metro magazine spring 2011

I MET MY MATEAT METRO STATE PG. 18

HEARING, READING AND THEN DOING PG. 21

A woRkIN pROGRESSPG. 12

FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE OF DENVER

VoL.

SPRING 201126

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MetroWear!

Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll SPRING 2011 1

///Contents

DEPARTMENTS

2 Letter from the President

3 Newsworthy

6 Metrozoic Era

24 Alumni Times

30 The Rowdy Report

32 Don’t Blink

Spring 2011 / Volume XXVI / Issue I I

SPRING 2011

21HEARING, READING AND THEN DoING Combiningtheoryandpractice,MetroStateextendslearningbeyondclassroomwallsandintotherealworldofwork.

8SEvEN ANSwERS MetroMagazineasksCastroVisitingProfessorand¡AskaMexican!columnistGustavoArellanosaucyquestionsandgetsspicyanswers.

18I MET My MATE AT METRo STATEReadaboutthelovebirdswhoputthe“met”inMetroState.

12A woRk IN PRoGRESSMetroStatealumslaboronthefrontlinesofColorado’seducationreformation,amovementcomplicatedbylacklusterfundingandintransigentinterests.

2 Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll FALL 2010

ExEcUTIvE EDIToR Cathy Lucas

EDIToR Donna Fowler (’80)

ASSISTANT EDIToR Angelia McGowan

ART DIREcToR/DESIGNERJulie Strasheim

GRAPhIc DESIGNERKelly Pierce

PhoToGRAPhERSDave NelighChris SchneiderJulie Strasheim

METRo MAGAZINE EDIToRIAL BoARD Bridgette Coble, Director of Career Services Clay Daughtrey, Professor and Chair of MarketingJeffrey Forrest (’90), Professor and Chair of Aviation and Aerospace ScienceDonna Fowler (’80), Director of Internal CommunicationsMark Jastoroff Director of Alumni RelationsRichard Jividen (’00), Director of Creative ServicesCathy Lucas, Associate Vice President of Communications and AdvancementLunden MacDonald, Assistant Professor of Spanish Angelia McGowan, Assistant Director of Communications Cherrelyn Napue (’99), Associate Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Carmen Sanjurjo, Assistant Professor of Teacher Education Julie Strasheim, Art Director, Creative Services

©2011MetropolitanStateCollegeofDenver.MetroMagazineispublishedthreetimesayearbytheMetropolitanStateCollegeofDenverOfficeofCollegeCommunicationsforalumniandfriendsoftheCollege.Allrightsreserved.

Address correspondence to:MetropolitanStateCollegeofDenverMetroMagazineOfficeofCollegeCommunicationsCampusBox86,POBox173362•Denver,CO80217-3362

Please send letters to the editor, editorials and inquiries to:DonnaFowler,editor,[email protected].

E-mailalumniaddresschangesandClassActssubmissionsto:[email protected].

The opinions expressed in Metro Magazine do not necessarily reflect the policies and opinions of Metropolitan State College of Denver nor imply endorsement by its officers or by the College’s alumni association.

Nondiscrimination PolicyMetropolitanStateCollegeofDenverdoesnotdiscriminateonthebasisofrace,color,creed,nationalorigin,sex,age,sexualorientationordisabilityinadmissionsoraccessto,ortreatmentoremploymentin,itseducationalprogramsoractivities.

Metro Magazine is printed on recycled paper.

Jessica Taves Mark Woolcott

MetroVision///Letter from the President

2 Metro Magazine llllllllllllllllSPRING 2011

First-ever program to fund and train future franchisees MetroState’sCenterforInnovation(CFI)

continuestoliveuptoitsnamewithafirst-

of-its-kindFranchiseOwnershipProgram.

AccordingtoCFIDirectorMick

Jackowski,theprogramwillfurthersolidify

Denverasakey

nationaltestmarket

forsmallbusiness

developmentwith

aformulathatwill

benefitinvestors,

franchisors,franchisees

andtheCollege.

Thefranchise

programwillraiseapproximately

$1milliontoestablishaninitialfunding

pool.Assetmanagementandsecurities

servicecompanyBNYMellonhasprovided

thefirstseedcontributionof$100,000.

Someoftheinitialfranchisecompanies

areCampBowWow,CartridgeWorld,

GreaseMonkeyandSmilingMooseDeli,

amongseveralothers.

Theconcepthasalreadygained

nationalrecognitionwithanawardfor

BestPractitionerPaperforInnovative

FundraisingfromtheU.S.Associationof

SmallBusinessandEntrepreneurship.

Thoughafewcollegeshavefranchise

managementclasses,Jackowskisaysnone

providestheinvestmentforstudentsto

purchaseafranchiseaswell.

Learn more at www.metrostateinnovate.org. •

Metro State skyline to add two new silhouettes

one new Metro State building is underway, and the

groundbreaking for another is just around the corner.

on a blustery December day, the college broke ground on

the 100 percent student fee-funded Student Success Building—the

first Metro State-owned building on the Auraria campus.

A host of city and business leaders joined more than 200 Metro State

students, faculty and staff for the ceremony kicking off the construction of

the estimated $62 million building that will be located on 8.5 acres between

Seventh and Ninth Sts., parallel to Auraria Pkwy.

When the four-story, 145,000 square-feet building opens in 2012, it will

help increase the college’s dedicated classroom and administration space by

25 percent, housing classrooms, support programs and administration offices,

with an adjacent central quad.

Then, on March 31, Roadrunners will don hard hats again for the

groundbreaking of the hotel and hospitality Learning center (hLc). Alumni

are invited to attend.

And start saving your Marriott Rewards points: The hLc, one of only

11 learning centers in the United States affiliated with a fully functioning

hotel (the hLc will be a Springhill Suites by Marriott), will rise just west

of southbound Speer Blvd. and Auraria Pkwy.

The hLc, together with the Student Success Building, make up $110 mil-

lion in construction projects, fueling colorado’s economy without involving

taxpayer dollars. •To keep up with the latest developments in these historic projects,

visit www.mscd.edu/metrostaterising. See the winds of change

blowing at the Student Success Building groundbreaking at

www.mscd.edu/metromagazine or use this bar code

to view it on your smart phone.


CollegeNews///Newsworthy

Mick Jackowski

Dear Alumni and Friends,Forty-fiveyearsafteritshumble

beginnings,thetimehascomefor

MetroStatetohaveitsownidentityon

theAurariaCampus.Iamdelightedto

reportthattheCollegebrokeground

inDecemberonthe100percent-

student-fee-fundedStudentSuccess

Building—aphysicaldemonstrationof

ourcommitmenttostudentretention

andgraduationthatwillalsoconnectus

evenmoretotheDenvercommunity.The

groundbreakingforthenextMetroState-

specificbuilding,theHotelandHospitality

LearningCenter(HLC),isscheduledfor

March31,2011.TheHLCisfundedby

privatedonationsandapublic/private

partnership,meaningthecombined$110

millioninprojectsdonotusetaxpayer

dollars.Youcanfollowtheprogressof

thesetwoprojectsat www.mscd.edu/metrostaterising.

Whileestablishingouridentityoncampus,

wearealsograpplingwithouridentity

inthecommunityandthestate.Our

StrategicNameInitiative(www.mscd.edu/namechange)isassessingwhether

thetimehascomeforanameforour

institutionthatbetterreflectsourevolution

whilestayingtruetoourmission.I’dliketo

sharewithyouafewstatisticsthatspeak

toourcommitmenttothatmission:

nThenumberoffirst-generation-to-collegestudentshasgrownto30percentofourstudentbody,upfrom25percent.

nLow-incomestudentsnowrepresent 34percent,upfrom23percent.

nStudentsofcolorhaveincreasedfrom 24percentto28percent.

nThepercentageofourstudent

populationwhoarePell-eligiblehas

gonefrom23to34percent.

nThepercentageoflow-incometo

middle-incomestudentshasgonefrom

36to46percent,meaningnearly

one-halfofourstudentbodyfallsin

thiscategory.

Bythetimeyou’rereadingthis,ourBoard

ofTrusteeswillbereviewingtheresults

fromournamechangesurveyconducted

inFebruaryaswellasfeedbackfromother

communityoutreacheffortsandperhaps

madetheirdecisionaboutpursuing

oneofthreenewnames(Metropolitan

StateUniversityofDenver,DenverState

University,UniversityofCentralColorado),

orstayingwithourcurrentname.Ifthey

decideonanewname,itwillhavetogoto

theColoradoStateLegislature

forapproval.

Ofcourse,oneoftheconcernsofa

potentialnamechangewouldbecost,

particularlyinthistimeofdwindlingstate

supportofhighereducation.Ourplan

wouldbetotransitionintothenewname

overayearsothatmuchofthecostwould

benormaloperatingexpenses.Wewill

alsoseekaprivatedonor.

Namechangeaside,we’vetakenpro-

activestepstopreparestrategicallyfor

additionalbudgetcuts—approvalofour

five-yearFinancialAccountabilityPlanand

ourright-sizingwithtechnologyprojects,

amongthem.Thesestepsprovidearoad

mapforourfuture,ensuringthatwewill

continuetoprovidehigh-qualityeducation,

supportservicesandfinancialaidtoour

morethan24,000students.

Sincerely,

StephenM.Jordan,Ph.D.

President,MetroState

Newsworthy/// CollegeNews

Metro State considers name change AsMetroMagazinewenttopress,

MetroStatewasinthemidstof

consideringapossiblenamechange.

TheCollege’sStrategicName

Initiativewasbegunlastyearwitha

resolutionfromtheBoardofTrustees

inFebruarytoassessthename.The

intensive,three-monthassessmentthat

followedledthetrusteestopursue

theideafurtherbasedonresultsthat

showedcontinuedconfusionthatMetro

Stateisacommunitycollegeandthat

amajorityoftherespondentsfeelthe

namedoesnotreflectquality.

Atthesametime,theassessment

foundseveralbenefitstoaname

change,amongthem:

nSupporttheCollege’smission andstrategicplanninginitiatives

nHelptheinstitutionattractmore privatedollarsandmaximize opportunitiesforgrowth

nIncreasethevalueofthedegree

“Thetrusteesbelieve,andIagree,

thatanychangethatwouldserveto

clarifyandelevatethepositionofMetro

Statewouldraisethequalityexpectations

aswellasourretentionandgraduation

rates,”saysPresidentStephenJordan.

“Plusitwouldincreasethevalueofour

degreeinthemindsofemployersand

otherstakeholders.”

Basedonresultsofasurvey

conductedinFebruaryandother

communityoutreachefforts,thetrustees

weretomakeafinaldecisionoutoffour

possibilities,afterwhichlegislative

approvalwillbepursuedifanewname

ischosen.Thefournamesare:Metropolitan

StateUniversityofDenver,DenverState

University,UniversityofCentral

ColoradoandMetropolitanState

CollegeofDenver.

Gotowww.mscd.edu/namechange

forthelatestnews.•

IN MEMoRIAM one of Metro State’s forefathers, former Dean keats Mckinney, 99, died Dec. 16, 2010. A military burial was held at Fort Logan National Cemetery on

Dec. 22, 2010.

McKinney was instrumental in creating the Green Report which served as a

blueprint for the College, with H. Grant Vest, secretary of the Trustees of the Consortium

of State Colleges.

A little known fact is that McKinney served briefly as the College’s president when,

on July 25, 1971, he took the reins of Metro State for approximately two weeks, pending

a final decision by the trustees on the selection of a new president.•

Emeritus Criminal Justice Professor Jackie Lynn wilson passed away on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, 2010. She was 77. Wilson started teaching at Metro State in 1977 and was chair of the

Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology from 1979 to 1982. She retired

in 1999.

“She was innovative, smart and creative,” says former colleague Faye Rison, who

worked with Wilson for 22 years. “She wrote and developed a class in terrorism in early

1977 before intimidation by force and threats were popular.”•

Wine Company

It’s a great year to be a Roadrunner!

www.DenverWine.net303-477-WINE (9463)

Order tOday

Metro State, the leader in educating undergraduate Coloradans, has partnered with BonaCquiSti Wine CoMpany, an award-winning boutique winery, to toast the College’s 45th anniversary while helping our students achieve their educational goals.

your purchase of rowdy red, our limited-edition cabernet franc, will help make that happen —with 100 percent of the profits supporting scholarships at Metro State. enjoy this collectible wine featuring rowdy the roadrunner, Metro State’s mascot.

Metro State Rowdy Red$30 per bottle


Su Teatro star Fornearly15years,studentsat

MetroStatehavehadtheopportunity

torole-playwithChicana/oStudies

AffiliateProfessorAnthonyGarcia,who

happenstobethelongtimeartistic

directorofSuTeatro.

Garcia,57,wasrecentlyrecognizedas

TheDenverPost“TheaterPersonofthe

Year”forhisworkwiththeoldestChicano

theatercompanyintheUnitedStates.The

missionofthe38-year-oldcompanyisto

create,produceandpromotetheaterand

otherartthatcelebratestheexperiences,

history,languageandheritageofLatinos

intheU.S.andtheAmericas.

ReadaninterviewwithGarciaat

www.mscd.edu/metromagazine;click

onSummer2010.•

Former House speaker joins Metro State’s Board Inoneofhislast

officialacts,Gov.Bill

Ritterannounced

theappointmentof

formerSpeakerofthe

ColoradoHouseof

RepresentativesTerranceD.

CarrolltotheMetroStateBoardof

Trustees,pendingSenateconfirmation.

HistermexpiresDec.31,2014.

Carrollservedfourtermsinthe

ColoradoHouseofRepresentatives

(D-Denver),from2002-10.Hewas

thefirstAfricanAmericanin

Coloradotoholdthepositionof

SpeakeroftheHouse.Healso

chairedtheMetroStatelegislative

caucusfromitsformationin2006

untilhewasterm-limitedin2010.

CarrollreplacesTrusteeAntonio

Esquibel,professoremeritusofSpanish,

formervicepresidentforstudentaffairs

andassociatevicepresidentfor

communityoutreach.Esquibel’s

four-yeartermendedDec.31,2010.

Carrollspokeofhisalliancewith

MetroStateinarecentMetroMagazine

article.Readthestoryat www.mscd.edu/metromagazineandclickon

Fall2009.•


Fall commencement breaks recordsMetroState’sfallcommencementon

Dec.19attheColoradoConvention

Centerwasthelargestfallgraduating

classyet,withmorethan1,140graduates,

a15.5percentincreaseoverthenumber

offall2009graduates.

Studentsofcolorrepresented24.6

percentofthecandidates,a39.8percent

increaseoverlastyear’sclass.Latino

studentsmadeup12.1percentofthe

candidates,a10percentincrease.

AfricanAmericanswereat4.5percent,

outstripping2009’snumbersby

48.6percent.

Agesspannedtherangeof20to63.

Transferstudentsmadeup69.9

percentofthecandidates,a20.5

percentincreasefrom

lastfall.

Thetopmajorsweremanagement,

behavioralscience,accounting,

biologyandpsychology.Nearly

15percentwereseeking

teacherlicensure.•

SuPPoRT METRo STATE’S

ART PRoGRAMSThesaleofthisbeautiful

45thAnniversaryposterfeaturingartwork

bystudentSofiaCastaneda-Mezawill

benefittheCollege’sfineartprograms.

$25signedbytheartist:$15unsigned

(shippingandhandlingincluded).Toorder

contacttheOfficeofAlumniRelations,

[email protected].


TheatreandRecruitmentProject,”a

collectionofnearly100photographs.

SpearheadedbyformerMetroState

employeeandDisplacedAurarian

MagdalenaGallegos(authorofthebook,

“AurariaRemembered”)withassistance

fromactor/directorandMetroState

affiliatefacultymemberTonyGarcia(himself

adisplacedAurarian)andMaryM.

Somerville,theAurariaLibrary’suniversity

librarian/director,thecollectionvividly

sharesthestoryofatight-knit,working-class

communitythatlived,worked,

worshipedandcelebratedtogether.

“It’ssorewardingtobeapartofthis

projectandtohelpsharethehistoryof

thiscommunity,”Somervillesays.

Whiletheprojectcelebratesthe

community’spast,anotherlooksto

thefuture:Thevideo,“InSearchof

DisplacedAurarians,”highlightsthe

scholarshipavailableforresidentsofthe

Westsideneighborhoodbetween1955

and1973atthetimethecampuswas

built.Thetri-institutionalscholarship

program,whichinvolvesMetroStateas

welltheUniversityofColoradoDenver

andtheCommunityCollegeofDenver,

alsoextendstothechildrenandgrand-

childrenoftheseresidents.

“Thescholarshiphasbeensuchablessing

andreliefformeandmyfamily,”says

AlexDerrickson,a22-year-oldDisplaced

Aurarianscholarshiprecipientand

criminaljusticemajor,whohopesto

somedaybecomeacriminalprofiler.

“Itseemslikesuchagreatwayforthe

schoolstorewardthecommunityfor

whathappenedtoallofthosefamilies

solongago.”

Encouragedbytheirgrandmother,

PhyllisMorales-Sarricchio,Derrickson’s

familyhastakenfulladvantageofthe

program,withseveralmembersnow

pursuingdegrees.

”Asafamily,we’reallsothankfulforthe

(availabilityof)thesescholarships,”says

Derrickson’scousin,19-year-oldbiology

majorValerieSteffen,whoappearedin

thevideo.“Iviewthisassuchagreat

opportunitytogetmyeducation.”

Collegeofficialssaythatdozensof

DisplacedAurariansandtheirdescendents

havetakenadvantageofthescholarship.

TheDisplacedAurariansphotosare

partofalargerHispanicsinColorado

collectionlistedintheAurariaLibrary

catalog.Toview,visitskyline.ucdenver.edu/search/t?SEARCH=latinos+hispanics+in+Colorado.

Towatch“InSearchofDisplacedAurarians,”

visitwww.coloradowest.auraria.edu and

clickonthe“ShortDocumentaries”link•.

Honoring the Aurarian Diaspora

Valerie Steffen: “As a family, we’re all so grateful for these scholarships.”

Alex Derrickson: “...a great way to reward the community...”

uprootedbyconstructionofthe

AurariaCampus.

Amongtheinitiativestohonorthe

formerresidentsoftheWestside

neighborhoodis“TheDisplaced

Aurarians:CommunityArchive,

Coinciding with Metro State’s 45th Anniversary,campusofficials,in

cooperationwithmembersofthe

DisplacedAurariancommunity,have

beenworkingtocommemoratethelives

andlegaciesofthenearly350families

andapproximately200businesses

Historical photos: #1 (l to r) Leta Valdez and Isabel Nieto walk-ing away from St. Cajetan’s Church on 9th St., (1940). #2 (l to r) Frank Herrera seated, Lucy Herrera on top of window, Josephine Montoya peaking through window, (Gloria Herrera-Rodriguez col-lection, circa, 1935). #3 Lupe Morales and Eugene Vigil married at St. Cajetan’s Church (1958). #4 Bobby Herrera, brother of Gloria Herrera-Rodriquez (1950). #5 Casa Mayan dancers at Curtis Park for Sept. 16 celebration: (l to r) first two unidentified, Alice Mon-toya, Magdalena Gallegos, (1952).

#1. #2. #3.

#4. #5.


MetrozoicEra///MetroState’spast,presentandfuture


recruitmentofLatinostudentsIthinkisagreatthing.AndIthinkitwillappealalottotheLatinostudentsnotjustfromDenverbutfromallacrossColoradoandeventheUnitedStates. It’sagreatthingforDenveraswell.Youdon’thavemanyoftheseinstitutionsandwhatyouwillseeisaflourishingofideas.I’msuresomepeoplewillsay,“OhMetroistryingtobeseparatistorMetroistryingtoappealtooneparticulardemographic.”That’sbull.Thepurposeofacollegeistoalwaysappealtothebestpossiblestudentsimaginable,regardlessofrace,regardlessofethnicity.TohaveacollegetrytodesignateitselfasaHispanicServingInstitution,thatjustshowsyouhaveacollegethatunderstandstheimportanceofaparticularcommunityanditscontributions. Touseblackjackparlance,todoubledownonthatmissionstatement,onthoseideals,isabeautifulthingandmoremoneywillcomethisway,morespeakerswillcomethisway,moreresearchwillcomethisway,andMetrobeingMetro,allofthefocusisgoingtobeonDenver.AlotoftheresearchandenergywillhelpnotjustMetroStatebutDenverasawhole.

what advice would you give a Latino student? would your advice be different for

a non-Latino student? Myoverarchingadvicetostudentsis:Thisisyourtimetobuckledownandstudy.Youronlymissionasayoungperson,fromthetimeyouenterkindergartenallthewayuntilyougetyourprofessionoryourdegree,iseducation.Haveyourfun,sure.Butdon’tletitcomeattheexpenseofyoureducation. SpecificallyforLatinosIwouldsaythatitisoftheutmostimportancetotellyourparentsthateducationisimportant.TherearesomanystereotypesaboutLatinoparentsnotlikingeducation.That’snotthecase.Inmyexperiencewhenyoucomefromapoorfamily,youreallycan’tsacrificeanytimenotmakingmoney.WithLatinofamilies,theoverridingconcernisusuallyeducationattheexpenseofrent. Mydadwasthatway.Hewantedmetobeatruckdriverjustlikehim.Hethoughtcollegewasawasteofour

what was your college experience like?IstartedatOrangeCoastCollege,

whichisacommunitycollegeinCostaMesa.Imajoredthereinfilm;Iwantedtobeafilmmaker.ThenItransferredtoChapmanUniversityandgotmybachelor’sthereinfilmstudies.ThenIgotmymaster’sdegreefromUCLAinLatinAmericanstudieswithanemphasisinhistory,sociologyandanthropology.AfterthatIstartedwith

theOCWeekly.

what’s the most outrageous question you’ve ever answered

in your column? Idon’tthinkyouguyscouldpublishit.Mycolumnhasattractedeverypossiblequestionyoucanimagine.Andmore.Amazinglybrilliantones.Disgustinglyracistones.Outlandishones.QuestionsthatIreadandjustcrackupatthesheerabsurdityofthem.Someofthemaretriplex-rated.Somearejustvile. TheoneI’llshare,becauseit’sjustsopreposterous,is:“WhyareMexicansalwayssohappy?IseeMexicanslaughingallthetime.Theycouldbe15toatruckgoingofftopickthefieldsandthey’realllaughingandhavingagreattime.” Itwasn’taracistquestion.Itjustcameoutofnowhere.Ineverthinkofotherpeopleasbeinghappy.WhenIreadthequestion,Ijustlaughed.Icouldn’tstoplaughing.Somyresponsewasmoresarcasticthananything.Isaid,“OfcourseMexicansarehappy.Everything’ssogreatforus.We’regettingdeported,we’re

losingourjobsandpeoplehateus.Howcanyounotlaugh?”

what’s the problem with Mexicans?Whenyouhaveanew

population—beingyourneighbors,yourschoolmates—thenaturaltendencyofthehumanistostereotype,castigateandtomeetitwithbewilderment.Somepeoplearebetterthanothersatacceptingstrangers,somepeopleareprettynastyaboutit.Inthiscountrywe’vealwayshadthismentalityoffearandofdemonizing. LatinoimmigrationgenerallyandMexicanimmigrationspecificallyareotherbogeymen.BecausethesepeoplearecomingfromourneighbordirectlysouthofusandtheU.S.hashadsomanyproblemswithMexicosinceitsfounding—we’vehadtwoofficialwars,manyunofficialwars,wehavetheU.S.Mexicoborderrightthereandallofitsissues,consistentMexicanmigrationandwetookoverwhatwasonceMexicoandhadtoassimilateaconqueredpeople—theMexicanbecomesthiseternalbogeymanintheAmericanmind.

what kind of impact can an institution like Metro State, which is pursuing

Hispanic Serving Institution status, have on Denver’s Latino and non-Latino communities?ItcreatesabetteravenueforLatinostudentstobeabletogettocollege.TohaveMetroStatehaveasamissionthe

7 AnswersGustavo Arellano, author of syndicated column, “¡Ask a Mexican!,” and the 2010 Richard T. Castro Distinguished Visiting Professor at Metro State, opens up about education, immigration and what he’d ask white people

[LesliePetrovski]

onceminoritiesstartbecomingyourneighbors?We’resupposedtobeademocraticcountry,we’resupposedtobeallunited,yetwhiteflightcontinuesagainandagainandagain.Oncewehadourgreatsegregationbattles,breakingallthesehousingcovenants,allthesewhitefolksstartedmovingaway.Why?Ithinkthat’sahorriblething. That’swhatIwouldaskwhitepeople,whydoyoumoveaway?We’refinelivingamongyouguys.We’refinehavingyouasourcoworkers,asourneighbors,asourin-lawsandallthat.Ithinkit’sasadthing.Ithinkitsaysmoreabouttheirfearsaboutusandthisnationthanwhateverpossibleexistentialthreatwemightposetothiscountry,whichIwouldsayisnone.•Editor’s Note:TheMetroStateBoardofTrusteesandFacultySenatehavepassedresolutionsinsupportofSB126:AdvancingStudentsforaStrongerEconomyTomorrow(ASSET)thatgivesundocumentedstudentsresidenttuitionstatuswithcertainstipulations.

timeandmoney.Andnowmysisteralsohashermaster’sdegree,myyoungersisterisgoingforhermaster’sdegree,theyoungestisincollegerightnow.Sofromadadwhodidn’twanthisoldesttogotocollege,youhavethreecollegegraduateswithafourthontheway.Andnowhebugsme,“WhenareyougoingtogetthatPh.D.?Whenareyougoingtogettenureatauniversity?”MydadisaboutasstubbornaMexicanasyoucangetandifhecanchange,notjustchangehismentalityabouttheimportanceofeducationbutembraceit,anybodycan.

what about undocumented students who get educations and then

can’t get jobs because they are undocumented? Thathasbeenmykeycause.OfcourseeducatingpeopleaboutMexicansisalwaysthere.Fightingbigotryandracismisalwaysgoingtobethere.ButtheoneissuethatIhavetalkedaboutalotandactivelycampaignedforispassageoftheDREAMAct(whichwouldprovideaconditionalpathto

citizenshiptoyoungpeoplewithacollegedegreeormilitaryservice).Iconsiderundocumentedstudentssecularsaints.Iconsiderthemtheultimatemiddlefingertoallthosebigotsandnonothingswhosay,“Whycan’timmigrantsassimilate?Whycan’ttheygotocollege?Whycan’ttheybecomeAmerican?”Andhereyouhaveahugecropofstudentswhoaredoingexactlythatandyetwedon’twanttohelpthembecomeAmericancitizens?It’sanissueofrationality.HowcanweasAmericansnotwanttheseeducatedkids?Thefactthatpeopledon’twantthem?Thattomeshowstheultimatehypocrisy.Youhaveimmigrantswhoaredoingeverythingyouwantthemtodoandyoustilldon’twanttograntthemcitizenship?Whatthehellelsedoyouwant?

If I had a column called ask an old gringa, what would you ask?

Idon’thaveanyquestionsreallyaboutasegmentoftoday’spopulation.IguesstheonlyquestionI’dhaveforwhitepeopleingeneralis,whydoyouguysalwaysmoveawayfromyourhomes

“I consider undocumented students secular saints. I consider them the ultimate middle finger to all those bigots and no nothings who say, ‘Why can’t immigrants assimilate? Why can’t they go to college?’”



(l to r) Legally blind scrimshander Jim Stevens etches a design onto a piece of mammoth tusk; Stevens wearing his work glasses; an embellished Colorado map Stevens engraved.

In 1968, 17-year-old Jim Stevens joined the Armyandshippedoff

toVietNam,wherehebecameapatrol

leaderofalong-rangereconnaissance

team.Forthenext11yearsandon

severalcontinents,heplacedhimselfin

harm’sway,andforhistroublewasshot

severaltimes.In1970,hewasshotinthe

head,wherethefragmentofabullet

remains.Twenty-fouryearslater,thebit

ofmetalinhisbrainstruckhimblind.

“Itoldthedoctor,Ialreadygaveatthe

office,”hejokesnow.Theinjuryhad

robbedhimof98percentofhisvision,

andlefthimtopeeroutontheworld

throughtinypinpricksoflight.

Alongwiththeblindnesscamedepression,

andanger,andtogethertheystolehis

life,hisjob,hismarriage.Forsixyears

helanguished,atimehedescribes

nowas“idlinginneutral.”

“Iwasnothappy,”headmits.“Lifesucked.”

Buthewouldnotgiveupwithouta

fight—literally.Attheurgingofthe

youngestofhisfivechildren,hetookup

martialarts,anunlikelyhobbytobegin

inmiddleage,andanevenmoreunlikely

pursuitforsomeonewhocouldnotsee

hisopponent.

“Thefirstyeartheteachermademesit

inacornerandpracticelistening,”he

says.“HesaidtherewasnowayIcould

dothisotherwise.”

Andsohedid.Thatfirststepbackinto

lifewasthebeginningofwhat,byany

measure,hasbeenaremarkablesecond

act.Heproudlypointstothemanymartial

artstrophiesonhismantle.Attheage

of52,hebecametheoldestpersonto

winaregionalmartialartschampionship,

andtheonlyblindperson,ever.

Butthat,too,wasjustabeginning.Itwas

hismartialartsteacherwhosuggested

thatnothingwasoutofreachfor

someonewhohadaccomplishedwhat

hehad,andurgedhimtoreturntoart,

somethingheloved,hesays,“sinceI

wasthreeyearsold.”

Today,inasmallstudioinaconverted

garageonaquietstreetinWheatRidge,

Stevensmakesartfrombones.His

studioisfunctionalandcluttered,andis

oftenvisitedbycats.Hiscanvasesare

antlersandhornsandthefossilizedbones

ofmastodonsandwoolymammoths.On

theseheetchesaneclecticmixofboth

theabstractandtherepresentational—

wildbeastsandportraitsandmapsand

intricatedesigns.

AnauthenticallyAmericanartform,

scrimshawinvolvesmakingthousands

ofstipplesthat,whenrubbedwithink,

formoutlines,features,shadingand

expression.Itisanexactingand

unforgivingmediumrequiringprecision,

steadynervesandcalmpatience.

ForStevens,theworkalsorequiresboth

magnifyinglenses,toviewdetail,and

lenseswhichshrinktheworkdown—the

onlywayhecanseeitwhole.

Stevensworksmostlyoncommission,

andhisartiscollectedaroundtheworld.

LastOctoberhewashonored—twice—

attheNationalVeteransCreativeArts

FestivalinTomah,Wis.TheV.A.group

recognizedStevens’outstanding

artworkandalsopresentedhimwith

asecondSpecialRecognitionaward

foranartistovercomingasevere

physicaldisability.

Theawardsarethelatestinalonglist

ofaccomplishments.Stevensistheauthor

ofthreebooks:“ScrimshawTechniques,”

“AdvancedScrimshawTechniques,”and

“Powderhorns:Fabrication&Decoration,”

allpublishedbySchifferBooks.He

regularlyteachespowderhorndecoration

attheNRAGunsmithSchoolinTrinidad.

Stevensgraduatedmagna cum laude

fromMetroStatein1988withadouble

majorinEnglishandpublishingand

taughtatUniversityofColoradoDenver

untilhelosthissightin1994.•

A GLIMPSE of a remarkable artist

See an audio slideshow of Stevens at work:

www.mscd.edu/metromagazine


ByCarsonReed(’83)

BYSARABURNETT[]

student behaviorA work in progress

Doing things differently is the bedrock to education reform say Metro State grads who are in the frontline of this contentious debate.


wasalotofpressuretomakesureweweresuccessful.”

Thebiggestchallengecamefrom

students.Carryingabookbag—much

lessdoingwellinschool—wasn’t

cool.They’dseenotherstrytoturn

theirschoolaroundandfail,andthey

hadnoreasontobelievethistimewould

bedifferent.Somestudentswouldlook

attheirteachersandtellthemflatout:

“We’llseehowlongthislasts.”

Thenewprincipalsetstrictrulesforstudentbehavior,insistedeveryteacheranddeanfollowthem,andbackedthemupwhentheydid.Studentswhotalkedbackinclassorcussedatateachernolongerweresenttothedean’sofficeforatalking-toandthentoldtoreturntoclass.Underthenewrules,suchbehaviorboughtthestudentanout-of-schoolsuspension,noquestionsasked.

Teacherswereaskedtoreapplyfortheirjobs;ofthemorethan40whowereatBruceRandolphthepreviousyear,onlyeightreturned.(FiveMetroStategraduatesteachtherenow.)Theschoolalsohadaveryclearand

continuedonpage14

President Barack Obama lauded principal Cesar Cedillo’s turnaround Bruce Randolph School

as a model of educational reform in his Jan. 25, 2011 State of the Union Address.


Denver’s Bruce Randolph School was on the verge of state takeover when a new group of administrators walked through the doors in 2005.

With a huge low-income population, rival gangs sometimes fighting it out in the hallways and test scores in the basement, Bruce Randolph had earned an “unsatisfactory” rating on school report cards two years running. One more year of similar results, and the state could shut the school down.

“That was a cloud hanging over us,” recalls 1996 Metro State graduate Cesar Cedillo, who started at Bruce Randolph in 2005 as assistant principal and became principal in 2010. “There


concisecurriculum,andeachteacherwasassignedaninstructionalcoachtohelpguidelessonplanningandinstruction.Everyteacher—whetherlanguagearts,mathorphysicaleducation—hadquarterlyreviews.Administratorsmetfrequentlywithateamofteachersandinstructionalcoachestodiscussschool-wideprogressandissuesofconcern.

Eventuallythestudentscamearound,Cedillosays.Sodidthetestscores.In2007,BruceRandolphbecamethefirstschoolinDPStoreceiveautonomyfromunionanddistrictregulationsregardinghiring,timeinschoolandbudgeting.Lastspring—thefirstgraduationyearforstudentsunderthenewleadershipofthenow6th-12thgradeschool—97percentofBruceRandolphseniorsgraduated.Thisyear’sgraduatingclassisontracktohitthesamenumbers.

TheBruceRandolphstoryisoneofthebrightestspotsinColoradoeducationreforminrecentyears—proof,manysay,thatdoingthingsdifferentlygetsresults.

Yettruestatewidereformremainseitherelusiveoraworkinprogress,dependingonwhomyouask.WhileColoradohasmovedforwardwithanambitiousagendaoverthepastfewyears,somelegislationhasbeendivisive.Andthestate’stwofailedattemptstowinfederaleducationdollarsthroughtheObamaadministration’scompetitiveRacetotheTopgrantprogram—coupledwithanongoingbudgetcrisis—likelymeanreformwillmovemoreslowlythanitsarchitectswouldlike.

Meanwhile,thestate’slatestSchoolPerformanceFramework,itsnewestschoolaccountabilitysystem,showedone-thirdofColoradoschoolsneedimprovement.

“Ithinkpeoplerealizewecannotcontinuetodowhatwe’vedoneinthepast,”says1978MetroStategraduateFrankDeAngelis,principalatLittleton’sColumbineHighSchool,“becausetheresultsarejustnotthere.”

Colorado’s reform planColorado’srecentreformeffortshavebeenlargelyfocusedonaligningstandardsfrompreschoolthroughcollege,collectingsoliddataonstudent,schoolanddistrictperformanceandusingthatdatatomeasureeffectivenessofeducatorsandprograms.

Legislationhasbeenintendedtobuildonpreviousbills,fromcreatingasystemin2007tobettermeasureachievementtoa2010billthatusesthosemeasures,inpart,toevaluateeducators.(Seepage15formoreinformationonrecentlegislation.)

“Thisisreallyaboutbuildinganinfrastructure,”saysEstherRodriguez,principalinvestigator/directoroftheCenterforUrbanEducationatMetroState.“Noneoftheseindividualpoliciesandactionscanworkinisolation.They’reallreliantoneachotherinordertobeeffectiveandtoensurewehaveasystemthatworksforallchildrenacrossthestate.”

It’sstilltooearlytotellhowwellanyoftheseeffortswillwork,becausemanyoftheinitiativesarestillbeingcreatedandimplemented,Rodriguezsays.

Butshestresseditwillbecriticaloverthenextfewyearsthatawiderangeofstakeholders—frompolicymakersandresearcherstoteachers,administrators,schoolboards,parents,thecommunityandhighereducation—

beatthetabletoshapetheeffortsandthatthoseinvolvedbeflexibleenoughtomakechangesasneeded.

“Fortheseinitiativestobesuccessful,therehastobebuy-in,”Rodriguezadds.

Someobserversbelievethelackofbuy-infromthestate’slargestteachers’uniononthe2010EducatorEffectivenessAct(alsoknownasSenateBill191)helpedsinkColorado’schancesat$175millioninRacetotheTopfunds.Thelaw,whichlinksstudentachievementtoteacherevaluations,wasopposedbytheColoradoEducationAssociationandtheoverwhelmingmajorityoflocalunions.

First-yearteacherCassieGreenteachesninthgradeEnglishatJeffersonHighSchoolinEdgewater,alow-incomeschoolwithalargepopulationofEnglish-as-a-second-languagestudents.Whilesheunderstandstheneedforaccountability,shedoesn’tthinkitshouldbebasedsoheavilyonstandardizedtestscores.

“It’sscarytoknowthatyourjobcouldbeconnectedtohowmuchakidlearnswhois15yearsold,inthemiddleofpuberty,doesn’twanttolistentoanyadultandisgoingthroughallthesesocialandemotionalchanges,”saysGreen,whograduatedfromMetroStatein2009.“Iunderstandweneedaccountability.DoIthinkaccountabilityshouldcomefromstandardizedtestscores?No.That’sasnapshotfromthatoneday.”

Formanyeducators,thebiggeststumblingblocktoimprovingschoolsismoney—orthelackofit.

accountability Education Reform in ColoradoA look at key reform efforts approved by the General Assembly

and governor in recent years:

2007: Longitudinal Student Assessment Bill (HB 07-1048) created a system to better track

and calculate the academic growth of individual students, schools and districts over time.

2008:Innovation Schools Act (SB 08-130) allowed schools and districts to gain

waivers

from state laws and collective bargaining agreements. Intended to improve student

outcomes by supporting greater school autonomy and flexibility in academic

and operational decision-making.

Colorado Achievement Plan for Kids (CAP4K or SB 08-212) aligned classroom

content standards and assessment tests from preschool to college and established

readiness for postsecondary and workforce success as Colorado’s

overarching goal for all students.

2009: Dropout Prevention Bill (HB 09-1243) created the Office of Dropout Prevention and Student Re-engagement.Education Accountability Act (SB 09-163) aligned reporting of state, district and school performance information and created SchoolView, a web-based portal for the public and educators to access all publically reported data about state, district and school performance and characteristics. Educator Identifier Bill (HB 09-1065) created a system to identify the attributes of effective teachers and principals.

2010: Executive order creating Educa

tor Effectiveness Council, a group of educators,

school board members and parents that will recommend guidelines for a

high-quality educator evaluation system.

Preparation Program Effectiveness Bill (SB 10-36) required Colorado Dept. of

Education to develop a report on the effectiveness of post-sec

ondary

teacher preparation programs.

Educator Effectiveness Act (SB 10-191) requires that every Colorado educator receive an annual evaluation based at least 50 percent on academic growth of their students. Evaluations will be used to inform hiring, compensation, tenure and other key decisions. — Sara Burnett

ThemostrecentEducationWeekreport,QualityCounts2010,rankedColorado37thinthenationforschoolfinance,whichtrackseightmeasuresofequityandspendingcommonlyusedintheschoolfinancefield.Becausethedatawerebasedon2007numbers,itdoesnotreflecttheimpactoftherecession.

Gov.JohnHickenlooper’sproposed2011-12budget,presentedinFebruary2011,decreasesfundsforK-12by$375million.

“WehavegreatschoolsandgreatdistrictsinColorado,butalldistrictsarestrugglingwithnothavingenoughmoneytoeducatethewaytheywanttobecauseofwhat’shappeningatthestatelevelandthelocallevel,”saysCourtneySmith,aformerhighschoolsocialstudiesteacherand1996teacherlicensuregraduateofMetroStatewhonowsitsontheexecutiveboardoftheDouglasCountyFederationofTeachers.

InDouglasCounty,thestate’sthird-largestschooldistrict,teachersarenolongerreceivingevencost-of-livingsalaryincreases.SmithrecentlyvisitedafreshmanEnglishclasswith40studentsandaSpanishclasswith41.Herson’sfirstgradeclasshad30studentsuntiltheschooladdedanothersection.

“Idon’tthinkanybodycanarguewiththinkinghavingthatmanykidsisnotoptimal,”Smithsays.

continuedonpage16

infrastructure Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll SPRING 2011 15

AtColumbineHighSchool,DeAngelissayshisbudgetfor2010-11isabout$250,000lessthanitwasin2002.Studentsnowareusingsometextbooksthataremorethansevenyearsold,becausetheschoolcan’taffordtoreplacethem.

“Withinflationandthingsofthatnature,it’salmostimpossible,”DeAngelissays.YetDeAngelisunderstandsmanylawmakers’positiononK-12funding,particularlygiventhesedifficulteconomictimes.

“Moremoneydoesnotnecessarilycorrelatewithstudentachievement,”hesays.“Youhavetolookatprogramsthatareresearch-basedandeffective.Ifyoucontinuetopourmoneyintoaprogramandyou’renotseeingresults,youreallyhavetorevisitthat.”

what’s missing?WhatcouldColoradodotoseebetterresults?RodriguezpointstooneofthefundamentalcomponentsofMetroState’sCenterforUrbanEducation(CUE)—bringingtheresourcesofanentirecommunitytogetherwiththeschooltohelpstudentsfrompreschoolthroughcollegeageandgivingteacherstheabilitytosolvesomeoftheproblemsthatnowseemtobeoutsidetheircontrol,suchaslackofparentalinvolvementorstudentsgettingintotroubleafterschool.

ThroughitsUrbanTeacherPartnership,theCUEworkswithDenverPublicSchoolstoplaceMetroStateteachereducationstudentsinschoolsforfieldexperiencesaswellasstudentteaching.AtLakeMiddleSchool,forexample,MetroStatestudentsandfacultyworkedwithMiCasaFamilyResourceCenter,whichhasaspaceinsidetheschool,tohelpimprovemathandsciencetestscoresthroughMiCasa’safter-schoolprogram.

Teachersworkwithkidstocreatetheirownvideogames.Thestudentshaveaplacetogoafterschoolandwithoutevenrealizingit,astheystoryboardtheirgames,theyareworkingonliteracy,aswellasmath,scienceandtechnologyskills.

Anotherprogram,atColfax

Elementary,pairsMetroState

studentswiththepreschoolto

putonasciencefairfor4-year-olds.

Thekids’parentsareinvitedandare

givenprojectstoworkonathome.

Whetherthetopicisbugs,theweather

orplantgrowth,parentsarelearning

howtoengagewiththeirchildrenon

“homework.”AndMetroStatestudents

gainexperienceonhowtowork

withparents.

DeAngelissaysthereneedstobeadiscussionaboutwhether“onesizefitsall.”Inmostmetro-areahighschools,studentsareexpectedtocompleteacertainnumberofcreditsoverfouryearsinordertograduate.

“Doesthatsystemworkforeverystudent?Wehavestudentsherewhocouldprobablyearnthosecreditsinthreeyears.Wehavesomecouldtakefiveyears,”DeAngelissays.“Theneedsaredifferent,butthewaythesystemissetupnow,everystudentisexpectedtoearnthosecreditsatthesamespeed.Educationneedstobedifferentiated.”

Smithsaysshebelievesthedecisionaboutwhatworksbestshouldbeleftuptoindividualdistrictsandschoolsandshouldbecreatedwithinputfromteachers.

teacher evaluations

k-12 funding college

parents academic expectations


DoE GRANT To HELP CoLLEGE FoRM SCHooL oF EDuCATIoN

Metro State has been awarded a $1.8 million grant to establish a framework for the formation of a School of Education.

“As one of the top producers of teachers in colorado, this change from the Teacher Education Department to a School of Education will allow the college to respond to market demands while better addressing student needs,” says Provost and vice President of Academic Affairs vicki Golich.

The five-year grant from the “Strengthening Institutions” program of the U.S. Department of Education’s office of Postsecondary Education will also help the college to expand its capacity to serve low-income students through academic support services.

Dean of the School of Professional Studies Sandra haynes, who is currently on a one-year American council on Education Fellowship at colorado State University, says, “The prominent position of Metro State’s Teacher Education Program in the state as the largest urban-based source of teachers calls for significant academic restructuring in support of this role.”

In the grant’s first year, Metro State will look at best practices among similar schools. Subsequent years will be spent determining the most efficient allocation of resources and personnel.

“Theyhavetosay,‘Thisiswhatwouldworkinmyclassroomwithmygroupofkids,’”Smithsays.

BackatBruceRandolph,Cedilloacknowledgesthatdifferentcommunitiesanddifferentschoolsneeddifferentthings.Yethebelievesthatthe“meatandpotatoes”ofreformatBruceRandolph—highacademicexpectations,accountabilityandconsistency—canbeduplicatedanywhere,aslongasschoolanddistrictleadersarewillingtosticktheirnecksout.

“Nodoubtaboutit,”Cedillosays.“It’snotrocketscience.It’sjusthardworkandmakingsureallyoursystemsthatneedtobeputinplaceareinplaceandwelloiled.That’sit.There’snomagictoit.”

Meanwhile,thelistofnotablevisitorswho’vecometoBruceRandolphtolaudandlearnfromitsprogressgrowslonger,fromU.S.SecretaryofEducationArneDuncantoastopbyNewYorkMayorMichaelBloomberg.EvenPresidentBarackObamalaudedtheschoolinhis2011StateoftheUnionaddress.

Cedilloandhisstudentsareunfazedbytheattention,hesays.Theyarefocusedonotherthings—likewherethestudentswanttogotocollegeandwhy,andwhatitwilltaketogetthere.

Onceinawhile,oneofthoserecentgraduatescallsCedillofromcollege,justtochat.

“It’sagreatfeeling,”Cedillosays.•


Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll SPRING 2011 1918 Metro Magazine llllllllllllllllSPRING 2011

Then and now: (l to r) Bill and Sue (Parrino) Hester, Frank and Susan (Skorupa) Mullen,

Jeremy and Katy (Johnson) Havens.

“Iwasdefinitelyattractedatfirstsight—herbigmysteriouseyes,sexy’60sstylehair-do,greatlegs.Yougettheidea,”Billsays.

Hemusthavebeensmitten.Hecontinuedtopursuehereventhoughshealreadyhadaboyfriend,andnotjustanyboyfriend,astatechampionwrestler.

“ActuallyIwasabitscaredandcautious,”Billadmits.

Sue,too,wasenamored,eventhoughshesayshewore“thedorkyhorned-rimmedglasses”ofthe60s.“Butwhenhetookthemoff,Iwasastonished…hehadthebiggest,mostincrediblebrowneyesI’deverseen.”

Sotheykeptdating,dressingupandhittingthehotspotsforlivemusicaroundDenveratthetime:Ebbet’sFieldinBrooksTowersdowntownandtheoldMon-VueVillageonwestAlamedawheretheQueenCityJazzBandoftenplayed.(Bothplacesarelonggonenow.)

“Wewereunderageatthetimebutwerealwaysabletogetmixeddrinkswithoutbeingcarded,”Billsays.

Suerecallsanotheroftheirearlydates:“HetookmetolunchatacafeinLarimerSquareandsomehowhegotontothetopicofgrowingold,andIthought,‘IcouldgrowoldwithBill.’”

Andthat’sexactlywhathashappened.ThisJune,they’llcelebratetheir43rdweddinganniversary.

“It’sgonebylikeaflashandit’sbeenwonderful,”Billsays.

Reno, Nevada Frank Mullen (’79, journalism) Susan Skorupa Mullen (’84, journalism)

IfyouevervisitFrankandSusanMullenduringtheholidays,askthemwhichornamentontheirChristmastreeholdsthenote.

Don’tworry.They’llknowexactlywhatyou’retalkingabout.

ThenotegoesbacktoChristmasEve,1985.That’swhenSusanSkorupaleftaPost-itnoteonFrank’sdesk(theyworkedtogetherattheRockyMountainBusinessJournal),suggestingtheygettogetherfordinnerifhedidn’thaveotherplans.

“ImadesureIdidn’thaveotherplans,”Franksays.

TheonlyplaceopenwastheSatireLoungeonColfax,sothat’swheretheyateMexicanfoodandtalked.

Frank,nodoubtaromantic,savedthenote.

“ItlivesinsideahollowChristmasornamentandit’sonourtreeeveryyear,”hesays.“WeusuallytakeitoutandreaditonChristmasEve,whenwealwaysgoouttodinner,althoughnotattheSatire.”

AfunlittlelovestorythatbeganatMetroState,eventhoughFrankhadalreadygraduatedayearbeforetheymetoncampus.Turnsout,theycanthanktheirformerjournalismprofessor,GregPearson.Pearson,whodiedin1989,ofteninvitedjournaliststotalktohisstudents,andFrankwasoneofhisfavorites.

“I MET My MATEat Metro State” By DouG MCPHERSoN

Susan,astudentintheclass,tooknotice.

“Ithoughthewassmartandfunny,”shesays.“Greghadalwayssaid,‘DamnthatFrankMullen.He’sthebestdamnjournalistIevertaught!’Alltheseyearslater,IstillbelieveGregwasright,”Susansays.

Frankadmitshedidn’trememberSusanwhenhespoketoherclass,buthedoesrememberherwhenhevisitedthecampusafewweekslaterforanalumniluncheonwhereSusanreadapoem.

“That’swhenIrememberfirstseeingSusan,shewasonstage,andIwasimmediatelyattractedtoher.”

JustfourmonthslaterSusanjoinedFrankattheRockyMountainBusinessJournal.

“Atfirstwhenweworkedtogether,Ilikedhermoreandmore,butwasprettyshyaboutit,”Franksays.“OnedayImadeadesk-sideCaesarsalad,woodenbowl,raweggandall,usingherdeskasthepreptableatlunchtime.Herworkspacesmelledlikeanchoviesfortherestoftheweek,soIthinkshethoughtIwasnuts.”

FrankexplainsheandSusanwerebothnontraditionalstudents.

“SusanhadworkedinfloristshopsandIwasahighschooldropoutwho’dbeenalaborer,truckdriverandarestaurantcook,”hesays.“Webothdreamedofbeingwriters.Andthat’showwe’vemadeourlivingfor25yearstogether,thankstoGregandMetro.”

Denver Jeremy Havens (’02, art) and Katy Johnson Havens (’02, art)

ArtmajorJeremyHavenswassodownonhisluckwithwomenthatheactuallyremindedhimselfhewasgoingto“justgoandnotthinkaboutwomen”beforeattendingtheopeningnightofanartshowattheEmmanuelGalleryontheAurariaCampusinMarchof2001.

“I’dreallybeengoingthroughadryspellonthedatingfrontandthoughtifIjustdidn’ttrytomeetanyonethatnight,I’dfeelbetter,”Jeremysays.“Lookingbackatit,that’sreallyfunnynow.”

Funnybecausehedidindeedmeetaspecialgirlthatnight.KatyJohnsonwasanartmajor,too;hercollage(Polaroidsofaplateofspaghettionthefloor)hadwonajuryprize.AndJeremy’spainting(akindofpaint-by-numbers-styletree)hadearnedhonorablemention.

Thestage,orshouldwesaycanvas,wasset.

“Irememberseeingherpieceandthinkingitwasreallygood,”Jeremysays.“SoIfoundherandtoldherwhatIthought,thatshereallydeservedtheprizeandtherecognition.”

Sherespondedinkindsayingshelikedhispaintingandhadeventakenspecialnoticewhenitwasbeinghungfortheshow.“WhenIdroppedoffmyworkInoticedhispaintingandthoughtitwasamazing,”Katysays.

Theconversationfeltgood,Jeremysays.“Itwasaneasybackandforth.Wejusthititoffveryquickly.”

When you go to college, sometimes you get more than you bargained for. Sure, you expect to end up with a good education, new friends and exciting experiences. But every now and then, if luck lands on your side, you find true love.

Itallstartsinnocentlyenough,maybethefirstdayofanewclassoralatenightatthelibrarywhereapassingglancelastsalittlelongerthannormal—wherealookofinterestshiftssubtlytoaninvitingsmile.

Hereyou’llmeetcoupleswho’llsharethosefirstmoments,andwhohelpedputthe“met”inMetroState.Thosewho,asfatewouldhaveit,stumbleduponthatspecialessencethatbringsarichbreadthtolife:love.

Yes,morethanflowersbloomonthecampus.Lovespringsup,too.

Denver Bill Hester (’67, electronics tech, associate degree) and Sue Parrino Hester (’70, humanties, associate degree)

LongbeforeFacebook,eHarmonyandMatch.com,BillHesterandSueParrinometeachothertheoldfashionedway:facetoface,inthelibrary.

That’showitworkedbackthen,whenLyndonB.JohnsonlivedintheWhiteHouse,whengashoveredaround25¢agallonandwhenMetroStatewasstillababy,1967.

AmutualfriendthoughtthetwowouldhititoffandsetthemuptomeetinthelibrarythatwasthenintheForumBuilding,onthethirdfloor.

continuedonpage20


Veronicasayshewas“veryintentongettingmetostopbeingsouptightandofcoursebeganapologizingprofusely.”

Itworked.AndVeronicaeventuallywarmedtohim.

“Hewascutebutsuchadork.Imeanthatinthenicestway,”shesays.“IhadmadeitapointtogetthroughcollegeasfastasIcould.Ididn’tnoticeanythingotherthanhomework,testsandgrades.ButInoticedhe’dmadeapointtositnexttome.Andgeez,thoseblueeyes.”

Theattractiononlygrewstronger.

“VeronicahasanamazingsmileanditwasoneofthefirstthingsInoticedabouther,abigwarmsmileandincrediblybrighteyes,”Derricksays.

WhenaskedwhathegotfromMetroState,Derrickpauses,thensays,“IgotalotofgreatthingsfromMetro,butthemostimportantthingwasVeronica.Collegeisasmuchaboutwhoyoumeetaswhatyoulearn.”

Denver Jim Saccomano (’70, history, speech) and JoAnn Sninchak Saccomano (’80, history)

YoucouldsayJimSaccomanowasbowledoverthefirsttimehesawJoAnnSninchak.

He’djuststartedatMetroState,awide-eyedfreshmaninthefallof1966takinghismandatoryphysicaleducationclass,bowling.

“Shewasintheclassbeforemine;Isawherandjustwatchedher,”hesays.“It’shardtoexplain;youseebodylanguage,theclothingandhowapersoninteracts

ForKaty,itwasJeremy’ssmilethatkeptthemomentalive.“Ilovedhissmile,hejustkeptonsmilingatme,andhisbigbrowneyesreallywentwellwithhissmile,”shesays.

Afterthatfirstencounterthetwoseparatedforalittlewhileduringtheshow.

“Shehadherfamilythereandshewasbusyandrunningallaroundtheplace,”Jeremysays.“ButbeforeIleft,ImadesureItalkedtoheragain.AndthatworkedoutprettygoodbecauseIgotherphonenumber.”

westminster Derrick Pope (’02, journalism) and Veronica Sepsey Pope (’02, journalism)

You’dthinkthatespeciallyinapsychologyofcommunicationsclass,aguycouldfindtherightlinetoflatteragirl.Well,notalways.Infact,DerrickPopejustaboutblewhischancerightoutofthegate.

“Wewereintheclass,itwas1999andshewascompletelyannoyedwithme,”Derricksays.“RightfullysosinceIkepttellinghershelookedlikethisgo-godancerataclubandshethoughtIwascallingherastripper.”

Veronicaexplainshowshetookit.“IthinkIwasprobablytheonly20-year-oldontheplanetwithoutafakeID,soIdidn’treallyunderstandthedifferencebetweenago-godancerandtheotherkindofdancer,”shesays.“Ididn’tsomuchappreciatetheunintentionalimplicationthatIwasastripper,andIbegantoignorehim.”

Nevertheless,Derrickkeptather.“ShewasjustridiculouslycuteandIwastotallydrawntoher,”hesays.“ShewassittingwithanothergirlinourclassandImadeitapointtositrightbythem.”

withotherpeople.Itsoundssilly,butit’strue,IthoughtwhenIsawherthatthisgirllookslikethekindofgirlIwouldmarry.”

Despitethatpotentfirstimpression,hedidn’tactuallyintroducehimselfuntilmonthslater,thefollowingApril,whentheysharedaliteratureclasstogether.Theybothsatinthefrontrow.

“Inoticedherplenty,sittingacrossfromme,”Jimsays.“AndthenonedayIjustwentuptoherandintroducedmyselfandtoldhermyname.”

JoAnnwasequallytaken.“Ithoughthewascute,verycuteandsmart,”JoAnnsays.

ButJim,well,hecouldneverbeaccusedofimpulsiveness.Hewaitedtwofullyears,April1969,beforehecalledtoaskhertoamovie.

Onerecipeforlove:Meet,letsimmertwoyears.Thencallforamovie.

Jimexplainshewaitedtwoyearstocallfortworeasons:First,hewasyoung,only17yearsoldasafreshman.Andtwo,hisfocuswasonschool.“Ididn’tseeanythingwrongwithlettingsometimegoby.”

Whenhefinallydidmakethecall,hewasbackedwithanunwaveringcertainty:“BythetimeIcalledherIwassurethatIwasgoingtomarryher.”

Hisinstinctwasspoton.Theymarriedjustoneyearlater(yes,inApril,1970).

JimpondershislifewithJoAnn,andthensays,“It’sbeen40yearsnowandit’sbeengreat.”•

readingandthendoing.It’saneatwayforustolearnthematerialandbenefitalocalsmallbusinessatthesametime.”

Nowinitsthirdyear,StrategicManagementisuniqueinthatstudentsbecomeofficialconsultantsthroughtheDenverMetroSmallBusinessDevelopmentCenter(SBDC),staffingthecenter’sstudentconsultingprogram.Fromcarwashestorestaurantsandcomputerretailers,allbusinessesthatapplyfortheprogramarescreenedandmustcomplywithSBDCrequirements.

UnderthewatchfuleyeofSnymanandTamekaMontgomery,SBDC’sexecutivedirector,twoclasses(dayandevening)workinsmallteams,onebusinessperteam.Thestudentsdevelop“verydetailedandextensive”

continuedonpage22

WWiththeunemploymentratehoveringaround9.6percent,lookingforworkinthiseconomy,particularlyasarecentgraduate,canbedaunting.Onepossiblesolution?Classesthatblendclassroomtheorywithhands-onactiongivegraduatesavaluablelegupinthejobmarketandcreateawin-winforboththestudentsandtheorganizationstheyhelp.

Althoughnoteasytocomebywhileafulltimestudent,relevantworkexperiencecanmakeanemployersitupandtakenotice.ThegoodnewsisanumberofMetroStateclassesprovideaseamlesswaytocombineclasscreditwithguidedon-the-jobexperience.

“Aswelearntried-and-trueconceptsintheclassroom,weareapplyingthoseconceptsimmediatelytoarealbusiness,”saysseniorKathrynMoberg,astudentinProfessorJohannesSnyman’sStrategicManagementcourse—thecapstoneforallMetroStatebusinessmajors.“We’rehearing,

HeaRIng, ReadIng and tHen doIng Learning outside the classroom benefits students, businesses ByVonaldaUtterback(’92)

Then and now: (l to r) Derrick and Veronica (Sepsey) Pope and Jim and JoAnn (Sninchak) Saccomano.

22 Metro Magazine llllllllllllllllSPRING 2011 Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll FALL 2011 23

strategicmanagementplansforupto14areabusinessespersemester,explainsMontgomery,culminatinginaformalpresentationtotheclientatSBDCoffices.Inadditiontovaluableexperience,thestudentsgainarealisticviewofwhatit’sliketobeabusinessowner,toencounterchallengesandworkthroughthem,sheadds.AswithallMetroStatecoursesofthisnature,servicesareprovidedatnocharge,alsogivinglocalbusinessesalegupinthisdifficulteconomy.“Thestudentsprovidetremendousbenefittothebusiness,”saysSnyman,himselfaformersmallbusinessowner.Heestimatesthevalueatanywherefrom$2,000to$10,000forthecompletedreportandstrategicanalysis,whichcanrun150to200pageslong.ChristenRoberts,co-ownerofLockboxMarketingGroup,Inc.,anintegratedinternetmarketingfirminDenver,participatedintheMetroState/SBDCstudentconsultingprogramlastyearandwas“verypleasedwiththestudentfeedbackandideas.”

“Itwasamutuallybeneficialrelationship,”Robertssays.“Wewerepleasedtoalsohelpthestudents,answertheirquestionsandgivethemarealisticperspectiveonwhatitisliketorunasmallbusiness.”Intheend,Roberts,a2002MetroStategradwithabacheloroffineartsdegree,saystheexperiencehelpedherandherbusinesspartnerbetterunderstandthestatusoftheirbusinessandhowbesttomoveforward.

open for business and ready to marketYetanotherpopularhands-oncourseisVisitingAssistantProfessorofMarketingDarrinC.Duber-Smith’s

recentlyrevivedOpenForBusinesselectiveformarketingmajorsandarequirementforallseniormarketingminors.Since

2008,studentsinDuber-Smith’sclasshaveconsultedwithanddevelopedmarketingplansforabout30diverseorganizations,includingmedicalclinics,videoservices,publishers,skiareasandnonprofitassociations.

“Thestudentscanaddthisexperiencetotheirrésuméwithconfidence,”saysDuber-Smith,who,inadditiontoteachingpart-time,hasownedGreenMarketing,Inc.,afull-servicemarketingstrategyandbranddevelopmentfirm,since2000.“Theyaretrueconsultantstothebusinessestheyserve.Theyreceivereferences,contactsandgreaton-the-jobtraining.Oftenthisoneexperiencecanmakethedifferencebetweenbeinghiredornot.”

Intruecarpe diemfashion,seniormarketingmajorRandLemarinel,whotooktheOpenForBusinesscourselastsummer,recentlyopenedhisownbusiness,providingmarketingservicesforonlinebusinesses.“Theclasswasgreatforme,”hesays.“It’simportanttogetreal-worldexperienceandactuallyutilizetheskillsyou’vebeentaught.Theclassreallyinspiredmeandcultivatedmyentrepreneurialspirit.Iopenedmybusinesswithapartnerrightafterthesemesterended,andit’sbeenverysuccessful.”

SimilartoSnyman’sStrategicManagementcourse,studentsinOpenForBusinesspresenttheclientwithawrittenstrategicmarketingplaninadditiontoa45-minuteclassroomPowerPointpresentation.Alongtheway,however,reportsDuber-Smith,thestudentsspendcountlesshoursinresearch,interviewswiththeclient,initialrecommendationsandrevisions.“Thisisallpartoftheprocess,”heexplains.“Togethertheclientandthestudentsthensetmeasurableobjectivesanddetermineabudget.”

Asthesecondhalfofthewinningcombination,Duber-Smithsayshefindsthebusinessownersarequitepleasedwiththeprocessandtheendresult.SylviaSalcedoRojas,alicensedacupuncturistwhoownstheAcupunctureandOrientalMedicineClinicinDenver,isoneveryhappysmallbusinessowner.

“Workingwiththestudentswaswonderful,”Rojassaysoftheexperience.“Theywereveryprofessional.Theygavemesomanyusefultipsandideas,includingsettingmeupwithapatientdatabaseprogramthatIwouldnothavethoughtofonmyown.AndnowIcouldnotlivewithoutthissystem.Ithasrevolutionizedmypractice.Iamverygrateful.”

Designing in the communityThehearing,readingandthendoingmantraisn’tconfinedtobusinessmajors.CommunicationDesignCoordinatorandAssociateProfessorLisaAbendrothalsoencouragesherstudentstothinkbeyondthefourwallsoftheclassroomandforgepartnershipswithcommunitynonprofits.

“Community-drivendesignandservice-learningoutreacharefundamentaltowhatweteach,”shesays.

Infact,severalcourseswithinthecommunicationdesignconcentrationdojustthat,includinganongoingcollaborationwithPlatteForum’sArtLab,aninternshipprogramforunderservedhighschoolyouth.ForthepasttwosummersseniorartmajorGarretWieronski,alongwithfiveotherMetroStateartmajors,havevolunteeredtomentor16studentsfromArtLab.

“ThispastsummerwepartneredwithDesignIgnitesChangeandworkedwiththeArtLabstudentstocreateaninteractiveexhibitfilledwiththestudents’‘products,’basedonthethemeof‘lifelessons,’”saysWieronski.“Thisprojectgavethesestudentsavoice.Itwasthestudents’ideas—asmentors,wefacilitatedandhelpedwiththetechnicalaspects.

“Ilearnedsomuchaboutgroupwork,likehowyoucometogetherunderoneroofandreachconsensus.Getting‘outside’andworkinginthecommunityreallyhelpswithperspective.Theaveragestudentdoesn’tgetthisexperience.Youwouldneverseethesetypesofprojectsindesignschool.”

IntheSpiritofWoodyGuthrie,yetanothercommunicationdesigncoursecreatedlastspringtointersectwiththe2010BiennialoftheAmericaseventinDenverinJuly,hadninestudentscollaboratingwithDenver’sSwallowHillMusicAssociationonanextensiveinstallationcelebratingtheworkofWoodyGuthrie.

“Thestudentsweregreattoworkwith—theyweresuper-involvedintheproject,”recallsTomScharf,executive

directorforSwallowHillMusic.“Themostimpressivething,however,wastoseehowtheyevolvedintheirlearning.ItwasnicetowatchthemapplytherelevanceofWoody’smessagetotoday’spoliticalandsociallandscape.Ibelievetheexperienceimpactedthestudents’learninginapositivewayandhelpedthemunderstandanimportantartistthatmanyofthemhadn’theardofbefore.”

“TheotherbenefitisthatthestudentvolunteershelpedaddadimensiontoourpresentationofWoodyFestthatwedidn’thavethetimeortheresourcesfor,”Scharfsays.“Woodywasaboutcommunity,andourcollaborationwiththestudentswasinthatspirit.”

Theopportunityforreal-worldtraining,givingbacktothecommunityandaddingthatallimportant‘experience’leveltoone’srésumé,isawinningcombinationthatclearlyempowersMetroStatestudentsandreadiesthemforalifebeyondtheclassroom.

“Inmyopinion,experientiallearningisthemostenduringandmeaningfullearningthatthereis,”addsScharf.“Itaugments‘booklearning’and‘classroomlearning’inawaythatmakesitfunandunforgettable.”•

“The class was great for me. It’s important to get real-world experience and actually utilize the skills you’ve been taught. The class really inspired me and cultivated my entrepreneurial spirit. I opened my business with a partner right after the semester

ended, and it’s been very successful.”

Darrin C. Duber-Smith’s Open For Business class has given students the hands-on entrepreneurial experience necessary to launch their own ventures.

Communication Design Coordinator Lisa Abendroth inspires her students to do art for work’s sake by collaborating with local nonprofits.

AlumniTimes///AlumniNewsandEvents


wEEDS,asyouknow,cangrowtocounty-fairwinnerswithoutwater,sunshineornutrients.Theydefybugs,prosperin“suckysoil”(aptlynamedbymyteen-agedneighbor),anddespitediggingthemoutbytheirroots,theycomebackin48hours—stronger,thickerandbringinghundredsoftheiroffspringwiththem.Andbecausethisisanorganicgarden,poisoningisnotallowed.Theanswer?Doormats! Allvegetation—evenbindweed,thelong,gracefulivy-likewolfinsheep’scloth-ingthatwindsitsprettywhiteflowersaroundyourplantsandchokesthelifeoutofthem—willtotallyrotunderyourdog’soldruginamatterofdays.Theaestheticsofmulti-colored,rattypiecesofcarpet,rugsandmatsdistributedthroughoutyourgardencanbeeasilyremediedbyspreadingafewbagsofnaturalbarkoverthetop. BuGS.Gettwoducksforevery100feetofgardenandallowthemtonibbletheirwaythroughyourplantslikehappyassembly-lineworkers!Theywillridyourgardenofbugswhilefertilizingyourgroundastheyeatandwork.Nowthat’sorganicgardening!(I’venotpersonallytriedthis,butitwasagreatPBSspecial.)Intheeventyoufindducksdifficulttoworkwith,youcan:

1.plantgreenonionsthroughoutyourgarden

2.keepyourleavesfromdryingoutasbugslovemunchingoncrispyleaves,or

3.plantyourleafyveggiesnexttoplaceswherezillionsofbeeshangout(like lavenderplants).ThecollardsandkalethatIplantednexttobeescouldhave beencenterfoldsforWesternGardener,whilethesameplantsgrowingin bee-lessareasofthegardenwerechewedragged.

SoIL.TheverysoilsettlerscursedwhentheycametoColoradol50yearsago,remainsintactinmyyard.(Isuspectitwouldanalyzeat60percentclay,35percentconcrete,5percentdustandsand.)After33yearswiththissoilandprobably$33,000worthofperennialsthatnevermadeitpastthesecondyear,I’mpassingalongtwoGreatTruths:

1. Choosedrought-resistantplantscapableofgrowingontheflooroftheArizona desert,i.e.Californiapoppies,Apacheplumes,Arizonapines,rhubarb,collards, greenonions,kale,stones,stickers,etc.

2. Thinkcontainergardens.Thegrapetomato“starter”Iplantedinanl8”wide by12”deepcontainer,producedninetimesasmanytomatoesasthesame “starter”Iplantedinthegroundrightnexttoit!

From my pile of organic claycrete to yours—happy gardening! .•Lynn Smith (’04, public administration) owns Kate’s at 35th Avenue Organic Restaurant and Events Center.

organic gardening tips for transcending weeds, bugs and sucky soil By Lynn Smith

While we’re still celebrating our 45th Anniversary, we’re looking ahead to our 50th knowing that Metro State is a treasure-trove of history, memories and great stories.

Hard as we’ve tried over the years to document the wins, losses, institutional achievements and individual triumphs, some have slipped through the cracks and crevices of time.

Become part of recording the Metro State missing history as we move toward our Golden Anniversary. Here’s how you can help:

• Name that alum! Identify the photos featured here. We’ve recently unearthed a cache of Metro State memories and would like to attach names to faces. If

you know who’s who, please e-mail us at [email protected].

• View and tag other photos from the Metro State History Mystery at flickr.com/photos/metrostatealumni.

• Post your own photos at Facebook.com/MetroStateAlumni and include a story about the picture.

• Contribute to the institutional memory collection to be housed in the new Student Success Building.

Send any Metro State-related photos, stories or memorabilia you may have to Metropolitan State College of Denver, office of Alumni Relations, Campus Box 11, Po Box 173362, Denver, Co 80217 or better yet visit us at the Alumni House, 1059 Ninth St. Park.

The materials will not only become part of a permanent collection but also an evolving exhibit at the Alumni House. (Want your items returned? We will happily scan, save and return them safely to you.) .•

Metro State History Mystery

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ASK AN ALuM FRoM DooRMATS To DuCkS...


SAvE THE DATE! SPRING 2011 EvENTSCheck www.mscd.edu/alumni/events for the most up-to-date details on these and other events and activities.

NEw! oFFICIAL CoLLEGE RING CoLLECTIoN The official Metro State ring collection, designed for and by alumni, is now available. Be the first

to purchase this unique and lasting symbol of your lifelong connection to your alma mater. Part of the proceeds from ring sales

benefit Metro State Alumni Association programs and student scholarships.

If you would like to book a consultation, contact Shelley Mcclellan from Jostens at 303-921-6662. or order your ring today at www.mscd.edu/alumni.

March 15-16:GradFair,StCajetan’s,AurariaCampus

March 31:GroundbreakingfortheHotelandHospitalityLearningCenter

April 6:AnnualScholarshipDinner

April 21:InstituteforWomen’sStudiesandServices,OutstandingWomen’sAwards

April TBD:AthleticsScholarshipDinner

April TBD:AlumnigatheringinChicago

April TBD:AlumnigatheringinNewOrleans

May 15:SpringCommencement–Alumnivolunteersneeded

www.facebook.com/MetroStateAlumni

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AlumniTimes///AlumniNewsandEvents

METRo STATE ALuMNI ASSoCIATIoN 2010-11 BoARD oF DIRECToRS

PRESIDENT JimGarrison(’80,Economics)

vIcE PRESIDENT CassandraJohnson(’04,Management)

SEcRETARY VictoriaHannu(’84,ComputerandManagementScience)

TREASURER JudyGeorge

(’01,BusinessManagement)

PAST PRESIDENT AND BoARD oF TRUSTEES REPRESENTATIvE EricPeterson(’99,Marketing)

FoUNDATIoN BoARD REPRESENTATIvERobMorrill(’97,PoliticalScience)

DerekAnguilm(’00,Finance)///ScottApplegate

(’96,Finance)///PiperBillups,(’99,Marketing)

///DavidDiaz(’97,Mathematics)///Marisol

Enriquez(’99,Hospitality,MeetingandTravel

Administration)///DanyetteHardin(’07,

Management)///MichelleLeBoo,Administrator

Representative(’95,History)///BradMcQueen

(’95,Accounting)///RCMontoya(’93,Technical

Communication)///ChuckMoss(’88,Finance)///

AnneO’Neill(’07,Hospitality,TourismandEvents

Management)///DanielParks(’96,PoliticalScience)

///WendyPetersen(’89,Hospitality,Meeting

andTravelAdministration)///RonRamirez(’94,

Hospitality,MeetingandTravelAdministration)

///JudyShafer(’95/97,English)///JohnSilva,(’91,

Finance)///Sterling“Noah”Steingraeber(’08,

Marketing)///MetzaTempleton,ClassifiedStaff

Representative(’07,Management)///Associate

ProfessorofHumanServicesAntonioLedesma,(’72,

English),FacultyRepresentative///SGAPresident

SammanthaO’Brien,StudentRepresentative.•

youR METRo STATE ALuMNI RELATIoNS STAFF:

Mark Jastorff

DirectorofAlumniRelationsandExecutiveDirectoroftheAlumniAssociation303.352.7207mjastorf@mscd.edu

Meghan hartvigson (’10)

[email protected]

Janell Lindsey

DirectorofSpecialInitiativesforAlumniRelationsandEnrollmentServices303.556.6344lindseja@mscd.edu

Lizzy Scully

[email protected]

Gini Mennenga

[email protected]

MAILING ADDRESS: office of Alumni Relations • campus Box 11 • P.o. Box 173362 • Denver, co 80217-3362

cAMPUS LocATIoN: 1059 Ninth Street Park • Phone: 303.556.8320

vISIT US oN ThE WEB: www.mscd.edu/alumni


A tallmanwiththevoiceofaradioannouncer,MetroState’snewdirectorofalumnirelationsgrewupona

collegecampusandhasspentmorethan25yearsworkingatcolleges.Immersinghimselfinstudentlifeisoneofhismainhobbies.

“IgrewupintheBlackHillsofSouthDakota,”saysMarkJastorff.“MydadwasanadministratoratBlackHillsStateforalong,longtime.So…concerts,ballgames,plays—that’swhatIactuallydoasmydowntime.”

AlthoughMetroStateoffersplentyofstudentactivitiesanditspercentageoftraditional-agedstudentsisgrowing,Aurariaisstillacommutercampus—afarcryfromthetraditionalcam-pusesJastorffhasknownbefore.

Heearnedhisbachelor’sdegreeinmasscommunicationsandspeechfromBlackHillsStateUniversityinSouthDakotaandthenworkedatDickinsonStateUniversityinNorthDakotaandLakeSuperiorStateUniversityinMichiganinvariousaspectsofstudentlifeandinstitutionaladvancement.LakeStatedidn’thaveanalumniprogram;hestartedone.MostrecentlyhedirectedthealumniprogramattheUniversityofNorthernIowa(CedarFalls,Ia.).

“IlovemakingadifferenceoncampusandIlovemakingconnectionsbetweenpeople,”Jastorffsays.“Oneofthebiggestkicksinthewholeworldiswhenyoucandosomeeventthatbringspeopletogetherwhohaven’tseeneachotherforfive,10,15,20or30years,andtheyrunintoeachother—theemotionandthebuzzthatcomesoffofthat.”

Jastorff’spreviousacquaintancewithDenverconsistsofroadtripsduringcollege.Heandhisbuddieswouldoccasionally

makethesix-hourdrivefromSpearfish,S.D.,visitaMcDonald’s,turnaroundanddrivehome.Nowthatheliveshere,Jastorffis“acclimatingtothetraffic.”HeandhiswifeKariareemptynesters;sheisstillbackinIowa,sothey’refacing12-hourcommuteswhenthey’reabletogettogether.Consequently,hehasn’tyethadachancetoexploreDenverorthemountains.

“ButIknewwhatIwasgetting,”hesays.“IknewI’dfindextremelyfriendlypeoplehereandIknewwhatIwaswalkingintoatMetroState—howwekindofscratchandclawourwaytosuccessinsteadofjustexpectit.Thatfitsmypersonality,too.”

Jastorffdidindeedoncedreamofaradiocareer.Hehasdoneradioplay-by-playforcollegebasketballandfootballandwouldlovetofindawaytogettheRoadrunnersontheradio.NotingthatMetroStatehasa“hellaciouslygood”athleticprogrambutlowattendance,he’dalsoliketoseethatchange.

Hisnewpositioncarriestwotitles:directoroftheCollege’sOfficeofAlumniRelationsandexecutivedirectoroftheMetroStateAlumniAssociation,aseparatenonprofitorganization.Overthecomingyearsandmonths,hesaystheAlumniOfficewillplaceaheavyemphasisonprovidingcareeradvice,programsandservicesforalumniinpartnershipwiththeCareerServicesOffice.

“You’llstartseeingtheAlumniOfficeandMetroalumsbeingabletoengageatvirtuallyeverylevelatMetroStateandinDenver,”hesays.“Whetherthat’scomingbacktocampustoserveonpanelsoradvisoryboardsorintheneighborhoodsforvolunteeropportunities,weplantowavethatflagearlyandoften.”•

Strengthening career connections for alumni tops new alumni director’s list By JuLIE LANCASTER

Jastorff: “I love making a difference on campus and I love making connections

between people.”

28 Metro Magazine llllllllllllllllSPRING 2011 Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll SPRING 2011 29

cLASS AcTS

Jenifer Adams(’09, criminal justice)isanadministrativeassistantfortheStateofColorado.

Salim Azzam(’10, marketing)isCEOofAzzamRealty,LLCinLakewood,Colo.

Doug Barnes(’09, computer information systems)isacomputerinformationtechnicianfortheStateof

Colorado,JudicialGovernmentdivision.

Dillon Bohlender(’08, environmental science)isascienceteacherintheAdams12SchoolDistrictinThornton,Colo.

Troy Bratton(’04, political science)isastaffattorneyandbilldrafterfortheOfficeofLegislativeLegal

ServicesfortheColoradoGeneralAssembly.

Loretta chavez(’01, computer management science)isabusinessintelligencemanagerforTeletechinEnglewood,Colo.

Jason S. cordova(’10, aviation technology)workswithStaffProinDenver.

Ryan Floyd(’01, communications)isseniorvicepresidentatUniqueProperties,LLCinDenver.

Levi Lamfers(’03, business management)isadivisionalvicepresidentforAXAAdvisors,LLC,afinancial

servicescompanyinFranklin,Tenn.Heearnedamaster’sinbusinessadministrationfrom

MississippiStateUniversityinMay2010.

Sarah holzer(’10, English)isasixthgradeliteracyteacherforAurora(Colo.)PublicSchools.

class Acts highlights the latest news from Metro State alumni. To submit your information for publication, go to www.mscd.edu/alumni and click on Update Your Info.

cLASS AcTS

Troy Abplanalp(’92, professional pilot)isafloatplanebushpilotforKingSalmoninRapidsCamp

LodgeinAlaska.

Almeta corbin(’96, political science)worksfortheCaringforColoradoFoundationandlivesinDenver.

Elias A. Diggins(’99, criminal justice)isachiefwiththeDenverSheriffDepartmentandis

overseeingthedemolitionandrenovationoftheDenverCountyjail,thelargestconstruction

projectonthecampusinalmost60years.

Derrick E. haynes(’97, human services)isdirectorofstudentacademicsuccessforMetroStateand

earnedhisPh.D.inorganizationalperformanceandchangeinAugust2010.

Mary o’halloran(’96, business)isacontractadministratorfortheCityofLakewood,Colo.

focusingonconstruction-relatedbidsandcontracts.

chanda Turnbull(’96, psychology)isanassociatehumanresourcesprofessionalfortheCity

andCountyofDenver/CivilServiceCommission.Sheholdsmaster’sdegreesincounseling

psychologyandindustrial/organizationalpsychology.

James Inhelder(’75, biology)isamortgagebrokerandownerofInhelderInvestmentsinAurora,Colo.

Paul G. Moore(’79, history)isateacheratPeaktoPeakCharterSchoolinLafayette,Colo.

Ali Nekumanesh(‘79, political science)ispresidentofEaglesManagementConsultinginClovis,

Calif.andowneroftheColoradoGrillRestaurantsinFresno,Calif.

John Noce(’76, accounting)retiredafter31yearsasthechieffinancialofficerandseniorvice

presidentofacompanyinthemasstransitindustryinSt.Louis,Mo.

Michelle Elizabeth Penland(’76, psychology)retiredasaclinicalpsychologistin2007after

working26yearsataregionalmentalhealthcenterforthestateofNorthDakota.


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Adam hulbert(’10, human performance and sport)isanaccountexecutivefortheDenverOutlaws,aprofessionallacrosseteam.Hestartedasaninternwiththeorganizationwhilestillinschool.

Matthew c. Mahutga(’00, individualized degree program)isanassistantprofessorofsociologyfortheUniversityofCaliforniaatRiverside.HefinishedhisPh.D.insociologyin2008.

clint Mccaskill(’10, marketing)isthedirectorofclientrelationsforZenMangoinCentennial,Colo..

Kim Middaugh(’10, elementary education)isasubstituteteacherforBoulderValleyandJeffcoPublicSchoolsinColorado.

heather Neyer(’01, English)ispresidentofNeyerAssistedLiving,Inc.inCentennial.

Bola R. owolabi(’01, engineering technology)isasoftwareengineerfortheCernerCorporation,ahealthcareinformationtechnologysystemscompany,inKansasCity,Mo.Hereceivedamaster’sofscienceinsoftwareengineeringfromRegisUniversityin2007.

connie Gentry Paeglow(’07, human services)isanephrologysocialworkerforFreseniusMedicalCareinDenver.Sheholdsamaster’sofsocialworkandhasservedaspresidentoftheDenverBranchoftheAmericanAssociationofUniversityWomen.

Tiffany Pendleton(’09, behavioral science)isaresidencehalldirectorfortheUniversityofNorthernColoradoandexpectstograduateinMaywithamaster’sdegreeinhighereducationandstudentaffairs.Shehopestoeventuallyworkwithveteranswhoarereturningtocollege.

Alaine Pope(’10, finance)istheoperationsmanagerforNorthAmericanCo-PackinWestminster,Colo.

carol Reagan(’00, health care management)isaprogrammanagerattheUniversityofColoradoatDenver.

Rick Sallee(’07, accounting)isanauditorfortheStateofColorado’sunemploymentinsuranceprogram.

Dennis Sargent(‘07, health care management)isanalliedhealthinstructorforAnthemCollegeinAurora.

Louis Tor Sarkisian(’04, finance)isanagentforFrontierAirlinesinDenver.

Andrea Shane(’07, criminal justice)isafraudanalystforNordstromFSBandlivesinParker.

Tara Stiner(’07, history)isafamilyoutreachspecialistforBigBrothersBigSistersofColoradoandlivesinDenver.

Meghan Stinton(’07, journalism/public relations)isthemarketingandcommunicationsmanagerfortheColoradoWomen’sChamberofCommerce.

Andrew Tebsherani(’07, finance)isacontractsnegotiatorforLockheedMartininPalmdale,Calif.HeisaformerpilotforBigSkyAirlinesofBillings,Mont.andRepublicAirlinesofColumbus,Ohio.

Zeru A Tige(’09, business management)isasecurityguardwiththeWackenhutCorporationinAurora.

christopher S. Tillman(’09, management)ispresidentandfounderofRockyMountainTerror,a“hauntedattraction”companyinDenver.

Elisa M. varela(’10, speech)isafamilyliaisonspecialistforAurora(Colo.)PublicSchools.

Troy S. Walker(’08, political science)isfinishinghissecondyearattheUniversityofDenver,SturmCollegeofLaw.Healsoperformsstand-upcomedyaroundDenverincludingatComedyWorksandtheDenverImprov.

Kayleigh Wellers(’10, human development)worksforSemperaandlivesinParker.


A tale of family bonds, a shift in dreams and community By RoXANNE HAWN

AurAriA CAmpus BookstoreBrAun’s BAr And Grill

CliCk’s CopY Center

CoACh AmeriCAhilton GArden inn

hotel VQ @ mile hiGhstudent & AuXiliArY serViCes

Boulder runninG CompAnYinn At AurAriA

phill Foster & CompAnYsportline

the ups store

METRo STATE ATHLETICSCoRPoRATE SPoNSoRS

wastheplaceforAlainatogotoschool.Then,itwasreallyexcitingthattheywerestartinganewsoftballprogram,”hesays.“Plus,theyreallyhaveoneofthebestphysicaleducationprogramsinthestate.So,everythingfit.”

Larsondidn’treallywanttobefarfromhomeanyway.“Iwaslike,‘Oh,perfect!IonlylivesevenminutesfromMetro,’”shesaysofgettingthenewsthatJenFisherwasnowMetroState’sheadcoachforitsnewlyreinstitutedsoftballteam.“I’mveryclosetomyfamily,soitwashardtoleave.”

The SlumpWithabrightfutureonthehorizon,Larsondidn’trealizehowmuchshe’dneedthissupportsystemwhenthingsbegangoinghorriblywrong.

Larsonred-shirtedherfirstyear,bothtocontinueherkneerehabilitationaftersurgeryandconcentrateonherGPA.Shestilltrainedwiththeteamandhelpedbyvideotapinggames.Shereadiedherselftoplaythenextyear,butwhenoneofherlegsswelledupduringpractice,theteam’strainersrecognizeditasapossiblebloodclotandgothertoadoctorpronto.

Thatmedicalscareresultedinanotherred-shirtyear.

Larsongearedupforthenextsoftballseason,onlytocollapseonthefieldduringpracticefromaseizure.Shehashadmoreseizuressincethen,anditlooksverymuchlikehercompetitivecareerinfast-pitchsoftballisover.

“Itwasreallyhugethatitwastakenfromme,”shesaysoftheloss.

“Thehardpartforherwasthatitwasapillarinherlifeandthatpillarwastakenaway,”herdadsays.“Shehasreplacedthatwithcoachingandwithplayingslow-pitchsoftball.Sheplaysrecreationalsoftball,andshecoachedthejuniorvarsityteamatWheatRidgeHighSchoolinthefall,sothatreally

AlainaLarson,aMetroStatephysicaleducationmajor,seessoftballasahavenandcallsither“No.1priority.”Morethananoutletforhealthandstressrelief,softballgivesLarsonaplacewheresuccesscomeseasily.

Whenacomplicationatbirthtemporarilyrobbedherbrainofoxygen,ittooksomeofhershort-termmemorywithitandmadeschoolachallenge.“Growingup,schoolwasreallyhard,”Larsonsays.“Myacademicswerejust‘there.’Ihadtoworktwiceashardaseverybodyelse.Softballwasmygetawayfromschool.”

The hitting streakAtthesametime,softballgaveLarsonatickettocollege.Shefieldedseveralrecruitmentoffersthankstoplayingthegameofherlifeatashowcasetournament,wherecollegecoachesscoutfornewtalent.MetroState’sthenfuturesoftballcoachJenFishersatinthestandsthedaythatLarsonwentonahittingstreak—twooverthefence,atriple,twodoubles.

EvenafterLarsontoreanACLatthenexttournamentgame,Fishertoldher,“I’mlookingforanathletelikeyou.”

ThetwokeptincontactasLarsonfinishedhighschoolinWheatRidge,continuingtoplayonthatinjuredknee.

The legacyYoumightthinkthefactthatLarson’sparents(highschoolsweethearts)bothgraduatedfromMetroStateswayedherdecision,buthermom—JosieLarson(’81,recreation)—says,“Welethermakeherownchoice.”

Herdad—EricLarson(’80,physicaleducation),MetroStatebaseballHallofFamerandlongtimebaseballcoach—explainstheconfluenceoffactorsthatledtoherdecision.“AfterfindingoutabouttheAccessCenter(forDisabilityAccommodationsandAdaptiveTechnology),handsdownweknewthat

helpeddirectherenergy,stilldoingsoftball-relatedactivities.”

The CommunityAsLarsonfinisheshercollegecareerwithaneyetowardteachingelementaryschoolP.E.forDenverPublicSchools(DPS),shecontinuestoworkforMetroStateAthleticsandsupportsthesoftballteam.

Herdad,whoisaphysicaleducationcoordinatorforDPS,after22yearsteaching,hostsaPhysicalEducationandDanceSummerInstituteatMetroState.“Ithinkthebestpartofthisisthatweinvitethephysicaleducationmajorsto

attend,”hesays.“Theygettoconnectwithteachersfromalloverthestate,othercoordinators,thenationalteachersoftheyearfromalloverthecountry.It’sjustaniceconnection.It’sanicepartnershipwehavewithMetro.”

Larson’syoungerbrotherattendsbaseballcampsoncampusandgetsakickfrompointingouttootherplayersthathisdadisintheAthleticsHallofFame.HealsoperformedattheKingCenterwithhishighschoolchamberchorale.

Thefamilyattendsbasketballgamesandsoftballgames,ofcourse.“Ilove

walkingaroundthecampus,becausewhenIwentthere,therewasamainstreetthatwentthroughthemiddle,”saysJosieLarson,whoworksasasubstituteinJeffersonCounty.

TheLarsonfamily’sMetroStatelegacy,however,isaboutmorethanteachingandsport.TheCollegeprovidesabroaderplatformforreallife.ItgaveLarsonadifferentkindoffield,uponwhichshelearnedsometoughlessons.“Sincebirth,”Larsonsays,“I’vehadonemedicalissueafteranother,butwithmyfamily,we’vegottenthroughit.”•

TheRowdyReport///RoadrunnerSports

A Metro State legacy: (l to r) Eric Larson (‘80), Josie Larson (‘81) and

daughter Alaina.

Don’tBlink///ALastLook

IGNITING A NEw TRADITIoN

In what is hoped will become a homecoming tradition, Roadrunners

rallied around a bonfire set on campus Feb. 17 under the watchful eye

of the Denver Fire Department. Plans for 2012 homecoming—bonfire

included—are already underway for the week of Feb. 6.


Market Competitive Tuition*

An MBA for Metro Take the next step

StateGrads

www.fhsu.edu/mba • Contact: Lisa Treece: 785.628.5696 • [email protected]

Convenient, Flexible, OnlineLearn on your schedule, not ours. Choose to study online, or on the Fort Hays State campus in Hays, Kansas. Full-time or part-time ... again, your choice! Same great program, same great faculty teaching relevant, up-to-date courses using the latest in user-friendly course delivery methods.

Your Program ... Your Specialty.One size does not fit all. That was true when you were a student at Metro State, and it’s true of MBA programs. Choose a concentrationthat will help you achieve your professional goals.

• Finance

• General MBA Studies• Health and Human Performance/ Sports Management

• Health Care Management

• Human Resource Management

• Information Assurance

• International Business

• Leadership Studies

• Management Information Systems

• Tourism and Hospitality Management

* Total estimated program tuition; current as of Spring 2011** Based on CO in-state residency; non-resident est. tuition $42,456

No Business Degree? No Problem.The Metro State/FHSU partnership o�ers you a seamless transition into the MBA progam. Begin your MBA while completing the business foundation courses. You do not have to wait!

• • •

Fast Track Admissions Requirements• A bachelor’s degree in Business from Metro State College• Completion of all required admission materials• Score a 990 or above with the MBA admissions formula:

200 x undergraduate G.P.A + O�cial GMAT score = 990 or above

Thomas Gaschler-FHSU & Dr. John Cochran, Dean, Metro State School of Business

METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE OF DENVER

CAMPUS BOX 14

P.O. BOX 173362

DENVER, CO 80217-3362

Non-Profit Org.

U.S. Postage

PAIDPermit 2965

Denver, Colo.

Now you can take your Metro State bachelor’s degree one step further.Metro State offers master’s degrees in:

• Professional Accountancy• Teacher Education (MAT)• Social Work

Access graduate-level urban education at its finest and most affordable.

For more information, visit . . .

www.mscd.edu/masters

“I’m really excited about the new Master’s of Social Work Program. It’s affordable, which means I won’t have to move out of Denver tocontinue my education.”

Kaylee Jeffrey

Senior social work major

Where success begins with you

metro magazine spring 2011

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