It’s official, Metro State is now a university
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce honors Metro State
The state of state funding for higher ed
Theatre Department receives first Colorado accreditation
Monumental sculpture dedicated
From Roadrunner to Bronco VP
Metro State in the news

President Stephen M. Jordan, Ph.D.

Dear friends,

The hard work of our students, faculty, staff, alumni and community supporters has come to fruition with the change in our name to Metropolitan State University of Denver—and I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of this new chapter in our history.

At the same time that we worked toward our new name, we were engaged in an intense period of self-reflection in preparation for the development of the strategic plan that will guide us from July 2012 through 2017.

The Board of Trustees has given their approval, and we will begin phased implementation of the plan at the start of our fiscal year on July 1.

To create this document that reflects our identity as an urban land grant university and impels us further down the road to preeminence, the Strategic Planning Committee has put in countless hours gathering opinions, ideas and data from hundreds of students, faculty, alumni and community leaders.

The plan articulates goals, objectives and success measures, covering four strategic areas:

• Student and Academic Success
• Community Engagement and Regional Stewardship
• Institutional Culture
• Institutional Resources

This is a robust, ambitious document that asks us to step up to goals such as: Increase first-time freshman retention rate to 75 percent. Our current rate hovers around 67 percent (up from 61 percent in 2004-5). And decrease the number of students in academic jeopardy from 4 percent to 1 percent of total headcount.

Given our population of working—and often economically challenged—students, these goals will require us to bring our best efforts and national best practices to bear in all that we do.
But this is laudable work. The work that we do in the next five years will position graduates for meaningful careers, community engagement and vital contributions to Colorado’s workforce.
There is nothing I’d rather be doing.

Sincerely,
Stephen M. Jordan, Ph.D.
President

P.S. If there is anything you want to see addressed in this newsletter, please send your suggestions to me personally at stevejordan@mscd.edu. And I encourage you to support Metro State by passing along this information to people who might be interested.

It’s official, Metro State is now a university

Metro State achieved university status when Gov. John Hickenlooper signed SB12-148 on April 18.

Gov. John Hickenlooper signed the bill changing our name to Metropolitan State University of Denver before an estimated 650 Metro State students, faculty, staff, alumni and community supporters on April 18.

Saying he always has been and will always be a supporter, Hickenlooper said that Metro State is one of the outstanding universities in Colorado and in the nation. “Changing the institution’s name was a great way to honor what it has become: a great asset for not just Denver but for all of Colorado.”

The primary reason for the change in name was to increase the value of a Metro State degree while eliminating the misperception that the institution is a community college.

Remarks from Student Government Assembly President Jesse Altum echoed this intention: “I won’t have to explain to future employers that I went to a four-year institution. My resume will clearly state that I earned a bachelor of arts from a full-fledged university.” Altum, who will graduate next year, added, “I can’t wait to see my name on a Metropolitan State University of Denver diploma!”

Hispanic Chamber of Commerce honors Metro State

This spring Metro State received the President’s Award from the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Denver in recognition of its support of the chamber’s leadership programs and its outreach to Latino students.

In making the award former Denver Mayor Guillermo “Bill” Vidal, chamber president and CEO, cited President Stephen Jordan’s leadership of a young professional’s group and Metro State’s assistance in developing a chamber leadership program.

He also applauded Metro State for reaching out to people of color, especially Latinos, and providing students a high-quality education.

“Metro this past year has really done a great job engaging the minority community, helping out the chamber…and overall has been a great asset to the community as a whole,” Vidal said.

In accepting the award, Deputy Provost Luis Torres said that the timing was perfect, given Metro State’s change to university status. He also reiterated the institution’s commitment to accessibility, particularly for students of color.

That commitment is reflected in Metro State’s Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) initiative, which has made significant progress in increasing the Latino student population. To achieve the federal designation of HSI, 25 percent of students must be Latino. Currently we’re at almost 18 percent.

The state of state funding for higher ed

Four college presidents, including Stephen Jordan of Metro State, the CU system’s Bruce Benson, Colorado State University President Tony Frank and Nancy McCallin, president of the Colorado Community College System, discussed the future of higher education funding in Colorado and rising tuition at The Denver Post in April.

The consensus: Colorado’s budgetary woes have compelled public institutions to seek innovative sources of funding.

To read more and view video of the discussion, click here.

Theatre Department receives first Colorado accreditation

Metro State is the only Colorado college to have earned national accreditation for its theatre program.

Metro State Professor Marilyn Hetzel received word in April that the department is now an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST), making Metro State the first institution of higher education in Colorado to gain that stamp of approval.

NAST, founded in 1965, is the national accrediting agency for theatre and theatre-related disciplines. It establishes standards for undergraduate and graduate degrees and other credentials, and has 175 member institutions.

Accreditation raises the department’s profile and gives it a vehicle to network with other programs. It also shows that Metro State’s Theatre Department belongs center stage.

“An accredited program is seen to be one that has…standards that are comparable to those across the nation,” Hetzel says. “It is saying that you have the highest standards possible and that you want to maintain that level of performance.”

Monumental sculpture dedicated

“One World, One Water” was donated to Metro State by conservationist Valerie Gates.

Metro State dedicated Denver sculptor Rik Sargent’s monumental bronze sculpture, “One World, One Water,” in a music-filled ceremony, May 2. The sculpture was donated to Metro State by Valerie Gates, a longtime Colorado conservationist.

The sculpture’s dramatic shape evokes both a drop of water and the infinity symbol—a reference to the endless flow of water from ocean to atmosphere and back again. Educational in nature, the sculpture shares the name of Metro State’s One World, One Water Center for Urban Water Education and Stewardship (OWOW) and illustrates water’s importance through its depiction of 20 habitats, 100 animals and industrial water users.

Rising 12-feet above its base and weighing one-and-a-half tons, the piece spent a six-month residency at the Bozeman Public Library in Montana before being installed in its permanent space in front of Metro State’s Student Success Building. Recently, the National Sculpture Society, the oldest organization of professional sculptors in the United States, accepted "One World, One Water" into its annual juried show, which is an enormous honor.

From Roadrunner to Bronco VP

Jim Saccomano (’70) is vice president of corporation communications for the Denver Broncos.

Seven coaches. Five Bronco Super Bowls. Two stadiums. And too many memories to count. After working for the Denver Broncos for nearly 35 years, Metro State alumnus Jim Saccomano (’70) has participated in a lot of football history.

The longest-tenured pro sports administrator in Colorado sports history, Saccomano arrived at the Broncos in 1978. Today he is vice president of corporate communications. He represents the Broncos on various boards, including the National Football Foundation/Colorado Chapter and the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.

Over the years he has made tremendous contributions both to the Bronco franchise and to sports communications. He pioneered the use of the fourth quarter comeback statistics, in conjunction with the career of future Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway, and also was the first NFL PR director to make weekly use of the now commonplace red zone, field position and other miscellaneous statistics, dating back to the 1981 season.

Saccomano has authored two books, “Game of My Life: Denver Broncos” and the more recently published “Denver Broncos: The Complete Illustrated History.” He currently is working on a revised edition of "Game of My Life," due in bookstores August 2012.

A Denver native and Metro State honors graduate, Saccomano also has a master's degree in journalism from the University of Colorado. He met his wife JoAnn Sninchak Saccomano (’80) his freshman year at Metro State.

Metro State in the news

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