Press Releases:
May 2008
METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE of DENVERColorado legislature passes in-state tuition bill
More Colorado students will now be eligible for in-state tuition with the passing of Senate Bill 79. The bill allows U.S. citizens who have graduated from a Colorado high school - but who can't prove their parents’ residency status - to be considered residents for the purpose of in-state tuition.
"The passing of this bill helps to eliminate a barrier to education for our most vulnerable students," says Metropolitan State College of Denver President Stephen Jordan. "It provides opportunities for those students whose lives are disrupted by circumstances beyond their control, such as death or the divorce of a parent.
"This is a monumental step to help those students seeking a college education to improve their earning potential and their capacity to contribute to society. It also creates an incentive for all students to graduate from high school."
Metro State worked with the bill's co-sponsors Sen. Paula Sandoval (D-Denver) and Rep. Tom Massey (R-Poncha Springs) on the original language of the bill, which sought to clarify the definition of in-state tuition as interpreted under House Bill 1023. That bill was signed into law on August 1, 2006.
On Jan. 30, 2008, Jordan testified before the Colorado Legislature's State, Veteran and Military Affairs Committee in support of SB 79.
"One of the reasons we went this way on the legislation is that I reviewed a number of applications that were in this very difficult category and made individual decisions on them myself because the admission staff were unsure if they (the student) met the criteria or not," Jordan says. "That's when I began to understand these other issues, like students in foster care, who fall into this category."
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MEDIA ALERT
College honors Zonta Club at Outstanding Women Awards at Metro State
Club has been awarding scholarships to help single mothers attend Metro State for more than 20 years
WHO/WHAT: Metropolitan State College of Denver’s Institute for Women’s Studies and Services will honor the Zonta Club of Denver, which has awarded an average of six scholarships per year since 1987 to single mothers attending the College.
"I'm so pleased to be able to add this $33,000 to the Zonta Club of Denver's Metro Scholarship Fund," says club president Nikki Headlee. "This brings our total contribution to this fund to over $130,000 over the years and this scholarship fund is a way for our club members to make a tangible difference in the lives of local women."
Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of Metro State’s Foundation Dr. Carrie Besnette, recently named the 9News Leader of the Year, will be among the College leaders on hand to honor the club. Headlee will attend the event along with 13 members of the chapter to recognize other outstanding women.
The Zonta Club of Denver was chartered in 1927 and, as a member club of Zonta International, is united with more than 33,000 executives in business and the professions in over 1,200 clubs in 66 countries to improve the status of women worldwide. The Zonta Club of Denver has awarded more than $2 million to local and international organizations throughout its 81 year history.
WHEN: Tonight, 5:30-7 p.m.
WHERE: St. Cajetan’s Center on Auraria Campus
For a campus map and parking please go to:
http://www.mscd.edu/newsroom/directions.shtml
For more information on the Institute of Women’s Studies and Services or to secure photos from tonight’s event, contact Assistant Director of Communications Angelia McGowan at 303-556-5133.
For more information on the Zonta Club, contact Wendy Henry-Moraskie at 303-844-0312.
METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE of DENVER
Profs available to comment on outcome of Indiana and North Carolina primaries
Denver –Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are facing off again in crucial primaries as voters in Indiana and North Carolina crowd polls today seeking to settle the largest remaining contests in an epic Democratic presidential nomination struggle. It’s strange on both sides says Norman Provizer, political science professor at Metropolitan State College of Denver.
“The Democrats have been blessed by too many riches in one year, while the Republicans have a candidate that had been written off, but was able to revive himself because there was no clear frontrunner,” says Provizer. “On the Democrats side someone’s going to win, but only by a nose.”
To address the outcome of the primaries, a number of Metro State professors are available, including the following:
Political Science Professor Norman Provizer has expertise in political leadership and elections. He has extensive media experience commenting on a variety of national and local political issues for The Boston Globe, The Denver Post, the Rocky Mountain News, 9NEWS, KOA Radio, FOX31, CW2 and 7NEWS. He can be reached at 303-809-5696.
Derrick Hudson, assistant professor of African and African American Studies, can provide perspective on how the words of the Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., former pastor of Obama’s church, has impacted his run for U.S. presidency. Hudson’s guest column (http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_8891590) that addresses the controversial relationship ran in the online edition of The Denver Post on April 11. Hudson’s expertise includes race relations, African Americans and U.S. politics and theological issues. He can be reached at 720-297-0526.
Associate Professor of Political Science Richard Moeller has expertise in democracy, American foreign and military policy, international security, politics and the media. He has been interviewed by 9NEWS, 7NEWS and KOA Radio. He can be reached at 303-556-6952.
To coordinate an interview with any of Metro State’s professors, please contact Angelia McGowan at 303-556-5133 or angeliam@mscd.edu.
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.