Press Releases:
September 2008
METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE of DENVEREnrollment is up, especially among students of color
Asian and Pacific Islander enrollment increases by 14.2 percent
Denver - For the eighth consecutive year, Metropolitan State College of Denver’s fall enrollment is up, and the bulk of the increase is in students of color according to the Office of Institutional Research.
As of the Sept. 3 fall enrollment census date, total student headcount had increased by 1.2 percent from last fall, from 21,453 students to 21,715. While total student headcount increased by 262 students from last year, 252 of them were students of color. “It’s too early to say exactly what the actual cause of this change is,” according to Myron Anderson, interim associate to the president for diversity. “One thing it does suggest is that the campus community as a whole is inclusive and welcoming to all populations.”
The largest jump was in the category of Asian or Pacific Islander, which went from 844 students to 964, or an increase of 14.2 percent. Less than two years ago, a unique effort to reach this audience was established in a new program called Metro State Asian Student Discovery Day.
Co-directed by Ray Moroye, assistant professor and director hospitality entrepreneurship and Paul Cesare, assistant director of admissions, the program went from about two dozen high school students in its inaugural year to 125 students in 2008. The second-annual event was held on April 11, 2008 and included students from Pakistan, Afghanistan and India. Students were taken on an extensive tour around Metro State on the Auraria Campus, learned about financial aid and student housing, and even attended a mock class where they experienced what a college course is like. Moroye, a board member of the Asian Chamber of Commerce as well as the Asian Pacific American Bar Association and CollegeInvest, created the program to reach Denver’s fast-growing Asian community. Other student populations also increased at the College. American Indian or Alaska Native increased 9.3 percent, Black or African American-Non-Hispanic students increased 4.7 percent and Latino students 1.8 percent. The number of Caucasian or White-Non-Hispanic students remained basically the same, though their percentage decreased, from 67.3 percent to 66.5 percent. Students of color now represent 24.7 percent of the College’s total enrollment, up from 23.8 percent last fall.
Other interesting facts The top 10 majors for the current 21,715 students are: (1) management; (2) biology ; (3) criminal justice and criminology; (4) psychology; (5) art; (6) accounting; (7)marketing; (8) English; (9) human performance and sport; and (10) history. For the complete reports go to www.mscd.edu/facstaff/oir.
To learn more about Metro State Asian Discovery Day, contact Angelia McGowan at 303-556-5133 or angeliam@mscd.edu.
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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 62,000 alumni, 90 percent of whom stay in Colorado after graduation. Visit Metro State at www.mscd.edu.
METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE of DENVER
Metro State Foundation names new board members
Denver – Metropolitan State College of Denver President Stephen Jordan and Metro State Foundation Board Chair, Raymond Sutton, Jr. have announced the election of six prominent community and business leaders to the Metro State Foundation Board for the 2008 academic year.
The new directors are: Michael Benson, senior vice president, business affairs and treasurer for Kroenke Sports; Jerome Davis, area manager, community and local government affairs for Xcel Energy; Evi Makovsky, adjunct professor at University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and the University of Denver, and former assistant Colorado attorney general and Denver senior city attorney; Carolynne C. White, a shareholder in Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck; and Jim Garrison, business manager of Rocky Mountain Microfilm and Imaging, Inc. Garrison also serves on the Board of Directors of the Alumni Association. Diedra Garcia, president and CEO of DRG Construction Corp., who was recently appointed manager of the City and County of Denver’s Department of General Services by Mayor John Hickenlooper on Sept. 8. She starts Nov. 2.
The Metropolitan State College of Denver Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit, direct-support organization that receives, invests and administers private support for the College.
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METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE of DENVER
2008 DNC leader joins Metro State president
and political science profs for
post-convention talk on Sept. 10
WHAT/WHY: Final lecture in Metropolitan State College of Denver’s Skyline Park Series: “Countdown to the 2008 Democratic National Convention.” The theme is “Post-Convention Follow-up and Evaluation—What Comes Next?”
Mike Dino, chief executive officer of the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee, will join Metro State President Stephen Jordan, Chair and Professor of Political Science Robert Hazan, and Political Science Professor Norman Provizer in a discussion about the impact of the DNC on Denver. Dino also participated in the 2007 Skyline Park series, outlining how the DNC would affect the downtown area.
The Auraria Campus, including Metro State, closed during the DNC. For an overview of the 2008 series, which kicked off on July 9, visit http://www.mscd.edu/dnc/skyline.shtml.
WHERE: Skyline Park (16th Street Mall at Arapahoe Street in downtown Denver)
WHEN: Noon-1 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 10. Free and open to the public.
Contact: Angelia McGowan 303-501-0752 or angeliam@mscd.edu
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METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE of DENVER
Metro State takes stance on November ballot issues
Denver – On Sept 3, at its first meeting in the 2008-2009 academic year, the Metropolitan State College of Denver Board of Trustees took a position on a number of items expected to appear on the November ballot.
The Board voted unanimously to oppose Amendment 46, which would prohibit state entities from considering race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in employment, public education and business contracts. Representing the most diverse College in the state, Board member Mark Martinez said, “Given the unique mission and nature of Metro State and the role it plays in this community, it’s important that we come out against Amendment 46.”
Amendment 50 was also supported by the Board. It would allow the local gaming communities of Black Hawk, Cripple Creek and Central City, to vote on expanding their gaming offerings. Any increases in revenues from the changes would flow 78 percent to the Community College system and 22 percent back to local communities.
Amendment 58 received a unanimous vote of support from the Board. Also known as the Scholarship Fund proposal, it would end property-tax exemptions for the oil and gas industry and direct 60 percent of new revenues to the proposed Colorado Promise Scholarship Fund.
Support for the Scholarship Fund is monumental for Metro State as it enrolls the students who will benefit from the scholarships the most. The College enrolls the highest number of students of color and low-income students of all four-year colleges in the state.
The board also voted to support Amendment 59, known as the Savings Account for Education (SAFE) proposal. The amendment would overhaul conflicting fiscal provisions in the state’s constitution by lifting some of the spending restrictions of the 1992 Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights and repealing Amendment 23’s mandated spending on Pre-K through 12 education. Metro State President Stephen Jordan said, “I believe, in the long term, this proposal, of all those (on the table), has the greatest possibility of providing longer-term sustainable funding for higher education.”
Contact: Cathy Lucas at 303-556-5131
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