Not paying for a year of college would be a dream come true for any Metro State student. For one ambitious and business savvy Roadrunner junior that scenario will be played out as they march towards graduation without the burden of tuition payments their senior year.

The Metro State Alumni Association is staging “The Apprentice Challenge @ Metro State” beginning in January—a semester-long contest pitting two teams of college juniors against each other in a series of monthly challenges much akin to Donald Trump’s popular television reality show but without any firings.

Each month, two teams will be tasked with a challenge from a local nonprofit or corporation that addresses a philanthropic need or compelling community issue. The teams—made up of 9 or 10 Metro State juniors—will put their collective heads together to brainstorm, plan and execute a response to each challenge.

The efforts will be scored along the way by a group of alumni, college and corporate representatives. Students with the highest scores at the conclusion of the competition will be invited to attend “The Boardroom,” where their efforts will be on display for judging by a live audience on May 3, 2008.

The final student will be named Apprentice and skip away with a paid internship with a local company to be completed during the 2008-09 academic year and a full-tuition scholarship for their senior year at Metro State.

“This is a unique, collaborative project that the Alumni Association felt would raise money for its programs while bringing together several academic departments, student clubs, corporations, nonprofits and other external audiences,” said Cherrylyn Napue, assistant vice president for alumni relations.

The initiative also blends well with President Stephen Jordan’s desire to see the College become more active in the community as a preeminent institution founded on and dedicated to high-quality education that is relevant and individualized.

“Not only will these students have the opportunity to interact with key individuals in the community,” said Janell Lindsay, director of special initiatives for Alumni Relations and Enrollment Services, “they’ll also learn teamwork, networking, negotiation, problem-solving and a lot more.”

In the interest of creating the most diverse applicant pool for the program, faculty in all departments are asked to encourage well-qualified candidates to apply for the program and to accommodate requests for recommendation forms.

“The Apprentice is really a chance to showcase Metro State and its students in a new way to the community,” Napue said.

Napue asks that faculty encourage any exceptional juniors they know who might be interested. In addition, the application requires a faculty recommendation.

Interested Metro State juniors can download the application at: http://www.mscd.edu/apprenticechallenge. The application packets are due by Sept. 28, at noon. Finalists will be released Nov. 2.

For further information about the program and eligibility or questions about the application process, please contact Janell Lindsey at 303-556-6344 or lindseja@mscd.edu.