Metropolitan Denver Magazine - Summer 15

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METROPOLITAN STATE UNIVERSITY OF DENVER

SUMMER 2015 VOL. 3 NO. 2 MSUDENVER.EDU/MAGAZINE

METROPOLITAN DENVER MAGAZINE

TRAINING GROUND MSU Denver continues to transform Colorado’s tourism industry by producing some of the state’s most skilled and experienced workers. Read the full story on page 22. Photo by Michael Richmond.

AEROSPACE & ENGINEERING

SC I E N C E S

I N I T IAT IVE

MSU Denver is building a new Aerospace and Engineering Sciences building that will house the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and provide the necessary space to implement an industry-advised curriculum, all of which will revolutionize aerospace and advanced manufacturing education in Colorado.

Take advantage of the Enterprise Zone tax credit.

Qualifying gifts made in support of the Aerospace and Engineering Sciences building through the MSU Denver Foundation are eligible to receive a Colorado Enterprise Zone (EZ) tax credit of 25 percent for cash contributions and 12.5 percent for in-kind contributions — over and above normal deductions.

Take advantage of this credit and maximize your support for the University. And help transform student lives in the process.

Visit our website for more details.

MAKE YOUR GIFT TODAY. msudenver.edu/giving | 303-556-8424

18 20 22 FUGITIVE FROM INJUSTICE

SCOOP OF A LIFETIME

02 THE FIRST WORD

10 THROUGH AN OPEN DOOR

29 DOCTOR, DOCTOR

12 VIVA RICH CASTRO

30 PEOPLE

Edna Mosley “was as beautiful a spirit as anyone I have ever been around.”

A yearlong celebration of MSU Denver’s 50th anniversary kicks off on July 3 at Denver’s Civic Center Park.

03 ASKED AND ANSWERED

With wisdom acquired at MSU Denver as a guiding light, Michael Ocrant helped expose Bernie Madoff’s deeply layered Ponzi scheme.

Elizabeth Miner was unhappy.

Then she seized an opportunity for a new life.

The legendary alum and Hispanic leader’s legacy of transformation lives on.

Alumni explain how they were “Made at MSU Denver.”

04 NEWS

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

08 DECORATED DIPLOMAT

Lessons learned at MSU Denver helped Joe Rice become a master in diplomacy — in Colorado and overseas.

14 SEEDS OF CHANGE

Ricardo Baca breaks new ground as he covers one of the biggest stories to come out of Colorado in years.

16 THE BIG PICTURE

ON THE COVER Illustration by Chris Huth, Betterweather Inc.

The play’s the thing.

GRAND HOTEL

How Colorado’s only integrated commercial-learning facility is changing the shape of hospitality, tourism and events education.

Lance Whitehair went from unemployed to M.D. with her MSU Denver degree.

MSU Denver alumni share news and notes.

32 THE FINAL WORD

Alumna and College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Dean Joan Foster reveals how MSU Denver and marine science changed her life, what it’s like to work for her alma mater and the significance of her coffee mug.

the

FIRSTWORD

On July 3, at Denver’s Civic Center Park, we’ll kick off a yearlong celebration of Metropolitan State University of Denver’s 50th anniversary.

It seems fitting that fireworks will help mark the occasion, because MSU Denver’s contributions to the region, state and nation over the past 50 years are spectacular and well worth celebrating.

The stories that follow help showcase those contributions by featuring some of the best and brightest people, programs and initiatives ever to have been “Made at MSU Denver.”

Consider the great Edna Mosley (page 18), who was one of the University’s first nontraditional students before becoming a pioneer in Colorado politics and activism. Or Michael Ocrant (page 20), who became one of Wall Street’s most respected business and finance reporters, helping to expose Bernie Madoff’s insidious Ponzi scheme in the 1990s. Explore how our state-of-the-art SpringHill Suites® Denver Downtown Hotel and Hospitality Learning Center (page 22) is changing the shape of the hospitality industry by providing a pipeline of skilled workers with relevant experience to this vital sector of our economy.

Gov. John Hickenlooper recently confirmed his support for our Aerospace and Engineering Sciences (AES) initiative, which will address Colorado’s advanced manufacturing needs while creating unparalleled opportunities for our students. When Gov. Hickenlooper signed into law the state budget for FY 201516, it included an appropriation of $14.7 million to support construction of the $60 million AES facility — an appropriation that complemented $5.2 million in state funding already earmarked for the project — which will integrate the study of aerospace science; industrial design; civil, mechanical and electrical engineering technology; computer information systems; and computer science.

Additionally, Gov. Hickenlooper and Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia hosted an event at the governor’s mansion in April for industry leaders and voiced their support for the AES initiative.

The evening was a true celebration of Colorado’s aerospace industry, and our guests left feeling deeply appreciated and supported by our efforts to develop next-generation manufacturing employees.

In this issue of the magazine — the first of three that will commemorate MSU Denver’s 50th anniversary — you’ll notice anniversaryrelated factoids. To help you get the most out of our yearlong celebration, we’ve developed a 50th website — msudenver.edu/50 — that is your source for information about upcoming events. As we revisit how far the University has come since its establishment in 1965, we want to hear from you. If you have a memory, anecdote or fun fact about MSU Denver, please visit msudenver.edu/50 and click on the “Tell Your Story” link.

As an alumnus, friend or supporter, you are a vital part of the MSU Denver family. I invite you to help us celebrate 50 years of transforming lives, breaking new ground and boldly impacting higher education at a local, state and national level.

Please join us when we begin the festivities on July 3 at the Independence Eve Celebration in Civic Center Park.

Sincerely,

All of these stories showcase the Roadrunner spirit and MSU Denver’s visionary, innovative and entrepreneurial approach to education that provides rapid responses to the ever-changing needs of our city, state and nation.

And, at the May 6 celebration of the completion of the $23.6 million Regency Athletic Complex, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock gave us more than a ringing endorsement when he called MSU Denver “the best urban university in the nation.”

Catherine B. Lucas Publisher and Executive Editor

And people are taking notice, including our state leaders.

Asked Answered and

Alumni explain how they were “Made at MSU Denver.”

We Asked: How did MSU Denver help make you who you are today?

You Answered: I entered MSU Denver interested in art education. Eleanor Huntley, who was an art professor and the advisor for art education at the time, encouraged me to take ceramics classes, saying that it would be helpful if I ended up teaching high school. My very first class I was hooked! I loved the feel of clay, I loved the process and I loved having the ability to make something functional and unique. I took every possible class I could. With the help of a grant, I was able to attend a national conference for ceramics where I met professional ceramic artists, learned about different techniques and the history of ceramics, and further fueled my interest in the medium.

After graduation, I worked a few “real” jobs but was never happy. I was happiest when I was creating, but as a single mom who worked full time, finding the time was difficult. After years of struggling,

I realized that I just had to take a leap. My ceramic business, Mud Whimsy, was born. I work every day at it, sometimes until the middle of the night. I’ve had wild successes and major setbacks. I’m still learning and growing, but I have never been happier with my job. I discovered my passion at MSU Denver, and through my education I developed the tools to make my passion my career. I’m right where I’m supposed to be, doing exactly what I love to do.

Anne Pendergrast B.F.A. art ‘04 I noted with great sadness the passing of Professor Emeritus Melvin Capehart in August 2014. I owe a significant debt to Professor Capehart for his skilled teaching and mentoring. Much of my professional success is founded on his efforts.

I remember one episode in particular: Midway through the fall semester, I was taking two classes from Professor Capehart, one of which was a course in introductory digital circuit design. I had just taken an exam on which I received a poor score.

After class, Professor Capehart

said, “You have demonstrated the ability to understand and use these techniques far better than this test indicates. I expect much more from you and if your later scores justify it, I will ignore this test in your final grade.” I was able to justify his assessment and trust by earning nearly perfect scores after that.

I went on to enjoy a long career in electronic engineering and computer science, and am now partially retired. I have designed many electronic hardware systems and computer programs.

I have taught at technical schools and colleges, written several textbooks, given presentations and written articles and papers.

Along the way, it has been my privilege to mentor a number of others. I have to thank Professor Capehart for being my model.

Richard L. Grier B.S. electrical engineering technology ‘76

Share Your Story: Everyone has a story to tell, and we want to hear yours!

Tell us about your favorite MSU Denver class, program or professor. Brag about your accomplishments since leaving the University. Explain how the institution is contributing to your community. Share how MSU Denver helped change the course of your life. Whatever your story of transformation, we want to know!

Sharing your story has never been easier: Email us at magazine@msudenver.edu or write to us at Metropolitan Denver Magazine, Metropolitan State University of Denver, P.O. Box 173362, Campus Box 86, Denver, CO 80217.

THANK YOU TO OUR ROADRUNNERS ATHLETICS SPONSORS

Metropolitan Denver Magazine is published three times a year by the Metropolitan State University of Denver Office of Marketing and Communications. © 2015 Metropolitan State University of Denver. All rights reserved.

Address correspondence to: Metropolitan Denver Magazine, Metropolitan State University of 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 nor 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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PUBLISHER AND EXECUTIVE EDITOR CATHY LUCAS | EDITOR EMILY PATON DAVIES | ART DIRECTOR CRAIG KORN | EDITORIAL ASSISTANT BRETT MCPHERSON (B.A. JOURNALISM ’14) | COPY EDITOR CLIFF FOSTER | CONTRIBUTORS JANALEE CARD CHMEL | TREVOR DAVIS (CLASS OF 2015) | ROGER FILLION | DOUG MCPHERSON | DAVE NELIGH | LESLIE PETROVSKI | AMY PHARE | MICHAEL RICHMOND | PAT ROONEY | DAN VACCARO | TOM WILMES | MARK WOOLCOTT | EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD ROBERT AMEND, PROFESSOR OF JOURNALISM AND TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION | MARGARET EMERSON, STUDENT TEACHING AND SPECIAL PROJECTS SPECIALIST, SCHOOL OF EDUCATION | GREG GEISSLER, DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS AND PRIVATE GRANTS | DEBORA GILLIARD, PROFESSOR OF MANAGEMENT | JANELL LINDSEY, DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL INITIATIVES, ALUMNI ASSOCIATION | SAM NG, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF METEOROLOGY

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Auraria Campus Bookstore Books and more...

SUMMER 2015

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News

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

DID YOU KNOW?

DID YOU KNOW?

OCTOBER 1997: The Richard T. Castro Distinguished Visiting Professorship kicks off with Chicana author and activist Cherrie Moraga.

1981: MSU Denver creates a distinguished professorship to honor the civil rights pioneer Rachel B. Noel.

SEPTEMBER 1990: MSU Denver’s Center for Visual Art opens in LoDo; it moves to its permanent space in Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe in 2010.

OCTOBER 2004: MSU Denver receives a $9.5 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education — the largest in school history — to develop an innovative partnership with Denver Public Schools.

1994: The historic Tivoli Brewery opens as the student union.

We are the CHA MPions MSU Denver is part of a consortium of eight Colorado institutions that received a $24.9 million Colorado Helps Advanced Manufacturing Program

JULY 2010: MSU Denver receives approval and accreditation to proceed with three master’s degree programs in teacher education, professional accountancy and social work.

(CHAMP) grant in 2013 to help ensure that the state has capable workers for the manufacturing industry. Since then, MSU Denver, the only four-year institution in the consortium, has used its share of the CHAMP grant — $1.9

Record-breaking commencement A record number of graduates participated in MSU Denver’s 2015 Spring Commencement in May at the Denver Coliseum, an event that was split into two ceremonies to accommodate the University’s steadily rising number of graduates.

MSU Denver increased the number of degrees awarded from 2,280 in the 20042005 academic year to an estimated 3,650 this year. At least 1,995 bachelor degree candidates were expected to graduate this spring, a number that exceeds last spring’s

million — to strengthen partnerships with the manufacturing industry, improve its machining programs, boost faculty professional development

TOP SELLER

and add curricula. In spring 2015, the University began offering three self-

MSU Denver was named one of the “Top

paced Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on topics like technical math

Universities for Professional Sales Edu-

for electro-mechanical, engineering graphics and machining workers, and a

cation” for 2015 by the Sales Education Foundation (SEF) — the only Colorado university to receive this recognition and one of fewer than 100 institutions

record-breaking total of 1,954. This year’s undergraduate class was the most diverse

nationally. SEF’s list honors university

in MSU Denver’s history, including 619 students of color led by 384 Latino students.

sales-education programs that excel in preparing students for careers in professional selling and help to elevate the

04

soft skills course to help students improve their employability. MSU Denver also created two certificates — in advanced composite manufacturing and additive manufacturing engineering — that will roll out in fall 2015.

MILITARY CREDIT MSU Denver implemented a new Military Transfer Credit policy that offers credit for military training. The new policy was finalized in September 2014 and approved for implementation retroactively for all current and future veteran students. Before the policy’s implementation, veteran students could obtain only elective credit for their military training. In fall 2014, MSU Denver had nearly 980 students enrolled who served in the armed forces.

ON FIRE MSU Denver is now a major player in Colorado’s fight against wildfires having been named a partner

DID YOU KNOW?

sales profession. MSU Denver’s Cen-

in the development of the Center of Excellence for Advanced Technology in Aerial Firefighting to

OCTOBER 1965: The transformation of higher education in Colorado begins when MSU Denver opens its doors.

ter for Professional Selling has been

be located in Rifle, Colorado. Several counties and towns vied to host the facility, but Gov. John

acknowledged as a notable emerging

Hickelooper — acting on the recommendation of the Division of Fire Prevention and Control — selected

program by SEF since 2013. This year

Garfield County as the center’s future home. Jeffrey Forest, chair of the Department of Aviation

1974: Students vote to change MSU Denver’s mascot from the mustang to the roadrunner to better represent how they run between various buildings downtown for classes.

marks the first time the University has

and Aerospace Science, several of his colleagues and leaders from Garfield County co-authored

made the top program list.

the winning proposal. The center will host MSU Denver interns, serving as a lab for students to

SUMMER 2015

apply what they have learned in the classroom. Faculty will have opportunities to participate in research with national and international implications, and collaborate on various publications.

News

Top for vets

DID YOU KNOW?

For the third consecutive year, the College of Business was included on the Military Times’ annual list of top business schools for veterans. The college is ranked at 48th in the nation on the increasingly competitive list.

STUDENT SUCCESS

“Best for Vets: Business Schools” is an editorially independent evaluation that determines whether an institution is a good fit for military veterans. The Military Times organization provides the most comprehensive school-by-school assessment of veteran and military students’ success rates.

MSU Denver is one of approximately 100 higher education institutions in the nation participating in the Student Success Collaborative — an initiative that combines technology, research, process improvement and predictive analytics to help institutions improve outcomes for at-risk and off-path students.

The Student Success Collaborative leverages “big data” to analyze the past decade of student performance at MSU Denver. The collaborative uses the data to identify common courses, grades and GPAs predictive of success in each program on campus, and to find pathways and support services to enable a student to be most successful. The initiative also provides information that will allow advisors to have earlier, more proactive and data-driven conversations with students, particularly undecided students seeking majors. The collaborative is slated for implementation Universitywide by fall 2015.

DID YOU KNOW? OCTOBER 2011: A $1 million anonymous gift establishes the One World, One Water Center for Urban Water Education and Stewardship.

APRIL 2012: The Student Success Building opens, transforming the MSU Denver neighborhood and student outcomes.

ATHLETIC COMPLEX OPENS The $23.6 million, 13-acre Regency Athletic Complex at MSU Denver opened in May. Home to six of the Roadrunners’ 16 sports, including baseball, softball, men’s and women’s soccer, and men’s and women’s tennis, the complex includes baseball and softball diamonds, a soccer field, eight tennis courts and a multi-purpose fitness trail. In addition to competition areas, the facility includes a 23,000-square-foot locker room and athletic training area.

The complex is the fourth MSU Denver-owned facility to be constructed as part of the University’s master plan. It follows the opening of the Center for Visual Art in Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe, the Student Success Building and the Hotel and Hospitality Learning Center. At the opening celebration, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock — who called MSU Denver “the best urban university in the nation” — recalled overlooking the blighted, undeveloped fields years ago from his office at the time, and deemed the transformation “a field of dreams.”

This follows Military Times naming MSU Denver to its annual “Best for Vets: Colleges 2015” rankings as the top four-year institution in Colorado and 32nd in the nation. MSU Denver has also been included in Military Advanced Education’s “Guide to Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities 2015.” In addition, G.I. Jobs magazine and U.S. Veterans Magazine listed MSU Denver in their 2014 guides of top military friendly schools.

AUGUST 2012: The Hotel and Hospitality Learning Center opens for business, transforming hospitality education in Colorado.

MAY 2014: A $1.5 million gift from Rita and Navin Dimond provides real-world learning opportunities for students in the Hotel Management Program.

SEPTEMBER 2014: MSU Denver’s education program becomes the School of Education to better prepare future teachers to meet the changing needs of students across the state.

The University hires a founding dean for the school.

MAY 2015: The 13-acre state-of-the-art Regency Athletic Complex at MSU Denver opens.

COMING SOON …

MSU Denver’s groundbreaking Aerospace and Engineering Sciences initiative is on the advance.

In April, Gov. John Hickenlooper signed into law the state budget

for Advanced Manufacturing, which will unite advanced man-

for fiscal year 2015-16, which includes a $14.7 million appropri-

ufacturing and aerospace disciplines under one roof. By inte-

ation for construction of MSU Denver’s $60 million Aerospace

grating core curricula and providing experiential learning

and Engineering Sciences (AES) facility. The appropriation

opportunities in a state-of-the-art environment, MSU Denver

complements $5.2 million in state funding and $20 million in

will help create exceptionally qualified professionals ready to

University capital improvement dollars already earmarked for

meet Colorado’s aerospace and advanced manufacturing needs.

the project.

Just as design and planning for the building progresses, so does

The building, which will break ground this fall and is slated

curricula and program development. An initial proposal for

to open in 2017, will house the University’s innovative Institute

the advanced manufacturing sciences (AMS) curriculum was presented to the Board of Trustees in May and is undergoing a comprehensive review by faculty. The AMS degree would integrate learning from eight distinct programs: aerospace science, computer science, computer information systems, operations management, industrial design, and mechanical, electrical and civil engineering technology.

LEARN more about MSU Denver’s AES initiative and other achievements in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math in the next issue of Metropolitan Denver Magazine.

WANT MORE? Keep up to date on MSU Denver news at msudenver.edu/newsroom.

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Decorated diplomat LESSONS LEARNED AT MSU It was 2003 and Joe Rice (B.A. history ’89) was half a world away in a land that couldn’t be more different than his home. As an Army lieutenant colonel, he was assigned to be a liaison of sorts between the United States and its allies and the municipal governments attempting to rise from the ruins in Iraq.

It was an unenviable challenge, yet one Rice was more than ready to tackle. He found himself relying on lessons learned during his tenure as mayor of Glendale, Colorado — in addition to his time as a history major at MSU Denver.

Rice — whose military awards include two Bronze Stars, a Joint Meritorious Service Medal, an Iraq Campaign Medal and the Combat Action Badge — ultimately tapped into his Colorado connections while helping to establish the new Baghdad city council in the aftermath of the war.

“We literally began holding hundreds of neighborhood meetings around Baghdad, where the people of Baghdad selected representatives for what became the city council,” Rice said. “There were some tie-ins for me to the Denver area at that time. There were several of us on that team who were native to Colorado. Some people I knew previously, some people I didn’t.

“When we were forming the council we started to get questions like, ‘Oh, how should we conduct public hearings?’ We talked through various options. Someone wanted to form a women’s shelter. I had no idea how to do that. But I called the United Way here and put them in touch with the person. There was a great deal of that early connection between the metro Denver area and Baghdad. And to some degree it still exists to this day,” he said.

Combining military relations with municipal politics clearly was a natural fit for Rice, who has more than 30 years of military experience in addition to serving as Glendale’s mayor from 1996 through 2003. With the 08

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DENVER HELPED JOE RICE BECOME A MASTER IN DIPLOMACY — IN COLORADO AND OVERSEAS. STORY PAT ROONEY | PHOTO DAVE NELIGH

Iraq War heating up, Rice eventually made five different overseas deployments totaling three years of service. He remains a colonel in the Army Reserve.

Rice spent two terms working in the Colorado state legislature, serving from 2007 to 2011. He also served as a project officer for the Colorado National Guard during United Nations peacekeeping missions in Bosnia before his multiple deployments to Iraq.

These days Rice is director of government relations at Lockheed Martin, essentially once again working as a liaison, this time between his company and government officials. He is fond of his days at MSU Denver — it’s where he met his wife of 25 years, Kendall (B.S. exercise physiology ’90) — and his position makes Rice uniquely qualified to assess the University’s ambitions with its proposed Aerospace and Engineering Sciences (AES) initiative.

“It’s doing what Metro always does — looking at what the workforce needs and what people are going to need to be employable,” Rice said. “It’s designing curricula to meet the needs of the future workforce. I think with the AES building, there’s already a need now. That need is going to do nothing but grow, and Metro is at the cutting edge of meeting that niche.”

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Through an open door ELIZABETH MINER WAS UNHAPPY. THEN SHE SEIZED AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A NEW LIFE. STORY DOUG MCPHERSON | PHOTO DAVE NELIGH

Elizabeth Miner (B.S. education ’06) felt empty. She was 26 and working at Denver’s Oxford Hotel in the catering department.

“I was unhappy and didn’t have any real direction for a career,” Miner said.

Then, she said, she found her compass — in the form of education.

As she started considering schools, Miner came across MSU Denver. “I wanted something I would be proud of and that would make me a better person and I realized education was the way toward that goal,” she said. “I view education as a door you can walk through and learn to use your strengths to have an impact and to help others.”

For Miner, the calling was to become a physical education teacher. She earned her K-12 Colorado physical education teacher license in 2006. And just eight years later, she was named the 2014 Colorado Teacher of the Year.

Miner considers her time at MSU Denver pivotal. “The professors gave me the confidence to start and succeed as a teacher,” she said.

And succeed she has. The teacher of the year award “made me proud because I got recognized as someone who makes an impact on students,” she said. “Other than the reward from our students’ hard work and success, teachers don’t get much recognition. This award gave me a voice to ensure our students get the best education.”

The honor allowed Miner to rub elbows with some important folks, including President Obama, when she traveled to Washington, D.C., for the National Network of State Teachers of the Year Conference. “We didn’t chat long, but he told me I had a really cool job,” she said.

Miner also spoke to the president’s education committee about the importance of keeping physical education programs in schools.

Today she teaches at Fitzsimmons Middle School in Bailey — part of the Platte Canyon School District — and occasionally drops by MSU Denver to talk to students about teaching as a career.

Miner’s teaching philosophy centers on creating a relevant, engaging, rigorous and diverse learning environment where she can hold her students to high expectations so they can be productive citizens.

“My students are amazing. They work hard, they show compassion and empathy, and they’re destined to go far in life and change the world,” she said.

Yes, just like their teacher.

“My passion for being fit and healthy is contagious. I want people to live happy, healthy lives. I love what I do.

I couldn’t have picked a better profession and I couldn’t be happier. Teaching is one of the most important jobs in our society. We are creating the future,” she said.

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READ Elizabeth Miner’s blog, “A Colorado Teacher’s Journey,” at msudenver.edu/magazine.

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Viva Rich Castro THE LEGENDARY ALUM AND HISPANIC LEADER’S LEGACY OF TRANSFORMATION LIVES ON.

rights movement and Latino leaders such as Denver’s Corky Gonzalez, MSU Denver’s Latino students banded together as United Mexican American Students (UMAS), a national activist organization that was gaining momentum on campuses at the time.

STORY LESLIE PETROVSKI On April 13, 2015, 24 years to the day of Richard T. Castro’s (B.A. behavioral sciences ’70) death from a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 44, St. Cajetan’s Event Center was packed with friends, family and a veritable who’s who of Colorado’s Latino community: the Honorable Ken Salazar, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior; Federico Peña, former Denver mayor and U.S. Secretary of Transportation and of Energy; Polly Baca, Colorado’s first Latina senator, and many others.

Testimonials about Castro poured out. Many speakers recalled how he goaded them to pursue higher education, run for office and organize to fight injustice.

Peña says it was Castro who encouraged him to run for the state legislature initially. “He was always by my side,” Peña said. “He brought so many of us along with him.”

Castro transferred with an associate degree in education from Trinidad State Junior College to what was then Metropolitan State College of Denver in 1967, just two years after the college was founded. It was a heady time. Inspired by the civil 12

SUMMER 2015

Passionate and newly awakened to the economic and racial disparities in American culture, Castro joined UMAS — he met his wife, Virginia (B.A. behavioral science ’71), at a meeting — and worked tirelessly to recruit other Latinos to attend school. He and his friends flocked to sociology professor Daniel Valdes’ classes, where they learned that many of the social issues facing their families and friends stemmed from wrongs perpetrated on Latinos dating back generations.

Some people say it was at MSU Denver where Castro encountered many of the people and ideas that informed the social activism that defined his life. After earning his master’s in social work with an emphasis in community organization from the University of Denver, he went on to fulfill many roles: student activist, social worker, community organizer, state legislator, opponent of English-only legislation, mentor, Chicano studies instructor (at MSU Denver), director of Denver’s Agency for Human Rights and Community Relations … and visionary.

An enormous proponent of education and the power of history to inspire and promulgate change, Castro was working on a history of Colorado Latino legislators at the time of his death. To honor Castro’s commitment to Latino culture and education — and inspire coming generations of Latino students — MSU Denver launched the Richard T. Castro Distinguished Visiting Professorship, which brings renowned Latino and Latina artists to campus to speak, perform and give classes, educating the community about what’s possible when people gather, realize their potential and embrace their culture.

Since 1997 the professorship has hosted author Carlos Fuentes, humorist and art collector Richard “Cheech” Marin, writer Sonia Nazario and columnist Gustavo Arellano, among many others.

At the recent Castro memorial, Salazar acknowledged the part Castro played in his political life and in advancing the Latino community, but observed that Castro’s fight for justice continues.

“Rich’s vision that we are equal and that our culture and history are second to none — we are still in the struggle for that reality.”

“Education’s role in our society cannot be minimized ... It is quite probably the most critical investment a people can make.”

– Richard T. Castro Richard Castro (second from right) celebrated the signing of MSU Denver’s 21st Birthday Proclamation in 1986 with, from left, former MSU Denver President Paul Magelli, Professor Emeritus Ken Rager, former Denver Mayor Federico Peña, Professor Emerita Gwen Thomas and alumna Katherine Archuleta.

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Seedsof change Ricardo Baca (B.A. journalism ’99) was on his way to a taping of “The Colbert Report” in late 2013 when Denver-based producer Britta Erikson called. She wanted to know if he’d be willing to let a film crew shadow him and his staff for a documentary about his job as the country’s first full-time marijuana editor at a major daily newspaper.

Baca anticipated a certain degree of notoriety when he became The Denver Post’s cannabis editor. In addition to “The Colbert Report,” Baca has appeared on CNN and “The View” and has been featured in The New York Times and numerous other outlets. Some interviewers appeared skeptical or mildly amused by Colorado’s legalization of marijuana. While others, like “The View” host Whoopi Goldberg, seemed fascinated by the story and interested in how Baca and his team would cover it from a journalistic standpoint.

The whole world, it seemed, wanted to know what would happen after Jan. 1, 2014, when the first dispensaries began selling recreational marijuana to adults ages 21 and older in Colorado. Baca was more concerned about getting The Cannabist website up and running in just five weeks, however. The site is the repository for The Denver Post’s ongoing, multi-faceted and well-rounded coverage of one of the biggest news stories to come out of Colorado in years. Goldberg has even contributed several articles to the site since its launch, and Baca has also brought in several other high-profile contributors in his role as editor.

“Before The Cannabist launched, people were almost expecting it,” said Baca. “And all the weirdness that came along with it was great for the site and great for the paper, in my opinion, especially when you’re trying to launch something new.”

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RICARDO BACA BREAKS NEW GROUND AS HE COVERS ONE OF THE BIGGEST STORIES TO COME OUT OF COLORADO IN YEARS. STORY TOM WILMES | PHOTO CRAIG F. WALKER, THE DENVER POST

“The legalization of cannabis in Colorado is a cultural game changer and marks the creation of a new industry in our state that deserves serious, deep and creative coverage,” said The Denver Post Editorin-Chief Greg Moore. “We felt Ricardo would be comfortable with the spotlight that comes with being the first marijuana editor at a major newspaper. He has been a great ambassador for the journalism we are doing.”

Baca had been The Denver Post’s music critic for 12 years and entertainment editor prior to that. In addition to his awardwinning music coverage and criticism, Baca also started the paper’s “Reverb” music blog as well as The Underground Music Showcase, a highly regarded music festival that provides a format for up-and-coming bands to reach new audiences. Without anyone asking, Baca recognized a need for a music blog at The Denver Post, as well as for a music festival, and so he took the initiative to start them. Both are still going.

“I think that’s one reason why they approached me about the [cannabis editor] position,” Baca said. “The overall goal was to create something comprehensive and fun on the subject, and I knew that it had to be fun and readable, as well.”

A Colorado native, Baca wrote for his school paper at Westminster High School and enrolled at MSU Denver on a full scholarship from The Rocky Mountain News. Baca covered music and theatre for The Metropolitan, wrote for The Rocky Mountain News each summer and clerked there during the school year.

“The scholarship is what brought me to Metro and introduced me to the passionate, intelligent and demanding professors there who pushed me to do better,” Baca said.

“MSU Denver’s employment of adjunct professors working in current fields is a powerful attribute to what the school offers those studying professions like journalism.”

Of course covering marijuana isn’t the only thing in Baca’s life these days. He’s newly married and will be appearing on a movie screen near you: “Rolling Papers,” the documentary about Baca and his work with The Cannabist, recently premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin and was picked up for distribution.

DISCOVER how Ricardo Baca is breaking new journalistic ground in The Cannabist at msudenver.edu/magazine.

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The big picture THE PLAY’S THE THING.

PHOTO DAVE NELIGH

Under the direction of Professor Marilyn “Cookie” Hetzel, chair of the Theater Department, a group of MSU Denver students developed “Water Wise Circa 2015,” an original play designed to teach middle school students in Aurora, Boulder and Denver about water conservation and stewardship. The production was created in the tradition of theater for social change. With no lights or props, the actors used only their voices and bodies to convey their message.

LEARN more about the making of the transformational theater production, “Water Wise Circa 2015,” at msudenver.edu/magazine.

Fugitive from

injustice “SHE WAS AS BEAUTIFUL A SPIRIT AS ANYONE I HAVE EVER BEEN AROUND.” —Denver Mayor Michael Hancock STORY JANALEE CARD CHMEL

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dna Mosley (B.A. speech ’69) often called herself a “fugitive from injustice” and told this story by way of explanation:

It was 1954. Mosley, a 29-year-old black woman, Denver resident, and mother of two young children, had been visiting relatives in Helena, Arkansas, and it was the family’s day to travel home to Denver by train.

“She wore a yellow sundress with a matching yellow parasol, white gloves and an alligator handbag,” said her grandson, John Futrell (B.F.A. painting ’99 and B.A. African American studies ’00), recounting the story as his grandmother told it. “Her children — my mother and uncle — were also dressed to the T, starched with shiny shoes.”

Standing on the train platform, Mosley was approached by a white man who asked them to leave the platform.

“My grandmother said, ‘I paid for my ticket. My children have their tickets. I’m not moving.’”

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Mosley spent that night in jail. The next morning, after her grandfather had posted her bail, she emerged in that pretty sundress, boarded a train bound for Denver with her children, and never returned to Arkansas. She missed her bail hearing and became a “fugitive.”

Mosley, who died Aug. 26, 2014, was part of MSU Denver’s first graduating class in 1969.

She was also one of the University’s first nontraditional students: 44 years old, a mother and a career woman.

Mosley was a civil-rights leader who left an incredible legacy in Colorado through her fight for equality. Among her achievements: She was the first black city council member in Aurora, elected in 1991 and she was a founder of The Women’s Bank (now Colorado Business Bank), championing the rights of women to achieve financial freedom.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock knew Mosley well. “Edna was one of the most gentle but firm personalities I have ever known. She was very

loving but didn’t let you get away with anything.

She was as beautiful a spirit as anyone I have ever been around.”

Likewise, Mosley’s friend donnie betts (B.A. speech communication ‘87) said, “She was gentle.

When necessary, she was forcefully gentle. It was like she was saying, ‘I know my ground and I will stick firmly on the ground for which I stand, but I will treat you with respect. And I expect the same from you. This is how we can solve any differences we have: with respect.’”

Futrell, who says he attended MSU Denver because of Mosley’s love for the school, simply said this of his grandmother: “She was the best human I have ever known.”

LEARN more about Edna Mosley’s accomplishments and community impact at msudenver.edu/magazine.

WITH WISDOM ACQUIRED AT MSU DENVER AS A GUIDING LIGHT, MICHAEL OCRANT HELPED EXPOSE BERNIE MADOFF’S DEEPLY LAYERED PONZI SCHEME. STORY PAT ROONEY

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ears before he broke the biggest business and finance story of the new century, exposing the deeply layered Ponzi scheme perpetrated by stockbroker Bernie Madoff, Michael Ocrant (B.A. journalism ’86) took part in a nationally televised debate about ethics.

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lifetime

As the managing editor of Securities Week and other industry publications, Ocrant was already one of the most experienced and diligent business and finance reporters on Wall Street when he squared off with the president of the Securities Industry Association. The issue at hand was a new decree that required all brokers to complete an ethics course, a move Ocrant’s debate opponent believed would eliminate the bulk of the seedy practices some brokers were committing against their clients.

Ocrant disagreed. And he based his rebuttal on wisdom once offered by his mentor — the late, revered MSU Denver journalism professor Greg Pearson.

Bernie Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison in 2009 for operating the largest Ponzi scheme in U.S. history.

“My first response was that you can’t teach ethics,” said Ocrant. “You either have it or you don’t. And that was a Greg Pearson lesson. It has to be within you. You can take any course you want in ethics. If you don’t have basic ethical principles, a class is just like taking a test.

(Pearson) always had things like that he tried to pass on.”

Clearly, Ocrant took those lessons to heart.

A Denver native who enrolled at MSU Denver mostly due to its convenient location and affordable costs, Ocrant emerged as one of the leading investigative reporters on Wall Street even before he broke the Madoff scandal.

Acting on a tip from a colleague, Ocrant slowly unraveled the depths of Madoff’s devious doings, adding another illustrious byline to a resume that already included reports on the Hillary Clinton cattle fund controversy in the mid1990s. That work earned Ocrant the National Press Club Award in 1995 for breaking news.

These days Ocrant, who lives in Manhattan with his wife and teenage son, has weaned himself from investigative journalism and now is the conference director in the Finance Division of the Institute for International Research, which provides trade conferences and expositions, seminars, training events and more.

The lessons gleaned from Pearson three decades ago at MSU Denver remain guiding lights for Ocrant, particularly when he looks back at the aftermath of the Madoff fraud.

“People think these were wealthy people,” he said of the victims, “They were not superwealthy — and they put all their money in this,” Ocrant said. “I talked to one man who told us his parents invested everything and lost everything.

And now he’s supporting them.

“It’s very, very sad. You wish you could do more.”

Grand hotel Nine years ago, MSU Denver’s Hotel and Hospitality Learning Center

Colorado’s only integrated commercial-learning facility is changing the shape of hospitality, tourism and events education.

(HLC) was little more than an idea, part of an ongoing conversation between hospitality industry leaders and John Dienhart, former chair of the Hotel, Tourism and Events (HTE) Department. The idea progressed when Dienhart walked into Associate Professor of Hotel Management Chad Gruhl’s office and asked, “How would you like to build a hotel?”

Back then, Gruhl said, he didn’t know anything about the byzantine complexities involved in constructing a building on a state campus shared by three colleges. In the end, it would take a determined college president, savvy board members, industry gurus, politicians, deans, faculty, investors, architects and hundreds of PowerPoint presentations to build Colorado’s only teaching hotel and academic building, which now graces the corner of Speer Boulevard and Auraria Parkway.

The über-modern SpringHill Suites® Denver Downtown, which is part of the HLC, is one of only 11 campus-based teaching hotels in the country, serving as both a training ground for the program’s 675 students and the hotel of choice for many lower downtown businesses, including the Pepsi Center, and visitors to the Auraria Campus.

STORY LESLIE POTROVSKI AND DAN VACCARO | PHOTOS MICHAEL RICHMOND

Managed by Denver-based Sage Hospitality, SpringHill Suites is staffed by 40 full-time employees, one-fourth of whom are MSU Denver students and alumni. Since opening in 2012, it has been enormously successful. According to Anne Frye, director of sales and marketing for the property, revenues are three years ahead of projections — having generated $1.9 million to date for the MSU Denver Foundation — and the hotel consistently ranks in the top 10 on TripAdvisor.com.

Beyond its identity as a fully functioning commercial hotel, SpringHill Suites also serves as a learning laboratory for students, who regularly rotate through the hotel either as interns or class participants, learning the business from the ground up by cleaning rooms, washing towels and assisting visitors.

“They are getting real-world training,” said Frye, who teaches in MSU Denver’s program. “They are going to take those experiences into the city of Denver and the state and improve hospitality for our tourists.”

But the experiential opportunities afforded by the HLC don’t stop with the hotel. A 5,000-square-foot conference center gives events management students a venue to practice their skills. The close proximity to downtown Denver allows tourism students the chance to explore the city and connect with the local tourism community.

There’s a sensory analysis lab (and a 3,100-bottle wine cellar

management lab) where future sommeliers and restaurant and beverage managers can educate their palettes, sampling beer, wine and spirits in a space optimized for natural light, sound and odor dampening.

On top of that, the HLC’s Metropolitan Grill is staffed by hotel and restaurant students, who do everything from designing the menu to washing the dishes. During the spring 2015 semester, diners enjoyed Costa Rican-inspired dishes including a veggie quesadilla, arroz con pollo and dulce de leche cookies.

All of this stands in stark contrast to a single, dark kitchen and handful of classrooms in the Plaza Building where the HTE program was housed previously. The change has been staggering, said department Chair Carol Krugman. Enrollment in the program has grown nearly 40 percent in the last five years.

“When students and parents visit the facility, the first reaction is usually ‘Wow!’” said Krugman. “Wow, indeed — who wouldn’t want to come here every day to learn?”

“It’s brought a lot of notoriety to who we are,” Gruhl said. “Nine years ago barely anybody knew we had a program. Now anybody in the world of hospitality education knows us. This is where most hotels in the state come for hiring students. This is their number-one choice.”

Elizabeth Booth Concentration: Global Wine Studies Current Student

Italian wine country — it’s been the backdrop for countless movies and books. You can probably see it in your mind: the breathtaking villas, rolling hills and sundappled vineyards.

Now imagine that same scene as a classroom.

That is exactly what it was for Elizabeth Booth, an Individualized Degree student majoring in global wine studies, who spent nine days in Italy this May as part of the Banfi Scholastic Tour program.

This opportunity was made possible by the Banfi Vintners Foundation, which invited MSU Denver to be one of 11 schools worldwide to participate in the program. The foundation provided a $12,000 grant to fund the immersion experience for one student and faculty member. As part of the tour, the MSU Denver contingent visited Banfi’s familyowned and partner wineries across the country and studied Italian culinary traditions.

“Studying with Banfi is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Booth. “It was the ultimate stepping-stone in achieving my career goals of becoming a master sommelier and owning my own importing company, with a focus on small Italian producers.”

As you might imagine, competition for the award was fierce, with students writing essays discussing their passion for wine and how the experience aligned with their professional goals. Applicants also participated in interviews with faculty and agreed to make public presentations upon return from the trip.

Professor Michael Wray, who accompanied Booth, believes this opportunity reflects the transformative education happening every day in the HTE program.

“It’s one thing to talk about wine in a class, another thing to read about it, or even taste it,” he said. “What we’re talking about here is going to the country, walking the vineyards, talking to the winemakers, tasting the food. That kind of immersive experience can’t help but change the way someone sees the world.”

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Kelsie Hutchinson

Concentration: Hotel, Tourism and Events Graduated: 2013 Job Title: Corporate Sales and Event Planner at Unser Karting & Events, Denver After a year of classes, MSU Denver sophomore Kelsie Hutchinson wanted a change.

Browsing the University’s course catalog, Hutchinson read the description for Introduction to Hospitality, Tourism and Events and enrolled in the course. Immediately she knew she had found her calling.

“I was drawn to the glamour of traveling and staying in different resorts,” she explained. “It was the idea of potentially traveling for a living.”

As an HTE major, Hutchinson thrived in the program’s experiential learning environment, earning a place at commencement as the College of Professional Studies’ outstanding student. “The program required us to work while in school,” she said. (All HTE majors must work 1,200 hours as employees or interns in the field to graduate.) “That requirement helped me find a job because I already had experience going into the workforce. Making us do that gave me more experience than other candidates.”

As a student, Hutchinson worked as a trip assistant for tourism professor Helle Sorensen (B.A. individualized studies ’98), helping to plan study trips to Scandinavia, the Caribbean and Namibia, Africa. Hutchinson also interned at the travel agency Africa Adventure Consultants and served as a visitor information specialist for Visit Denver, helping tourists connect to the city.

She got to stretch her own wings, traveling to Borneo as a student in Sorensen’s peripatetic eco-tourism class and studying abroad for a semester in Ireland.

Along the way, Hutchinson learned that tourism wasn’t all four-star hotels and palm trees. There were also Borneo’s pit vipers and long hours at the computer.

Nonetheless, she hopes to eventually combine her events planning and travel industry skills into one career.

“I am grateful that I went to MSU Denver,” she said. “Because it was more affordable, I was able to study abroad twice. If I had gone to a more expensive school, I probably wouldn’t have been able to do that.”

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International Flavor The International Congress of Gastronomy and Tourism, an annual conference and culinary exchange held in Oaxaca, Mexico, attracts students and instructors from across Latin America. But until this year, the conference had never hosted visitors from the United States.

“It’s a very exciting opportunity for MSU Denver students to learn about Latin American food and tradition while being fully immersed in the culinary capital of Mexico,” said Jackson Lamb, associate professor in the HTE program, who accompanied two students to the conference in mid-March. “To be the only group representing the U.S. speaks to the quality of our program and its commitment to unique learning partnerships.”

MSU Denver has been collaborating with host school, the Institute University of Oaxaca (IUO), for the past few years, sending professors to Mexico to teach ESL and nutrition. Lamb and his colleagues recently expanded that partnership by creating an official HTE professor exchange program, which also opened the door to participating in the conference.

After completing the class, “I declared my major.”

The weeklong gathering featured a variety of learning sessions, including cooking demonstrations and lectures about the diverse food and cultures of Latin America. As part of the program, participants also visited notable gastronomic and historic sites in and around Oaxaca and took part in a cooking competition.

Ellison’s classes reinforced concepts he already knew from his front-of-the-house hotel experience and gave him accounting and finance skills to keep his career moving forward. While still a student, he was promoted to Hilton Garden Inn guest service manager and nominated twice for Hospitality Stars of Excellence by the Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association.

Jason Rice, a hospitality major with a concentration in restaurant management, was thrilled to be part of this global learning experience. He and fellow student, Thomas Mortenson, took conversational Spanish classes to make the most of their time in Mexico. Generous grants from Student Activities and the HTE program funded the trip.

“All my professors were able to give me honest advice and information that really helped me with my career,” Ellison said. “I could go to them, saying, ‘I got this offer. Is it a good move for me?’

And they would bounce ideas off me. The relationship you can build with professors at Metro is key.”

“Traveling to another country and experiencing the food there was simply outstanding,” said Rice. “The congress itself offered insight into many different cultures and cuisines from across Latin America. We were able to participate in dinners with the IUO president and other chefs from Latin America. Everyone was interested in sharing their culture with us as well as learning from us.”

Justin Ellison

Concentration: Hotel Management Graduated: 2012 Job Title: Assistant General Manager at Marriott’s Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Midtown East Having spent his latter adolescence working in hotels, Justin Ellison was pretty sure that he didn’t want to become a hotelier when he enrolled at MSU Denver.

His choice of college, though, was a natural. His parents, Kevin and Shelley Ellison, met as students at the University, and Ellison knew he could get a quality education while maintaining his job as the front office supervisor at the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Denver.

“It’s a good school and it was convenient,” he said.

On the advice of a friend, Ellison took the Hotel, Tourism and Events intro class, thinking he would chalk it up as an elective. But as the semester wore on, something clicked. “I was learning about the possibilities in the field and how I could make it a career,” he said.

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After graduation, Stonebridge Companies, the hospitality management company that runs the Hilton Garden Inn (Stonebridge was co-founded by Rita and Navin Dimond who donated $1.5 million to MSU Denver and for whom the hotel management program is named), tapped Ellison to help open their newest property, a Residence Inn by Marriott in midtown Manhattan.

“I jump-started my career by going to Metro,” Ellison said. “I don’t think I would be where I am today if I had gone to a different school.”

For Lamb, the conference was about sharing a little of the U.S. culinary tradition, plus growing a network of international relationships that could lead to even greater collaboration. He sees those relationships as potentially helping the University reach its goal of becoming a Hispanic Serving Institution, but most essentially, as a way to create even more opportunities for student transformation.

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Doctor, doctor LANCE WHITEHAIR WENT FROM UNEMPLOYED TO M.D. WITH HER MSU DENVER DEGREE. STORY AMY PHARE Meet Lance Whitehair (B.S. biology ’06): doctor at Memorial Medical Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico, assistant chief resident physician of the Southern New Mexico Family Medicine Residency Program, and aspiring professor.

Dani (Rickert) Korth

Concentration: Event Management Graduated: 2011 Job Title: Meeting Architect at Kinsley Meetings, Denver Dani Korth knew she had a passion for party planning but had no idea how that would translate into an academic program or career. So, she started Googling.

“I noticed that there was a theme of ‘hospitality’ whenever I searched the various terms of what I wanted to do,” she said in an email. “Once I put two and two together, I looked into what Metro had to offer, because I was already enrolled there and it turned out they had a really great program for just this!”

As a Hospitality, Tourism and Events student with an eventmanagement concentration, Korth took classes that involved setting up exhibits and planning a golf tournament and other events. “We got a lot of hands-on opportunities that a lot of people don’t get in college these days,” she said.

“Plus it was a program where you really get to know your fellow students. These are the people who are going to be your colleagues, the people you are going to work with and help you in your job in the future.”

Korth logged plenty of on-the-job experience during her years at MSU Denver, which helped her hone in on aspects of the events industry she liked best. A six-month stint as a guest service agent at a hotel downtown convinced her that hotels weren’t for her. A job as an assistant at the Colorado Society of Association Executives exposed her to the world of nonprofits. And a freelance gig as the special events coordinator at The Melting Pot restaurant gave her a taste of the food and beverage industry.

But it was her internship at the Denver-based meetingplanning company Kinsley where she found a launch pad for her career. As a meeting architect for Kinsley, she works with clients from all over the country, managing small events to 1,500-person meetings.

“All the professors come from industry,” she said of her experience at the University. “And they are willing to use their contacts to get you into the industry and make introductions.

They fully prepare you so you have contacts and not just a degree.”

Whitehair hasn’t always had such an impressive resume, however.

Barely graduating from high school, Whitehair developed a drinking problem and in her early 20s was laid off from a data-entry position.

“My mother was a single mom and a registered nurse who went back to school herself, so there was no way she could pay for my education,” said Whitehair, who was forced to work entry-level jobs because of her lack of experience and a college degree. “I felt that was my lot in life,” she added.

Eventually, she grew frustrated with her situation and, deep down, knew that education was the answer. “With a degree, I would have to be able to get a decent job,” she said of her decision to begin coursework at MSU Denver in 2003.

Not only does she credit MSU Denver’s faculty for working well with nontraditional students like

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herself, she credits the University with making education so accessible. “I don’t know that I could have gone to college if it were more expensive,” said Whitehair, who helped subsidize her education with scholarships and grants, and by tutoring other students in math and chemistry.

Step by step, she carved a better path for her future. When MSU Denver’s Biology Department advertised fellowships in cancer research, Whitehair applied and was accepted. Before that experience, she said she simply “wanted to get a college degree and maybe become a lab tech.” But the opportunity to work with an immunologist “put ambition and a work ethic into my life,” she said.

Since earning her bachelor’s in biology in 2006, Whitehair has

contributed to The New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet Oncology, and earned a doctorate degree in medicine from the University of Minnesota Medical School.

“I will likely be chief resident of my program next year,” she said of the head-doctor-in-training position in her residency. “It is a great honor.”

Describing the desert as her home, she hopes to practice full-spectrum family medicine on her home reservation, the Navajo Indian Reservation.

Looking back at her days before MSU Denver, Whitehair is impressed by her own transformation.

“I don’t know if I’d be a physician today if it weren’t for Metro,” she said.

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People Alumni News + Notes 1978

Betty LaVelle, formerly Betty Sullivan Dougherty (B.A. philosophy ’78), published “Butterflies, Scarabs and Secrets: The Life and Artwork of Clayton Blair Dougherty” in 2014 and is currently conducting research for a sequel, titled “Don’t Tell Mary.” The book is available at bettytlavelle.com.

1980

Claude Christensen (B.S. land use ’80) is the mayor of Sadieville, Kentucky. He currently serves as immediate past president for the Scott County Chamber of Commerce after serving as president for the 2014 calendar year. Christensen was elected first vice president of the Kentucky League of Cities in 2014 and is slated to become president in 2016. He was appointed by Kentucky Governor Steve Breshear to the Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center Board of Directors in 2015. He retired as chief information architect and deputy chief information officer with the U.S. Department of the Interior and Peace Corps in 2004.

William Isaacs (B.S. accounting ‘80) retired from public accounting after nearly 30 years.

1992

Linda Hansen (B.A. broadcast communications ’92) is the manager of alumni communications and the annual fund for the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Hansen manages the publication of the school’s alumni magazine, The Eccles Exchange, as well as the alumni social media sites. She also manages the school’s annual fund campaign. She has two teenagers who keep her “laughing and learning.”

Scott Knight (B.S. management ’92) is the regional operations manager for Martin Transportation Systems in Dallas, Texas.

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1996

Ajayi Harris (B.S. political science ’96) is the associate director of annual giving for the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts. Following graduation from MSU Denver she worked on clean air, water and land, hunger and homelessness issues in Massachusetts and raised money for local and national advocacy groups on the East Coast. Harris married in 2006 and has two small children.

Dawn Pokol Garcia (B.S. human services ’96) is the regional workforce director for the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment in Fort Morgan, Colorado. She serves as board president for Rural Solutions, is a member of the board of directors for the North East Colorado Association of Local Governments and the Fort Morgan Chamber of Commerce, and serves as a subcommittee co-chair for Progressive 15 in the areas of business and labor.

2001

John Kidd (B.S. computer information systems ’01) was a recent candidate for Denver City Council, District 2. He lives with his wife and their two children in Southwest Denver.

Kidd owns and operates a small insurance brokerage agency in his neighborhood and is a licensed insurance agent in 11 states including Colorado. The first in his family to graduate from college, Kidd graduated from MSU Denver magna cum laude. He is a proud U.S. Marine Corps veteran.

2003

Joy C. Davidson (B.A. modern languages ’03) is a caregiver at Adeste In-Home Care in Lakewood, Colorado. She recently wrote a book about dealing with change titled, “Surviving the Storm: Finding the Best New Normal.” Davidson has also written numerous articles about older adults and advocating for them for the Seniors Resource Guide website.

SUMMER 2015

Jody Huntington (B.S. behavioral science ‘03) is an associate professor at Regis University in the Division of Counseling and Family Therapy. She was recently named one of the founders for the Regis Neighborhood Health Service, a new venture which focuses on improving neighborhood healthy living.

Jim Lambert (B.S. human services ’03) is a mental health case manager for the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

2004

Robert C. Haight (B.S. political science ’04) is an assistant professor at Regis University. Haight earned his Ph.D. in educational leadership, research and policy from the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs in December 2014.

2005

David Watkins (B.S. aviation technology ’05) is the aviation practice leader for Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty. He moved with his wife to Munich, Germany, to lead Allianz’s global general aviation portfolio for 14 countries.

2008

Vanessa Jones (B.A. communications ’08) is the care coordinator at Boulder Community Health. She will begin school to become an emergency medical technician in August 2015.

2012

Chris McAdams (B.S. human nutrition ’12) is the public relations/marketing director for McAdams Plumbing, Inc. in Broomfield, Colorado. Following graduation from MSU Denver, McAdams was offered a position with his family’s company where he has developed a strong brand and marketing direction and has averaged 26 percent fiscal growth since his hiring. He is enrolled in a master’s program in marketing and public relations at the University of Denver’s University College. He and his wife, Sadie, are currently remodeling their house in Westminster.

People In Memory 2010

Na’im McKee (B.A. marketing ’10) is the director of digital marketing at the University of Denver. After graduating from MSU Denver, McKee completed the dual M.B.A./M.S.M. program at the University of Colorado-Denver. In addition to working at DU, where he lectures on digital analytics, information architecture and digital branding, McKee owns a digital consulting firm, Elephant Marketing Solutions. DU’s 150th Sesquicentennial website was awarded a gold award by Higher Education Marketing, and last year, McKee delivered the opening speech at the Denver Digital Summit.

2013

Zyola T. Mix (B.S. aviation and aerospace science ’13) is a mechanical design engineer for SEAKR Engineering, Inc. in Centennial, Colorado. In addition to working at the aerospace firm, Mix is active in STEM outreach at Denver Public Schools, Aurora Public Schools and the Cherry Creek School District. In March 2014, she was inducted into the Take Flight Leadership Aviation “Hall of Fame” for mentoring several high school students, and encouraging them to earn their pilot’s certificates and attend college.

In January 2015, a part she designed was launched into space and is functioning as intended. Mix was honored by the League of Women Voters as a “2015 Woman to Watch” in March 2015. She recently began work on her master’s in systems engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

2014

Stephanie Lowe (B.S. human performance and sport ’14) is the catering sales manager for Levy Restaurants at the Pepsi Center.

SHARE YOUR NEWS

Email your class notes to magazine@msudenver.edu or submit an update online at msudenver.edu/magazine.

1970s

Lon Huckaby (B.A. music education ’76) January 2014 Rev. Canon Anna Powell (B.A. political science ’77) June 2014 James Shaffer II (B.A. political science ’70) March 2015 Dennis Wetmore (B.S. law enforcement ’72) December 2014

1980s

Sandra Giles (Piech) (B.A. contract ’88) March 2015 Cindy Werges (B.S. accounting ’80) August 2011

1990s

Karla Kurth (B.S. biology ’96) August 2009 Troy Willis (B.S. human services ’94) June 2014

was established to recognize a staff member for outstanding contributions to Roadrunners Athletics.

Arcese and his wife created the Joseph F. and Susan J. Arcese Endowed Athletic Scholarship to provide financial support for MSU Denver student-athletes.

Former College of Business Dean John Cochran retired from MSU Denver in 2011. He died in May 2015 at the age of 66.

Cochran began teaching economics at MSU Denver in 1981. He later served as chair of the Economics Department. Among his credentials, Cochran was a senior scholar of the Ludwig von Mises Institute, the leading research and educational center of classical liberalism, libertarian political theory and the Austrian School of Economics.

The author of numerous scholarly publications and articles, Cochran was awarded MSU Denver’s Golden Key National Honour Society Outstanding Researcher/Scholar

Award in 2002 and the University’s Distinguished Service Award in 2004. In 2012, Cochran provided testimony to the Congressional Committee on Financial Services on the topic of domestic monetary policy and technology.

Eleanor Green, who served MSU Denver in various capacities from the 1970s until her retirement as director of Adult Learning Services in the 1990s, died in November 2014 at the age of 92.

During her time at MSU Denver, Green founded what is now the Center for Individualized Learning, and served as director of the University’s Assessment Center and director of Experiential Education. Green was instrumental in organizing the Women’s Caucus for the University, which advocated for women faculty and staff. She received an Outstanding Woman Award from the Institute for Women’s Studies and Services in 1988. Green was a staunch

advocate for social justice and civil rights. She and her husband, Marlon, brought a case to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1963 that helped dismantle racial discrimination in the airline industry.

Professor Emerita Charlotte Klyn taught aviation and aerospace science at MSU Denver from 1973 until her retirement in 1982. Klyn is credited with one of the first self-paced instructional texts in her field. She died in March 2012.

Assistant Professor Mark Mazurek began teaching biology at MSU Denver in August 2010. He died in May 2015.

Professor Emeritus Russell “Duke” Stoner taught technical writing and editing in the Journalism and Technical Communication Department for 10 years until his retirement in the 1980s. He died in May 2015.

2000s

Eric Spanier (B.S. marketing ’00) December 2014

Faculty and Staff

Former Vice President of Administration Joe Arcese retired from MSU Denver in 2002. He died in May 2015 at the age of 67.

A member of the U.S. ParaOlympic wheelchair basketball teams that won a gold medal in 1976 and a silver medal in 1968, Arcese was instrumental in transforming Roadrunners Athletics into a national contender in the NCAA’s Division II. In 1999, the annual Joseph F. Arcese Award

Attention Roadrunners!

Big things are happening at MSU Denver’s Alumni Association. Look for more alumni news in the next issue of Metropolitan Denver Magazine.

msudenver.edu/alumni SUMMER 2015

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the

FINALWORD

ANNIVERSARY BENCH MARKS Senior industrial design major Momo Hayashi.

A

n internship with marine-science gurus changed Joan Foster’s life. After earning a

bachelor’s degree in biology from MSU Denver in 1978, Foster’s internship led to a job at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) Environmental Research Laboratories in Boulder. “By working with a bunch of Ph.D.s at NOAA, I realized I wanted to go to graduate school and become a professor,” she said. Today, the Denver native is dean of MSU Denver’s College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

What was MSU Denver like in the 1970s? MSU Denver was still down around Colfax in a bunch of rented buildings. The “Chicken Unlimited” — a fast food restaurant — was the closest thing we had to a student union.

How were you transformed by your time at MSU Denver? I excelled. During my first year, I played on the women’s volleyball team, which then practiced at the YWCA. I got to know the faculty and they got to know me. I was transformed by learning how to learn.

What made you want to return here after graduation? During my time as an undergrad at MSU Denver, I grew to love learning. I wanted to provide that opportunity to students.

What does it mean to you — personally and professionally — to work at your alma mater? MSU

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SUMMER 2015

Denver transforms lives. It takes students from all walks of life and provides them the opportunity to better themselves through education. We provide rich classroom environments through the diversity of our students.

How has MSU Denver’s reputation changed over the years? We have gained a strong recognition in the community that is spreading across the country. We are seen as a nimble, innovative institution that provides a great education for a variety of students. We play an important role in the Denver area.

Moving forward, what are your hopes, goals and vision for the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences? To keep the college as diverse, strong and vibrant as possible. We have outstanding, dedicated faculty and staff, terrific disciplines and great curricula. I’d like to increase our retention and graduation rates so that more students are successful. We also reach out to the surrounding community, and bring K-12 students and adults to campus for educational and arts events. Maintaining this relationship with the community is very important.

You have your own signature coffee cup: a science beaker! Tell us about it. I have had a beaker cup for 15-20 years. I was the faculty advisor to the biology club way back in the 1990s and we sold them to make money. Underneath it all, I have maintained the curiosity of a scientist. I want to learn how things work. And my beaker mug is my reminder of that core drive.

Alumna and College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Dean Joan Foster reveals how MSU Denver and marine science changed her life, what it’s like to work for her alma mater and the significance of her coffee mug.

STORY ROGER FILLION | PHOTO DAVE NELIGH To help commemorate MSU Denver’s 50th anniversary, a handful of our industrial design students created benches that represent each decade of the University’s history. You can view some of the benches this summer in Denver’s Larimer Square and at Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum.

See for yourself how MSU Denver continues to transform lives, communities and higher education.

Join the celebration! msudenver.edu/50

#msudenver50

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit 2965 Denver, CO

Campus Box 86 P.O. Box 173362 Denver, CO 80217

CELEBRATING MSU DENVER’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY INDEPENDENCE EVE

CIVIC CENTER PARK

FRIDAY, JULY 3

6-10 P.M.

msudenver.edu/50 #msudenver50