Metropolitan Denver Magazine - Spring 2018 by Metropolitan State University of Denver

We are the

Globerunners SPRING 2018

>WOMEN IN STEM

>LEGISLATIVE LEGEND

>ACCOUNTING 4 SUCCESS

MARLYNN, Chicano studies, ’11 BENJAMIN, accounting, ’17

RICARDO, business management, ’19

JAIME, mathematics, ’22

ALMA, international relations (CU-Denver), ’12

MARYLU, computer information systems, ’20

JULIO, business management, ’21 DAISY, journalism, ’16

ANNA, criminal justice and criminology, ’15

FirstLook The Rocha Vasquez siblings are right at home on campus. Four are on their way up from community college and high school. Only one sister got her degree elsewhere but is a Roadrunner nonetheless, having worked for the University for three years. Still. Our take on this tableau? Eight ain’t enough!

PHOTO DAVE NELIGH

MSU Denver alums; two attend now; and two more are in the pipeline,

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VOL. 6 NO.1 INSIDER.MSUDENVER.EDU

METROPOLITAN DENVER MAGAZINE PHOTO CRAIG KORN

WORKPLACE INTEL A study by the nonprofit Pew Research Center found that 50 percent of women working in science, technology, engineering and math jobs experienced discrimination in the workplace versus 41 percent of women in non-STEM jobs and 19 percent of men in STEM. Read the story on Page 10. In the photo: Letters 3-D printed by the Department of Industrial Design at MSU Denver.

10 16 22 F E AT U R E

WOMEN IN STEM

The challenges female students face and how alums in the workforce are making it work.

02 THE FIRST WORD

President Janine Davidson, Ph.D., talks funding and the value of public education.

03 IN YOUR WORDS

Students and alumni on the one class at MSU Denver that changed everything for them.

04 NEWS

MSU Denver continues to have an impact on and off campus.

ON THE COVER Whether it’s an immersive, faculty-led course abroad or on-campus instruction from an international scholar, Roadrunners benefit from programs and partnerships that reach all corners of the globe. Illustration by Craig Korn, source material, istockphoto.com.

F E AT U R E

WE ARE THE GLOBERUNNERS

ACCOUNTING 4 SUCCESS Partners at EKS&H detail their firm’s employment pipeline from MSU Denver.

Thanks to blossoming international partnerships, Roadrunners have access to perspectives from across the map.

24 LEGISLATIVE LEGEND

This year’s recipient of the Alumni Achievement Award has been an advocate all her life.

26 THE UNLIKELY CIO

How does a federal officer end up as the top tech leader in a construction firm? It’s all about problem-solving and leadership.

28 KEEPING KIDS SAFE

A tuition stipend and online degree are helping this alumna make a big difference in her small town.

30 PEOPLE

Alumni share news and notes.

31 PEOPLE IN MEMORY

We remember those who are no longer with us.

32 THE FINAL WORD

Longtime professor and codirector of Jazz Studies Ron Miles on creativity, community – and Prince.

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the

FIRSTWORD Fighting for funding In January, I went before Colorado’s Joint Budget Committee to ask some questions about the higher education funding formula. Right now, MSU Denver is the lowest funded university per student in the state, and I wanted to talk to the committee about how we can change that. This is the case I made: The Colorado Department of Higher Education master plan calls for 66 percent of adults in our state to have postsecondary credentials by 2025. The current number is 55 percent. Among the groups with the most significant attainment gap are students of color: Latino students stand at 29 percent, African Americans at 39 percent and Native Americans at 29 percent. MSU Denver is positioned to address that gap. Approximately 95 percent of our students come from Colorado; 42 percent are students of color; and 50 percent are the first in their families to go to college. On top of that, 79 percent of our graduates stay in state. So if you want to educate more Coloradans and lift the talent pool, this is the place to invest. I told the committee that MSU Denver can move the needle on this issue but that we are stuck at the gate because of our anemic funding. I pitched a proposal based on closing the attainment gap and preparing students for the state workforce. The core of the pitch focused on scaling our workforce-readiness programs in two areas of high need – STEM and teacher education.

Metropolitan Denver Magazine is published three times a year by the Metropolitan State University of Denver Office of Marketing and Communications. © 2018 Metropolitan State University of Denver. All rights reserved. Address correspondence to: Metropolitan Denver Magazine, MSU Denver, Office of Marketing and Communications, Campus Box 86, PO Box 173362, Denver, CO 80217-3362. Email: magazine@msudenver.edu. The opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the policies and opinions of Metropolitan State University of Denver or imply endorsement by its officers or by the MSU Denver Alumni Association. Metropolitan State University 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.

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From all accounts, we got the attention of the JBC. But it is unlikely we will receive the substantial funding we need to implement programs that will make a difference in our state. That said, we will not give up the fight for equitable funding and will relentlessly pursue other sources of funding to serve our students. You can help by sharing the University’s success stories, such as those in this issue of the magazine. Tell your families, friends, colleagues and neighbors about the amazing work happening at your University. And please join the MSU Denver Champions advocacy group (msudenver.edu/champions) to stay informed and share your experience with state decision-makers. Public investment in higher education is the foundation of the American dream. It has shaped a conscientious citizenry, fueled progressive leaders and trained skilled employees in every sector. There was a time when the state provided 70 percent of the cost of a college degree. Today, it only funds 30 percent of that investment. In my view, the American dream slips away with every dollar directed elsewhere. Thanks in advance for helping to spread the word about the value and power of public higher education. Sincerely,

Janine Davidson Janine Davidson, Ph.D. President

Your WORDS In

We’ve heard of a certain phenomenon enough to make us wonder, so we asked students and alumni this question:

Did one class at MSU Denver change everything for you? Laura Hamilton

The servicelearning course with AnnJanette AlejanoSteele, Ph.D., made me the teacher I am today. It was my first foray into issues like racism, ageism, sexism and able-bodiedism. It helped ignite a lifelong passion that helps me to enlighten the future leaders of tomorrow every day.

Heather L. Frostman, M.A.

Without a doubt, my Cognitive Learning and Development class, with Aaron Richmond, Ph.D., back in 2006, served as the catalyst that helped transform my interest in psychology and human development into a passion and lifelong career in counseling. Today, I work with individuals and families as a marriage and family therapist candidate, with hopes of beginning my Ph.D. program this fall.

Cheryl Brungardt

My moment was in Kelly Felice’s nonprofit class where I found I love marketing. Been doing it since 1999. Thanks, Kelly!

Nick Hofmeir

Business Law with Ron Taylor. I still review those books at times and will never forget how it changed the way I think about everything I do in my professional life.

Scott A. Bell, Ed.D.

Yes, and a moment that 25 years after I have graduated, I will talk about today. A moment when after I had missed a class on a Tuesday, my professor saw me in the hallway on Wednesday. She stopped me, called me by my name and said, “Scott, I noticed you were not in class yesterday and wanted to remind you that we have a test tomorrow. I just want to make sure you don’t have any questions.” This one simple conversation formed me into the instructor I became years later. She not only knew my name but cared enough about me as a person that she wanted me to be successful in her class.

Nina Dropcho

“The” class that changed my path was Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy with Clare Hays, Ph.D. She is a fantastic teacher and made me explore new subjects that opened my eyes to all the nonhuman species. Most of all, she saw my spark and fed the flame with encouragement. I’ve never looked back. I got my M.S. in biology last May, studying nonhuman species, and I’m moving into my Ph.D. studies.

Emma Probst

American Literature: Civil War-Present taught by Craig Svonkin, Ph.D., changed my whole direction in life. I was originally planning on studying English secondary education and teaching high school, but this class inspired me and showed me how much I love literary analysis. I am finishing my M.A. on my way to a Ph.D.

Trevor Gritton-Adkins

World History Before 1500 with Peter Mehlbach. I️t was my first class on my first day of college, and it turned my world upside down. Now, I️ love to learn!

Abigail Leila Johnson

Stats I (for psychology majors) with Bill Henry, Ph.D. I never even considered research. I always thought I would become a clinician, but after taking that class I decided to pursue a Ph.D. so I could do statistics and research. He made me fall absolutely in love with them, which was surprising since before that I had never done any math. I had an eighth-grade education, but the way he taught made it easy to understand.

Joe F. Flores

Multicultural America with Dana EchoHawk. She is utterly amazing, and the true history you learn in her class is a total game-changer.

Note: Some responses have been lightly edited for clarity.

SHARE YOUR STORY

Everyone has a story to tell, and we want to hear yours! Email us: magazine@msudenver.edu.

THANK YOU TO OUR ROADRUNNERS ATHLETICS SPONSORS

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SpringHill Suites Denver Downtown

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News

MSU Denver continues to have an impact on and off campus.

FLYING CIRCLES AROUND THE COMPETITION The Aerobatics and Glider Club at MSU Denver won the International Aerobatic Club national collegiate championship in 2017, beating out powerhouses University of North Dakota and the U.S. Air Force Academy, and they did it without a plane – well, a plane of their own. For Vibeke Gaard, an aviation and aerospace major, the achievement is particularly sweet because the club is less than 2 years old. “Other schools have been flying for years, have access to fleets of planes and lots of financial support,” says Gaard, the club’s president and a founding member. MSU Denver’s team doesn’t yet have a dedicated plane; its pilots fly in the coaches’ personal planes.

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Members cover their own expenses, such as travel to competitions. To win, team scores were tallied for the whole season. Two pilots also won individual honors. Sam Robinson ranked as the top performer in the country, and Jarod Hulse finished second. Despite appearances, coach Dagmar Kress says aerobatics is about safety: “When we turn the plane upside down and we fly straight up, and we let the airplane stall and spin, we learn how to recover. It makes us safer pilots.” VIDEO: Check out their maneuvers at insider.msudenver.edu/flying-circles-aroundthe-competition.

PHOTO JOHN ARNOLD

Members of the Aerobatics and Glider Club practice stunts in coach Dagmar Kress’ plane.

ACTING COACH Sometimes a play just comes to you. A play recently came to MSU Denver men’s basketball coach Michael Bahl, in a sense you wouldn’t expect. Representatives from a theatrical play tapped into his coaching expertise for a basketball-themed production at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

PHOTOS MARK STAHL

Bahl visited the DCPA in February to consult with an actor playing a coach in “The Great Leap,” Lauren Yee’s play about an American college basketball team competing in an exhibition game in China in 1989. Veteran actor Bob Ari plays Saul Slezak, a coach serving as a father figure to a Chinese-American player.

PARTNERSHIP TO EASE PILOT SHORTAGE

PHOTO ALYSON MCCLARAN

Madison Wolf pays a visit to United Airlines’ flight training center. Wolf is an aviation and aerospace science major with a concentration in professional flight officer.

“As I left my interview with coach Bahl, I was struck by how much Lauren Yee got it right in her play,” Ari says. “Mostly, the feeling I took away from coach Bahl was his overriding love and commitment to ‘his guys.’” Bahl’s last theatrical experience was acting a scene from Shakespeare for class credit in high school. After a rough first act in his debut season as head coach this year, his Roadrunners won seven of eight games and finished 15-13. READ MORE: insider.msudenver.edu/ acting-head-coach-bahl-lendsexpertise-to-theater

It’s a long trip from a university aviation classroom to the flight deck of a passenger airliner, but that journey just got a little easier – or at least more direct – for aviation students at MSU Denver.

Projections show that North America will need 117,000 new pilots from 2017 to 2036. Worldwide, the demand will be 637,000. While the shortage has yet to affect United, McCasky says the airline must be proactive.

The University announced a new partnership with United Airlines in February. While regional carriers have started pilot-recruitment pathways, this is the first direct career path program, or CPP, from a university aviation department to a major U.S. airline.

While the partnership does not guarantee students a future job, it does put them on course for one. Essentially, if they meet a checklist of requirements over several years, they will be in line for an opportunity. Among the requirements is working for a United Express CPP partner.

“I see it as a win-win,” says Mike McCasky, managing director of flight training for United and an alumnus of MSU Denver. “Students get a great start on their careers, and the airline gets access to a pipeline of talented pilots.”

VIDEO: Get up to speed on the new pilot pipeline at insider. msudenver.edu/cleared-fortakeoff.

News Denver business leader Barbara Barnes Grogan, vice chair of MSU Denver’s Board of Trustees, is a Colorado Business Hall of Fame 2018 laureate. Laureates are chosen for their “legendary contributions to the free enterprise system.” Junior Achievement Rocky Mountain and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce oversee the Hall of Fame. Grogan founded Western Industrial Contractors in 1982 and grew the business into a nationally influential firm. She was the first female chair of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City-Denver Branch’s board. She was appointed to MSU Denver’s Board of Trustees in 2015.

KEEPING THE DREAM ALIVE

PHOTO MARK STAHL

TRUSTEE IS A BUSINESS HALL OF FAMER

CHAMPIONS CARRY THE DAY We wanted our Colorado legislators to hear about the importance of supporting higher education and MSU Denver right from the source. That’s why more than 200 MSU Denver Champions, including students, alumni, faculty, staff and University leaders, attended the 2018 MSU Denver Day at the Capitol on March 7. Champions offered a unique and powerful perspective to elected representatives. YOU COULD BE A CHAMPION TOO. Find out how at msudenver.edu/champions.

An MSU Denver faculty member and a longtime area pastor received 2018 MLK Peace Awards at the University’s annual Peace Breakfast. Recipients are service leaders – from the campus community or the community at large – who are committed to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision for social change. For 2018: Kathryn Young, Ph.D., MSU Denver associate professor of secondary education. Young formerly taught in the Peace Corps. “It’s what our jobs are every single day,” says Young, referring to the event’s theme of civility, “to make the world a little better, a little more civil, through education.” PHOTO ALYSON MCCLARAN

Award recipients at the MLK Peace Breakfast, from left, Anitha Jones, Gloria Tanner and Kathryn Young, Ph.D.

Anitha Jones, pastor, For His Glory Christian Fellowship. Jones has been pastor alongside her husband for the past 25 years. She said growing up in a poor community taught her to help others: “Dr. King’s message still resonates loudly today in our nation, especially with the political and the social climate that we face.” The University also gave its Alumni Achievement Award during the breakfast to Gloria Tanner, a longtime Colorado lawmaker with a connection to the King family (see Page 24). VIDEO: Watch the ceremony at msudenver.edu/mlk, with more from the recipients at the 41-minute mark in the video. KNOW A WORTHY CANDIDATE? To nominate a member of the campus community – or the community at large – see the guidelines at msudenver.edu/mlk/award.

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THESE ROADRUNNERS ARE THE REAL THING If your career story could inspire future students, we’d like to hear it – stories like Ricardo Rocha’s. As CEO of Abarrotes Bondadosa, Spanish for “Goodness Groceries,” the 2017 graduate aims to relieve food insecurity by delivering food to lowincome neighborhoods. Rocha is one of several alumni featured in the University’s latest ad campaign. “I want people to see all of the possibilities to pursuing your career path at MSU Denver,” says Julie Lucas, senior director of integrated marketing and communications. “The ads illustrate the extraordinary roads people take to achieve success.” To give us a heads-up about your story, email magazine@msudenver.edu.

WE NEED TO TALK … ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH What happens when people with drug addiction or other behavioral health issues can’t access support from trained professionals? “I can tell you, it’s not good,” says Dawn Matera Bassett, associate professor in the Department of Social Work at MSU Denver. In 57 of Colorado’s 64 counties, she says, there are shortages of behavioral health professionals. “And people with grave mental health problems – who don’t get treatment – can make horrible choices.”

But help is on the way, thanks to two grants recently awarded to Matera Bassett by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. The four-year grants, totaling $3.06 million, support the training of future clinicians, particularly those committed to working in medically underserved communities. One grant provides $10,000 educational stipends to as many as 29 graduate students in MSU Denver’s Master of Social Work Program. Applicants must be working in clinical settings and demonstrate a commitment to helping vulnerable populations.

The University’s Department of Human Services and Counseling collaborated on the second grant, which addresses paraprofessional workforce shortages. It provides $3,000 a year to 70 qualified participants seeking state certification in addictions or high-risk youth counseling. The grant proposals were bolstered by letters of support from leaders and organizations across the state, including U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, state Rep. Jonathan Singer, the Colorado Office of the State Court Administrator and the Colorado Office of Behavioral Health, among others. READ MORE: insider.msudenver.edu/ we-need-to-talk--about-mental-health

PHOTO ALYSON MCCLARAN

PHOTO JOHN ARNOLD

News

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ACE STUDENT 1

PHOTO JOHN ARNOLD

The American Council on Education named Justin Darnall a 2017 student of the year. Darnall is an aerospace systems engineering technology major in MSU Denver’s Individualized Degree Program and holds a 4.0 GPA. He works on campus in the Veterans Education Benefits office, a fitting role given his own service in the Marine Corps. During his time in the military, Darnall learned how to take apart C-130 engines. His experience working on aircraft all over the world paid dividends at MSU Denver, where he used credit recommendations from ACE to turn his military training into course credit. “ACE set me up for success as a civilian before I even became a civilian,” Darnall says. In March, he traveled to Washington, D.C., to accept the award that came with a $1,000 scholarship. He will graduate in 2019.

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THE PROFESSOR’S ROOM Shawn Meek loves nostalgia. A self-described “antique hoarder,” the assistant professor of communication design has curated a collection of artifacts that would feel equally at home along Route 66 as they do in his Central Classroom office.

This bus seat is a great antique store find. On the back of it is scrawled a Bible verse, Romans 10:10 – I love that someone thought to write it on there.

I collect old board games, like this copy of Clue from the 1950s. The illustrations, like the weapon cards, are just great – back then, that was someone’s job. It’s a connection back to the roots of craft you don’t always see anymore.

This tiny book is an autobiography of Irma Boom, a Dutch graphic designer. During my graduate study, I traveled abroad to Amsterdam and Berlin; my friend picked this up for me, and it reminds me of that time.

My favorite designer is the late Hillman Curtis, who was hugely influential in interactive design and the grandfather of Flash. He always prioritized being a designer first, with the technical elements secondary. My wife got me this autographed copy of his short films for my birthday.

I’m from South Texas originally, where there’s a lot of older decaying structures. The door desk was part of an idea I had to create a design location as bare-bones as possible, inspired by this. I finally found a door that worked for it in an antique store. My wife actually built the base for it – I give her the credit. I only art directed.

In my user interface class, we talk about mobile design. I joke with my students that over the weekend I picked up this awesome new device – the classic View-Master.

‘25 MOST POWERFUL WOMEN’

BLOOD AND ROOTS

PHOTO DAVE NELIGH

The MSU Denver Center for Visual Art’s exhibition “Sangre Colorado: Carlos Frésquez Mid-Career Survey” featured work spanning 40 years of the influential and prolific career of Denver’s own Frésquez, whose art has been exhibited nationally and internationally and is held in major collections. In his paintings, prints and installations, Frésquez honors his Chicano background and incorporates influences from punk and pop culture to modern masters, blending visual and cultural cues with both reverence and humor.

Cathy Lucas, MSU Denver’s vice president of strategy and chief of staff – and executive editor of this magazine – has been named one of the 25 most powerful women in the state by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce.

PHOTO CARLOS FRÉSQUEZ

The annual list, in its sixth year, “celebrates and recognizes women who operate at the highest level of business performance and community leadership.” Over the past year, Lucas’ team implemented a “brand journalism” approach to spread the University’s story through traditional and digital media.

From his early abstract work, to his layered multimedia paintings as half of the Los Supersonicos artist duo, to his set design and the reoccurring motif of the curtain, the exhibition explored the wide span of Frésquez’s career. Frésquez graduated from MSU Denver in 1980. A beloved associate professor, he continues to bring the conversation of equality and rights into the classroom and into his artwork.

“Pops en 1954” by Carlos Frésquez, 1978

BROADCAST ALUM JOINS AVIATION GREATS The Legends of Aviation organization has inducted MSU Denver alum Mike Silva into its Vertical Flight Hall of Fame, recognized alongside the likes of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and even Harrison Ford. Silva started flying in the Army, served in Vietnam, worked as a police officer when he came home and eventually enrolled at MSU Denver. He’s a 1979 graduate in law enforcement and aviation management and a 1989 graduate in meteorology and broadcasting.

WANT MORE?

Landing in the hall of fame is just one of many honors he’s received over his 48-year career. His service in Vietnam earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross, given for heroic flying during a surprise attack. For his work at KCNC-TV in Denver, he won 10 Emmys and an Edward R. Murrow award for television news. After volunteering to fly medevac helicopters in Iraq, he earned the prestigious Sikorsky Aircraft Rescue Award for numerous successful evacuations.

Keep up to date with MSU Denver news at insider.msudenver.edu.

Women in STEM 10

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J T

THE CHALLENGES FEMALE

STUDENTS FACE AND HOW

ALUMS IN THE WORKFORCE ARE MAKING IT WORK. STORY AMANDA MILLER

The conversation about women in STEM is changing. Reducing the gap between women and men working in science, technology, engineering and math is no longer understood to be just a matter of getting girls interested in science at a young age. Recent research shows there’s more to it – a much harsher reality. Consider this: U.S. employment in STEM is up 79 percent since 1990, to 17.3 million, yet the STEM sector that grew the most, computer occupations, experienced a decline in its representation of women. About half of women in mostly male workplaces – the case for about a fifth of women in STEM – say being a woman has gotten in the way of their careers. Just published in January, the study by the nonprofit Pew Research Center found that 50 percent of women in STEM experienced discrimination in the workplace versus 41 percent of women in non-STEM jobs and 19 percent of men in STEM.

PHOTO MARK STAHL

Meanwhile, female STEM grads from MSU Denver are out there in the workforce. This is what they’ve done and what the University is doing. SPRING 2018

MAKING THE JOB CONNECTION

Graham is thankful for her new position.

Growing up in the new millennium and attending the all-girls St. Mary’s Academy, Rubi Solis had no idea about any issues with women working in STEM.

“I get to work in an environment that really fosters my career and encourages me to be a good parent,” she says.

“It definitely wasn’t on my radar,” says the electronic engineer who graduated last year. She had just always assumed she would do something scientific. When she started taking engineering classes, the situation clarified. She was usually the only female student. Now she’s one of three women in her group of a few dozen engineers at Lockheed Martin. That scenario is by no means unusual. Women in the Pew survey accounted for only 14 percent of engineers. “I guess college kind of prepared me for that,” Solis says. College also helped connect her with the job working on satellite parts. She was one of six students in her year accepted into a co-op program at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co., working halftime for credit and taking a reduced course load. She was part of the second cohort of students brought on board through the partnership, which teaches students techniques in 3-D printing, electronics, composite development and even spacecraft testing.

She’s now been readmitted to MSU Denver because she hopes to earn a nursing license so she can be more useful around the research patients.

CHANGING MINDSETS Sophia Mahmood didn’t have much career direction when she started college, though her family is well-educated. “I like a lot of things theoretically,” she laughs. Originally from Jordan, she moved to the U.S. as a teen. After trying some different majors, she finally found the culture to her liking in MSU Denver’s Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences. When she graduated with her bachelor’s in general mathematics in 2015, her most recent experience was as a server at a pizzeria, yet she landed the first job she applied to as a quantitative analyst. Wondering how that’s possible? That could be part of the problem.

THE RIGHT FIT FOR A FAMILY

“I think that as women, we tend to try to give reasons for good things that happen,” Mahmood says.

Amber Graham has felt at times that being a mom was an impediment to being perceived professionally, especially when she was pregnant. She’s been a professional research assistant since graduating in 2013 with her bachelor’s in chemistry and biology.

MSU Denver’s Sophia Cherry, Ph.D., calls it “impostor syndrome.” For the past two years, Cherry has led the University’s Women in STEM conference in the fall, and this feeling is “what the students always seem to come back to,” she says.

The former massage therapist is now a clinical research coordinator at Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers, where she feels supported and optimistic.

It’s the feeling that you don’t really belong; that you must have gotten lucky; that you’ll eventually be exposed.

But in an earlier job, she wasn’t taken seriously. “Toward the end, it got better because I was able to present data,” she says. In the life sciences, data can take time to mature. Even in workplaces where the gender breakdown is equal, or women are in the majority, more than half of women in the Pew study still said they feel like they constantly have to prove themselves.

Mahmood is settling into a new job as senior energy modeler at Energy Ventures Analysis in Arlington, Virginia, where she forecasts energy supply and demand from partial data. It’s much like what she did at her first job, except now she gets to build the workflow from the ground up. “It’s definitely challenging to build infrastructure where it did not exist,” she says. “It’s also a great opportunity to do things right in the first place.”

IT REQUIRES A CERTAIN TENACITY TO BE SO DEDICATED TO YOUR DREAM THAT YOU JUST KEEP GOING. … FOR ME IT WAS ABOUT BECOMING A METEOROLOGIST AND HAVING A FAMILY. —WENDY ABSHIRE, B.S. METEOROLOGY, ‘85 12

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WHAT’S HAPPENING

According to a recent Pew Research Center study, half of women in STEM jobs say they’ve been the object of discrimination at work. Ever experienced any of these types of discrimination at work

Men in STEM jobs>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 19% Women in STEM jobs>>>>>>>>>>> 50% Women in non-STEM jobs>>>>>>>> 41%

Earned less than a woman/man doing the same job

Men in STEM jobs>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 6% Women in STEM jobs >>>>>>>>>> 29% Women in non-STEM jobs>>>>>>> 24%

Were treated as if they were not competent PHOTO SARA HERTWIG

Men in STEM jobs>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 4% Women in STEM jobs>>>>>>>>>>> 29% Women in non-STEM jobs>>>>>>> 22%

Experienced repeated, small slights at work

Men in STEM jobs>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 4% Women in STEM jobs>>>>>>>>>>> 20% Women in non-STEM jobs>>>>>>>> 16%

Received less support from senior leaders than a woman/man doing the same job

Women account for only 14 percent of U.S. engineers and architects, while making up 25 percent of computer workers, 39 percent of physical scientists, 46 percent of math workers, 47 percent of life scientists and 75 percent of health care practitioners and technicians, according to a Pew Research Center report released in January.

Men in STEM jobs>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 9% Women in STEM jobs>>>>>>>>>>>> 18% Women in non-STEM jobs>>>>>>>> 15%

Felt isolated in their workplace

Men in STEM jobs>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 5% Women in STEM jobs>>>>>>>>>>>> 11% Women in non-STEM jobs>>>>>>>> 8%

Been passed over for the most important assignments

Men in STEM jobs>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 4% Women in STEM jobs>>>>>>>>>>>> 9% Women in non-STEM jobs>>>>>>>>10%

Been turned down for a job

Men in STEM jobs>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 4% Women in STEM jobs>>>>>>>>>>>> 7% Women in non-STEM jobs>>>>>>>> 7%

Been denied a promotion

Men in STEM jobs>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 4% Women in STEM jobs>>>>>>>>>>>> 6% Women in non-STEM jobs>>>>>>>> 7% PHOTO MARK WOOCOTT SPRING 2018

WHO SAYS WHAT

According to a Pew Research Center survey, the percentages of women and men in science, technology, engineering and math jobs who say: They have ever experienced gender discrimination at work

Men in STEM>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>19% Women in STEM>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 50%

Among women in STEM jobs …

With postgraduate degree>>>>>>> 62% In computer jobs>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 74% In mostly male workplaces>>>>>> 78%

Their gender has made it harder to succeed at work PHOTO SARA HERTWIG

Men in STEM>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 7% Women in STEM>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 20%

Among women in STEM jobs …

With postgraduate degree>>>>>>> 35% In computer jobs>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>31% In mostly male workplaces>>>>>> 48%

Sexual harassment is a problem in their workplace

Women with a postgraduate degree were most likely to say they experienced discrimination at work – 62 percent compared with 55 percent of women with postgraduate degrees in a non-STEM job.

Men in STEM>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 28% Women in STEM>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 36%

Among women in STEM jobs …

With postgraduate degree>>>>>>> 39% In computer jobs>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 42% In mostly male workplaces>>>>>> 48%

PAY GAP

The median annual earnings of women in STEM jobs expressed as a percentage of men’s pay, according to a Pew Research Center survey: All employed>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 80% STEM jobs>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 72% Non-STEM jobs>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 79% Among those who work in:

PHOTO JESSICA TAVES

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Life science>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 94% Computer>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 87% Math>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 84% Engineering>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 83% Physical science>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 80% Health-related>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 74%

Among those in STEM whose highest degree is:

High school or less>>>>>>>>>>>>> 66% Some college>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>81% Bachelor’s degree>>>>>>>>>>>>> 78% Master’s degree>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 79% Professional/doctoral degree>>>>> 73%

PHOTO JESSICA TAVES

PHOTO PATRICK H. CORKERY

Among all employed in science, technology, engineering and math, according to a Pew Research Center report released this year, having the flexibility to balance work and family needs was the most important characteristic in choosing a job – 74 percent said it was important compared with 67 percent working outside STEM.

STICKING WITH IT A middle school teacher told Wendy Abshire it was OK that she wasn’t good at math because she was a girl. If that teacher had helped her through a rough spot instead – if her skills had improved?

She acknowledges that she experienced discrimination in her field because she was a woman, and she saw other women struggle with it as well – “whether it was microaggressions, blatant sexual harassment or glass ceilings.” Some of those women made the decision to “step away.” “It’s a conversation that’s been part of my entire career,” Abshire says.

“I’d probably have my Ph.D.,” she says. A 1985 MSU Denver alum with a bachelor’s in meteorology, she was fortunate to have been a student assistant at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, known as NCAR, throughout her years as an undergrad. There, she took part in real research that actually changed the world – working with data that revealed the existence of “microbursts,” or mini-reverse-tornadoes, and being a part of the team that successfully argued for the widespread use of Doppler radar. After earning her master’s in atmospheric science from the University of Wyoming, she went to work for the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, NCAR’s parent organization, to produce training content for scientists. As technology advanced from laser discs to webcasting over the course of 26 years, Abshire advanced to program manager before deciding she was ready for a change. In 2016, she accepted the job of education program director at the American Meteorological Society.

Types of discrimination in the survey include earning less than a woman or man doing the same job (the most frequent); being treated as if not competent; experiencing repeated, small slights at work; receiving less support from senior leaders than a woman or man doing the same job; feeling isolated in the workplace; being passed over for the most important assignments; and being denied a promotion (the least frequent). Abshire attributes her success to perseverance and loving her job: “It requires a certain tenacity to be so dedicated to your dream that you just keep going. … For me it was about becoming a meteorologist and having a family.” Now she splits her time between Washington, D.C., Denver and elsewhere on AMS-related travel. She’s OK with not having a Ph.D. “I think I’m exactly where I would’ve wanted to be anyway,” she says. “I just had to press on.”

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Spain

London

We are the

Globerunners STORY CORY PHARE

THANKS TO BLOSSOMING INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS, ROADRUNNERS HAVE ACCESS TO PERSPECTIVES FROM ACROSS THE MAP.

South Kor

Mexico 16

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The MSU Denver experience extends far beyond the geographic boundaries of Speer, Colfax and Auraria Parkway. Whether it’s an immersive, faculty-led course abroad or on-campus instruction from an international scholar, Roadrunners benefit from programs and partnerships that reach all corners of the globe. “Any discipline has an international dimension,” says Akbarali Thobhani, Ph.D., executive director of the Office of International Studies. “Our students benefit by learning what’s going on in their field everywhere. They’re connected to the broader global community, not operating in an isolated silo.” By connecting students with experts at all stages of the knowledge-creation process – and in all time zones – the global community prospers. “We know study abroad and exposure to international environments can be a life-changing experience,” Thobhani says. “It’s directly tied to factors like motivation, intercultural communication and building connections that last a lifetime. “And when people see the world outside the one they know, they pick up new ideas – not just about foreign cultures, but about themselves.” LAW IN THE HAGUE – POLICE IN SEOUL

Ethiopia

Clockwise from top left: Education students study abroad in London and Scotland (pictured on Page 21). Student Michaela Rael spent a summer studying abroad in Granada, Spain. MSU Denver and the University of Aksum in Ethiopia partnered to raise funds to build an elementary school in a rural community. In summer 2017, students from MSU Denver and the Universidad del Valle de Atemajac used their engineering skills to benefit vulnerable communities in Mexico. The Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology offers study abroad classes in the United Kingdom, South Korea and The Hague, Netherlands (pictured on Page 19).

MSU Denver students get the job done by doing things differently, including study abroad. Case in point: In 2017, 26 Criminal Justice and Criminology students spent their spring breaks in The Hague, Netherlands, as part of a condensed three-credit course. Accompanied by three CJC faculty members, the group visited the Peace Palace, which houses the United Nations’ International Court of Justice, the Permanent Court of Arbitration and The Hague Academy of International Law. In addition to giving students real-world exposure to one of the highest judicial bodies in the world, the MSU Denver expedition recently netted the Academy for Criminal Justice Sciences’ Education Award for National Criminal Justice Month.

“We had so many opportunities you wouldn’t have as part of a traditional study-abroad program,” says CJC alumna Charleen Strother, who participated during her time at MSU Denver. “Because this was a class, we got into places no one else could. It was incredible.” And in 2016, a group of criminal justice students joined Hyon Namgung, Ph.D., studying abroad for 11 days in Seoul, South Korea. Namgung led the contingent on a tour of his home country’s National Assembly, Supreme Court and police headquarters – fittingly, as he’d served there as an officer for 16 years. For Drew Stem, a criminal justice minor, the opportunity provided direct insight into his goal of becoming a therapist or clinician.

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PASSPORT TO TRANSFORMATION MSU Denver offered 25 study-abroad courses in the 2017-18 academic year and took part in 20 international partnerships facilitating student and faculty exchanges. A course may not be associated with a partnership in a given country.

Partnership

Class/Course

••••

SCOTLAND

ENGLAND AND

•

•• •• ••

DENMARK

NETHERLANDS

SCOTLAND

•••• • ••• • • •••• • GERMANY

FRANCE

SPAIN

SWITZERLAND

ITALY

MEXICO

•••

HUNGARY

•

PUERTO RICO

• •••

SERBIA

ALBANIA

ETHIOPIA

BELIZE COSTA RICA

ALBANIA University of Shkodra, Shkodra, Albania

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND (same course visits London and Edinburgh)

BELIZE

Educational and Cultural Experiences in Great Britain

Global Tourism CHINA Yunnan Open University, Kunming, China COSTA RICA Tropical Field Biology

Aksum University, Aksum, Ethiopia FRANCE

Global Business Experience

École de Management Normandie, Le Havre, de France

Global Business Management

International French Year GERMANY

DENMARK Contemporary Design in Denmark Global Tourism

ETHIOPIA

Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Dortmund, Germany

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NETHERLANDS Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany Architectural Aspects in Refurbishment of Structures International Design Workshop HUNGARY University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary INDIA Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar, India Indira Institute of Management, Pune, India

Symbiosis International University, Pune, India State and Society in India ITALY Florence University of the Arts, Florence, Italy Black and White Film Photojournalism Global Perspectives on Water Management Applied Field Volcanology MEXICO Instituto Universitario de Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico

T he Hague University of Applied Sciences, The Hague, Netherlands I nternational Criminal Justice: The Netherlands PUERTO RICO University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico RUSSIA Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Moscow, Russia SCOTLAND

Cultural and Field Experiences in Mexico (Education)

University of the West of Scotland, Paisley Campus, Paisley, Scotland

Farm to Table Sustainability

International Human Services

“I feel like in order to talk to people, you need to have experiences so you can try to relate,” he says. “Going to different countries and learning about people from unique backgrounds and cultures helps me appreciate other perspectives.”

Netherlands

•

RUSSIA

•••

Namgung – who earned degrees in South Korea, the U.K. and the U.S. – echoed the transformative potential of immersive international learning. “In foreign countries, most things are different,” he says. “By just observing the people, transportation, weather, food and other systems, you can learn something new, exciting and interesting.

SOUTH KOREA

•

CHINA

BIG GROWTH OVER A DECADE

••••

INDIA

Human Performance and Sport Scottish Politics SERBIA

Studying abroad is certainly a centerpiece of that international experience, but it’s far from the only one.

Convivencia: Art and Faith in Medieval and Early Modern Spain SWITZERLAND Zurich University of Teacher Education, Zurich, Switzerland

Sex, Gender and Social Justice in Post-Soviet Serbia SOUTH KOREA Y eungnam University, College of Design and Art, Gyeongsan, South Korea Dong-A University, Busan, South Korea The Korean Criminal Justice System SPAIN Spanish Language and Conversation Barcelona Mobile Studio

“Comparing any U.S. system – health, criminal justice, transportation – to that of another country is a great educational experience.”

ARCHITECTURE CONSORTIUM A multinational architecture consortium includes: Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Germany University of Applied Sciences Joanneum, Austria University of Lisbon, Portugal University of Newcastle, Australia University of Pécs, Hungary

The past 10 years have seen a rapid rise in international program development at MSU Denver, an umbrella that also includes efforts such as faculty exchanges, joint research and a partnership with Denver Sister Cities International, Chamber of the Americas, World Denver, Denver Council on Foreign Relations and more. “Our emphasis on internationalization is extremely important,” Thobhani says. “It directly helps support our mission. We’re creating opportunity for direct mobility or enhanced international expertise to transform students in the classroom.” A key vehicle for this has been successful grant applications. In 2010, MSU Denver received a major award from the State Department to develop a program for 15 students to study abroad for two months at the University of Aksum in Ethiopia. As part of the activities, the two universities also raised funds to build an elementary school in a rural area.

Note: Information provided by MSU Denver’s Office of International Studies and may not include all international learning experiences at the University.

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Mexico

South Korea

And in the past five years, the University has received four prestigious Fulbright-Hays grants for international seminars in Turkey, Morocco and Egypt along with the most recently awarded one for India. This June, professor of English James Aubrey, Ph.D., associate professor of history Andrew Muldoon, Ph.D., and Thobhani will lead a delegation of MSU Denver students and faculty, along with teachers from Denver Public Schools’ Denver Center for International Studies, through India, studying multiple facets of the Indian state and society. In total, global education efforts have yielded more than half a million dollars in grant funding and resulted in the development of about 50 new study-abroad programs over the past decade. Scholarships and financial aid help make participation more accessible. “Our world is deeply integrated through so many different complex interdependencies, it is critically important that our students have an opportunity to see these connections that cross so many state and disciplinary boundaries,” says Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Vicki L. Golich, Ph.D. “All careers of the future will require both knowledge of and sensitivity to the similarities and differences across cultures. It’s wonderful that we’ve created so many opportunities for our students to engage with people and places outside the United States.”

ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS BUILDING A BETTER WORLD One of the most successful examples of a collaboration has been with the University of Pécs. MSU Denver’s connection with the Hungarian college started in 2009, when Jeno Balogh, Ph.D., and Zsuzsa Balogh, Ph.D., both faculty in the Department of Engineering and Engineering Technology, recognized 20

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international collaborative opportunities between the institutions. Today, faculty from Pécs regularly come to teach civil engineering technology and architecture classes on a scholar visa. Others make short-term visits as guest lecturers in varied areas at MSU Denver. This past fall, Tibor Dányi, Ph.D., a visiting scholar and affiliate faculty member, took his architecture students to the Beloved Community Village, a tiny-home community in Denver dedicated to addressing housing insecurity. Afterward, they designed smallscale microhomes as part of the class. “In Hungary, we face similar challenges with homelessness,” Dányi says. “It was good to talk about social housing and explore possible options as solutions.” An added bonus? CET students who complete MSU Denver’s architecture minor are guaranteed acceptance into the University of Pécs’ architecture master’s. This successful relationship with the Hungarian institution has continued to build steam, evolving to include six departments as varied as political science, art and Africana Studies.

TO CULTIVATE UNDERSTANDING – THROUGH MOLE When faculty and students from the Department of Hospitality, Tourism and Events went to the Instituto Universitario de Oaxaca in Oaxaca, Mexico, for a Pan American cooking competition in 2014, they were impressed by the integral nature of the local food supply in what’s widely considered the cultural-cuisine capital of Mexico. “In the United States, we can eat strawberries [out of season] in January because they’re

imported from Argentina or Chile, but in Oaxaca there’s little importing of ingredients for their wonderful dishes,” says chef Jackson Lamb, professor of restaurant management at MSU Denver. “We’d just launched our new urban agriculture curriculum, and the Farm to Table Sustainability class represents exactly how the people of Oaxaca have eaten for centuries.” The 200-year-old “mercados” in Oaxaca Centro provided the inspiration for cuisine that HTE students prepare in class, including salsa, variations of classic mole sauces and caldo de piedra, translated as “stone soup.” What began five years ago as a teacher exchange has blossomed into a formal facultyled study-abroad program for MSU Denver students and a prosperous ongoing institutional relationship in Mexico (pictured above). It hasn’t been limited to those studying hospitality, either. Students from disciplines including modern languages, nutrition and integrated health care have taken part in the venture in order to study heritage and culture through a culinary lens. “In the kitchen – like life – sometimes it’s easy to overcomplicate things,” Lamb says. “At the end of the day, though, we all need to eat. It’s important to get back to the basics of food, family and the connection to where it all comes from.”

EXCHANGING RESPECT AND PERSPECTIVES Thanks to the continually developing partnerships, Roadrunners also gain international perspectives right here on campus – no checked luggage or customs declaration required. For one visiting scholar, the nontraditional makeup of MSU Denver’s classes is a definite strength.

“OUR WORLD IS DEEPLY INTEGRATED THROUGH SO MANY DIFFERENT COMPLEX “In one photography class I was a guest in, there was a student who was over 60 years old,” says Wenfeng Shen, Ph.D., advanced editor and deputy president of Quanzhou Radio & Television Station in China’s Fujian Province. “That’s very good – it helps us understand how we can better serve all of society. In China, there’s a deep respect for older generations.” Another visiting scholar noted how these cultural differences impact pedagogical practice. For Jin Feng, professor at the Beijing Institute of Technology, research into implementing a flipped classroom model – in which instructional content is delivered largely online and outside of the school, while class time is focused on what traditionally was known as homework – faces a different challenge within the teachercentered delivery found throughout the Chinese education system, where students aren’t used to a non-lecture format.

INTERDEPENDENCIES, IT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT THAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THESE CONNECTIONS THAT CROSS SO MANY STATE AND DISCIPLINARY BOUNDARIES.”

professors visit Denver Chinese and Hungarian This perspective helps shape a more nuanced take on a current hot topic within education. And regardless of the field, students harsh conditions,” says Peg Fraser, Ed.D., gain a broader perspective on applied thought, professor in elementary education and both directly from guest instructors and the lead advocate of MSU Denver’s indirectly from their influence across partnership with the University of Shkodra. departments. “Albania has really embraced education as “Studying media convergence here in the U.S. a way to advance society,” Fraser says. has borne many fruits,” Shen says. “By “Everyone at the university is so eager teaching students how to think critically, to learn.” especially in disciplines like journalism, they see the world differently.” Fraser and MSU Denver’s former president Stephen Jordan, Ph.D., led a delegation to the school to kick off the partnership, which formally began in 2010. Since then, several education and political science faculty WORKING TOGETHER – HALF A members have gone on exchanges as guest WORLD APART lecturers, conference presenters and jointresearch contributors. Two years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Albania emerged from nearly half a century of A central part of this partnership has been Communist rule over the southeastern building the infrastructure to share resources. European country. MSU Denver’s Instructional Technology Services helped set up a BlackBoard learning “Whether friend or family, everyone knew management system interface as a central someone who was imprisoned or died within

–Vicki L. Golich, Ph.D., Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs

Scotland repository for the universities to collaborate and pool materials. Microlessons from teacher education professors in Denver have been filmed and widely implemented in Shkodra. The result is an ongoing two-way exchange of information that’s enhancing curricula and transforming lives on both sides of the Atlantic. “The heart of the people we’re working with is just amazing. They’ve got a tenacity and willingness to overcome amazing odds,” Fraser says. “In that sense, there couldn’t be better matches for a partnership than places like the University of Shkodra and MSU Denver.”

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5678910123 5678910 ACCOUNTING

MSU Denver alumni Theresa McDowell (B.S. accounting and finance, ‘96) and Brad McQueen (B.S. accounting, ‘95) are helping to bring on more grads at their accounting practice.

PARTNERS AT EKS&H DETAIL THEIR FIRM’S EMPLOYMENT PIPELINE FROM MSU DENVER. STORY MATT WATSON | PHOTO ALYSON MCCLARAN

Why is one of the top professional accounting practices in the region so drawn to MSU Denver alumni, who account for five partners and close to 30 employees altogether?

Recognizing the value of the MSU Denver-to-EKS&H pipeline, the company recently made a donation to help renovate an interview room in the Administration Building for the College of Business.

“They perform well, they get promoted, and they make the school look good,” says Brad McQueen.

“We really appreciate the schools where we get our good talent from,” McQueen says. “It certainly helps us from a branding perspective that every time somebody walks around at MSU Denver, they see our name.”

He and Theresa McDowell are MSU Denver alumni who have been at the firm more than a dozen years apiece. “The firm actually didn’t really recruit at MSU Denver at all when I started. So that was something that I kind of pushed,” says McQueen, whose expertise includes Securities and Exchange Commission reporting and compliance, financial audits and reviews, and initial and secondary public offerings. “The first year we went on (MSU Denver’s) campus, I think we hired just one person. She’s been an absolute rock star. She’s already gotten promoted twice.

McQueen advises students in any field to stay determined and recognize the opportunities available to Roadrunners. “There are so many first-generation college students there (at MSU Denver). The same attitude that made them stand up and be brave, and say, ‘Yeah, I want to be the first one in my family to ever go to college’ – use that to set big goals and work relentlessly toward those goals,” McQueen says.

012345678910123456 “We’ve been actively recruiting there almost 10 years now, and we continue to get good people.”

McDowell, who leads the employee benefit plan audit practice at EKS&H and plays an active role in recruiting, says Roadrunners often have more experience right out of college than other graduates.

“They’re more independent, may have had a job or two,” McDowell says. “They have more life experiences and are mature and well rounded.” That was McDowell’s own story coming out of college, having spent seven years in the Army while working on her degree. McQueen worked before and throughout his undergraduate career in the financial sector. “I had a good job as a bank teller. … I went to school full time, but I kept working 30 hours a week,” he says. “The thing that I really like about MSU Denver students is that almost all of them are working through school, and they just have learned how to balance a lot of different things.”

McDowell, who was a first-generation graduate herself, says today’s students should “go for it. Don’t have any regrets. Try different things, and you’ll find the thing you have passion for. And when you do, that’s where you need to go. Don’t be afraid to fail.”

INTERNSHIPS: Students interested in EKS&H can compete for a spot in the firm’s summer leadership program through the University’s Career Services Office. You can reach Career Services at 303-615-1133 or visit their website msudenver.edu/career.

PLUG INTO THE NETWORK Becoming a volunteer member of MSU Denver’s Roadrunner Advisor Network means you’ll help students like those taking Introduction to Business. It’s a small commitment – basically you schedule and conduct a phone conversation. The network connects to alums’ LinkedIn profiles, letting students search for a match, says Brandi Rideout, assistant director of alumni relations. Often it’s a requirement of introductory-level courses. Other times students getting close to graduation reach out. Advisors take part in career conversations, resume critiques and mock job interviews that usually last about half an hour. Go to msudenver.firsthand.co to get started.

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LEGISLATIVE

LEGEND THE RECIPIENT OF MSU DENVER’S ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD HAS BEEN AN ADVOCATE ALL HER LIFE. STORY MATT WATSON | PHOTO ALYSON MCCLARAN Ultimately distinguished as the first African American woman to serve as a Colorado state senator, Gloria Travis Tanner grew up in Atlanta next door to the family of Maynard Jackson, the city’s first black mayor – and that of any major Southern city – and a few blocks from a certain Baptist minister named Martin Luther King Jr. “My mother did a lot of work in the community, and I followed in her lead. She used to say, ‘You owe something to someone for your existence.’ I think she had a point,” Tanner says. “Growing up in the South, where there were colored water fountains, there were bathrooms you couldn’t go to, and seeing all the nonsense things that were going on at that time, I think it made me want to try to make a difference.” Her husband’s military service brought the Tanners to Denver, where she worked for the U.S. Department of the Interior and reported for one of the city’s African American newspapers. Once their third child started grade school, Tanner enrolled at Metropolitan State College, now MSU Denver, and pursued a degree in political science. She graduated in 1974. “Not only did I get a lot of theory, but I got a lot of practical experience by being with students of all different ages and all different cultures. We had Bob Clifton’s political science class – I remember some heavy debates in there – and Dr. Weston’s class,” Tanner recalls, 44 years after graduation. She worked for Lt. Gov. George Brown and state Sen. Regis Groff before launching her own campaign for the Colorado House of Representatives. She served five terms starting in 1984. 24

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“When I first got to the House, I thought, ‘I’m here and have no experience,’ but then I found out 95 percent of them knew less than I knew, so it worked out OK,” Tanner says. She next served in the Colorado Senate from 1994 to 2001 and was selected for the influential Joint Budget Committee. In her 16 years in the state legislature, Tanner worked on laws to protect abandoned babies and to advance civil rights for women and minorities and parental rights for adoptive parents. More than 50 babies have been saved in Colorado since the safe-haven law was enacted in 2000, allowing people to leave babies up to 72 hours old at a fire station or hospital. Whoever leaves them is immune from prosecution, no questions asked. Well into retirement Tanner still received calls from members of law enforcement and health care every time a baby was rescued. On Jan. 12, Tanner was honored by her alma mater with MSU Denver’s Alumni Achievement Award. “You never work toward awards. When you get them, you’re thankful for them and you appreciate them,” Tanner says, before sharing advice for future community leaders. “You have to get involved in it first. Once you get involved, then you have to listen to others and come up with your own creative ideas. You can’t do it by staying home and saying, ‘I want change to happen.’ You have to be a part of the change.” VIDEO: Set aside a few minutes for this interview with Gloria Travis Tanner at insider.msudenver.edu/leadership-101with-gloria-tanner.

THE UNLIKELY 26

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CIO

HOW DOES A FEDERAL OFFICER END UP AS THE TOP TECH LEADER IN A CONSTRUCTION FIRM? IT’S ALL ABOUT PROBLEM-SOLVING AND LEADERSHIP. STORY DAN VACCARO | PHOTO MARK WOOLCOTT Jim Qualteri is an expert at neutralizing threats. That was true when he operated tanks in the Army, when he protected assets as a federal officer with the CIA, and when he ran the largest privately owned IT consulting company in the Rocky Mountain region. These days, he’s still in the business of recognizing problems and solving them as chief information officer at RK, a leading provider of mechanical and electrical contracting, manufacturing and facilities services. “The funny part about my career is there was a time when booting up my computer was akin to an act of God,” Qualteri says. This was back in his CIA days, shortly after he graduated from MSU Denver in 1996 with a degree in criminal justice. He expected to spend his career with the agency, but his life took an unexpected turn. At the CIA, Qualteri deployed seven months out of each year, which was challenging for him and his wife. Ultimately, the native Coloradans returned home, with Qualteri expecting to transfer into a federal role locally. Meanwhile with bills to pay, he took a temp job with MarkWest Hydrocarbon. His work ethic impressed the right people, and he was soon offered a full-time role in information technology. The only problem — he knew nothing about computers. But the company recognized his potential and offered to teach him. All this happened while he was still waiting for his federal transfer. By the time it went through, he’d found a new career path. With seven years of IT experience, Qualteri scored a job at IT consulting company NexusTek, where he served as vice president and then president until he and colleagues sold the company in 2016.

Qualteri’s unique combination of IT and business leadership skills landed him the CIO job at RK in 2017. “My job is really about sitting down with our leaders and asking about their greatest challenges,” he says. “Then I can come back with technical solutions to help the business grow.” RK has certainly grown. Over the past two years, the company has doubled in size, both in terms of employees and revenue. With Colorado growing at an unprecedented clip, the boom seems likely to continue. Qualteri says the best part of his job is exercising his leadership skills. He enjoys serving as a mentor, paying forward the support he received when he was transitioning from law enforcement into IT. That spirit of service goes beyond the workday, too. He has served on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado for the past six years, including two as board chair. He recently reconnected with his alma mater to get involved in mentoring students, and he joins the MSU Denver Alumni Board in April. Qualteri notes that RK is already partnering with MSU Denver on a first-of-its-kind program designed to help RK apprentices advance their careers. Trade workers who complete a Department of Labor-certified apprenticeship and receive a journeyman’s license are eligible for a 30-credit-hour block they can apply toward a bachelor’s degree in construction project management at the University. That connection makes Qualteri proud, as does the way his University has evolved over the years. “MSU Denver has always been a great school, but it’s become even better,” he says. “They are working to solve problems no other school will tackle. RK is the same type of company. That’s why we’re great partners.”

A TUITION STIPEND AND ONLINE DEGREE ARE HELPING THIS ALUMNA MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN HER SMALL TOWN. STORY DOUG MCPHERSON

| PHOTO ALYSON MCCLARAN

Nine years ago, Audrey Johnson didn’t know what a social worker was or did. This May, she’ll earn a master’s degree in social work from MSU Denver. It’s been a busy nine years of learning, working and persevering – but more importantly, nine years of growth that have transformed her into a professional helper, serving her fellow citizens in Kiowa County in rural southeastern Colorado. Population: 1,423. It all started in 2009 when she was 22 years old with two small kids, one she had at age 17, the second at 19. She needed a job and heard that the Kiowa County Department of Social Services had one. “I didn’t know what they did, but there was a job, so I applied,” Johnson says. And she landed the job at the front desk, checking people in and answering the phone. As humdrum as that may sound, it was enough to hook Johnson – hook her into the lives of those needing help, especially the children. As a young mother, any child in need tugged at her heart. But it didn’t take her long to discover a problem: frequent turnover in child services. Within four years she saw five child caseworkers come and go. “I think the biggest problem was they didn’t have the right background for the job. One had a criminal justice background, another was in education, so they just didn’t have the social work education or experience.” That meant children who needed help weren’t getting it. It weighed on Johnson, and she pitched in where she could – eventually becoming a case aide, supervising parental visits and helping with transportation, but she knew that to help the way she wanted to, she’d have to go to school. She began taking classes at Lamar Community College in nearby Lamar, where she studied for two years. Then the state gave her a stipend to earn her four-year degree in social work. She applied to MSU Denver’s online program, was accepted, and earned her bachelor’s degree last May.

But she wouldn’t stop there. She says she learned so much in the baccalaureate program – skills she could instantly use in her job – that she opted to go for her master’s. She began MSU Denver’s online MSW program in August. She loves it. “Yes, it takes time,” she says, estimating she puts in 20 to 30 hours a week. “But like with my bachelor’s degree, I’m learning new skills I can use in my job.” Johnson earned a competitive scholarship that paid for her degree through the Colorado Department of Human Services Child Welfare Stipend program for students who agree to serve in public child welfare. And she is exactly the type of “shining star” MSU Denver and the state committee like to choose for this honor – “someone who has a heart and who wants to serve her community,” says Kate Trujillo, Ph.D., assistant professor of social work. That’s what Johnson is doing today in Kiowa County. “I’m a generalist, so I do everything from intake to ongoing casework to adoptions. A case never leaves my hands – I’m there from start to finish. I know change can happen because I see it happen. I’m a firm believer that anyone can change.” One of her long-term goals is to work on the clinical side in mental health, she says. “We don’t have a lot of those kinds of resources here, so I think that will help people.” So the pesky turnover problem is solved. Johnson is sticking with it. Why? “I feel a huge sense of obligation. I feel personally invested in the community. I’ve added new services and built relationships that weren’t there before,” she says. Those relationships are evident almost daily in her small community. When she goes to pick up her kids at school, she sees plenty of children she’s helped over the last nine years. “They come up to me and give me a high-five. It feels pretty good.”

KEEPING KIDS

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People Alumni News + Notes 1976

Ernest Appelhans (B.S. chemistry, ’76) is a cooling water products manager at Garratt-Callahan Co. for a line of chemicals controlling corrosion and mineral deposits, known as scale, in cooling and heating systems. He has worked as an analytical chemist for many years in laboratories associated with mining and mineral exploration, disturbed land and water reclamation, chemical manufacturing, semiconductor manufacturing and environmental assessments.

1985

2003

1994

2006

Cynthia Dennis (B.A. art, ’85) has worked as a visual merchandising stylist and manager for retail companies, including Macy’s, Saks Inc. and Dillard’s in the Atlanta area.

April Dawn Lewis (B.A. broadcast communications and journalism, ’94) is now a published author of romance novels with a master’s in creative writing/English from Southern New Hampshire University. She’s worked for newspapers, radio stations, television stations and magazine publications in the Denver metro area throughout her career.

Mike Kenner (B.S. accounting, ’03) is a tax manager for Cardno, a consulting firm that provides engineering, planning, surveying, landscape architecture and environmental services.

Mary O’Halloran (B.S. business management, ’06) is a contract administrator for the city of Lakewood, moving up from the job of city buyer. She works with all city staff and contractors on projects, including construction-related bids, proposals for consulting services and a variety of services for the city. She works extensively with city contractors and vendors as a liaison.

2007

Angelica Robinson (B.A. behavioral science, ’07), founder of Women Awakening, recently concluded the second annual Women Awakening/El Despertar De Las Mujeres Women’s Summit in Todos Santos, Mexico. Women Awakening is a bilingual women’s summit offering interactive workshops, presentations and movement practices. This year’s theme was “Reclaiming Your Power.”

LAUNCH PARTY A United Launch Alliance rocket carried a Colorado-built Lockheed Martin weather satellite into space in March, and more than 65 Roadrunners were at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, to see it.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JAMIE HURST

Launch attendees, left to right, MSU Denver director of alumni relations Brandi Rideout, Department of Aviation and Aerospace Science Chair Jeffrey Forrest, Ph.D., President Janine Davidson, Ph.D., College of Professional Studies Interim Dean Jennifer Capps, Ph.D., and Board of Trustees Chair Michelle Lucero.

The Lockheed Martin Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S will track weather over the Western U.S., helping forecasters to monitor real-time weather and storm developments and protecting the lives of individuals affected by hurricanes, floods, tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. Thanks to Joe Rice, director of government relations for Lockheed Martin Space Systems and a 1989 MSU Denver alum, dozens of alumni, faculty, staff, trustees, Foundation Board members and guests attended the week of launch-related activities hosted by the MSU Denver Alumni Association. “This was unlike any experience we have previously offered to our alumni,” says Brandi Rideout, director of alumni relations. “The chance to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime activity and do it with University leadership and fellow alumni was incredible.” The event was so successful, the Alumni Association was already planning for the next Lockheed Martin launch in 2019 – the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle.

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People In Memory 2009

Sofia M. Chavez (B.S. integrative therapeutic practices, ’09) completed her doctorate in natural medicine from the Institute of Bioenergetic Medicine. Her dissertation was selected for publication by the Journal of the American Naturopathic Medical Association. Stormy Filson (B.A. anthropology, ’09) works as a licensed professional counselor at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center in Wyoming.

2013

Crisosto Apache (B.A. English,’13) had his poetry collection, “Genesis,” published by Lost Alphabet. It’s the first book for Apache, who read a selection at the Department of English’s “Immigration, Migration and Movement” event in 2017. He teaches writing in the Denver area and advocates for the Native American LGBTQ “two spirit” identity.

2015

Joseph Pollock (B.S. aviation technology/aerospace operations, ’15) is an aircraft dispatcher for CommutAir, assisting with the development of flight plan routes and payload and fuel requirements, and keeping flight crews informed of hazardous weather and airport conditions.

DARK GARDEN

1970s

Pete Martinez (A.A.S. drafting engineering technology, ’72, B.S. mechanical engineering, ’76) December 2017 Nancy “Beth” Watts (B.S. biology, minor in chemistry, ‘76) January 2018

1980s

Marci Jill Ascherman (B.S. social work, ’84) December 2017 John Glenn DeWitt (B.S. health care management, ’89) January 2018 Jacob “Pop” Gilmore (B.S. human services professions, ’84) February 2018 Clay Reynolds (B.S. computer and management science, minor in information systems, ’84) November 2017 David John Swider (B.S. aviation management, ’88) January 2018

1990s

Robin “Rob” Nelson (B.S. criminal justice and criminology, minor in history, ’98) January 2018

Kathleen J Graves (B.A. studio art, ’90) has created a body of artwork by adding graphic elements to her photographs. She describes the works in her Dark Garden series, populated with imagined bug-sized “bots,” as “cautionary images full of vivacity and the chaos of gardens,” representing science in the context of climate change and emphasizing “the specter of being watched by our own technology.”

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Ron Clute, Ph.D., taught at MSU Denver along with three other institutions before he retired from teaching in 1985 to run the Clute Institute, a publisher of academic journals, which he founded. Clute was a Marine Corps veteran who earned his Ph.D. in economics, with a public finance concentration, from the University of Notre Dame. He loved traveling, woodworking and rope tricks. Stanley George Sunderwirth, Ph.D., was dean of science and mathematics, then vice president of academic affairs, from 1972 to 1985. He died in January 2018. A graduate of Tarkio College, Missouri, he received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Ohio State University. He taught at Colorado State University, chaired the Chemistry Department at Pittsburgh State University in Kansas, and finished his career as a full chemistry professor and professor emeritus at Indiana University-Purdue University. He received five Fulbright awards. He was the co-author of scientific papers on brain chemistry. He loved traveling, hiking, tandem biking, exploring ruins, taking his family on canoe trips and spending time with his granddaughter.

2000s

Lynette LoSasso (B.F.A. art, ’15) December 2017

Faculty and staff

Gerhardt Clementson taught computer and management science during his time as a professor at the University from 1970 to 1983. He also served as department chair of the information systems program. He died in February 2018. SPRING 2018

the

FINALWORD Longtime professor and co-director of Jazz Studies Ron Miles on creativity, community – and Prince. STORY CORY PHARE | PHOTO BARRY GUTIERREZ

n lists that include the likes of Taylor Swift, Lorde and Drake, you’ll also find Ron Miles, whose 2017 album “I Am a Man” was listed among the best of 2017 by the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and National Public Radio’s Morning Edition. Miles, director of MSU Denver’s Jazz Studies Program – and an alum of Denver’s East High School – was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame in November.

As a young musician, do you remember the first records that had an impact on you? Oh yeah – this was the ’70s, which was right around the time this trumpet player Maynard Ferguson had a hit with the theme from “Rocky.” From there, I’d just research: I discovered Wayne Shorter – who played with Ferguson – had this band Weather Report, and he also played with Miles Davis. Then Max Roach and Charlie Parker – it just started expanding outward.

What is it about community that is so important to music? I think that we all try to make a positive contribution to our community. The way I approach music is collaborative. I like to be part of a band and leave the audience feeling like they’ve had a great experience, even if they didn’t notice me individually. 32

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I try to impart that to my students, too. Someone took time out of their day, so we want to give them something that touches them. If we can do that, we’ve done something that makes a difference.

What are you listening to now for inspiration? On my way in, I was listening to these Prince outtakes – I just love that cat! Yesterday it was Sonny Rollins and Miles Davis. I also really love Kendrick Lamar’s last record, SZA’s latest and Moses Sumney’s new release. There’s great music all over the place.

What surprises you? As improvisers, we’re hopefully challenging ourselves to do something beyond what we thought we knew. If we find ourselves getting comfortable, then we’re not really being true to the spirit of the music. That sense of discovery is why I love jazz music so much. Every time we play, there should be something that surprises us and takes us out of ourselves.

What do you see as the role of the contemporary artist today? In our Jazz History class, we start out with Langston Hughes talking about how we are beautiful and ugly at the same time.

In tricky times, history and politics create this mythology that can’t withstand investigation … like, you can acknowledge that George Washington did both these good things and bad things. As artists, you hope to show all that – the good parts and the bad parts, our struggles and our frailty – and through all of that, hopefully, be honest.

What does it mean to you to be a Roadrunner? Oh man, MSU Denver is beautiful! When I was still in school, I came here to inquire about a job that wasn’t available anymore, but the receptionist went to the chair and said, “This cat came in – we should find something for him to do.” There was opportunity they saw in me. I wasn’t fully formed, but there was something there. It’s like that with our students, too; where they’re at now isn’t where they will be eventually. And if they buy in, and you buy in, then we can make something special. LISTEN IN: Check out the extended conversation covering Miles’ take on improvisation, spirituality and the international accolades for his latest release, “I Am a Man,” at insider. msudenver.edu/miles.

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