Metro Magazine Spring 2010 by Metropolitan State University of Denver

VOL.

SPRING 2010

FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE OF DENVER

SCIENCE ON DISPLAY PG. 10

ALL INKED UP AND NOWHERE TO WORK PG. 8

8 ANSWERS: Su Teatro’s Tony Garcia PG. 6

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve felt the impact of a Metro State degree.

Let your family and friends know Metro State will help define their success, too!

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

SPRING

Spring 2010 / Volume XXVI / Issue II

///Contents

SCIENCE ON DISPLAY

8 ANSWERS

ALL INKED UP AND NOWHERE TO WORK?

RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL, PAINTINGS AND OPERA...

Do body art and jobs mix?

Three grads who are doing amazing things in theatre, fine art and music.

The new Auraria Science Building has the “wow” factor.

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

DEPARTMENTS

3 4 22 30 32

Metrozoic Era Newsworthy Alumni Times The Rowdy Report Don’t Blink

Cover photo by Javier Manzano

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Voices /// Letters to the editor 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 I’d 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.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Cathy Lucas EDITOR Donna Fowler (‘80)

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. Cliché 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 couldn’t help recall my humble beginnings. Metro State had grown up and so did I, but it wasn’t 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. It’s 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

ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER Julie Strasheim GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Richard Jividen (‘00) Ruth M’Gonigle PHOTOGRAPHERS Jason Braddock (‘09) Barry Guttierez Javier Manzano

Chris Schneider Julie Strasheim Mark Woolcott

METRO MAGAZINE EDITORIAL BOARD Bridgette Coble, Director of Career Services Stefanie Carroll, Assistant Director of Alumni Programs and Communication Clay Daughtrey, Professor and Chair of Marketing Jeffrey Forrest (’90), Professor and Chair of Aviation and Aerospace Science Donna Fowler (’80), Director of Internal Communications Richard Jividen (‘00), Director of Creative Services Cathy Lucas, Associate Vice President of Communications and Advancement Lunden 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 Magazine Office of College Communications Campus 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 fowlerd@mscd.edu. E-mail alumni address changes and Class Acts submissions to: alumni@mscd.edu. 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 Policy Metropolitan 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.

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Metro State’s past, present future /// Metro State’s past, present and&future

Metrozoic Era

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

Ken Horn, circa 1973.

LESSONS learned from a mentor By Ken Horn (‘73)

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 didn’t 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.

One of Bob’s 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 College’s 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 couldn’t 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

At the next class Bob was furious with us for not challenging his authority to grade by lottery and for not challenging the administration’s 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 wouldn’t 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. I’m 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.

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.

Yo andur fac her sto e e… ry

Ken Horn today.

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Newsworthy ///College News Metro State named ‘emerging HSI’

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.

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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 HSIs—institutions that enroll 15-24 percent or more undergraduate full-time equivalent Hispanic students—are not waiting for official HSI status to enact policies to better serve Latino students.

“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, it’s 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 State’s 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 UniversitySan Marcos.

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Spring enrollment breaks record

Metro State is at the highest enrollment ever seen in its nearly 45-year history—23,273. And students of color are at a record high as well, with 5,744 students representing nearly 25 percent of the student body.

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Master’s one step away Master’s programs are a step away from becoming a reality at Metro State. A team from the Higher Learning Commission, the College’s accrediting body, announced after their February site visit that they will recommend approval of the College’s proposed master’s programs in accounting, teacher education and social work. “This was wonderful news to know that the team supports our effort to begin offering master’s degrees,” says President Stephen Jordan. The College will know the final outcome of its request for accreditation in mid-April.

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CVA moves to Santa Fe Arts District Metro State’s 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 College’s 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.

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In Memorium Metro 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.

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. Darrin Duber-Smith is one of only He is among 10 professors, out of 10 professors honored. 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 Barron’s 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.”

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 Romagnano’s and Farkas’ names. For more information, contact Lora Hansen, scholarship manager, at hansenl@mscd.edu or 303-556-5140.

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8 Answers [By Yolanda Ortega] 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 Denver’s 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.

With your lifelong history with the Auraria Campus, it seems you have come full circle.///

How did you start teaching at Metro State and bringing in teatro projects?///

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. Cajetan’s Elementary School. And so every time I walk into the King Center Building at Auraria, I’m 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 we’re performing there. And I think it has something to do with choices that we make in our lives. I made a conscience choice to

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. I’ve taught Intro to Chicano Studies, film classes and poetry and drama classes. Over the years, I’ve really had support for the projects I’ve 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 “I made a conscience choice to belong to, who belongs to commit myself to the city and them … all that. I think that to the community.” is where the non-Chicano students connect with the Chicano experience. We try to teach them that this is our commit myself to the city and to the story. Your story probably has similar community. I am from here. This is the structure and if you don’t know your place I know, I understand. story, go find your story. If you have

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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 thing—Latinos are all about families. Well, everyone is about families. We aren’t the only ones.

Metro State’s 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 we’re 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 sotros—between us.”

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 “Let’s 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 synergy—a collective dynamic.

Do you see opportunity for collaboration between Su Teatro and the College’s 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

make the Day of the Dead something special with the addition of the CVA to Su Teatro’s, CHAC’s 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 cosmica—where 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

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).

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Editor’s note: For details about an outdoor performance of Garcia’s Westside Oratorio coming up this summer in celebration of Metro State’s 45th anniversary, go to www.mscd.edu/45years.

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.”

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All inked up

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

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and nowhere to work? By Vonalda Utterback (’92)

Katy Ramer loves her body art. As turns out, there’s a lot to love. “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 Center’s 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 RadojevichKelley, 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 Barbie’— complete 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

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, it’s not such a pretty picture: 85 percent of the respondents—468 employees representing a variety of industries across the U.S.— believe that body art impedes one’s chances of getting hired. THINK BEFORE YOU INK Ramer, 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 it’s “no holds barred” during social or casual occasions for the heavily tattooed 26-year-old, when she’s 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)

Even Barbie™ sports body art now.

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 hasn’t taken the leap. Even though the Army’s 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 racist”—he’s not going there. “I’m postponing it,” Johnson says. “I may get one later, but I don’t want to do something that may limit my career opportunities. I don’t even want to go the ‘hidden’ route... I believe if they see the tattoo, it will change my employer’s 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.

Visiting Management Professors Nina Radojevich-Kelley and William J. Carnes

But it seems much more common for employers, particularly traditional suitand-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 RadojevichKelley 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 today’s Gen Nexters look forward to a time when body art isn’t 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.”

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Science on

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

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 Denver’s commitment to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.

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“The STEM fields are vital to Colorado’s economy,” says Metro State President Stephen Jordan, “and because we already have the largest number of students of color of all the state’s 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 building’s 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 it’s only going to get more beautiful. Chosen for Colorado’s Art in Public Places program, the building’s 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 building’s HVAC currents, Lipski says. “Early in the design process,” explains John Everin from AndersonMasonDale Architects, “everyone from Auraria told us they didn’t want another brown, brick building that just sat quietly on the site. They really wanted a wow factor.”

That’s 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 evermore 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 Footage 195,000 in the new building 143,000 renovated space in existing building Location Speer Blvd. between Arapahoe and Lawrence Sts. Foundation Includes 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 Basement Houses large instruments and equipment as well as restricted areas, including a vivarium for animals used in study/research

continued on page 12

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semester after semester. Key classes filled. Groups outgrew lab space. Things got cozy. Joan L. Foster, dean of Metro State’s 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. “It’s so exciting because we didn’t have enough lab space to meet our students’ needs,” she says. “We’ll 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.”

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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 isn’t 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 airquality 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 State’s Chemistry Department, believes that how the spaces and equipment converge is most important. “It’s a lot more flexible and integrated learning environment,” he explains. “I personally think that the appearance

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

of the laboratories and the light that’s available now is actually going to be more conducive to student learning.” Ford Lux, the new chair of Metro State’s 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, they’ll 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 won’t 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. “That’s going to be a lot better in terms of not only a friendly sense, but we can talk about what we’re 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.

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

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What do Radio City Music Hall,

paintings worth thousands of dollars, and

opera

have in common?

Metro State fine and performing art graduates. By Leslie Petrovski

Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll SPRING 2010

There’s always been a kind of hardbitten practicality to Metropolitan State College of Denver, a pullyourself-up-by-the-belt-loops work ethic that’s enabled the College to gain purchase on its side of the Platte as the state’s second-largest educator of undergraduates and the leader in educating undergraduate Coloradans. With its pragmatic orientation, the arts don’t 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 Department’s annual jazz, choral and piano celebrations for high school students, and distinctions that include the Theatre Department’s strong record in

Rocky Mountain Theatre Association competitions and art’s notoriety as the only public art program in the state accredited by the National Association of Art and Design—not to mention its award-winning Center for Visual Art. During the last academic year, the Metro State Music Department alone logged 151 events—close 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

students who perform regularly for Kaiser Permanente’s 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 College’s 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, jinglebell-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 Hall—Mitchell is responsible for one of four touring companies of the Christmas show as well as the payroll for the entire Radio City touring division—he is proud to walk the halls of this legendary facility, where he’s flourished professionally and been allowed to live his second life as an actor, where he’s 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 Shepherd’s two-man tour de force True West, Jesus Christ Superstar and Two Gentlemen of Verona. After graduating, he went to stunttraining 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.”

continued on page 16

As director of touring productions for Radio City Music Hall’s 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.

Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll SPRING 2010

“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 Scorsese’s 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; there’s 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 children’s 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.

Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll SPRING 2010

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 Post—as a fine arts undergraduate—Farley didn’t paint. “I was afraid to fail,” he says. “Now I can’t not paint.” Farley isn’t just one of Denver’s most successful artists, he’s a brand—the 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 print—more if he’s augmented it with a few daubs of paint.

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, you’ve 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 wouldn’t convey the drama and power of the event. “So I called a buddy of mine in LA and said, ‘I’ve got to learn to paint.’ He told me what to buy. I locked myself in my room for three days and it’s still one of the best paintings I’ve 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 continued on page 18

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.

Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll SPRING 2010

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

Breaking the ‘scary lady in a Viking suit’ stereotype

“It was 112 degrees in front of 100,000 people—all bombed,” he remembers. “I got onstage and had 90 minutes to paint. I couldn’t fail. I told myself, ‘Get out of the way and let it flow through you.’ Everything exploded after that.”

Last spring Assistant Professor of Music MeeAh Nam was scheduled to sing the soprano solos in Metro State’s performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana.

Exploded, indeed. At “six-foot-twoand-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.

On Thursday before the Sunday concerts, a fluey Nam phoned her former student Melissa Wimbish (’05), a master’s 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 wasn’t prepared, but Nam told her to get the music and “just do it.”

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.

Two nights later Wimbish was onstage at the King Center soaring through Orff’s challenging libretto.

These days he’s splitting his time between Denver and Puerto Vallarta, where he is opening a gallery and orphanage; his professional obligations and charity work—last 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 paintings—the “World Prayer Series”— depicting worshippers of different traditions in aspects of prayer. “The sports stuff will have its followers, but I’m getting less and less enamored of that. Dealing with the egos, sponsors and agents, it’s not fun anymore. It’s time for something new. The best thing I can offer is to show how the whole world is tied by one golden cord.”

Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll SPRING 2010

Wimbish’s story is the classic Metro State success narrative: Plucky kid with raw, unformed talent arrives on campus thinking she’ll be the next Bebe Neuwirth. Today she’s pursuing a performance diploma at The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University—one of the country’s premier training grounds for serious musicians, well on her way not to Broadway but to becoming a professional opera singer. “Missy isn’t the exception,” says Music Chair Michael Kornelsen. “She’s attained something significant, but she’s the rule. Our students are becoming fine musicians during their time at Metro State and I’m 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

in the pit?’ I’m going to audition for a musical and go for it.” Marching into the choir room, she announced, “Who’s giving vocal lessons? Count me in!” Her senior year, she landed the lead in Gershwin’s 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 you’re a young singer, you’re just finding your instrument. You don’t understand your instrument the way someone who’s 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 mezzo—“not that I knew

what that meant”—but 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, ‘That’s crazy I’m 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 soprano’s 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. It’s inspiring to be around that.”

This past summer Wimbish made her international debut as the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute at the first Seoul International Opera Festival in Korea and she’s currently touring schools through a Peabody outreach program, helping kids understand that “opera isn’t some scary lady in a Viking suit.” (She also writes the cheeky blog—operagasm. com—with two other music alumni from Metro State, Erica PapillionPosey and Christie Connolley, to counter the Brunhilde stereotypes.) How good is she? When she answers, she does so, unpretentiously, as if she’s referring to a sousaphone she keeps in her apartment. “That’s a hard question. I believe I have a strong instrument and I think people like my instrument. But every instrument wants to be better. I’m always working to be better.”

ONLINE EXTRA Experience the beauty of Melissa Wimbish singing five movements from Carmina Burana at www.mscd.edu/metromagazine/multimedia.

Melissa Wimbish didn’t even begin vocal lessons until high school. Now she’s studying opera performance at the Peabody Institute and has performed at the Seoul International Opera Festival in Korea.

Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll SPRING 2010

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

Honor societies thriving at Metro State By Marianne Goodland 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 résumés 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 20

Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll SPRING 2010

S F A

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 State’s 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 chapter’s president. Martinez added that a national Sigma Tau Delta writing award for best essay is named in honor of retired Professor Elizabeth Holtze.

DGX Sigma Tau Delta hosts many activities throughout the year, including Banned Books Week, the Linguistics Club, an informal writer’s group and the Poetry Corner. Its members also work on the Metrosphere, Metro State’s literary and arts journal. Martinez said honor society membership improves his résumé. But for him, it’s much more than that. “It’s camaraderie with other people who speak my language,” he said with a smile. “It’s 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.

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 résumé and her leadership skills. She plans to teach English in Japan. After that? “It’s 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.

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 wouldn’t find anywhere else. It’s 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

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. “It’s an experience you don’t get in class,” with he said.

“It’s camaraderie other people who speak my language.” Golden Key’s Web site notes it is the premier collegiate honor society. Metro State’s chapter is one of six in Colorado and has about 300 members.

S FAQ 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.

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

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

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.”•

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.

Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll SPRING 2010

Alumni Times ///Alumni News and Events

BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS M etro State alumni enjoyed a full day of connections at last fall’s Alumni Association Annual Meeting held in the new state-of-theart 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 recipients—12 Metro State seniors who were awarded more than $13,000 in total funding for 2009-10.

Scholarship recipients were all smiles at the annual meeting.

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 women’s 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.”

By Vonalda M. Utterback (‘92)

Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll SPRING 2010

Sterling “Noah” Steingraeber (marketing, ’08), was honored to be asked to serve. “The alumni association sought me out—which 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, I’m 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 couldn’t say no (when asked to serve on the board), it’s 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

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 make improvements 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.”

Alumni Times

New initiative will improve alumni data collection, storage

HANDS DOWN METRO STATE’S NEW OFFICIAL RING IS

FABULOUS!

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.

Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll SPRING 2010

Alumni Times ///Alumni News and Events

GET SOCIAL WITH YOUR FELLOW ALUMNI ///////// Join Metropolitan State College of Denver’s 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 what’s 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.

•

SAVE THE DATE METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE of DENVER

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

• Join a team sport – volleyball, soccer,

KEEPING IT FRESH

• Take a new class – learn a language,

By Zelda M. DeBoyes, Ph.D (‘85)

e’re 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 selfimprovement. 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

biking team 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 mentor

Give 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

Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll SPRING 2010

45 YEARS

1965—2010 u• METRO STATE

PRESENTED BY

Saturday, September 25, 2010 6-10 p.m. Invesco Field at Mile High Plan now to join us for a fabulous evening celebrating Metro State’s 45th Anniversary! Dinner • Live and Silent Auctions Dancing • 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

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.

•

&Fancy Ball

PLAIN

ASK AN ALUM

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 and communication, at scarro17@mscd.edu.

Alumni Times

Recently retired from the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, Roy Alexander is honored by CHFA’s endowing a scholarship in his name.

Years of service inspire scholarship By Julie Lancaster O

ne 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 State’s Office of Development to honor him and his contribution to CHFA by establishing the Milroy A. Alexander/CHFA Endowed Scholarship—a $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 I’ve 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.” Alexander’s 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 association’s 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 Alexander’s siblings have graduated from the College and his son is a current student. CHFA’s board funded the endowment but waited for Alexander’s 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 couldn’t be better in terms of our students,” said Jaime Livaditis, associate director of development. “Everyone’s under financial hardship right now it seems, and at the College we’ve 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 Chamber’s 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.”

•

Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll SPRING 2010

Alumni Times ///Alumni News and Events YOUR METRO STATE ALUMNI RELATIONS STAFF :

Cherrelyn Napue (‘99)

Joshua Anderson

Janell Lindsey

Stefanie Carroll

Lizzy Scully

Melissa Snider

Gini Mennenga

Associate Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations 303.556.6933 napue@mscd.edu

Co-director of Alumni Relations and the Alumni Association 303.556.6934 jande189@mscd.edu

Co-director of Alumni Relations and the Alumni Association 303.556.6344 lindseja@mscd.edu

Assistant Director of Alumni Programs and Communication 303.556.6935 scarro17@mscd.edu

Social Engagement Manager 303.556.5158 escully@mscd.edu

Administrative Assistant 303.556.8320 msnider@mscd.edu

Student Assistant 303.556.4076 vmille17@mscd.edu

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

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)

SAVE THE DATE! Spring/Summer 2010 Please 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.

Wednesday, April 21 2010 Alumni Recognition Evening 5:30-7 p.m., St. Cajetan’s Auraria Campus Join 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/.

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

Sunday, May 16

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.

For the first time, Metro State will hold its Commencement Ceremony outdoors!

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Spring 2010 Commencement 7-9 a.m., Soccer Fields Auraria Campus

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 alumni@mscd.edu or 303-556-4076 to sign-up.

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

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RIDE WITH

METRO STATE PRIDE (and get a free sunshade!)

We’ll 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 alumni@mscd.edu. Don’t 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.

Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll SPRING 2010

CLASS ACTS

Alumni Times

1960s & 70s

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.” 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 master’s 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

Tony Pallotto

A LIFELINE FOR TROUBLED TEENS AND THEIR FAMILIES Tragedy from drug addictions has struck Tony Pallotto’s life several times in his 61 years—he lost two brothers, a son and the mind of his brother-in-law. But Pallotto didn’t 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 that’s been dealt me and I’m 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 California’s Southcoast Newspapers. Pallotto’s 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.

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 “It’s 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.

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

Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll SPRING 2010

CLASS ACTS 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.”

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, women’s 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 Women’s Perspective” juried artist exhibition in conjunction with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Women’s 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.

Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll SPRING 2010

CLASS ACTS

Alumni Times

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 master’s 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 master’s degree in computer information systems from Regis University in Denver in 2007. Elizabeth Noyes (’09, human services) is a master’s 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 master’s of arts in community counseling at Adams State College. He’s 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. She’s pursuing a graduate degree in organizational leadership at the University of Denver.

David 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 revolution of the 1990s and has worked in Web development and software systems. Along the way, he continually produced electronic music and media art.

solar wind data into real-time “soundscape” performance, is used in the interactive installation “39 44’ 11? N x 104 59’ 21? W,” a collaborative work that is part of the Embrace! show at the Denver Art Museum through April 2010.

“I came to Metro State because of the Individualized Degree Program,” Fodel says. “They offered me a way to get credit for my graphic design work experience.” Fodel created a degree that combined computer science, fine art and technical communications.

Slated to finish a master of fine arts degree from the University of Colorado Denver in May 2010, Fodel was off in January to a 10-day invitation-only residency at the Studio for ElectroInstrumental Music in Amsterdam.

Since graduating, Fodel has received a number of honors. He did the sound design for the winning entry of the national Metropolis Art Prize, a video that was screened in Times Square. The solar wind harp he designed, a software instrument that translates

“Metro offered a path to use my life experience and create a degree suited for the position I was in and where I wanted to go,” he says. — Anne Button

Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll SPRING 2010

The Rowdy Report /// Roadrunner Sports

or most of David Morgan’s 45 years, he’s known a lot about scoring goals. He’s been doing it since he was 4 years old, booting the soccer ball around with his brother in their backyard in north Denver. And now he knows about achieving goals. Last year he reached a goal that’s been parked in the back of his mind since 1984. Morgan’s story has many elements, but three that stand out are talent, perseverance and, of course, goals. The talent part was as natural as it was obvious. He earned his first trophy at age 7. “I still have it,” he says with a chuckle. At Northglenn High School, he was all conference, all state, sportsman of the year, outstanding player and voted most valuable player by

SCORING By Doug McPherson

the National Soccer Coaches of America—a gifted center midfielder. His skill earned him a full-ride scholarship at Metro State in 1983. “Metro State had a really good program. The coach was Harry Temmer, and he believed in me … he was a great mentor.” But in Morgan’s senior year, with a semester left, the pros got wind of his prowess and offered him a spot on Colorado’s semi-pro team. He couldn’t refuse, and played there till 1993. “After that I took a break from soccer,” he says. In short: got married, had a daughter, worked and eventually returned to soccer—helping kids learn the sport.

Then in 2001, he went to see a practice session of Colorado’s national soccer team—a session that was fatefully moved from North Denver to Metro State. It was there Morgan met Danny Sanchez, then the coach of women’s soccer at the College. Sanchez eventually offered Morgan a spot on the coaching squad. “We had no idea where we were headed, but I was excited to help,” Morgan says. They may not have known where they were headed, but where they ended up was impressive: as 2004 national champions. “It was a special time,” Morgan says. But as great an achievement as that was, Morgan knew a more important feat awaited—a goal worth much more than all the goals he ever scored on a soccer field—to finish the degree he started two decades ago. So while continuing his coaching career (today he’s assistant coach for women’s soccer, and according to Adrianne Almaraz, head coach, a good one: “He’s had a phenomenal impact on the team.”) he approached Joan McDermott, the College’s athletic director, about earning his degree. He found devoted support. “She helped me more than she’ll ever know,” Morgan says. She pointed him to the Individualized Degree Program, which helped him craft a degree in sports administration.

A chance meeting with Metro State’s women’s soccer coach led David Morgan back to college, to coaching and to earning his degree.

Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll SPRING 2010

ing) v e i h ac (and

GOALS

And on December 13, 2009, he walked through the commencement line— proud and grateful. “The people who helped me were as happy as I was and I can’t thank them enough,” he says. “To me it’s

METRO STATE ATHLETICS CORPORATE DONORS

been about goals, the goal to win championships, the goals for school, the goals for life. And reaching this goal of graduating, it feels so good. Metro welcomed me back and gave me an investment in myself—the best one I could ever make.”

Roadrunner Review President spearheads changes to NCAA policy Metro State President Stephen M. Jordan, in his role as head of the NCAA Division II Presidents Council, navigated the passing of policies at the February NCAA national convention that will bring more balance to the lives of student-athletes. Delegates to the Division II business session, which Jordan chaired, shortened the playing seasons for many sports and created a “dead period” from Dec. 20-26 during which winter sports teams cannot practice or play. “This is good news for our athletes,” Jordan says. “We were pulling athletes away from other activities of the college experience.”

New Hall of Famers Five individual athletes and an entire team make up the ninth class of inductees into Metro State’s Sports Hall of Fame. The 1989-90 men’s basketball team, Lee Barlow (men’s basketball), Devon Herron (women’s volleyball), Amy Leichliter (women’s soccer), former women’s soccer coach Ed Montojo and former assistant athletic director Joel R. (J.R.) Smith were inducted Feb. 20.

Mays named 1st Team, All America Metro State women’s soccer player Becca Mays was named to the 2009 National Soccer Coaches Association of America first team All-America. Mays, a 5-foot-8 senior forward from San Antonio, Texas, led the Roadrunners with 23 goals and 53 points, along with seven assists in 22 games. She also led the team with 132 shot attempts, 64 shots on goal and seven game-winning goals. As of Dec. 9, 2009 she was 10th in the nation in points per game and goals per game. Mays is a senior majoring in criminal justice and criminology.

AURARIA CAMPUS BOOKSTORE BRAUN’S BAR AND GRILL CLICK’S COPY CENTER COACH AMERICA HILTON GARDEN INN HOLIDAY INN SELECT HOTEL VQ @ MILE HIGH STUDENT & AUXILIARY SERVICES BOULDER RUNNING COMPANY PHILL FOSTER & COMPANY SPORTLINE WINTER PARK/COPPER MOUNTAIN

Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll SPRING 2010

Don’t Blink ///A Last Look

Clockwise from bottom: Larraine Morales Kytriena (Kat) Payseno Erica Johnson Melissa Morris José Zuniga Jontae Piper Benjamin Cowhick Sonsharae Tull Kris Graves

Not your usual health team. Metro State theatre students were chosen to partner with Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Theatre program to perform Health Team 4, a humorous play about healthy living (ETP), at elementary schools across metro Denver.

Metro Magazine llllllllllllllll SPRING 2010

ETP supervisor Brian Harper and project leader Amy Burtaine are surrounded by the troupe (Clockwise from bottom: Larraine Morales, Kytriena (Kat) Payseno, Erica Johnson, Melissa Morris, José Zuniga, Jontae Piper, Benjamin Cowhick, Sonsharae Tull and Kris Graves

METROWEAR!

The Alumni Collection Spring 2010 LEFT: Men’s s ilk-screened zip-neck hoodie gray,navy S, M, L, XL, XXL $33.95 MIDDLE: Women’s silk-screened zip-up hoodie gray, navy S, M, L, XL $42.95 RIGHT: Women’s s ilk-screened, zip-up hoodie Red, gray, navy S, M, L, XL $35.95 Metro State students, left to right: Joseph Buckley, Meghan Hartvigson and Naveia Ross

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CVA Grand Re-opening Exhibition and Reception

Thursday, June 3, 2010

June 3 - July 3, 2010 Center for Visual Art Metropolitan State College of Denver 965 Santa Fe Drive Denver, Colorado 80204 303.294.5207 metrostatecva.org

Artist Meet and Greet for members and VIPs, by invitation only • 5:30–7 p.m. Public reception • 7–9 p.m.