathryn Sue Gavin and Phoebe Haddon. Jeneva McQueary, who co-chaired the Education Committee with Mrs. Noel at Shorter AME Church, will also speak.
Mrs. Noel was an outspoken advocate for equal opportunity for minority citizens and a true champion of equal access to education for all. She was the first African American elected to the DPS Board and the first African American woman ever to serve elected office in Colorado. The Noel Resolution, which she presented to the DPS Board in 1968, led to the historic U.S. Supreme Court decision to address school segregation in Denver with school busing. In 1976, Mrs. Noel was appointed to the University of Colorado Board of Regents; two years later, she was elected statewide to a six-year term.
An associate professor of sociology and African American studies for 11 years at Metropolitan State College of Denver, Mrs. Noel helped found the Department of African American Studies, which she chaired from 1971 to 1980. Upon her retirement, the College named Mrs. Noel an Associate Professor Emeritus. For more information on her legacy, go to http://www.mscd.edu/news/noel/.
Mrs. Noel’s impact on Metro State will continue to endure through the Rachel B. Noel Distinguished Visiting Professorship, which the College created in 1980 to honor her legacy at Metro State and in the Denver community. The professorship brings to the College renowned scholars and artists of distinction to conduct seminars, performances and lectures.
Written remembrances may be e-mailed to anoel@maildiablo.com. The family requests, in lieu of flowers, that contributions honoring Mrs. Noel and the Rachel B. Noel Distinguished Visiting Professorship, payable to Metropolitan State College Foundation, Inc. and mailed to:
The Rachel B. Noel Distinguished Visiting Professorship PO Box 17971 Denver, CO 80217-9812
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Feb. 19, 2008
METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE of DENVER
Metro State names VP of Information Technology
Denver – Metropolitan State College of Denver President Stephen Jordan has appointed Carl R. Powell as vice president of information technology. Powell will start March 1, pending approval by the College’s Board of Trustees.
Powell, who holds a Ph.D. from Cleveland State University, brings nearly 25 years of experience in information technology and executive management assignments to the table. Most recently, he was the senior technology consultant for Cynergies Solutions Group in Highland Heights, Ohio, and served as vice president and chief information officer for the Cuyahoga Community College District in Cleveland, Ohio from 2000 to 2006.
In making the announcement Jordan says, "Dr. Powell has the perfect blend of higher education and corporate experience to take on this critical responsibility at Metro State. He brings a strategic insight to technologies that are changing the face of higher education. His innovations and leadership will help move us ahead in achieving status as the preeminent public urban baccalaureate college in the nation.”
Powell will work with the Metro State community to create, articulate and implement a vision for the information technology area that serves the mission and vision of the College. He will lead and facilitate campus-wide decisions concerning the use of technology and the access and preservation of administrative information and scholarly knowledge, provide leadership to the information technology staff, and collaboratively lead to deliver effective services and infrastructure to campus units, among other duties. His starting salary is $150,000.
“I am very excited and honored to be joining the executive team at Metro State. I am quite impressed with the variety of technology and services available to students and faculty at this vibrant and energetic college,” Powell says. “During my visits to the College, I felt a sincere sense of community and collegiality among the faculty and staff. And, as a long-time Cleveland resident, I am looking forward to finally rooting for a professional football team in Denver."
Jordan expressed his appreciation to Computer Science Professor Steve Beaty, who had been serving as interim vice president since July 2007. “IT made great strides in improving services to faculty and staff in Dr. Beaty’s capable hands.”
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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.