metro magazine spring 2010

ALL INKED UP ANDNOWHERE TO WORK PG. 8

SCIENCE ON DISPLAY PG. 10

VOL.SPRING 2010

26

8 ANSWERS: Su Teatros Tony Garcia PG. 6

FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE OF DENVER

Where success begins with you, and your family, and your friends.

Youve felt the impact of a Metro State degree.

Let your family and friends know

Metro State will help define

their success, too!

Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll SPRING 2010 1

///Contents

68 ANSWERS Life has come full circle for Su Teatro Executive Artistic Director Tony Garcia.

DEPARTMENTS

3 Metrozoic Era

4 Newsworthy

22 Alumni Times

30 The Rowdy Report

32 Dont Blink

8ALL INKED UP AND NOWHERE TO WORK? Do body art and jobs mix?

14RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL, PAINTINGS AND OPERA... Three grads who are doing amazing things in theatre, fine art and music.

10SCIENCE ON DISPLAY The new Auraria Science Building hasthe wow factor.

Spring 2010 / Volume XXVI / Issue II

Cover photo by Javier Manzano

SPRING 10

Editor:On a mild and clear Arizona winter night in January, a fire danced in the outdoor fireplace, white lights graced the tree branches, and the moon smiled down upon a small group of fellow Metropolitan State alumni gathered to dine together.

In 1986, I graduated with a journalism degree from Metro State and moved to Arizona to work as a reporter. This dinner was the first alumni event Id attended, and I felt excited for the opportunity to connect with fellow Metro alumni living in the Southwest.

President Stephen Jordan spoke about developments and changes at Metro State: planned graduate schools, new construction and innovative methods for student retention.

I noted how successful we all looked in our professional attire: teacher, banker, insurance adjuster, former city councilman, and myself, a journalist. Yet, at one time, we were no different than the Metro students of today.

Placed at each table, and much to my delight, was a copy of The Metropolitan. I felt as if I were seeing a cherished, old friend again. I proudly told everyone, including Dr. Jordan, how thrilled I felt when I had my first news article published.

When I started Metro in 1982, I had been out of high school for several years. I had marginal high school grades, no scholarships or academic awards, no teacher recommendations, and no one in my family had attended college before me. Yet, I was accepted and given the chance to embark upon a college education.

One of my first classes was Introduction to Journalism taught by the brilliant and demanding Greg Pearson. It took awhile before I stopped feeling as if someone might tap me on the shoulder during class and tell me to get back to serving beer and pizza. Who did I think I was trying to be, a reporter?

The first assignment I received back from Mr. Pearson was marked with bright red ink, but beyond (the marks) I saw hope. Someone was taking the time to teach me, and not just Mr. Pearson, but all my professors saw in me potential.

Their belief in my ability to learn, and my desire to stretch my academic wings, kept me coming back to class and doing my assignments. Hanging in there.

And there were times I wanted to quit. I worked two part-time jobs, struggled to pay rent on a rundown bungalow near campus, rode my bike to school and my wardrobe came from Goodwill. Yet I was happier than I had ever been in my life. Go figure. Clich as it may sound I was following my heart, my dream, and my world was expanding.

Eventually I learned how to write well enough to be given an assignment with The Metropolitan. I interviewed an administrator with a vice-president before his name. He sat behind a big desk, and my hand shook as I took notes, but I wrote the story and it actually got published and read. My writing was being taken seriously. Amazing.

By the time I earned my journalism degree, I had accumulated enough writing clips to land a reporting job at a small newspaper in Arizona. Everything I learned in college, I put to use as I covered small town news.

Later, I wrote for a variety of publications, financial, legal and business, as well as stints with The Arizona Republic, the major metro daily in Phoenix. I published fiction and also taught English as a Second Language for several years to adult refugees. I am currently finishing my novel.

So as I dined with my fellow alumni beneath the moon, I couldnt help recall my humble beginnings. Metro State had grown up and so did I, but it wasnt over. Now it was important to give back, support the college that changed my life so it will be there for many years to come to help future students.

Susanne Brent, 86

Editor:This has turned into a top-notch publication. Its the first issue that compelled me to read it cover to cover. Great graphics and marvelous images, too.

Keep it up.

Peg Ekstrand Affiliate Faculty, History Department

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Cathy Lucas

EDITOR Donna Fowler (80)

ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNERJulie Strasheim

GRAPHIC DESIGNERSRichard Jividen (00) Ruth MGonigle

PHOTOGRAPHERSJason Braddock (09)Barry Guttierez Javier Manzano

METRO MAGAZINE EDITORIAL BOARD Bridgette Coble, Director of Career Services Stefanie Carroll, Assistant Director of Alumni Programs and CommunicationClay Daughtrey, Professor and Chair of MarketingJeffrey Forrest (90), Professor and Chair of Aviation and Aerospace ScienceDonna Fowler (80), Director of Internal CommunicationsRichard 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 Jeff Martinez (95), Vice President, Programs and Public Affairs, BRI Cherrelyn Napue (99), Associate Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Carmen Sanjurjo, Assistant Professor of Teacher Education Tat Sang So, Assistant Professor of English Julie Strasheim, Art Director, Creative Services

2010 Metropolitan State College of Denver. Metro Magazine is published three times a year by the Metropolitan State College of Denver Office of College Communications for alumni and friends of the College. All rights reserved.

Address correspondence to:Metropolitan State College of Denver Metro MagazineOffice of College CommunicationsCampus Box 86, PO Box 173362 Denver, CO 80217-3362

Please send letters to the editor, editorials and inquiries to:Donna Fowler, Editor, at the address above or [email protected].

E-mail alumni address changes and Class Acts submissions to: [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 Colleges alumni association.

Nondiscrimination PolicyMetropolitan State College of Denver does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation or disability in admissions or access to, or treatment or employment in, its educational programs or activities.

Metro Magazine is printed on recycled paper.

Voices /// Letters to the editor

2 Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll SPRING 2010

Chris Schneider Julie StrasheimMark Woolcott


Metro States past, present & future ///Metrozoic EraMetro States past, present and future

Ken Horn, circa 1973.

LESSONS learned from a mentorBy Ken Horn (73)

One of Bobs teaching experiments almost backfired on him, but it taught all of us a powerful lesson. During one class we were having a spirited debate about the responsibility of personal citizenship, the importance of dissent and the dangers of group-think. He reminded us of how German soldiers were prosecuted for not standing up to Hitler and the Nazi party. He asked us whether that could happen in the United States in 1970. Of course we were all confident such a thing could never happen again, and especially in the U.S.

Our next class Bob came in much quieter than usual. After we settled in he told us that he was in trouble with the Colleges administration. They felt his grading system was too easy because everyone in his classes passed. (It was true that most students received an A or B, but no one ever failed.)

He said the administration ordered him to fail at least one student in each of his classes. Bob couldnt bring himself to fail anyone, so he decided to have a lottery to decide which student would fail our class. Bob told us he was so disgusted with having to do this that the rest of the class would receive an A

whether we attended or not. With that he ended the class to reconvene the following week.

At the next class Bob was furious with us for not challenging his authority to grade by lottery and for not challenging the administrations requirement to fail someone in every class. He asked us how we could sit by and let a classmate fail by lottery. Then he asked us if we still believed that our generation wouldnt cave in to unreasonable authority. He had challenged us again. The whole grade thing had been a test and we had failed!

Then he made us laugh by telling how the previous week he ran after the poor student who left class thinking they had flunked his class.

Those early years at Metro were special thanks to great teachers like Bob Clifton. Im proud to be an alumnus!

Ken Horn, whose Metro State degree is in political science, is retired and living in San Antonio, Texas. Robert Clifton, Ph.D., 76, passed away Aug. 2, 2009. He taught at Metro State from 1967 to 1981.

Your face and story here

SHARE IT!Like Ken, please share your fondest, funniest or most fabulous memory with Metro Magazine and it might be published in the Fall 2010 issue as Metro State celebrates its 45th anniversary. Simply go to

www.mscd.edu/45years.

I was deeply saddened to learn that former Metro State Professor Bob Clifton had passed away last fall. Bob, (he always insisted, just call me Bob) was one of the first political science teachers hired at the new urban college, and certainly one of the most creative. He challenged students to think, to question your own biases, and yes, question authority, even his authority.

Bob disliked the traditional grading system. His tests were notoriously easy, sometimes open book. He wanted that chore out of the way so he could provoke discussion, debate and interaction.

Bob also believed that we didnt need the classroom to learn. We had almost as many classes in the old White Mule. His assignments required attending your precinct caucus, even getting involved in a local political campaign

of your choosing. One such assignment was to conduct a public opinion poll for a local legislative candidate, using the sampling

methods taught in class.

Ken Horn today.


We can learn from these emerging

colleges that are producing successful

results, says Deborah Santiago, report

author and vice president for policy

and research at Excelencia. As the number of college-going Hispanics and

HSIs continues to grow, its important

to understand what it means to serve

Latino students well, and we can look to

these colleges as models.

The report highlights Metro State

for creating an HSI Task Force, hiring

culturally competent faculty and

staff, adopting a strategy of inclusive

excellence, increasing outreach to

Latinos in the surrounding community,

and offering programs such as the

First-Year Success Program, CAMP

(College Assistance Migrant

Program) and Chicano Studies.

Senior research associate

Sally J. Andrade says that

Metro States initiative is

owned not just by the

president, but faculty and

staff. You are ahead of the

curve and planning to serve

the community better.

Excelencia is a Washington, D.C.-based

nonprofit organization whose

mission is to accelerate Latino

student success in higher

education. The other three

institutions named emerging HSIs

are Loyola Marymount University,

Palm Beach Community College-Lake

Worth and Texas State University-

San Marcos.

Spring enrollment breaks record

Metro State is at the highest

enrollment ever seen in its nearly

45-year history23,273. And

students of color are at a

record high as well, with 5,744

students representing nearly

25 percent of the

student body.

Metro State named emerging HSI Excelencia in Education has named Metro State one of four model emerging

Hispanic Serving Institutions in its

report Emerging HSIs: Serving Latino

Students.

The report concludes that emerging

HSIsinstitutions that enroll 15-24

percent or more undergraduate full-time

equivalent Hispanic studentsare not

waiting for official HSI status to enact

policies to better serve Latino students.

Prof strikes an artistic chord

The art of Assistant Professor

Carlos Fresquez continues to be sought

after for public display. Most recently,

his piece, Un Corrido Para La Gente

(A Ballad for the People) was chosen

by the Denver Office of Cultural

Affairs Public Art Program for display

at Morrison Rd. and Sheridan Blvd.

Fresquez, a 1981 graduate of Metro

State, has gained an international

reputation as a Chicano artist.

Newsworthy ///College News

Metro States award-winning Center for Visual Art is moving from its

longtime space in lower downtown

Denver to a new permanent home

at 965 Santa Fe Dr. in the Santa Fe

Arts District.

After 19 years of renting space,

the CVA has accomplished its long-term

goal of purchasing a permanent home,

ensuring a lasting community legacy

to art and education, says President

Stephen Jordan.

With a strong commitment from

the Colleges Board of Trustees and

Foundation Board, the Boettcher

Foundation has provided a lead grant

of $425,000 to inspire other gifts

and donations to the award-winning

gallery to help maintain its schedule

of cutting-edge exhibitions and

community outreach programs.

A grand re-opening is scheduled for

June 3. Go to www.metrostatecva.org for information.

Masters one step away

Masters programs are a step away

from becoming a reality at Metro State.

A team from the Higher Learning

Commission, the Colleges accrediting

body, announced after their February

site visit that they will recommend

approval of the Colleges proposed

masters programs in accounting,

teacher education and social work.

This was wonderful news to know

that the team supports our effort to

begin offering masters degrees, says

President Stephen Jordan.

The College will know the final

outcome of its request for accreditation

in mid-April.

In MemoriumMetro State has lost three

cherished professors,

representing well over 50

years of teaching.

Mathematics Professor Lewis

Romagnano passed away

Monday, Jan. 11, 2010, after

a battle with cancer.

English Professor Paul Farkas

died Dec. 4, 2009, of

complications from leukemia.

And Professor Emerita of

English Joan Griffin passed

away Jan. 10, 2010, of complications

from lung cancer.

Scholarship funds have been

established at the College in

Romagnanos and Farkas

names. For more information,

contact Lora Hansen,

scholarship manager,

at [email protected]

or 303-556-5140.


Wall Street Journal honors marketing prof

Visiting Assistant Professor of

Marketing Darrin Duber-Smith was recently

recognized as a Wall Street Journal In-Education Distinguished Professor

or 2009. The award underscores how

Duber-Smith uses the publication,

among others, in his class to keep

students engaged with current events

and perspectives.

He is among 10 professors, out of

more than 1,000 nominated nationally,

to receive the honor for integrating the

online and print version of the Wall Street Journal into their curriculum. In a Dec. 29 congratulatory letter to Duber-Smith, Tom Cook, an educational

representative for the Wall Street Journal and Barrons wrote: We are proud to have the opportunity to work with you in a common effort to prepare business

students for success in class and in their careers.

CVA moves to Santa Fe Arts District

Darrin Duber-Smith is one of only 10 professors honored.


With your lifelong history with the Auraria Campus, it seems you have come full circle.///I am always aware of the circular

motion of our lives. The first house I

remember was a house at 725 1/2 , in

an alley between Champa and Curtis

Sts. The front of my house faced the

Colfax viaduct and the back door of

a bar. The back of our house faced

a junkyard. I went to St. Cajetans

Elementary School. And so every time

I walk into the King Center Building

at Auraria, Im very cognizant of that

circle. The last words of the Westside

Oratorio are Where we begin, we will

end. And I think very much about

that when were performing there.

And I think it has something to do

with choices that we make in our

lives. I made a conscience choice to

commit myself to the city and to the

community. I am from here. This is the

place I know, I understand.

How did you start teaching at Metro State and bringing in teatro projects?///I got involved with teaching at Metro

because Dr. Luis Torres, the chair of

Chicano Studies at the time, asked if

I wanted to teach here and I said yes.

I really did want to teach. Ive taught

Intro to Chicano Studies, film classes

and poetry and drama classes. Over

the years, Ive really had support for

the projects Ive wanted to do. One

show in particular, El Sol Que Tu Eres,

brought the whole campus together.

As a professor, what do you want your students to know about the Chicano experience?/// (My students) are all in the process of

shaping their identity. Who they are,

where they come from, what

they want to do, who they

belong to, who belongs to

them all that. I think that

is where the non-Chicano

students connect with the

Chicano experience. We

try to teach them that this is our

story. Your story probably has similar

structure and if you dont know your

story, go find your story. If you have

8 Answers

Tony Garcia, the executive artistic director of Su Teatro since 1972

and an affiliate professor of Chicana/o studies at Metro State, is one

of Denvers most accomplished performing artists. An award-winning

playwright, actor and singer, Garcia has used his own history and his

artistic vision to bring Chicano culture and art to the people of the

city he loves.

[By Yolanda Ortega]

I made a conscience choice to commit myself to the city and to the community.

your story, tell your story, share it.

Share it with your children. Grow from

it. Easily, that is where my students

connect in Chicano studies.

How do you enable your students to relate to the Chicano experience?///You know we have this thingLatinos

are all about families. Well, everyone

is about families. We arent the

only ones.

Metro States goal is to become a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). How do you believe we can reach that goal?///In order to become an HSI, we have

to really strive to make relevant the

programs were offering to Latino

students. So there has to be something

for them. I think it has to involve

a lot of what the Chicano Studies

Department is doing. For example,

interconnecting with what Su Teatro,

CHAC (Chicano Humanities and

Arts Council) and the Museo de las

Americas are doing. Programs such

as Journey Through Our Heritage,

the Richard T. Castro Distinguished

Visiting Professorship and the Return

of the Corn Mothers among other

ongoing activities.

Tony Garcia, the executive artistic director of Su Teatro, believes that Chicano art is about inviting everyone into a conversation entre no sotrosbetween us.


make the Day of the Dead something

special with the addition of the CVA to

Su Teatros, CHACs and the Museo de

las Americas events. It also opens the

possibility of putting a show together

that combines the spaces and

the disciplines.

Much of your work is about developing the Chicano art form. What is it?///Octavio Paz wrote about la raza

cosmica, la cultura cosmica. We are

a mix of all these races, this eclectic

mix of all the different conquests

that have happened in Mexico. We

still maintain its rootedness in the

Indigenous culture. I think that what

we are living through is a period of la

cultura cosmicawhere our culture has

become cosmic. It has become a world

culture. But still very rooted. I have

a problem with people who say Puro

Chicano. The very definition of the

word indicates a contradiction because

the whole idea of being Chicano is

Su Teatro has a new home at the Denver Civic Theatre at 7th and Santa Fe Dr. What does that mean to the community and to Su Teatro?///When we started off to move here,

we thought we would get a small

spot. It was (Denver) Mayor John

Hickenlooper who put all the pieces

together. I have to give him credit for

having this happen. He is the one who

said Lets get this done. We believe

that one of the things that should be

exciting to us, the campus and to the

city, is that we are bringing in over

35 years of preparation. ... There are

a lot of things we will bring to this

community that will energize it further.

There is a great energy going on

already. We can create a synergya

collective dynamic.

Do you see opportunity for collaboration between Su Teatro and the Colleges Center for Visual Art now that both will be located in the Santa Fe Art District?It will add a tremendous jolt to the

many exciting activities already

happening in the district. For instance,

we certainly have a chance to really

Yolanda Ortega, emerita vice president of student services at Metro State, has known Tony Garcia for more than 35 years, Yet I am amazed how much I continue to learn from him.

Tony Garcia, the executive artistic director of Su Teatro, believes that Chicano art is about inviting everyone into a conversation entre no sotrosbetween us.

to be impure. The very nature of lo

que es mejicano is about all the

different influences.

The connecting feature of Chicano art

is that there is nothing in it that has

to be pure. It has to aim at Chicano

audiences but others are invited to

participate in it. It really is about

inviting everyone into a conversation

entre nosotros (between us).

Editors note: For details about an outdoor performance of Garcias Westside Oratorio coming up this summer in celebration of Metro States 45th anniversary, go to www.mscd.edu/45years.

Fourteen tattoos later, Metro State senior Katy Ramer says she has always known there could be consequences to having body art.

All inked up and nowhere to work?



All inked up and nowhere to work?

college students want to put that hard-won degree to work and become employees in corporate America? According to a 2007 survey by Vault Inc., a media company focused on careers, its not such a pretty picture: 85 percent of the respondents468 employees representing a variety of industries across the U.S.believe that body art impedes ones chances of getting hired.

THINK BEFORE YOU INKRamer, who plans to graduate in 2011 and seek a corporate job, understands that employers have the legal right to expect their employees to project a certain image, which may or may not include visible body art. Although its no holds barred during social or casual occasions for the heavily tattooed 26-year-old, when shes at a job interview or at work, she has no problem conforming to company policy or expectations.

Body art is a beautiful way to express yourself, but I have always known that there are consequences, Ramer says. I made sure that all of my body art was in places that I could easily cover up when I needed to. I began (getting body art)

I currently have 14 tattoos, says the Metro State senior management major. A full chest piece, half a back piece, both feet, both ankles, both rib cages, my left hip, my stomach, my left shoulder, the back of my neck, and both of my wrists. In addition, I have many body piercings.

Although Ramer may be on the extreme end in terms of sheer numbers of tattoos and piercings, this colorful form of self-expression is clearly no longer the exclusive domain of bad-boy bikers, professional athletes or gang members. In fact, nearly 40 percent of 18 to 40 year olds had at least one tattoo in 2006, according to the Pew Research Centers Gen Next Survey.

The numbers may be even higher in 2010. In our informal surveys done recently in multiple classes, we found 60 to 70 percent of students have body art (defined as at least one tattoo or piercing beyond one in each earlobe), says Nina Radojevich-Kelley, a visiting professor of management at Metro State.

You know it has gone mainstream when Mattel names its new Barbie doll the Totally Stylin Tattoo Barbiecomplete with temporary tattoos for both the Barbie and the doll owner, she adds.

OK, so Barbie and a whole lot of young adults now have some type of body art. But what happens when inked

By Vonalda Utterback (92)

as a teenager, but I kept in mind the fact that I wanted to be a professional.

Sean Johnson, 26, a senior management major and Army ROTC member, has toyed with the idea of tattoos, but hasnt taken the leap. Even though the Armys policy on visible tattoos was relaxed to permit tattoos on the hands and back of the neck, if they are not extremist, indecent, sexist or racisthes not going there.

Im postponing it, Johnson says. I may get one later, but I dont want to do something that may limit my career opportunities. I dont even want to go the hidden route... I believe if they see the tattoo, it will change my employers perception of me.

William J. Carnes, also a visiting professor of management at Metro State and co-author with Radojevich-Kelley of the soon-to-be-published paper, The Changing Acceptance of Body Art in the Workplace, finds students on both ends of the spectrum. Most students understand that employers have a right to require them to cover up their body art. Others feel more defiant and consider it a violation of their freedom of expression.

Of course, for workplaces such as design firms, salons and other retailers that cater to a young, hip demographic, hiring employees with body art is par for the course.

But it seems much more common for employers, particularly traditional suit-and-tie industries, to require employees with body art to cover up.

If you have body art and you are looking for work, both Carnes and Radojevich-Kelley recommend doing your homework about the company, and dress and cover up for the interview (or not) accordingly. Check out the parking lot to see how current employees dress, and do your research on the Web, suggests Carnes. Determined to bare it all? Modifiedmind.com features an extensive database of company body art policies.

Can todays Gen Nexters look forward to a time when body art isnt an issue in the workplace? As the younger generation takes over management positions, policies about body art will relax, predicts Radojevich-Kelley.

Ramer agrees. I absolutely believe that employers attitudes will change as the available workforce shrinks and the number of people with body art in the workplace grows over time.

Katy Ramer loves her body art. As turns out, theres a lot to love.

Visiting Management Professors Nina Radojevich-Kelleyand William J. Carnes

Even Barbie sports body art now.


Science on DISPLAY

Two years ago, Colorado State Rep. James Riesberg turned over some dirt near Speer Blvd. and Lawrence St. on the Auraria Campus and said, Earlier this summer, I had the opportunity to be in Canon City where I had a shovel and we turned some dirt to build 992 new prison beds and I can say what a better use of shovels we are making today, to turn some dirt and to change some lives.

That shovelful of soil and prediction that lives would be changed is now 195,000 square feet of human potential. The new Auraria Science Building is the concrete representation of Metropolitan State College of Denvers commitment to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.

The STEM fields are vital to Colorados economy, says Metro State President Stephen Jordan, and because we already have the largest number of students of color of all the states four-year institutions, I predict that we will soon lead the state in the number of students of color pursuing STEM degrees.

A visible hive

With the grand opening months away, and not yet teeming with students on all four of its floors, the Auraria Science Building has already garnered a 2009 Downtown Denver Partnership Award for its beauty and its symbolic bridge to downtown Denver.

Shaped like the number seven, the buildings large windows frame campus, city and regional vistas.

Ribbons of windows span all four floors of labs and classrooms, literally putting the hive of activity and the sciences on display for everyone walking or driving by to see.

And its only going to get more beautiful. Chosen for Colorados Art in Public Places program, the buildings lobby will soon feature Psyche (the butterfly), a 14 1/2-by-10-foot sculpture by Donald Lipski. Fashioned out of test tubes and suspended from the ceiling, the sculpture will slowly move through the buildings HVAC currents, Lipski says.

Early in the design process, explains John Everin from AndersonMasonDale Architects, everyone from Auraria told us they didnt want another brown, brick building that just sat quietly on the site. They really wanted a wow factor.

New and renovated facilities link students to each other, their futures and Denver at large. BY ROXANNE HAWN


Thats a real shift, not just for Metro State, but also for many college campuses. I think the building facing Speer and downtown and connecting visually with downtown is a real change for campus, says Joyce Carnes, senior project manager for Jacobs Engineering and Auraria consultant. Campuses, typically throughout the years, have turned their backs toward the rest of the world and have looked inward.

Room to grow

With the sciences attracting ever-more students eyeing or growing their careers in fields that require technical and quantitative skills, Metro State found itself booked to capacity

AURARIA SCIENCE BUILDING STATS

Approximate Budget $121.1 million

Square Footage195,000 in the new building143,000 renovated space in existing building

LocationSpeer Blvd. between Arapahoe and Lawrence Sts.

FoundationIncludes deeper-than-normal foundations and deep-set caisson pillars that help minimize vibration impact from nearby traffic and large equipment housed on isolated concrete slabs in the basement of the building

BasementHouses large instruments and equipment as well as restricted areas, including a vivarium for animals used in study/research

continued on page 12


semester after semester. Key classes filled. Groups outgrew lab space. Things got cozy.

Joan L. Foster, dean of Metro States School of Letters, Arts and Sciences, estimates the College currently shepherds 2,500 science majors toward their goals. The new science building (and renovated existing facility, scheduled for completion in late 2010 or early 2011) will allow for a 50-percent enrollment increase in chemistry, biology, and earth and atmospheric sciences.

Its so exciting because we didnt have enough lab space to meet our students needs, she says. Well also have room for undergraduate research labs. I think undergraduate research is a big part of the new style of science education. Our majors who really want to go into science careers or to graduate school need some experience doing research.

Green as gold

Built to meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold requirements, the building features many energy-saving gadgets and systems such as automatic shades that raise and lower due to sunlight and energy gains and occupancy sensors that turn on and off lights. Fume hoods with adjustable sashes help reduce air export when full venting isnt required.

The facility also boasts bare concrete floors in most areas, rather than carpeting or unnecessary flooring, as well as rapidly renewable elements and materials with recycled content, such as steel, roof membranes, metal studs and door hardware as well as agri-fiber cores for the interior doors.

In addition, the project earned LEED points for its construction practices such as diverting 75 percent of construction waste, sourcing 20 percent of building materials within 500 miles, using low-VOC (volatile organic compound) paints and

materials, and maintaining good air-quality measures during construction.

The gee-whiz factor

Lengthy campus-wide planning preceded all the design decisions. Faculty users from all disciplines and all three institutions on Auraria weighed in on their needs, their likes and their dislikes.

The professors wish lists included things such as lab preparation rooms attached to the classrooms, quieter, more energy-efficient fume hoods and labs equipped with smart classroom technology (laptop projectors, lectern cameras, audio/visual capabilities) so that lecture and lab can occur together.

In addition to regaining a dedicated forensic science lab and getting a much larger microscope lab, Charles (Chris) Tindall, chair of Metro States Chemistry Department, believes that how the spaces and equipment converge is most important. Its a lot more flexible and integrated learning environment, he explains. I personally think that the appearance


of the laboratories and the light thats available now is actually going to be more conducive to student learning.

Ford Lux, the new chair of Metro States Biology Department, looks most forward to the space and opportunity for mentored undergraduate research. For biology majors that includes work in areas such as ecology, genetic analysis, bacterial parasites and honeybees.

The earth and atmospheric sciences team faces another year or so of make-do space as they squeeze into the new building while the old building is revamped, but once the renovations are completed, theyll enjoy two geology labs with a shared prep space, a new geographic information systems classroom that allows classes and individual work at the same time, a new meteorology classroom, and a much bigger forecasting lab where their students (ranked in the top 10 in the country in forecasting competitions) can work.

An integrated sciences class currently housed in the South Classroom Building will also move over. So, we wont have to make that trek, rolling boxes of maps and things, says Ken Engelbrecht, earth and atmospheric sciences chair. He also looks forward to the collaboration likely to happen in faculty lounges on each floor. Thats going to be a lot better in terms of not only a friendly sense, but we can talk about what were doing in classes and what problems we see and how we might do things together, he says. I think that will be a lot better.

What new tales?

So far, the new science building has generated only one big story. In spring 2008, when the state first faced budget woes, funding for the facility risked serious cuts or total elimination. Metro State alumni, campus leaders and others teamed up to encourage legislators to find a solution. The scare lasted about a week, but the state found a way to use special bonds,

called certificates of participation, against Federal Mineral Leasing Act revenue to support the rest of the project, which was well underway, but nowhere near complete.

We are very appreciative of the alumni because when the state cut funding, the alumni really helped us get it back, Foster says.

So, whether you studied in the original Triple T building, where escaped crickets chirped beneath water fountains, or you did your work in the current science building in close quarters, this new space stands as a tribute to the entire Metro State community throughout the city and the state.

Editors note: The Grand Opening of the Auraria Science Building is scheduled for August 20, 2010.

The Auraria Science Building lives up to the wow factor, with its energy-saving features, connectivity to downtown Denverand state-of-the-art laboratories.


Theres always been a kind of hard-bitten practicality to Metropolitan State College of Denver, a pull-yourself-up-by-the-belt-loops work ethic thats enabled the College to gain purchase on its side of the Platte as the states second-largest educator of undergraduates and the leader in educating undergraduate Coloradans.

With its pragmatic orientation, the arts dont immediately pop to mind in association with Metro State. But increasingly, they should.

This year alone, about 1,600 Metro State students are majoring in art, music or theatre in one form or another. Enrollment in these programs has exploded in recent years due to a number of factors, among them the opening of the King Center performing arts complex, savvy outreach efforts such as the Music Departments annual jazz, choral and piano celebrations for high school students, and distinctions that include the Theatre Departments strong record in

By Leslie Petrovski

What do Radio City Music Hall,

paintings worth thousands of

dollars, and opera

have in common?

Metro State fine and performing art graduates.

Rocky Mountain Theatre Association competitions and arts notoriety as the only public art program in the state accredited by the National Association of Art and Designnot to mention its award-winning Center for Visual Art.

During the last academic year, the Metro State Music Department alone logged 151 eventsclose to double the number offered in 2001-02. Annually the Theatre Department mounts four full productions (which this spring includes Rent, Metro State being one of the first colleges to get the rights) and 15 one-act directing projects. The department also provides nine



As director of touring productions for Radio City Music Halls Christmas Spectacular, Larry Mitchell may be jingle-bell weary, but it has allowed him to continue acting, including a role as an FBI agent (above) in American Gangster with Russell Crowe.

students who perform regularly for Kaiser Permanentes Educational Theatre Program, performing shows in schools about healthy eating (see Not your usual health team, p. 32).

In art, there are BFA thesis exhibitions for graphic and fine artists, faculty shows and youth outreach programs through the Center for Visual Art.

The three alumni featured in this article are among the Colleges growing base of accomplished fine and performing artists who are making an impact throughout the Mile High City and the world. Working in different milieus, they are exemplars of the Metro State success formula: Hard-work plus personal attention plus tangible experience equals professional readiness.

As Theatre Professor Marilyn Cookie Hetzel says, Metro State is a potluck, not a catered event. We all bring something to the party and we find ways to discover individual talents while encouraging them to try everything.

From temp typist to touring productions director

Two camels. Four sheep. One donkey. 22 Rockettes. A sleigh. Two cities. 80 performances. One very tired, jingle-bell-weary producer.

Everyone else is geared up for the holidays, but by the time Christmas rolls around, we are so sick of Santa, says actor Larry Mitchell (97), director of touring productions for The Radio City Christmas Spectacular. The holidays have become rather numbing.

On top of everything, he has to arrange for animal waste removal in every city where they tour.

For Mitchell, the glitter may have fallen off the snow globe when it comes to the winter holidays, but not when it comes to the giant klieg light that is show business. As a veteran staff member of the storied Radio City Music HallMitchell is responsible for one of four touring companies of the Christmas show as well as the payroll for the entire Radio City touring divisionhe is proud to walk the halls of this legendary facility, where hes flourished professionally and been allowed to live his second life as an actor, where hes done everything from play opposite Jack Nicholson to ice skate on TV.

Mitchell fell hard for theatre in high school and was accepted into several A-list undergraduate acting programs. At a Denver Center Theatre Company voice workshop he attended before entering college, Mitchell heard Cookie Hetzel speak along with professors from a number of other college programs. She lit up the room, Mitchell remembers. I thought, How is it possible that these (other) people are performers? She energized the whole room. So I auditioned for her and the rest is like what you read on those pieces of paper.

At Metro State, Mitchell performed almost constantly, doing outreach three days a week in the public schools (he belonged to a paid Metro State troupe, which wrote and performed its own scripts) or treading the boards in productions such as Sam Shepherds two-man tour de force True West, Jesus Christ Superstar and Two Gentlemen of Verona.

After graduating, he went to stunt-training school, and then couch-surfed his way from Los Angeles through Chicago and on to New York, where upon stepping off a bus at Port Authority he instantly fell in love with the energy and the heartbeat of the city.


I had no money, he says. Luckily enough, some nice people opened their apartments for a month or two.

Though he failed his typing test at the temp agency where he applied, they called him with a job offer as a guy Friday making copies for $11 bucks an hour working at Radio City Music Hall. I came there with a shirt and tie on and sat down 10 feet from where I sit now.

When Mitchell finally landed a permanent position on the production side at Radio City, he negotiated for the flexibility to audition and act should opportunities arise. And they said, yes, thinking I would never work.

But work he has. As a priest in Martin Scorseses film, The Departed (where he had the scene with Nicholson), as an FBI agent in American Gangster with Russell Crowe, in the indie film Stealing Martin Lane (which he also produced), in soap operas, on Law and Order SVU, Third Watch, and on stage at what he calls his home theater off Broadway, the Barrow Group.

Now that the tinsel is in storage for another year, Mitchell has returned to acting class. This year will see him in the independent film, Happy New Year, about Iraq veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder; theres also the possibility of some Ibsen in his future and another film he might produce.

One of the things I learned (at Metro State) is that you make a leap in choice and you just do it. Talent and technique are part of it, he observes, but most of his success has derived from the character traits that came out of that program.

Renowned for his portraits of sports icons and rock and roll stars, Malcolm Farley is now turning his talent toward depicting spirituality in its many forms. A childrens advocate, he held art classes for kids as part of his fundraising event for Metro State this past fall, and is opening an orphanage in Puerto Vallarta.



Commanding five figures for his art

Malcolm Farley (82) was afraid to paint.

Even after winning national scholastic art competitions, landing illustration gigs with the New York Times and The Washington Postas a fine arts undergraduateFarley didnt paint.

I was afraid to fail, he says. Now I cant not paint.

Farley isnt just one of Denvers most successful artists, hes a brandthe kind of painter who can command five figures for an original and hundreds for a giclee (the process of making fine art prints from a digital source) canvas printmore if hes augmented it with a few daubs of paint.

Known primarily for his impressionistic sports paintings, Farley, 52, has also painted rock musicians, movie stars and world leaders, including Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention.

Torn between his love for art and his athletic ability (Farley attended Metro State on a basketball scholarship, playing point guard), he came to college as a biology major intending to translate his love of the human body to medicine. But when he began studying with Craig Marshall Smith, a Metro State professor emeritus of art and noted abstract expressionist, he was hooked.

He told me, Malcolm, youve got to get out of the gym and get serious. When I saw his art it changed my life.

At about the same time as the illustration market collapsed, a casualty of computerization, Pepsi contacted Farley, commissioning him to do their Kentucky Derby poster.

He knew pastels wouldnt convey the drama and power of the event. So I called a buddy of mine in LA and said, Ive got to learn to paint. He told me what to buy. I locked myself in my room for three days and its still one of the best paintings Ive ever done.

The derby poster netted him contracts with Major League Baseball and the Denver Grand Prix. The sports memorabilia and licensing giant Dreams, Inc., which handled Dan Marino and Johnny Unitas, signed Farley and asked him to perform the ultimate artistic stunt: Could he paint

Wimbishs story is the classic Metro State success narrative: Plucky kid with raw, unformed talent arrives on campus thinking shell be the next Bebe Neuwirth. Today shes pursuing a performance diploma at The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins Universityone of the countrys premier training grounds for serious musicians, well on her way not to Broadway but to becoming a professional opera singer.

Missy isnt the exception, says Music Chair Michael Kornelsen. Shes attained something significant, but shes the rule. Our students are becoming fine musicians during their time at Metro State and Im very proud of that and our faculty is proud of that.

Her journey to the upper reaches of the human vocal range began in a high school orchestra pit in Junction City, Kan. Playing her sax for the musical, Bye Bye Birdie, Wimbish chided herself. What are you doing


Carlos Santana onstage before an audience of 125,000? In 90 minutes?

It was 112 degrees in front of 100,000 peopleall bombed, he remembers. I got onstage and had 90 minutes to paint. I couldnt fail. I told myself, Get out of the way and let it flow through you. Everything exploded after that.

Exploded, indeed. At six-foot-two-and-a-half with the massive frame of a former running back and pitcher (he played three sports at Nederland High), Farley cuts a commanding figure. That he has been able to share a stage with the likes of B.B. King, Phil Collins and David Sanborn, capturing performances in energetic strokes of acrylic, is hardly surprising.

Over the years he has completed live works of art at the Olympics, the Super Bowl, Stanley Cup Championships, the US Open, the Grammys, NBA and MBL All-Star games, and countless others.

These days hes splitting his time between Denver and Puerto Vallarta, where he is opening a gallery and orphanage; his professional obligations and charity worklast fall he held an exhibit and sale at the Denver Pavilions, proceeds to benefit Metro State scholarships; and spiritual pursuits; Farley meditates regularly.

Having spent his middle and early high school years in India, where his parents were teachers and missionaries, Farley hung out in ashrams and monasteries along with the Methodist churches of his family. He is deeply interested in ecumenism and has turned his attention from the grunting physicality of the playing field to physical depictions of spiritual and religious expression. He has recently completed an introspective collection of paintingsthe World Prayer Seriesdepicting worshippers of different traditions in aspects of prayer.

The sports stuff will have its followers, but Im getting less and less enamored of that. Dealing with the egos, sponsors and agents, its not fun anymore. Its time for something new. The best thing I can offer is to show how the whole world is tied by one golden cord.

Breaking the scary lady in a Viking suit stereotype

Last spring Assistant Professor of Music MeeAh Nam was scheduled to sing the soprano solos in Metro States performance of Carl Orffs Carmina Burana.

On Thursday before the Sunday concerts, a fluey Nam phoned her former student Melissa Wimbish (05), a masters degree candidate at the University of Colorado- Boulder, and asked if she could sing in her stead. The soprano aria Dulcissime is notoriously difficult, demanding the performer to hit a D above high C. Wimbish protested that she wasnt prepared, but Nam told her to get the music and just do it.

Two nights later Wimbish was onstage at the King Center soaring through Orffs challenging libretto.

in the pit? Im going to audition for a musical and go for it.

Marching into the choir room, she announced, Whos giving vocal lessons? Count me in! Her senior year, she landed the lead in Gershwins Crazy for You and began auditioning for musical theater programs in Kansas and Colorado.

They all denied me for musical theatre and accepted me for classical, she says. When youre a young singer, youre just finding your instrument. You dont understand your instrument the way someone whos played the piano since they were 7 does. Your voice is just developing. They heard something they thought was totally classical. And I was probably not all that great an actress at the time.

In her early years at Metro State, Wimbish informed her teachers that she was a mezzonot that I knew

what that meantbut her voice instructors thought otherwise. I wanted to be a mezzo, she says. I was afraid to sing high. Besides, you feel kind of like a dork. You think about what opera singers do and you think, Thats crazy Im not doing that.

As she worked and her voice began to emerge, her teachers helped Wimbish reach her higher extension. Nam encouraged her to pursue graduate school and provided her with templates for what a professional sopranos life might look like. Our teachers made you believe you could have a career, she says. I realized I could teach, travel and give master classes and perform and also work in the summer abroad. Being exposed to musicians who are working that gives you a really realistic picture of what you could be doing. Its inspiring to be around that.

This past summer Wimbish made her international debut as the Queen of the Night in Mozarts The Magic Flute at the first Seoul International Opera Festival in Korea and shes currently touring schools through a Peabody outreach program, helping kids understand that opera isnt some scary lady in a Viking suit. (She also writes the cheeky blogoperagasm.comwith two other music alumni from Metro State, Erica Papillion-Posey and Christie Connolley, to counter the Brunhilde stereotypes.)

How good is she? When she answers, she does so, unpretentiously, as if shes referring to a sousaphone she keeps in her apartment. Thats a hard question. I believe I have a strong instrument and I think people like my instrument. But every instrument wants to be better. Im always working to be better.

Melissa Wimbish didnt even begin vocal lessons until high

school. Now shes studying opera performance at the Peabody Institute and has

performed at the Seoul International Opera Festival

in Korea.

ONLINE EXTRAExperience the beauty of Melissa Wimbish

singing five movements from Carmina Burana at www.mscd.edu/metromagazine/multimedia.



Kara Sutton hopes to teach English in Japan. Nathan Allison plans to earn his doctorate. Jessica Snavlin hopes to be a successful writer of literary and contemporary fiction. And someday, Brandy Campbell wants to be known as Brandy Campbell, attorney at law.

But despite their different aspirations, all of these Metropolitan State College of Denver students do share a common belief: that membership in honor societies will help them reach their goals.

Students say honor societies help them build networks with other students, alumni and professionals; improve their rsums and serve their fellow students, the College and their communities.

Metro State hosts 17 honor societies, many of which are affiliated with national and international societies along with the Association of College Honor Societies. And several are associated with the organizations of

Honor societies thriving at Metro State By Marianne Goodland

Roberto Martinez is president of Sigma Tau Delta, one of the most active chapters of the International English Honor Society in the country.

STD

AFS

DGX

the profession. Those include: Tau Upsilon Alpha, the human services honor society, which is part of the National Organization for Human Services; and the Delta Gamma Xi chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma, the national honor society for criminal justice, which is connected with the Academy of Criminal Justice Science.

One of the most active groups at Metro State is Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society. The chapter is one of 11 in Colorado that includes the Air Force Academy and other public colleges and universities. Metro States chapter, which has about 60 members, was recently notified that it has been identified as one of the most active, vital chapters in the country, according to Roberto Martinez, a junior who is the chapters president. Martinez added that a national Sigma Tau Delta writing award for best essay is named in honor of retired Professor Elizabeth Holtze.


Honor societies thriving at Metro State By Marianne Goodland

STD

AFS

DGX

FAQ

YC

One of things Jessica Snavlin gets out of belonging to honors societies is the opportunity to help other students who want to go to graduate school.

study. Chapter Vice President Kara Sutton hopes to invite some of them to Metro State as guest speakers.

Sutton says the honor society is good for her rsum and her leadership skills. She plans to teach English in Japan. After that? Its off to the corporate world.

Several honor societies Web sites note that membership gives students a leg up in their future careers. Both sites for Psi Chi (psychology) and the Golden Key Society mention that the U.S. government lists membership in these societies as meeting one of the requirements for entrance at the GS-7 level (of 15 levels) in federal service.

Golden Keys Web site notes it is the premier collegiate honor society. Metro States chapter is one of six in Colorado and has about 300 members.

Chapter President and Senior Brandy Campbell said the chapters most recent community service work included a dog food drive for Freedom Service Dogs, an organization in

Sigma Tau Delta hosts many activities throughout the year, including Banned Books Week, the Linguistics Club, an informal writers group and the Poetry Corner. Its members also work on the Metrosphere, Metro States literary and arts journal.

Martinez said honor society membership improves his rsum. But for him, its much more than that. Its camaraderie with other people who speak my language, he said with a smile. Its people who know English, what constitutes good books or movies and (who have) a great appreciation for words.

Metrosphere editor and senior Jessica Snavlin, said the honor society gives her an opportunity to be more involved with academia and to help other students who want to go to graduate school. Snavlin is in both Sigma Tau Delta and Phi Alpha Theta, the national honor society for history.

One of 12 chapters in Colorado, the Metro State chapter of Phi Alpha Theta has about 150 members with about 30 who are very active, according to President Nathan Allison.

A senior, Allsion is working on an individualized degree that emphasizes cultural and religious history, and someday hopes to earn a doctorate. He says being in Phi Alpha Theta gives him networking opportunities he wouldnt find anywhere else. Its allowed him to work at a field school in anthropology, attend conferences and meet professionals.

The newest honor society at Metro State is Lambda Pi Eta, a communications honor society that officially launched this semester. The chapter is part of the National Communications Association and is one of seven at Colorado colleges and universities.

Chapter members recently attended a national communications conference in Chicago, Ill., where they met some of the scholars they

Englewood, Colo. that provides service dogs for disabled veterans.

Besides allowing her to make a difference in the community, Campbell says Golden Key gives her networking opportunities; she has attended international conferences and traveled to Africa.

For Psi Chi, service plays a major role in the society. Psi Chi has worked with the homeless, helped battered women and set up food drives. And most recently, President Nathan Ung, a junior, said members participated in a community service project for the homeless at the Pepsi Center by adopting a family for the day and getting them health services. Its an

experience you dont get in class, he said.

Leslie Taylor, director of the Honors Program at Metro State, said

that honor societies strengthen the academic community.

Honor students hold leadership positions in other groups and they help build the community, she said. Students who get involved in an honor society find that what they can achieve as a group exceeds what they can do as individuals.

Its camaraderie with other people who speak my language.

Metro State alumni enjoyed a full day of connections at last falls Alumni

Association Annual Meeting

held in the new state-of-the-

art science building on the

Auraria Campus (see Science

on display, p. 10). The 60

attendees voted in six new

members to the association

board, and were also

introduced to the association

scholarship recipients12

Metro State seniors who were

awarded more than $13,000 in

total funding for 2009-10.

Following a box lunch and lively

conversation, everyone was treated to

an up-close-and-personal tour of the

new science building and an afternoon

game of womens volleyball.

During his opening remarks, Eric

Peterson, alumni association president,

lauded alumni and friends of the College

for donating their time and more than

436 volunteer hours during 2008-09 to

support alumni activities and

College-related events, including the

second successful The Apprentice

Challenge @ Metro State.

Without dedicated alumni willing

to donate their time and talent, it

would be impossible to accomplish

our goals, said Peterson. We are

deeply appreciative of all our

volunteers, and particularly our

alumni board members.

Sterling Noah Steingraeber (marketing,

08), was honored to be asked to serve.

The alumni association sought me

outwhich was awesome, says

Steingraeber, an employee with Ultimate

Electronics, and the youngest member

of the board.

As a member of the committee to

connect alumni and current students

with appropriate on-campus mentorship

programs as well as working on media

outreach for the upcoming Plain &

Fancy Ball, Steingraeber has found a

way to stay connected and give back. I

loved my professors, and I want to keep

my connection to Metro. Because I have

yet to find a job in my field, Im not really

able to contribute financially, but I can

contribute my time.

Once board member Daniel Parks

(96, political science/criminal justice)

transferred to Metro State

from CU-Boulder, he never

looked back. Parks, currently

the associate registrar for

systems and information at

the University of Colorado

Denver, spent more than

12 years working in various

positions at Metro State, and

is now donating his time on

the awards committee for the

Plain & Fancy Ball, as well as

the Alumni Action Task Force.

As a student, Parks was an

active member of SOAR

(Student Organization for

Alumni Relations), so serving on the

alumni association board as a graduate

is a logical fit. Metro nourished and

protected me and helped to shape me

as a person. I couldnt say no (when

asked to serve on the board), its just

too important.

The other new board members are:

Peggy Wortham (75, behavioral science/sociology)

Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce

David Diaz (97, mathematics) Owner, Fitness Together in Denver

Metza Templeton (07, management)Classified Staff Council representative

Michelle LeBoo (95, history)Council of Administrators representative

Rendering courtesy of Scott Baumberger and Anderson Mason Dale

BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS By Vonalda M. Utterback (92)

Alumni Times ///Alumni News and Events


Scholarship recipients were all smiles at the annual meeting.

New initiative will improve alumni data collection, storage

The Office of Alumni Relations is joining forces with several other College offices to centralize the collection and storage of data about alumni, including employment and demographics, as well as information about their satisfaction and experience as a student.

The aim is to have a strategy that improves efficiency, saves money and avoids over-surveying our alums, says Interim Co-Director of Alumni Relations Joshua Anderson. Ultimately the goal is to use the survey results to makeimprovements when necessary.

The new process will affect 2005 and later graduates. A proposed timeline is to begin by surveying fall 2005 graduates in June 2011. Surveys will then continue every six months, alternating between spring and fall graduates from 2006 through 2011.

Our Alumni Data Collection Committee is finishing the survey and review process and then will do a pilot survey, Anderson says.

The Alumni Relations staff is looking forward to learning more about our alums so that we can serve them better.

HANDS DOWN METRO STATES

NEW OFFICIAL RING ISFABULOUS!METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE OF DENVER

HAS A NEW TRADITION.

The official Metro State ring collection is now available and exclusively offered by Jostens. Be among the first to purchase this unique and lasting symbol of your lifelong connection to your alma mater.

Your college ring will do a lot more than rekindle fond memories, says Stefanie Carroll, assistant director of alumni programs and communications. It will connect you to your campus community and fellow alumni; symbolize your accomplishment and pride in your Metro State degree; and it will act as a networking tool making it easy for alumni and potential employers to identify you with your alma mater.

Designed for and by students, alumni, faculty and staff, the ring is protected by a Jostens lifetime warranty.

Check out mscd.edu/alumni/support/ring for more information and to learn how to purchase a ring from the collection.


Alumni Times

ASK AN ALUM

KEEPING IT FRESHBy Zelda M. DeBoyes, Ph.D (85)

Were in a new decade; one wrought with major challenges such as health care reform, global warming and terrorist threats to name a few. However, many of the challenges in 2010 are more personal: lack of employment; balancing family and work; personal and professional growth..

For those of us who have been in the same old job for 5-10 years or more, we are facing the ever-present issue of stagnation or simple burnout.

How can you, a long-term employee, make 2010 the year of keeping it fresh? Below are three suggestions to start your efforts.

Set one simple goal for self-improvement. This is your opportunity to focus on you. Select something that will give you joy while expanding your horizons.

Take a new exercise class yoga, spinning , water aerobics

Join a team sport volleyball, soccer, biking team

Take a new class learn a language, cake decorating, salsa dancing

Participate in your professional development. Professional growth and development start with you. Explore opportunities to enhance your current position or ways to prepare for a new career.

Take a class (at Metro State, of course!)

Join a professional association Find a mentorGive back! Let 2010 be the year that you give unselfishly to others. The reward of doing for others is priceless.

Be a mentor Volunteer, volunteer, volunteer Get involved in your neighborhood, church or synagogue

Let 2010 be your year of keeping it fresh!

Having been the court administrator for the Aurora Municipal Court since 1992, Metro State alumnus Zelda M. DeBoyes, Ph.D., knows how to keep challenge and excitement in her career and her life.

GET SOCIAL WITH YOUR FELLOW ALUMNI /////////Join Metropolitan State College of Denvers Office of Alumni Relations and Alumni Association on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and MySpace to connect with long-lost friends, network with other alumni for jobs and find out whats happening on campus.

You can also read daily posts and view photos on our blog. For a complete list of all of our social networking site links, go to www.mscd.edu/alumni/keepingintouch/networking.

ANY SUGGESTIONS?If you have a topic suggestion for our Ask An Alum column please send it to Stefanie Carroll, assistant director of alumni programs andcommunication, at [email protected].

&PLAIN Fancy Ball 45 YEARS 19652010 METRO STATE u uSaturday, September 25, 2010

6-10 p.m. Invesco Field at Mile High

Plan now to join us for a fabulous evening celebrating Metro States 45th Anniversary!

Dinner Live and Silent AuctionsDancing Plain & Fancy Honorees

All to benefit College programs and student scholarships.

To become a sponsor, donate an item and/or purchase tickets,

please go to

www.mscd.edu/plainandfancy

PRESENTED BY

METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE of DENVERSAVE THE DATE



Avoid burnout by finding ways to grow professionally and personally says Zelda DeBoyes.


One cold day last December Milroy Roy Alexander (74, accounting) was sitting in a board meeting as he had done countless times before.

But this one was different. After 22 years with the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA), an agency that loans money to homebuyers and businesses, Alexander was about to retire as executive director.

Unbeknownst to him, board members had been working with Metro States Office of Development to honor him and his contribution to CHFA by establishing the Milroy A. Alexander/CHFA Endowed Scholarshipa $50,000 endowment that will provide three scholarships per year on an ongoing basis.

I was speechless when the board announced it, Alexander says. Obviously someone on the board, working with key members of my staff, knew of my connection with Metro and how Ive felt about the College all these years. For them to take that and run with it and see that opportunity to show their appreciation to me was extremely humbling.

Alexanders entire senior team knew his high regard for Metro State. He has served on the alumni board, contributed financially and involved CHFA as a community partner in the alumni associations The Apprentice Challenge @ Metro State. When President Stephen Jordan came on board, he called on Alexander to help him evaluate candidates for his administration. Two of Alexanders siblings have graduated from the College and his son is a current student.

CHFAs board funded the endowment but waited for Alexanders input on the specifics, now worked out. Scholarship candidates must have a minimum 3.5 grade point average, financial need, a track record of community

volunteerism, and be studying public administration or public affairs. Alexander will be on the application review team.

Although endowed scholarships can take up to a year to get rolling, the CHFA board arranged for the first award to be made this semester.

The timing couldnt be better in terms of our students, said Jaime Livaditis, associate director of development. Everyones under financial hardship right now it seems, and at the College weve seen requests for financial aid go up significantly.

Realizing opportunities to get better

The son of parents who never graduated from high school, Alexander enrolled at Metro State in 1971, five months after arriving in Denver from his native Grenada in the Caribbean. He is the oldest of six siblings and was the first to immigrate to the U.S. Metro State offered an affordable education and the flexibility to study while holding jobs on the side, he says.

After graduating, Alexander became a certified public accountant and worked for a big eight accounting firm. He completed the Denver Metro Chambers Leadership Denver Program and ventured into retail (specialty food) for several years. He joined CHFA in 1988 and became chief financial officer in 1990 and executive director in January 2001.

I have had extreme passion for the mission of CHFA and have treated CHFA as if it were my own, he says. I think what we do is all about helping people realize opportunities to help them get better.

Years of service inspire scholarship By Julie Lancaster Recently retired from the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, Roy Alexander is honored by CHFAs endowing a scholarship in his name.

Alumni Times


YOUR METRO STATE ALUMNI RELATIONS STAFF :

Metro State Alumni Association 2009-10 Board of Directors

PRESIDENT Eric Peterson (99, Marketing)

VICE PRESIDENT AND FOUNDATION REPRESENTATIVE Jim Garrison

(80, Economics)

SECRETARY Cassandra Johnson

(04, Management)

TREASURER April Washington

(93, Journalism)

PAST PRESIDENT AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES REPRESENTATIVE Gerie Grimes(87, Nonprofit Administration)

Derek Anguilm (00, Finance) /// Valerie

Derrick-Flanigan (00, Marketing) /// David

Diaz (97, Mathematics) /// Judy George (01,

Business Management) /// Victoria Hannu

(84, Computer and Management Science) ///

Michelle LeBoo, Administrator Representative

(95, History) /// RC Montoya (93, Technical

Communication) /// Rob Morrill (97, Political

Science) /// Daniel Parks (96, Political Science)

/// James Patton (84, Biology) /// John

Silva, (91, Finance) /// Wendy Petersen (89,

Hospitality, Meeting and Travel Administration)

/// Judy Shafer (95/97, English/Criminal

Justice) /// Sterling Noah Steingraeber (08,

Marketing) /// Metza Templeton, Classified

Staff Representative (07, Management) ///

Peggy Wortham (75, Behavioral Science) ///

Associate Professor of Human Services Antonio

Ledesma, (72, English), Faculty Representative

/// SGA President Andrew Bateman, Student

Representative.

RIDE WITH METRO STATE PRIDE (and get a free sunshade!)

Well send you a free sunshade (while supplies last) for purchasing the official Metro State license plate.

Simply e-mail a picture of it on your car to [email protected].

Dont know how to get a plate? Purchase a voucher from the Metro State Alumni Association. The required donation is $25* for current students and alumni who have graduated within one year, and $50 for all others. Your donation will help support student scholarships and alumni programs. Find out more at: www.mscd.edu/alumni/support/license.shtml.

*There is a one-time $50 DMV fee for specialty plates.

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

Wednesday, April 212010 Alumni Recognition Evening 5:30-7 p.m., St. CajetansAuraria CampusJoin us as we celebrate our graduates and present the Outstanding Alumni Awards at this inspiring annual event. The cost is $10 per person and includes dinner. Purchase tickets at www.mscd.edu/alumni/awards/.

Sunday, May 16Spring 2010 Commencement 7-9 a.m., Soccer FieldsAuraria Campus For the first time, Metro State will hold its Commencement Ceremony outdoors!

Volunteers are needed to sell flowers and welcome our newest graduates into the alumni community before Commencement begins at 9 a.m. Contact Gini Mennenga at [email protected] or 303-556-4076 to sign-up.

Friday, July 16MERGE: Alumni Art Exhibition 2010 Opening Reception 7-9 p.m., 965 Santa Fe DriveCheck out this juried exhibition featuring nearly 40 alumni artists at the Center for Visual Arts brand-new space. Exhibit runs through Aug. 28. The event is free and open to the public. Learn more at www.metrostatecva.org.

Cherrelyn Napue (99)

Associate Vice

President of

Development and

Alumni Relations

303.556.6933

[email protected]

Stefanie Carroll

Assistant Director

of Alumni Programs

and Communication

303.556.6935

[email protected]

Janell Lindsey

Co-director of

Alumni Relations

and the

Alumni Association

303.556.6344

[email protected]

Joshua Anderson

Co-director of

Alumni Relations

and the

Alumni Association

303.556.6934

[email protected]

Melissa Snider

Administrative

Assistant

303.556.8320

[email protected]

Lizzy Scully

Social Engagement

Manager

303.556.5158

[email protected]

Gini Mennenga

Student Assistant

303.556.4076

[email protected]

SAVE THE DATE! Spring/Summer 2010Please join us for these events. Check www.mscd.edu/alumni/events for the most up-to-date details on these and other events and activities.



Tony Pallotto Tragedy from drug addictions has struck

Tony Pallottos life several times in his 61 yearshe lost two brothers, a son and the mind of his brother-in-law. But Pallotto didnt succumb to defeat, even as he dealt with his own addictions. Instead, he kicked his habits and has gone on to help thousands of families with addicted and troubled teens.

This is the hand thats been dealt me and Im playing it, says Pallotto, who shortly after graduating with a marketing degree in 1981 began a lucrative career as the advertising and marketing director for Californias Southcoast Newspapers.

Pallottos career moved to shaky ground after a hostile takeover of his company in 1995, and he decided to change his life. He

shifted his attention to finding help for his drug-addicted son before it was too late but discovered that programs for troubled teens are difficult to find. He eventually found one in Western Samoa, but the experience highlighted the glaring deficiencies in the system. He took a severance package offered by Southcoast and started Teen Adolescent Placement Services (TAPS) for troubled teens and their families.

When I left the newspaper. I took my filing cabinets into our spare room and put a laminated leftover countertop across the top of them for a desk, says Pallotto, who used the rudimentary office space to establish a network of help programs for troubled teens.

Soon Pallotto and his staff were able to place troubled and addicted teens into

programs within 72 hours, sometimes faster. Although the first two years were tough, his diligence paid off and TAPS began offering interventions and transport services for teens in dire circumstances

Its not unlikely to get 300 calls in a month, Pallotto says, adding that his program has helped more than 16,000 troubled teens since 1995. This is our life and our phones are open 24/7.

Ruthanne Johnson (07)

More information about TAPS can be found at taps14.org.

A LIFELINE FOR TROUBLED TEENS AND THEIR FAMILIES

Juan Tomas Giron (68, political science) is a retired veteran and former United States government employee. He lives in Denver.

Cherlynn K. Berry (73, elementary education) is broker/owner of Arizona Dream Finders and lives in Glendale, Ariz.

Larry Neu (76, accounting) has been named by the chief of police on behalf of the Denver Police Department as an honorary lieutenant of the Denver Police Foundation for his longtime pro bono service

to that foundation. Neu, a certified public accountant in Denver, helped create the foundation in 2000,

and he continues to share accounting guidance with it. The foundation raises funds to reduce crime.

Robert A. Wood (76, business management) accepted the position as dean of students at Bethesda Christian School in Ft. Worth, Texas in November 2009. He retired from the Navy in February 2009 after 36 years.

Thomas M. Abbott (87, criminal justice) works in special operations as the school resource officer at Aurora (Colo.) Central High School.

Denise Cordova (85, K-12 physical education) is an assistant principal in the Aurora Public Schools. She earned a masters degree from the University of Northern Colorado and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at

the University of Colorado Denver in the educational leadership and innovation program.

Steven D. Knopf (89, professional pilot*) is a B767/757 first officer for United Airlines and has been named chair for the pilots association training committee. He lives in Highlands Ranch.

Alton F. Marlowe (82, geology) owns Hidden Lakes Press, a company in Evergreen, Colo. that publishes hiking and fishing guides in e-book form on compact discs and river access maps for rivers in Colorado

and Wyoming. Before starting the business in 2000, he worked several years for a major oil company

in Denver.

J. Steven McCandless (81, science/teacher education) is a senior compliance analyst for Oppenheimer Funds, Inc. and lives in Centennial, Colo.

J.R. Smith (87, history and marketing) has been named to the Metro State Sports Hall of Fame. He began his Metro State career as a student assistant and rose to assistant athletic director. He also served as athletic

director at Fort Lewis College for five years before becoming a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference

commissioner in 2001.

* major no longer offered

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 the Update My Profile.

CLASS ACTS

1960s & 70s

Alumni Times


Deborah K. (York ) Benton (97, nursing) is president and owner of Mile High Legal Nurse Consultants and lives in Highlands Ranch.

Tanya Burke-Adams (98, accounting) is staff accountant for the Department of Natural Resources and lives in Denver.

Sarah Friedmann (99, womens studies) works with low-income, first-generation high school students across Northern Arizona as an instructional specialist with Upward Bound, a federally funded program based at

Northern Arizona University.

Joseph C. Martinez (92, history) is a bank clerk for Wells Fargo. He lives in Rio Rancho, N.M.

Andrew M. Massanet (94, English) works in the community relations branch of the United States Army Garrison public affairs office in Fort Riley, Kan., home of the 1st Infantry Division. After retiring from the

military, he worked for newspapers in Colorado, California and Oregon.

Kevin Meza (95, management) is general manager of Compusys of Colorado and lives in Aurora.

Karon Shelton (95, technical communications) is an executive assistant with Mirant Corporation in Atlanta, Ga.

Daniel A. West (97, English) is a teacher in Costa Rica and a consultant for the National University and for the University Latina.

Junming Zhu (92, hospitality, meeting and travel administration) is the director of Asian marketing at the Green Valley Ranch Resort, Spa and Casino in Las Vegas, Nev.

Brianna Boeschenstein (08, journalism) is a customer support representative with the Dish Network. She lives in Littleton.

Jessica Bullock (Hagen) (01, meteorology) is a watchmaker for Ben Bridge Jewelers in Everett, Wash.

Eirinn Byrne (08, history) was invited to participate in the A Womens Perspective juried artist exhibition in conjunction with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Womens Consortium at West Chester

University last fall.

Susan A. Conder (09, hospitality management) is the office manager for the Hospitality, Tourism and Events Department at Metro State.

Teresa Dillard (06, criminal justice) is a field supervisor with the Bonfils Blood Center and lives in Denver.

James Faasau (02, behavioral science) is stationed at the naval air station in Corpus Christi, Texas as a pilot instructor for new military aviators. Before that, he attended Navy officer candidate and Navy flight schools,

and earned his wings in 2005. He was then stationed at the naval air station on Whidbey Island in Puget

Sound, Wash. for three years and flew many sorties around the world, including Southeast Asia and the

Persian Gulf.

Jazzmine Hall-Oldham (03, communications) is a care team assistant for the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora.

John L. Maier (02, civil engineering technology) is a project engineer with Purcell, Rhoades and Associates in Pleasant Hill, Calif. He holds an M.S. in civil engineering with a geotechnical emphasis from San Jose State

University and has a professional civil engineering license from the State of California.

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 the Update My Profile.

CLASS ACTS


Monalisa Maniego (04, nonprofit promotion and administration) works in the corporate office of Mercy Housing, Inc., a national nonprofit based in Arvada, Colo. that works to offer affordable housing.

Danielle M. Mathis (03, biology) is owner and president of Vital Signs, a company in Virginia Beach, Va. that offers health and safety training, and telecommunication services. She also works with a nonprofit as a loss

mitigation counselor, assisting homeowners facing foreclosure. And this spring she began teaching business

as an adjunct professor at a local community college. Last summer she earned her masters in business

administration.

Carlos Montanez (08, criminal justice) is a probation officer in Westminster, Colo.

Bola Rasheed Owolabi (01, electrical engineering technology) is a software engineer in Kansas City, Mo. He received a masters degree in computer information systems from Regis University in Denver in 2007.

Elizabeth Noyes (09, human services) is a masters of social work candidate at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins.

Steven Schoser (06, human services) is an evaluation specialist and group therapist for Synergy A.R.T.S., an addiction rehabilitation facility in Denver. After he graduated, he completed his masters of arts in

community counseling at Adams State College. Hes now studying to become a licensed professional

counselor and a certified addictions counselor III.

Theodore W. Sell (03, political science) is a supervising paralegal for Joe A. Scalia, Ltd. and is in the Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.

Dawn Wilson (07, criminal justice) is a risk management coordinator for the City of Centennial. Shes pursuing a graduate degree in organizational leadership at the University of Denver.

CLASS ACTSDavid Fodel

TECHNO ARTIST IS WHERE HE WANTS TO BE

For David Fodel (08, publishing

systems design), Metro State provided

a fast track to getting where he

wanted to be: a professional artist,

teaching at the college level.

A lifelong techno artist who got

his start doing sound and video for

punk bands in Baltimore in the early

1980s, Fodel transitioned to graphic

design during the desktop publishing

metro magazine spring 2010

Documents

metro state degree

fellow metro alumni

metro students

alumni times

alumni event id

journalism degree

college education

su teatros tony garcia