Press Releases:
September 2009
September 29, 2009
METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE of DENVER
Metro State launches initiative to guarantee graduates of teacher licensure program
(Denver, CO)—Metropolitan State College of Denver will now guarantee the work of graduates from its Teacher Education program during their first year of teaching.
“We are confident in the quality of our Teacher Education program, and establishing this guarantee shows our commitment to the entire education process that is necessary to develop productive citizens for tomorrow’s workforce,” says Metro State President Stephen Jordan.
The Statement of Assurance says that if the principal finds that the teacher, during his or her first year, needs more training, the College will extend the opportunity for the teacher to come back to audit a course(s) at no expense to correct the identified problem. About 2,000 students are currently enrolled in the College's Teacher Education program.
The College’s initiative speaks volumes, according to Colorado Commissioner of Education Dwight D. Jones. “This extraordinary step provides a gold seal of quality that will boost confidence among hiring districts. I applaud the leadership shown by Metro State, its president and its board in providing this stellar warranty plan.
“The move demonstrates continued commitment to the notion that improving our education system is a shared, statewide issue and we believe Metro State has raised the bar by standing behind their programs—and students—to this degree.”
Colorado Commission on Higher Education Chairman James T. Polsfut applauds the College’s bold step in guaranteeing the effectiveness of the teachers that the college prepares. “This promise by Metro State should serve as an added guarantee to employing districts and parents of the quality of our classroom teachers, and as evidence of further accountability on the part of our higher education system in preparing future educators.”
According to “Teacher Attrition and Mobility: Results from the 2004-05 Teacher Follow-up Survey,” the most recent study in this area by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 22.9 percent of 55,000 elementary/secondary teachers in the U.S., within their first one to three years, either moved to another school or did not return to the profession. The NCES is a research unit of the U.S. Department of Education.
“Coming back to a refresher class can help districts retain teachers who need just a little more support during this critical transition time,” says Dean of the School of Professional Studies Sandra Haynes. “The College is among only a handful of institutions nationwide doing this. We believe that the return rate will be very low, however, as Metro State stands by the quality of our graduates.”
Statement of Assurance
Metropolitan State College of Denver guarantees that its teacher education graduates have successfully completed a Teacher Education program approved by the Colorado State Board of Education, the Colorado Commission on Higher Education and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. The curriculum of the departments of Teacher Education at Metro State assures that each teacher candidate has demonstrated thorough understanding of and the ability to apply the teaching strategies, the classroom management/school discipline methods, and the measurement and evaluation tools necessary for success as a first-year licensed teacher.
In the event that the employing district of a teacher certified for licensure by Metro State, and appropriately placed within certification endorsement areas, finds that the teacher has displayed a lack of knowledge or competency in any of these pedagogical skills during the first year of teaching, the teacher may return to Metro State for up to one academic year after the problem is noted by the district, and audit the course(s) that correspond to the deficiency. These classes will be provided at no cost to the school district or to the student.
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September 16, 2009
METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE of DENVER
Latino Awareness Month offers dynamic list of campus events
Metro State is celebrating Latino Awareness Month, Sept. 15 to October 15, through a variety of activities including, but not limited to, the following:
“Mexico’s Independence and the Implications for the U.S. and Mexico’s Society”
Thursday, Sept. 16 at 11:30 a.m. in TIV Multicultural Lounge
To commemorate Mexico’s Independence Day, History Professor Vincent C. De Baca will present a talk.
Salsa, Soul and Students
On Friday, Sept. 18, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in St. Cajetan’s Center
More than 100 Denver Public School students will converge at St. Cajetan’s Center for Salsa, Soul and Students. The free event is open to the general public. The event features Salsa historian Eileen Torres and Bobby Sanabria, a multiple Grammy-nominated drummer, percussionist, arranger, composer and bandleader. To read more about the events, visit http://www.mscd.edu/~collcom/artman/publish/salsa_twv8090909.shtml.
21st Century Economic and Cultural Integration: Mexico and the United States Symposium
Thursday, Sept. 24 from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in St. Cajetan’s Center
The symposium begins with a breakfast buffet sponsored by the Chamber of the Americas’ Executive Forum. The keynote “Current Economic and Political Issues in Mexico” will be delivered by the Alternate Senator for State of Veracruz Juan Fernando Perdomo Bueno. The cost is $25, and RSVP is required at 303-462-1275.
All over events, free and open to the public, are being sponsored by Metro State, Telemundo, LARASA (Latin American Research and Service Agency) and the Chamber of the Americas. For more information on the event, visit http://www.mscd.edu/imbi
Below is an abbreviated agenda:
10 to 11:15 a.m.
Border Region Prosperity - Challenges and Opportunities: Perspectives from Mexico, Colorado, and Canada
11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
La Cultura Cura: comida, danza y musica (Culture Cures: food, dance and music)
1 to 2:15 p.m.
Community-Based Health Care Reform
2:30 to 3:45 p.m.
Immigration – Business, Community, and Human Perspectives
4 to 5:30 p.m.
Reception and cultural close
Cultures & Careers: Stories from Latino Professionals
Wednesday, Sept. 30, from 2:30 to 4 p.m. in Tivoli 640
Presented by Career Services.
Richard T. Castro Distinguished Visiting Professorship
Sunday – Wednesday, Oct. 11-14
Continuing a 12-year history of bringing renowned Latina and Latino scholars, artists and leaders of distinction to Metro State, this year’s Castro Professorship will feature artist and educator Delilah Montoya for a series of events. To read more about the various events or Montoya, visit http://www.mscd.edu/news/castro/.
Etiquette Luncheon
Thursday, Oct. 15 at 11 a.m.
Student Activities will celebrate Latino Awareness Month through their annual Etiquette Luncheon featuring food from Latin America and discussions about different traditions for formal dining in Latin American countries. Tickets are $7 for students and $20 for faculty and staff, and are available in Metro State Student Activities, TIV 305.
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September 10, 2009
METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE of DENVER
Metro State announces team to build and operate
$40 million Hotel and Hotel Learning Center
Contact:
Cathy Lucas, 303-556-5131, lucascat@mscd.edu
Chad Gruhl, 303-815-8144, cgruhl@mscd.edu
Nancy Kristof, 303-575-8583, nancy.kristof@rnldesign.com
Tiffany Nation, 720-259-4868, Tiffany.Nation@Mortenson.com
Kelly McCourt, 303-681-1253, Kelly.McCourt@SageHospitality.com
Denver (Sept. 10, 2009) - Metropolitan State College of Denver has announced the selection of a team to design, develop, build and run the day-to-day operations of a flagged hotel, which will be accompanied by a hotel learning center to train Metro State students in a combined state-of-the-art working laboratory. Both elements are estimated to cost $40 million to build. Funds for the hotel will be raised through a public-private partnership, while donations will be sought for the hotel learning center.
The Hotel and Hotel Learning Center, scheduled to open in 2012, will be located on the Auraria Campus along Speer Boulevard between Auraria Parkway and Larimer Street.
The College has selected a team comprised of eight agencies: Mortenson Construction & Development, Sage Hospitality, RNL, JG Johnson Architects, Studio INSITE, Swerdling & Associates, RBC and HVS. The team was among 10 submittals for the Request for Proposal for the HLC.
“This project will be one of the first urban hotels of its kind built in the United States,” says Metro State President Stephen Jordan. “I’m very excited about the project and the impact it will have on Metro Denver and for Metro State.”
The project will be a fully functioning hotel with conference facilities and, simultaneously, a state-of-the-art teaching and learning facility for the College’s Hospitality, Tourism and Events (HTE) students and faculty. The learning center will incorporate classrooms, specialty learning labs. The hotel will provide real-world training opportunities for students in the HTE Department and will be a learning lab for both the hotel operator and HTE faculty.
It will feature approximately 180 hotel rooms, 21,000 square feet of conference space and 21,000 square feet of academic space.
“We’re very excited in this department,” says Chad Gruhl, chair of the College’s Hotel Learning Center Task Force and Assistant Professor of Hotel Administration in the Hospitality Tourism and Events program. “This is not only a benefit to our program, but to Metro State as a whole and the entire Auraria Campus.”
According to members of the selected team, the project represents a dynamic addition to Denver’s business community.
“Mortenson is delighted to be an integral part of delivering such a significant facility on the Auraria Campus,” says Bob Hansen, Mortenson vice president and general manager. “The Hotel Learning Center provides us a great opportunity to merge our hospitality, higher education and development expertise to create a facility that will benefit students and visitors for generations to come.”
Doug Spuler, AIA, LEED AP, RNL’s principal on the project says, “The project’s location at Speer and Auraria will create a prominent urban gateway for the Auraria Campus. RNL is thrilled for the opportunity to design this highly sustainable and innovative building for Metro State College of Denver.”
"Sage Hospitality is honored to be selected as the management company,” says Walter Isenberg, president and CEO of Sage Hospitality. “This partnership will positively impact both the Denver Central Business District and Metro State College. We are elated to have this opportunity to cultivate the next generation of hoteliers."
About the Department of Hospitality, Tourism and Events
Established in 1977, the Department of Hospitality, Tourism and Events (HTE) at Metro State is the most comprehensive, cost-effective hospitality baccalaureate degree-granting program serving Colorado and any community within a 400-mile radius of Denver. After steady enrollment growth averaging 8.4 percent per year over the last five years, this fall semester’s enrollment of more than 500 declared HTE majors represents a 27.1 percent increase over the fall 2008 semester. For more information about the Hotel and Hotel Learning Center, visit http://www.mscd.edu/news/hlc.
About Metropolitan State College of Denver
Metro State is Colorado’s leader in educating in-state undergraduates and is one of the largest four-year public colleges in the nation. The College enrolls the highest number of students of color among four-year colleges in the state. It boasts 64,400 alumni, with the majority of them remaining in Colorado after graduation. Nearly 1,000 of those students have graduated from the Hospitality, Tourism and Events Department. Visit Metro State at www.mscd.edu.
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September 2, 2009
METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE of DENVER
Metro State remembers 9/11 with a jazz concert by the Air Force’s Falconaires
Contact: Angelia McGowan, Metro State, 303-556-5133 or angeliam@mscd.edu
Master Sgt Claudia Weir, 719-244-8661 or Claudia.weir@peterson.af.mil
DENVER (Sept. 2, 2009) – A free jazz concert on the Auraria Campus will mark the anniversary of Sept 11, 2001 and provide occasion to reflect upon America's hopes for the future.
Metropolitan State College of Denver will present “Sharing the Freedom: A Concert of Remembrance and Hope,” featuring the Falconaires of the United States Air Force and United States Air Force Academy Band and special guest composer and conductor Chie Imaizumi (pronounced Chee-ay Ee-my-zu-me). The concert will be held at Historic Ninth Street Park on Auraria Campus at 7 p.m. Metro State music students will open the concert at 6:30 with a jazz performance.
The theme for the evening’s concert is based on a composition the Falconaires commissioned Imaizumi to write, titled “Sharing the Freedom.” The piece was premiered last September at the 2008 Monterey Jazz Festival by the band and conducted by Imaizumi, who also serves as a guest artist in residence for the Denver School of the Arts. The performance was eventually posted on YouTube.
"From the moment I saw a clip of that performance on You Tube, there was no doubt in my mind that she and the band needed to do more music together," says Norman Provizer, a political science professor at Metro State and long-time jazz columnist who helped to organize the concert. "Given that the title of the composition is ‘Sharing the Freedom,’ it seemed entirely appropriate to share that idea of freedom during an event to commemorate the events of 9/11.”
One of the Air Force’s two premier jazz ensembles, the Falconaires have brought the great sounds of Big Band Jazz to national audiences for more than 50 years. This group of 18 full-time jazz musicians specializes in the best music of the past, present and future by performing traditional and contemporary jazz. The concert is a great opportunity to honor the military, says band leader and trombonist Master Sergeant Scott E. Crump. “We are very proud of our men and women who are deployed and we are proud to play for America.”
A native of Japan, Imaizumi has performed across the globe and was named the 2007 Rocky Mountain Jazz Artist of the Year. Yet, this will be a special performance for her. “My family has not seen me in a live concert as a conductor before. So my mom, brother and dad are traveling from Japan especially for this event.”
Free concert parking will be available (after 5:30 p.m.) in campus lots H and L. As seating will be limited, visitors are encouraged to bring a blankets and lawn chairs. For a campus map and parking, go to http://www.mscd.edu/newsroom/directions.shtml.
To learn more about the concert, visit http://www.mscd.edu/freedomconcert/.
About Metropolitan State College of Denver
Metro State is Colorado’s leader in educating in-state undergraduates and is one of the largest four-year public colleges in the nation. The College enrolls the highest number of students of color among four-year colleges in the state. It boasts 64,400 alumni, with the majority of them remaining in Colorado after graduation. Visit Metro State at www.mscd.edu.
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