M MAG AGAAZZI INNEE ||WINTER SPRING 2020 2021
also:
Tossing standardized tests Hospitality comeback Avalanche research pioneer
Success in Service Roadrunners answer the call to serve their country and communities
M E T R OP OL I TA N STAT E UN I V E R S I TY OF DEN VER
R E L E VA N T. ESS ENTI AL. D ENVE R.
CONTENTS SPRING 2021 | red.msudenver.edu
FEATURES
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Community-service champions
While the pandemic canceled, postponed, interrupted or altered the 2020-21 sports seasons, Roadrunners remained focused on their goal of serving Colorado communities.
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Test optional
Student success stories show the shortcomings of standardized tests.
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Rooms to grow
The pandemic hit hotels hard. Here’s how Roadrunners have risen to guide the hospitality industry through the challenges of today and the promise of tomorrow.
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First Word
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News
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Richardson rises
MSU Denver alumna Laura Richardson could be the second woman to be promoted to four-star general in the Army.
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From refugee to representative
Naquetta Ricks’ path winds from Liberia to the state Capitol.
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Recovery revelation
Tabitha Shackleton battled addiction for 25 years. Now, she’s championing the wraparound services that turned her life around.
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Ballot boost
Audrey Kline’s work to expand mail-in voting systems pays off during a global pandemic.
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Deep experience
Snow-research pioneer Chris George spent decades studying Colorado’s slide-prone slopes. His legacy lives on in the Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies.
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Roadrunners
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In Memory
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Style of success
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson. Photo by Alyson McClaran.
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AMANDA SCHWENGEL
on the cover:
Shot in the arm MSU Denver nursing student Rhonda Duncan administers a Covid-19 vaccination as part of her clinical rotation at the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless in Denver. The coalition provides integrated housing, health care and vocational and supportive services to create lasting solutions to homelessness in Colorado.
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PUBLISHER
Catherine B. Lucas, APR EDITOR
John Arnold
The Roadrunner spirit rises
ART DIRECTOR
Scott Surine P U B L I C AT I O N D E S I G N E R
Aldrich Design
After more than a year of confronting historic challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Auraria Campus remains eerily quiet. “We miss you,” President Janine Davidson, Ph.D., said in a recent message to students, acknowledging their sacrifice, perseverance and hard work over the past 14 months. “Even with a few courses happening in person, the energy and hustle and bustle that fuel the Roadrunner spirit have been missing.” That should soon change. In her message, Davidson went on to outline the University’s plans FIRST to return to campus for the fall WORD semester, encouraging all students, faculty members and staff members to get vaccinated. In fact, Auraria’s on-campus vaccination site has been distributing thousands of vaccines to the Roadrunner community this spring. This, along with the University’s commitment to continue following federal, state and local health guidelines, is key to a safe return to full on-campus operations. Meanwhile, University leaders have been working tirelessly to bring the number of on-campus courses in the fall close to pre-pandemic levels, while also using their judgment about what mix of online and remote courses best works for students and departments. Equally important has been the careful attention devoted to planning for contingencies, as this extremely fluid public-health crisis plays out. MSU Denver is ready to shift gears yet again, should the trajectory of the pandemic require the University to do so.
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This flexibility and the tenacity, purpose and entrepreneurial spirit that our community has demonstrated in fulfilling the University’s mission over the past 14 months embody the Roadrunner spirit that we sorely miss seeing on campus. These are the characteristics and values that have defined our students and alumni since the University was founded and that inspire them to serve their country and communities in so many ways. You’ll read about such service in this issue. From the highest ranks of the military to the state Capitol to homeless encampments on the streets of Denver, our alumni make an enormous difference in the lives of others. So do our students, as you’ll learn from “Community-service champions,” a look at how MSU Denver student-athletes have spent much of the past year off the field and in their communities helping those struggling through the pandemic. “There is nothing more gratifying than to serve the community and make the lives of others better,” said MSU Denver Athletic Director Todd Thurman. It is a sentiment our students and alumni have long understood and will continue to embrace long after the pandemic has passed.
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
Debora Gilliard, professor of Management Brian Gunther, School of Education communications manager Jamie Hurst, assistant vice president of Strategic Engagement Sam Ng, professor of Meteorology James A. Webb, career advisor, School of Hospitality Lynne Winter, assistant director of Advancement communication Kip Wotkyns, professor of Journalism RED Magazine is published three times a year by the Metropolitan State University of Denver Office of Strategy, Marketing and Communications. © 2021 Metropolitan State University of Denver. All rights reserved. Send correspondence and address updates to magazine@msudenver.edu. The opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the policies and opinions of Metropolitan State University of
Sincerely,
Denver or imply endorsement by its officers or by the MSU Denver Alumni Association. MSU Denver does not discriminate on the basis of race,
JOHN ARNOLD
color, creed, national origin, sex, age,
Editor, RED Magazine Metropolitan State University of Denver
sexual orientation or disability in admissions or access to, or treatment or employment in, its educational programs or activities.
NEWS
The 100,000th grad For Ingersoll, who transferred from Front Range Community College, the University excelled at providing the personal support he needed to shine. “I received such hands-on help from my teachers,” he said. He cited how his professors spent hours helping him submit papers to academic conferences. As a result, he secured a top paper in the ethics division with the National Communication Association. The extra support from faculty members was especially pertinent as he navigated his final two semesters during the pandemic, he said.
AMANDA SCHWENGEL
Metropolitan State University of Denver celebrated a major milestone last fall: its 100,000th graduate. For Branden Ingersoll, a 24-year-old Communications major from Brighton, that celebration was personal. The 100,000th graduate said it was an honor to be a part of the University’s history and lauded his college experience. “The level of education I got here was unparalleled,” he said. “MSU Denver definitely surpassed my expectations.” The University has been exceeding expectations since it opened its doors in 1965. It hosted its first Commencement ceremony in 1967. By 1969, the school had awarded more than 150 associate degrees, and it awarded its first 60 baccalaureate degrees at a ceremony June 1 of the same year. Since those ceremonies, thousands of other students from diverse backgrounds and experiences have chosen to receive their education at MSU Denver.
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NEWS
Strategic planning during a pandemic Like almost everything else in the past year, Metropolitan State University of Denver’s strategic-planning process wasn’t typical. In fact, the process mirrored how much of the country responded to the triple crises of a global pandemic, an economic downturn and widespread social unrest: pause, respond and recalibrate. The result is the University’s 2030 Strategic Plan, a lodestar for leading the institution to national prominence in academic, civic and economic arenas as an urban anchor institution. The plan is also a road map for how higher education can be accessible
STRATEGIC PLAN
and rigorous, adapting to meet the needs of individuals and communities, and a sneak peek at what the future of higher education looks like, said President Janine Davidson, Ph.D. “Schools like ours — those serving working adults, students of color, those laid off from work or who otherwise don’t fit in the ‘traditional’ mold — need options,” she said. “That has to be our mission: We meet people where they are in their complicated, zigzaggy lives.” The 2030 Strategic Plan supports the University’s overall vision of being a nationally recognized leader for social mobility.
“That has to be our mission: We meet people where they are in their complicated, zigzaggy lives.”
We hear you reader did: “This issue is relevant “Z-change,” the cover story of and offers an often unheard our Winter 2020 issue of RED perspective, and speaks to the Magazine, got your attention, heart and founding principles of generating the kind of honest MSU Denver from the 1960s.” and open communication that we These differences of opinion value and practice at Metropolitan from our readers mirror the State University of Denver. We CHANGE tough conversations that are appreciate that so many of you happening every day in our wrote to share your thoughts and classrooms and around the concerns about the cover and the country. As noted in the article, our students story, which focused on how some Generation are often leading those conversations on and Z and millennial MSU Denver students were off campus. Their thoughts and opinions reflect participating in the racial-justice movement of a wide variety of political perspectives, and 2020. The feedback spanned the spectrum. we are proud that they are able to articulate Many of you noted that some protests, their views and participate in respectful open including those in downtown Denver, turned dialogue. The examination and debate of ideas, violent, resulting in injuries, vandalism and looting. whether we agree with them or not, is a matter As one reader commented: “Yes, things are not of free speech, which is a closely protected as we would like them to be, but destroying legal right in our democracy and a fundamental property and demanding that only their speech part of the higher-education experience at be the final word is not how America works.” MSU Denver. Others wrote to express support, as this ALSO: Revolutionizing 911 response
Miss Black Colorado speaks out
M AG A Z I N E | WINTER 2020
Stamping out book deserts
Gen Z and millennials reimagine the movement for racial justice
METROPOLITAN STATE UNIVERSITY OF DENVER W INTER 2020 | RED M AG AZ INE
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We truly believe that providing a forum for dialogue and debate on contentious and complex issues moves our country forward. In fact, MSU Denver President Janine Davidson, Ph.D., and General Counsel David Fine teach a class on free speech that examines the First Amendment in its historical and modern contexts and encourages robust but civil discussion of difficult societal issues. They used the Winter 2020 issue of RED Magazine and the reaction to it as a teaching tool in the class. As the University that serves the most students of color in Colorado, we also felt it was important to recognize and report on this moment in our country’s history. We are grateful that you took the time to participate in this important conversation. We encourage you to continue to explore the breadth of issues and topics we cover in our magazine, and we always welcome your feedback. — John Arnold, editor, RED Magazine
Today, nearly 75% of Colorado jobs require some sort of postsecondary education. About 65% of white Coloradans meet that threshold, compared with 44% of the state’s Black population. That equity gap is personal for Emanuel Walker. “I was the person struggling, part of a demographic that’s often looked over,” said the Metropolitan State University of Denver junior, who came to Colorado as a refugee from Liberia. Walker is working to close the gap. As a computer information systems student, he has developed ways to increase retention and graduation rates among Black students through experiential learning, research and initiatives such as providing digital “badges” to demonstrate skills. “Looking ahead, our city, with you leading the way, is going to be all right,” said Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, who honored Walker in January at the 2021 My Brother’s Keeper Emerging Leader award ceremony. Walker served as an advisor on the state Department of Higher Education’s Colorado Equity Champions Coalition and contributed to its recent report on educational equity. His dedication to equitable advancement is based in experience. He
AMANDA SCHWENGEL
Student champions equity
arrived in the United States in 2004, fleeing civil war in Liberia. Coming from a place where education was reserved for the privileged, Walker credits his mother for prioritizing education as a means for social change. On the Auraria Campus, Walker discovered a passion for technology and a feeling of belonging. At MSU Denver, he continued to build relationships and said support from the University’s Reisher and Puksta scholarship programs helped him “become the person I am today.” Walker’s long-term plan is to work as an informationtechnology project manager in education, focusing on closing the equity gap and shaping policy.
Fighting food insecurity on campus
AMANDA SCHWENGEL
It’s hard to learn when you’re hungry — at any age. Food insecurity for schoolchildren is well-documented, but less reported is the degree to which college students experience hunger. A 2019 survey of students at Metropolitan State University of Denver found that more than 40% had experienced food insecurity within the previous 30 days. Covid-19 exacerbated that problem, which is why the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) launched
its Hunger Free and Healthy Minds campus checklists, a coordinated effort to address social determinants of collegestudent success. “Today is a big day for students in Colorado, one where we commit to eliminating food insecurity and prioritizing mentalhealth needs for those pursuing postsecondary education,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a kickoff event Feb. 24. MSU Denver, long recognized for its robust student-support services, was the first higher-education institution to partner with the state on the new initiative. According to Colorado’s Department of Human Services, four of every 10 eligible state residents don’t take advantage of available relief benefits. Against this backdrop, the campus checklists are vital as a best-practice guide, as higher education often serves as a point of access for connecting to services, said Angie Paccione, Ph.D., executive director of the CDHE. MSU Denver is ahead of the curve with its services, said Will Simpkins, Ed.D., vice president of Student Affairs. In addition to the Roadrunner Food Pantry, the University offers the singlestop model of the Student at left: MSU Denver Care Center and critical aid Hospitality students assemble from the Student Emergency meal kits for fellow students experiencing food insecurity. Fund, among other resources. SP R ING 2 02 1 | RED MAGAZINE
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“They are so cute, just the cutest little humans ever.”
ALYSON McCLARAN
— KAYLA WHITE
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COMMUNITYSERVICE CHAMPIONS By Rob White
The Covid-19 pandemic drove Metropolitan State University of Denver student-athletes to change their training regimens over the past year. And the results have been adorable. Last fall, 33 Roadrunners trained with the Denver Public Library’s Read Aloud program to read virtually to children attending Denver’s Head Start early childhood education centers. The program, which launched in 1988, was designed to help Denver children develop a love of books and prereading skills while promoting the use of Denver Public Libraries. But it’s clear the student-athletes got a lot out of the experience as well. “They are so cute, just the cutest little humans ever,” volleyball player Kayla White said. “We read a counting book, and they are super-smart. They were very engaging. As long as I asked them questions, they wanted to tell me everything about themselves.
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MS U D EN V ER ST U D EN T-AT H LET E
SERVICE BY THE NUMBERS
1,250 HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE between September 2020 and February 2021
$3,290 VALUE OF SCHOOL SUPPLIES, clothes and hygiene products donated to A Precious Child
10,000 CHILDREN WERE PROVIDED with Food for Thought “PowerSacks” packed with two meals
200 HOURS SPENT READING to children through Read Aloud
2,000 CHILDREN WHO RECEIVED Christmas gifts through Joy of Giving
“There is nothing more gratifying than to serve the community and make the lives of others better.”
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— TODD THURMAN
AMANDA SCHWENGEL
“It’s been a great opportunity to do community service and to still have social distancing.” This year, while Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference sports seasons were canceled, postponed, interrupted or altered, Roadrunners remained focused on their goal of serving Colorado communities. Studentathletes and staff have logged more than 1,250 hours of community service at nonprofits such as Food for Thought Denver, Food Bank of the Rockies, the Gold Crown Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Project Angel Heart and Read Aloud. MSU Denver Athletics’ work for Food for Thought, which seeks to eliminate childhood hunger, earned the University recognition as a national finalist for the 2021 NCAA Division II Award of Excellence. “We’re excited about the contributions our student-athletes and staff have made in the community, and we’re really just starting to hit our stride as a department,” said Todd Thurman, MSU Denver’s first-year director of Athletics. “There is nothing more gratifying than to serve the community and make the lives of others better.” While all of the department’s 16 sports and 200-plus student-athletes contribute to community service, the softball team leads the way, with a 15-player roster and two-person coaching staff putting in almost 400 hours of service at 14 organizations since September. “We have wonderful young women in our program, so I’m not surprised by their hard work and dedication to community service,” said softball coach Annie Van Wetzinga. “But I am very proud of the initiatives they have pursued on their own and the overall positive attitude they have taken toward giving back.” The squad’s second baseman-outfielder, Ari Valdez, leads all studentathletes with more than 36 hours of community service. She decorated food bags for Project Angel Heart, helped sort donations for A Precious Child, packed bags for Food for Thought, created cards for kids and wrote letters to seniors living at the Sunrise in Cherry Creek. Her favorite project, though, was the Joy of Giving, a drive-through event organized by the City and County of Denver to provide children with a Christmas experience; Valdez served as an elf gathering gifts for Santa to hand out to children in their cars. “It was such a special feeling to see the children and families in their car so excited to meet Santa, give him their letters and receive their gift,” said Valdez, a graduate of Denver’s John F. Kennedy High School. Other MSU Denver student-athletes were also able to fill high-demand roles in the Read Aloud program as bilingual readers, adding to MSU Denver’s credentials as a federally designated HispanicServing Institution.
Men’s soccer player Jerry Gutierrez is equally comfortable speaking Spanish and English, having grown up in a Spanish-speaking household in California, and on the pitch he often communicates with his teammates in Spanish, he said. But he’d never actually shared stories in the language until he volunteered. “The kids (were) very interactive and liked listening to it,” he said. Women’s tennis player Gala Castello is from Barcelona, Spain, and speaks Spanish as well as Catalan. When she read a book in Spanish about manners, some words were lost in translation, she said. “The way I pronounce some words is a little different,” she said, “and they don’t seem to always follow it. But it’s a good experience to know that you are helping little kids.” While the respective 2020-21 seasons may not have played out as MSU Denver student-athletes and coaches had planned, Thurman said he
is confident that the experiences and perspectives they gained from their community service will provide life lessons they take forward after their collegiate careers are over. “We are continuing to find more ways to engage with the community and to become an even greater asset to the Denver area,” he said. “I’m very proud of how we’ve found ways to do that, even though we’ve spent so much time away from campus.” For Valdez, volunteering helped her take pride in putting others’ needs before her own. “With the pandemic going on, I know many parents were struggling financially to support their families,” she said. “Volunteering is something I enjoy doing because it makes me feel accomplished, gives me a purpose and helps me appreciate the things I have in my own life.”
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T E ST JHORROCKS/ISTOCK IMAGES
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Student-success stories show the shortcomings of standardized tests. By Matt Watson Illustration by Edu Fuentes • Photos by Alyson McClaran
Miguel Angel Escobar Garza excelled at Denver’s Abraham Lincoln High School, graduating in 2015 with a GPA north of 3.0. But you wouldn’t know it by looking at his standardized-test scores. English is Garza’s second language, and the barrier was pronounced on the English portion of the ACT; his math score was nearly twice as high. Those scores were one reason he didn’t plan on going to college until a mentor who saw his potential connected him with the Center for Urban Education at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Today, Garza is majoring in electrical engineering technology and works as a peer mentor for other men of color enrolled at the University. “Math is a pretty universal language,” he said.
Standardized tests are polarizing in the education world. Critics have long argued that they aren’t an objective measure of students’ academic ability, and research shows that average SAT scores line up linearly with family income and parental education level. Now, proposed legislation in the Colorado General Assembly could end the debate once and for all by allowing for test-optional admissions at state universities. House Bill 1067 would amend state statute to allow, instead of require, public institutions of higher education to use standardized test scores in their admissions criteria. The bill would also establish an annual report examining enrollment, retention and graduation trends for those who did and didn’t submit test scores, broken down by race,
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Average SAT scores by race/ethnicity in Colorado American Indian/Alaska Native Asian
884 1,122
Black/African American
905
Hispanic/Latino
916
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander
934
White
1,072
Two or More Races
1,060
No Response
973
SOURCE: The College Board 2020 SAT Suite of Assessments
ethnicity and gender as well as Pell Grant-eligibility and firstgeneration student status. Garza was born in El Paso, Texas, but grew up in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. As a teenager, he crossed the border daily at 6 a.m. to attend a U.S. school that started at 9 a.m. When he missed the bus, he walked 3 miles to school. It was worth it, he said, to attend a school with superior academics, technology and lunches compared with schools on the Mexican side. “It was tough, (crossing the border) on my own,” he said. “I have two brothers who are younger, and they were about to do the same, but my parents wanted to do things different. That’s why we decided to come to Colorado.” While the aspiring engineer is close to the American dream of graduating from college, getting a good job and achieving social mobility, his path was almost short-circuited by a test he took at 17. Count Ally Garcia, Ed.D., assistant dean and director of MSU Denver’s TRIO Student Support Services, as one of many administrators who would prefer to toss the tests altogether.
“I don’t think standardized tests are an accurate assessment of a student’s ability to be successful,” Garcia said. “I worry that we’re creating more haves and have-nots, and it’s usually more people that are middle-income and white who are set up to be successful.” MORE THAN A SCORE
student :
Miguel Angel Escobar Garza high school :
Abraham Lincoln Electrical Engineering Technology leader : Peer mentor for men of color through Brother to Brother major :
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At MSU Denver, Colorado’s only modified open-access university, students who are at least 20 years old with a high school diploma or GED are automatically admitted by state statute. With an average student age of 25, the University admits most students without seeing their test scores. It’s the 20% of Roadrunners who enroll at age 19 or younger who have to submit scores, as required of all public four-year universities in Colorado. University leaders have made a data-based case for excluding the ACT and SAT, as an analysis of MSU Denver data showed high school GPA to be a better predictor of studentretention rates than test scores. Through her work at TRIO, Garcia serves students who are first-generation, low-income and/or have a disability. Most struggle with standardized tests. TRIO looks beyond the numbers and conducts interviews with applicants to gain a more holistic view of a student’s potential. Their stories often reveal hard-to-quantify work ethic, life skills and ability. One such student is Safiya Abdulhakim, a 2017 Denver South High School grad who scored a 14 on the ACT. The average score in Colorado for that year’s graduating class was 20.8. “I understood how important the test was because I had a lot of tutors,” she said. “I had a tutor that helped me study on
alumna :
assistant dean :
Safiya Abdulhakim
Ally Garcia, Ed.D.
degree :
degrees :
B.S., Aviation and Aerospace Management career : Service dispatcher for United Ground Express at Denver International Airport
the weekends and came to the library with me. I feel like I did everything I could do.” But at MSU Denver, Abdulhakim showed what she could do with wraparound support from TRIO. Garcia said she is one of the hardest-working students she’s ever worked with, and it paid off when Abdulhakim graduated from MSU Denver in 2020 with a 3.27 GPA and a degree in aviation and aerospace management. She now works as a service dispatcher for United Ground Express at Denver International Airport. MAKING COLLEGE PERSONAL
Eliminating standardized tests in college admissions is personal for Garcia. She graduated near the top of her class at a National Blue Ribbon School in Pueblo, but a low ACT score limited her college options. Despite getting A’s in college-level courses in high school, she was denied by the private college recruiting her to play softball because of her test scores. Even now, having earned a bachelor’s degree in speechlanguage pathology and a Master of Teaching from MSU Denver as well as a doctorate in education from the University of Denver, Garcia is tormented by the tests she took as a teenager. “I was always really embarrassed by my ACT score because I knew I was a good student,” she said. “I was taking accelerated classes and doing well, but I just wasn’t a good test-taker.” Like Garza and Abdulhakim, Garcia’s postsecondary
B.S., Speech-Language Pathology, MAT, Special Education, MSU Denver; Ed.D., University of Denver work : Director of TRIO Student Support Services, a program that supports students who are first-gen, low-income or have a disability.
“I don’t think standardized tests are an accurate assessment of a student’s ability to be successful.” — ALLY GARCIA, Ed.D.
successes underscore how standardized-test scores can fail to gauge someone’s ability or potential. “People can be creative problem-solvers or have strong time management and integrity because they’ve been working since they were young,” Garcia said. “Those are skills we could assess much better than how someone scored on a test.”
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ROOM S TO GR OW The pandemic hit hotels hard. Here’s how Roadrunners have risen to guide the hospitality industry through the challenges of today and the promise of tomorrow. BY CORY P HA R E
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AMANDA SCHWENGEL
As 2020 began, things were looking up for
Scotti Gladney and his team at the SpringHill Suites by Marriott Denver Downtown. The hotel, which also functions as a learning laboratory for students in Metropolitan State University of Denver’s School of Hospitality, had just been remodeled, and Gladney, the general manager, was excited to show it off to guests taking advantage of its enviable location. Then the Covid-19 pandemic took hold, and the business travel that made up more than 60% of the hotel’s stays disappeared overnight. In what is now an all-too-familiar story, the hotel responded by cutting expenses, deferring payments to stay afloat and ramping up safety measures. Gladney was forced to shrink his team of 70 associates down to 15. “No doubt about it, it’s been difficult,” said Gladney, who also teaches classes on management and operations in MSU Denver’s School of Hospitality while pursuing his
master’s in business administration. “But we’ve been able to adopt contingencies and are set up to perform well in delivering our services. I do believe when we come back, we’ll be back on top.” Exactly when the hospitality industry will come back remains an open question. Hotels were one of the first sectors affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the American Hotels & Lodging Association predicts hospitality will be among the last to fully recover. But Colorado industry insiders say the lessons that hoteliers learned during the downturn, coupled with pent-up demand for travel, position the state’s hospitality sector for a faster bounce-back that will create new jobs for skilled professionals. “Everyone’s taking a hit right now, but (the hospitality industry is) not going anywhere. Not just that — it’s going to come back with an unbelievable ferocity,” said Christian Hardigree, J.D., dean of MSU Denver’s School of Hospitality.
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“Everyone’s taking a hit right now, but (the hospitality industry is) not going anywhere. Not just that — it’s going to come back with an unbelievable ferocity.” — CHRISTIAN HARDIGREE, J.D.
ADAPTATION FUELS JOB CREATION
The pandemic year has been the hardest of Aaron Alberding’s professional life. In March 2020, the general manager for Stonebridge Cos.’ Doubletree by Hilton Denver Tech Center and 2001 MSU Denver hospitality graduate was forced to lay off 130 associates. “I went from strategic business decision-making to bartending, emptying trash and cleaning bathrooms — whatever it took to keep things going,” he said. As travel to Colorado, which has been recognized as one of 2021’s hottest destinations by National Geographic, Harper’s Bazaar and the Points Guy, takes off, demand will create jobs for more skilled hospitality professionals, Olson said. The industry won’t just
ALYSON McCLARAN
Local and limited regional travel will be the first to return as vaccine rollout peaks, she predicted. That means lower- to mid-tier roadside accommodations and consumer-to-consumer rentals (think: Airbnb and VRBO ) may benefit first. Hardigree further anticipates this to continue throughout 2022, with longer-distance and international travel returning to pre-pandemic levels in the first or second quarter of 2023. As vaccine distribution increases and people become more comfortable traveling again, there will be pent-up demand for tourism and events, said Eric Olson, Ph.D., MSU Denver’s inaugural Rita and Navin Dimond Hotel Management chair. Among the programs Olson will oversee is the prestigious Rita and Navin Dimond Fellows Program, made possible by a generous 2014 gift by Rita and Navin Dimond, founders of Stonebridge Cos., a Denver-based, privately owned hotel owner, operator and developer. “The fundamental need to connect with others through travel — going for a meal at a restaurant, going to a conference or sporting event or going to a local brewery — will only increase in the upcoming years,” Olson said. “At the heart of hospitality is the opportunity to provide service for guests; that will never go away.”
Scotti Gladney, general manager of SpringHill Suites by Marriott Denver Downtown (right), works with Logan Gunter, Degree Metropolitan Food + Drink kitchen manager.
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AMANDA SCHWENGEL
Aaron Alberding, general manager of Doubletree by Hilton Denver Tech Center (right), has worn all hats as the hotel weathers the pandemic.
rehire for the housekeeping and restaurant positions Alberding filled during the pandemic. Olson anticipates new jobs to proliferate in sectors such as virtual experiences and health and safety. Hospitality companies will continue to innovate in the areas of safety, health and enhanced cleanliness protocols, which will create new jobs, Olson said. The future of hotels may include positions overseeing health checks before meetings and events; managing touchless tech for check-in, check-out and other services; and marketing “vaccine passport” promotions to build confidence among guests. The implications of the ongoing shift to remote employment will also create new opportunities, Hardigree said. “That means more multipurpose, business-oriented spaces so you don’t have a bed in the backdrop of your Zoom calls,” she said. “You’ll probably also see this reflected in messaging like ‘Why work from home when you can work from Vegas?’” Many hospitality workers opted for early retirement when the pandemic hit, Hardigree added, meaning more management jobs will be available as the industry rebounds. Indeed, as vaccines roll out, it’s not just those weathering the storm in hospitality who should be cautiously optimistic, she said, noting that MSU Denver’s School of Hospitality finished 2020 with its largest incoming class to date. “We’re at the point where there’s a massive need to backfill those roles,” she said. “For younger professionals, what used to be an eight- to 10-year trajectory to move into management will likely be more like three to four years.”
WORKING TODAY FOR OPPORTUNITIES TOMORROW
Further afield, the ongoing integration of technology promises futuristic amenities for guests and jobs for future hospitality professionals. Think customizable digital art, or seamless Bluetooth integration for music and mood lighting the moment you step through phone-synced keyless sliding doors. That last “Star Trek”-inspired element comes out of Gladney’s hotelmanagement class, where he asks students to envision what the hotels of tomorrow might look like. “It’s all about making stays more productive, personable and memorable,” he said. While he keeps his eye on the future, Gladney, like many in the industry, remains intensely focused on keeping his hotel vibrant today, and his efforts are being rewarded: Gladney was named SpringHill Suites by Marriott’s General Manager of the Year and made Hotel Management Magazine’s list of GMs to Watch. Perhaps most impressive, in the midst of the pandemic, SpringHill Suites by Marriott Denver Downtown remained profitable — good news for MSU Denver, which owns the property. Gladney credits hotel management and ownership company Sage Hospitality and MSU Denver for staying the course and keeping the hotel’s Degree Metropolitan Food + Drink restaurant open. For hospitality leaders such as Gladney, elevating the individual experience for guests and employees is proving to be just the shot in the arm needed. “If you put fun at the center of everything, you bounce back faster when the bad days hit,” he said. “The hardest part of all of this is that I miss my team — but I truly believe we’re going to come out of this stronger than ever.”
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RICHARDSON RISES Army Lieutenant General Laura Richardson is the commanding general of U.S. Army North (Fifth Army) at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston and is AN MSU DENVER ALUMNA poised to be promoted to commander of one of the U.S. military’s 11 unified combatant commands. COULD BE JUST THE But as an undergraduate student and Army SECOND WOMAN TO BE Reserve Officer Training Corps cadet at Metropolitan State University of Denver, she was still finding her path. PROMOTED TO FOUR-STAR “If you don’t know where you’re going, it will GENERAL IN THE ARMY. be hard to get there,” Richardson told an audience gathered in 2019 for the 50th anniversary of the city of Northglenn, her hometown. She said she discovered her destination in the Army through Northglenn High School athletics, MSU Denver and the ROTC. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III announced March 6 that President Joe Biden had nominated Richardson for appointment to the grade of general and to be the next commander of U.S. Southern Command based in Florida, which is responsible for U.S. military operations in Central America, South America and parts of the Caribbean. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, she would become the Army’s second female general and the first woman in the Army to serve in such a high-ranking position. Her remarkable rise through the ranks includes multiple trailblazing roles with the Army, including as the Army’s first female commander of a combat helicopter battalion when she deployed to Iraq in 2003. Richardson’s current command at U.S. Army North, whose primary mission is homeland defense, has also overseen the military’s medical and vaccination support of the federal Covid-19 pandemic response. On International Women’s Day, March 8, Biden recognized Richardson’s distinguished Army career and “barrier-breaking accomplishments” in a White House ceremony that also included Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, whom the president nominated to lead U.S. Transportation Command, another unified combatant command. He described both women as “outstanding and eminently qualified warriors and patriots” when nominating each of them to four-star commands. It’s no surprise that Richardson persevered to earn the nomination. She lauded the Army to her hometown crowd for providing her with the direction she needed as a young woman. “Serving my country is truly the work that I love,” she said. “From my time as a platoon leader — my very first job in the Army — to serving as acting commanding general of U.S. Army Forces Command, I have found my life’s work very satisfying. I’ve always felt that I’ve made a positive difference by providing my soldiers with the best leadership possible to (ensure that) our Army is best-postured for success in the future.”
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U.S. President Joe Biden, flanked by Army Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson, right, and Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, arrive to speak during International Women’s Day in the East Room of the White House on March 8, 2021. SP R ING 2 02 1 | RED MAGAZINE
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FROM REFUGEE TO REPRESENTATIVE NAQUETTA RICKS’ PATH WINDS FROM LIBERIA TO THE AURARIA CAMPUS TO THE STATE CAPITOL. NOW, SHE’S DEVOTED TO EMPOWERING THE UNDERSERVED AND IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES OF COLORADO.
Naquetta Ricks was a young child when strangers stormed her house and held her family at gunpoint in their driveway. It was 1980, and the armed dissidents were part of a bloody military coup unfolding in her home country of Liberia. They let Ricks’ family leave, but her mother’s fiancé, a legislative official, was detained; he was later tied to a light pole on a public beach and executed by firing squad, along with other members of the overthrown government. “My sister and I watched for two hours, not knowing if these men were going to kill us,” Ricks recalled. “But by the grace of God, they left my mom standing there.” Ricks’ family fled to the United States soon after and landed in Aurora, where today she is the Colorado state representative for House District 40. Her journey from Liberian refugee to being the first Black immigrant in the General Assembly was built on a successful career as a mortgage broker and a record of unwavering advocacy for Colorado immigrant communities. “It took three other races and seven years to get to the Capitol,” she said, “but we busted that glass ceiling.” Ricks credits her education for providing a foundation for her success. She graduated from Aurora Central High School, earned an accounting degree from Metropolitan State University of Denver and completed her executive MBA from the University of Colorado. Her work in business, advocacy and politics, she said, is predicated on one of her favorite quotes from late boxing champion Muhammad Ali: “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.” Ricks helped launch and served as president of the African Chamber of Commerce Colorado, which provides resources to more than 350 small businesses and organizations statewide. As the pandemic rocked the state’s economy, the organization pivoted to help members access more than $1 million in Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Disaster loans, she said. Though she confessed that she never envisioned herself as a politician, Ricks said she’s now devoted to empowering the many community members who have been inspired to pursue public service by her own journey to the Capitol. “Every time I go out,” she said, “I remind other immigrants that their voices matter and that all politics are local.”
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Tabitha Shackleton provides assistance at a Denver encampment for people experiencing homelessness.
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RECOVERY REVELATION TABITHA SHACKLETON BATTLED ADDICTION FOR 25 YEARS. NOW, SHE’S WRAPPING UP A MASTER’S DEGREE IN CLINICAL BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND CHAMPIONING THE WRAPAROUND SERVICES THAT TURNED HER LIFE AROUND.
At age 15, Tabitha Shackleton was a “full-blown addict,” she said, using drugs and alcohol to numb the pain of an abusive childhood. By age 40, Shackleton, still in a cycle of trauma and addiction, was homeless and pregnant. When, after giving birth to a son, she couldn’t get clean, Child Protective Services removed the infant from her custody. She entered a rehab program on the recommendation of a CPS employee after losing her son. This was followed by intense outpatient treatment at the Mental Health Center of Denver (MHCD) from 2015-2017 in their 2Succeed program. The experience helped Shackleton get sober and opened her eyes to the importance of clinical caseworkers. Today, she’s a Metropolitan State University of Denver graduate and pursuing a Master of Clinical Behavioral Health while working as a residential counselor in the very same MHCD program that helped her. She also works on the Early Intervention Team for Denver Health as a peer-recovery coach. She regularly responds to encampments for those experiencing homelessness to connect people with the services available to them. She has also regained custody of her son. “The wraparound services work,” she said. “I know it; I’m living it.” Shackleton’s outpatient work with her clinical caseworker helped her understand the trauma she had experienced as a child and how the subsequent post-traumatic stress disorder she experienced affected her. “That was a revelation,” she said, “and I wanted to learn more.” That personal inquiry and a recommendation from an MHCD employee inspired Shackleton to apply to Metropolitan State University of Denver, even as she was still living in a shelter. By July 2016, she was in transitional housing and enrolled at the University. She wrapped up her first semester with a 4.0 GPA and graduated in May 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in social-welfare services, thanks in part to wraparound services such as MSU Denver’s Access Center and TRIO Student Support Services. “It was so hard to get my footing, but those resources and the people helped me both academically and therapeutically at every step of the way,” she said. “I never would’ve made it without them.”
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BALLOT BOOST Audrey Kline set out to be a medical doctor. She wanted to help people. But as it turned out, “Phospholipids were not my thing,” Kline said. Her thing, she discovered when she transferred to Metropolitan State University of Denver, was helping people make their voices heard through the political process. Kline earned her degree in political science in 2010; she launched her career in the office of Colorado Sen. Cheri Jahn and worked on local political campaigns. Today, she’s the national policy director at the nonpartisan, nonprofit National Vote at Home Institute, where she is working to expand mail-in and in-person voting methods that are secure, safe, accessible and equitable to Americans in all 50 states. “It’s hard for me personally to think of how many people don’t get to express their wants and their needs to their government because they have kids and they have to work,” Kline said, referring to single parents, low-income workers and others living in underserved communities. “It’s not hard to AUDREY KLINE’S WORK TO figure out why people don’t vote sometimes.” EXPAND MAIL-IN VOTING When she took the job in October 2019, Kline and her team focused on how states could be influenced to expand vote-atSYSTEMS PAYS OFF DURING home systems in the next five years. But by March 2020, it was A GLOBAL PANDEMIC. clear that Covid-19 would add a huge challenge. Kline’s work immediately pivoted toward educating legislators, media and voters all over the country about vote-at-home systems that could ensure safe, secure voting access in the face of the pandemic. The work paid off in massive advances in mail-in voting in 2020. Kentucky alone had a 1,000% increase in mail ballots as a percentage of total votes cast. New Jersey jumped from 9% of voters using mail ballots in 2016 to over 78% of voters using mail ballots in 2020. Even states such as Colorado that already had vote-at-home systems saw major turnout increases compared with four years earlier. Kline is proud of how the mail-ballot model has evolved since she was knocking on doors in the Denver suburbs eight years ago. “The way that we were able to conceptualize giving people more options from the start and seeing how that has influenced other states is immensely gratifying,” she said. “Millions of people had more access to mail ballots (in November 2020). That’s millions of people who didn’t have to choose between their health and their right to vote.”
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DEEP EXPERIENCE When Chris George arrived in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains more than 50 years ago, the only thing anyone really knew about the avalanches in the area was that there were a lot of them. The snowpack in the San Juans was notorious for its deadly slides that had been killing the area’s settlers for more than a century. George wanted that to change. Now 82, he has spent much of his life learning about Colorado’s snowpack and advocating for better public-safety measures, retiring last year as president of the board at the Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies. In between, he worked as a mountain guide and an EMT, started avalanches from helicopters for ski races and restored an old mining property into a world-class backcountry ski lodge on Red Mountain Pass. “I guess you could say I’ve been busy,” he said. Originally from England, George came to Colorado in 1967 after being recruited by Outward Bound for his mountaineering and climbing experience. The organization agreed to pay his tuition to attend what was then Metropolitan State College of Denver. George was nearly 30 when he started classes. “They started that school for people just like me,” he said. “For me, a mature student, it just filled in the gaps and prepared me for the next 50 years.” George graduated with a degree in history and a minor in French, getting a well-rounded education that also included earth-sciences classes. Those courses, he said, helped prepare him for a future in the mountains. After graduating in 1973, George returned to the San Juans. Living above 11,000 feet in Silverton and Ouray he became disillusioned by Colorado’s avalanche safety approach and realized the state needed a science-based avalanche-prediction system like what he had seen in Europe. “It became apparent to me when I was seeing accidents where snowplow drivers were getting killed, you know, miners were getting buried, that we needed a better system,” he said. George’s passion eventually became the Colorado Institute for Snow Science and Avalanche Research, the precursor to the Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies. These days, George doesn’t forecast avalanches anymore, but his years at high altitude have taught him one important thing about snow. “The only way to really know what’s going on,” he said, “is to have about 40 years under your belt on one mountainside somewhere.”
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SNOW-RESEARCH PIONEER CHRIS GEORGE SPENT DECADES STUDYING COLORADO’S SLIDEPRONE SLOPES. HIS LEGACY LIVES ON IN THE CENTER FOR SNOW AND AVALANCHE STUDIES.
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ROAD RUNNERS
1986
(B.A. Communications multimajor, ’86) has been a history teacher for 18 years and currently teaches at Santa Fe Preparatory School in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Before embarking on a teaching career, Murray worked for 15 years as a theatrical-lighting designer with the Denver Center Theater Co., the Santa Fe Opera, the Portland Opera and La Scala in Milan, Italy. He has traveled extensively in Latin America, Europe, Japan and Vietnam, and lived in Rotan, Honduras, for a year. DAN MURRAY
2004
(B.S. Management, ’04) is a financial advisor and sales director with Mutual of Omaha. He recruits, trains and mentors new interns MIKE FAULHABER
and helps clients reach their financial goals.
2006 BRITTANIE ATTEBERRY ASH
(B.S. Human Services, ’06) graduated last May with her Ph.D. in social work from the University of Denver. Following graduation, she accepted a position as an assistant professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington. There, Ash researches the intersection of identity and experiences in oppression and teaches courses on social justice, power, privilege and oppression. (BSN Nursing, ’06) is the senior director of medical and surgical services and house supervisors at St. Joseph Hospital in Denver. CRYSTAL DECOLA
As part of the MSU Denver accelerated BSN program’s second cohort, she completed clinical rotations at St. Joseph Hospital and accepted a new grad RN position following graduation. DeCola quickly moved up the leadership chain and now works on the front lines of the Covid-19 battle.
2009
(B.S. Mechanical Engineering Technology, ’09) is a project engineer with Sargent & Lundy who has worked for several engineering consulting companies designing energy facilities and industrial plants. After moving into project management, Olson earned his professionalengineer license, becoming a certified project-management professional. In December, he CHRIS OLSON
graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a master’s degree in engineering management and a leadership-and-management certificate.
2010
(B.A. English, ’10) is the co-founder of Red Ace Organics in Boulder, which he created and launched immediately after graduating from MSU Denver. In 2013, Whole Foods Market began regional distribution of the organic-beverage-and-food manufacturer’s products, followed by national placement. After selling Red Ace in 2019, Leslie and one of his original partners repurchased the company last September. The team is working hard to rebuild the brand to its maximum potential. WILLIAM LESLIE IV
2015
(BFA Art, ’15) entered graduate school in fall 2015 shortly after earning her degree at MSU Denver and is in the final semester of her Master of Arts in Art Therapy program. She is working on art-based research, coding and thematic analysis for her thesis, which is focused on how lifetime and cumulative trauma affects older women. DOROTHY ROGOWSKI
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IN MEMORY
Degree priority
AMANDA SCHWENGEL
A beam of light escapes JAMIE HURST, MSU DENVER ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT Jamie Hurst’s office, OF STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT, REALIZED THAT TO BEST illuminating a patch of an ENGAGE ALUMNI AND SUPPORT STUDENT SUCCESS, SHE otherwise dark and empty NEEDED TO BE A ROADRUNNER TOO. By Lynne Winter wing of Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Jordan Student Hurst describes her work at MSU Denver as more Success Building. The workday is complete, of a calling than a job, she said. The University’s but Hurst, assistant vice president of Strategic mission and commitment to serving a thoughtful, Engagement, isn’t close to heading home. She diligent and determined group of students and cracks open a Dr Pepper and digs in on a to-do alumni provides powerful motivation to be as list that includes completing homework and involved as possible, she said. MSU Denver is also filling out her MSU Denver spring 2021 graduation application. When Hurst joined MSU Denver in 2013 as director of annual giving, she had already earned B.A., M.A. and J.D degrees. However, as she began engaging alumni and fundraising to support student success, she had an epiphany. “I realized it was necessary for me to be part of the groups I was supporting and leading,” she said. “I couldn’t articulate the needs of our students or set the course for the Alumni Association without knowing what it’s like to be an MSU Denver student and an alumna.” family — Hurst is married to Roadrunners women’s That meant getting back into the classroom. softball coach Annie Van Wetzinga, and they named In 2017, Hurst declared herself a journalism their dog Rowdy. She has even donned the beloved major, transferred credits from her previous mascot’s beak. degrees and started taking two classes each This May, four years after beginning her student semester while working full-time, all while journey at MSU Denver, Hurst will join 100,000-plus teaching courses on legal liability. alumni as a permanent member of the Roadrunner “In all of my courses, I was surrounded by family she loves. people like me — people with jobs, families and “I believe education is the path, whatever you other obligations — who were committed to want to do, wherever you want to go,” she said. pursuing higher education a couple of courses “At MSU Denver, we can accomplish everything we at a time,” she said. “Every day, they showed believe we can or never believed we could.” up to class and made earning their degree a priority.”
Faculty & Staff MSU Denver staff member MICHELLE DUPUIS died Feb. 15 at age 56. A member of the Roadrunner family for over a decade, Dupuis spent much of her career in academic advising and student retention. She was honored to support students as they worked toward achieving their goals. As a first-generation student who put herself through undergraduate and graduate school, Dupuis genuinely connected with the students she served and empathized with their struggles. Her family, friends and colleagues will greatly miss her “don’t just try, do it” attitude and infectious optimism. Ph.D., professor emeritus, History, died Aug. 26 at age 80. After earning a B.A. at Duquesne University and an M.A. at Colombia University, McInerney moved to Denver in 1969 to pursue a Ph.D. at the University of Denver. In 1982, Dr. Mac — as his students called him — joined the MSU Denver Department of History. The Brooklyn Dodgers baseball aficionado and passionate presidential history scholar believed that the best way to understand history is to relate to it and, during his tenure, he employed storytelling to engage THOMAS MCINERNEY,
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IN MEMORY
his audiences. His family hopes others will remember McInerney’s flair for entertainment, his impressive ability to tell a story and his laugh. Professor Emeritus CONWAY H. OLMSTED, Ph.D., died Dec. 11 at age 87. Before coming to MSU Denver in 1975, Olmsted taught at Purdue University and Regis University and was a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru. Olmsted ultimately led what is now known as the Department of Modern Languages and, even after retiring in 2001, continued to tutor students in Spanish. Colleagues fondly remember Olmsted for the long hours he spent in the office advising students and his great passion for reading and discussing books of all genres. Ph.D., professor emeritus, Computer Information Systems, died Feb. 15 at age 81. Pook joined MSU Denver in 1985 to teach in what was then the Department of Computer Management and Sciences, becoming one of the architects of the Computer Information Systems Program. Pook was a staunch believer in offering a relevant and high-quality curriculum. He retired from the University in 2009 after a long and distinguished career. He is remembered by colleagues and
students as a wonderful human being and a devoted teacher. LAURENCE WASHINGTON
(B.A. English, ’89), MSU Denver Journalism affiliate faculty member and alumnus, died recently at age 65. A dedicated member of the Department of Journalism and Media Production for 26 years, Washington wrote on his MSU Denver educator bio, “Teaching is a privilege — there is no higher calling that enables an individual to inspire, spark interest and stimulate the imagination of others.” His co-workers and students are heartbroken by the news of his death, remembering him as an amazing instructor and colleague.
Alumni & Students
LASZLO “LACI” POOK,
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REV. HAROLD L. BROWN SR.
(B.S. Technology, ’68, and B.S. Mathematics, ’71) died Dec. 8 at age 83. After graduating from MSU Denver, he was hired by the medical division of American Optical as a sales engineer, later becoming a district manager. In 1980, Brown started preaching and teaching in churches across the Denver area, as he would for the next 30 years. In 2009, he was ordained as a deacon at Living Hope Baptist Church, where he stayed until his passing.
(B.S. Health Care Management, ’04) died Oct. 25 at age 38. Burke was born and raised in Gillette, Wyoming, and after beginning her college career at the University of Wyoming, she transferred to MSU Denver. She worked in various fields, including higher education and the insurance industry. Burke made friends easily and was loved by all who knew her. CAROLYN BURKE
(B.S. Electrical Engineering Technology, ’95) died Nov. 3 at age 55 after a lengthy struggle with multiple sclerosis. Garbett attended MSU Denver after serving for four years in the U.S. Navy. He later worked on satellite-sensor technology and satellite-data analysis at Los Alamos National Laboratory for 21 years. His family says that even with the limitations and burdens of MS, Garbett inspired others with his smile and sunny disposition. TIMOTHY GARBETT
(B.S. Accounting, ’94, and B.S. Computer Information Systems, ’03) died last April 3 at age 69. After raising her two sons, Jacobs worked part time to afford the first of her two degrees earned at MSU Denver. During her career, she worked as an accountant for Robert Waxman’s in Denver and for the State of Colorado in BARBARA JACOBS
various capacities until retiring in 2014. Jacobs enjoyed crocheting, knitting and riding her motorcycle through rain, hail, snow and wind across the western U.S. and British Columbia. MSU Denver Aviation and Aerospace Science major KEVIN PRYOR died Sept. 26 at age 44. Pryor joined the U.S. Army in 2005, becoming a drone pilot and completing overseas tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Following his military service, he earned an aviation-maintenance-technician certificate at the National Aviation Academy. In 2018, Pryor continued his education at MSU Denver and was close to earning his degree. (B.S. Management and B.S. Marketing, ’05) died Oct. 7 at age 45. Scott was a U.S. Army veteran, serving in Germany and Bosnia. Upon his honorable discharge, he spent five years in the U.S. Army Reserves and earned his degrees at MSU Denver. After college, he interned with the federal government and worked his way up the ladder. Scott was a devoted husband and loving father who enjoyed volunteering, watching sports (especially the Denver Broncos), staying active, traveling and spending time with family and friends. MARC SCOTT
Skin deep JON FERNANDEZ LAUNCHED A SKIN-CARE COMPANY PIONEERING SAFE AND EFFECTIVE CANNABIS-BASED TREATMENTS. By Lynne Winter
died Dec. 29 at age 22. She was passionate about expression, art, music and film, and her family says that being caught in her charismatic orbit granted you access to an endless source of imagination, creativity and humor. Sublette was a proud Roadrunner who enjoyed her classes and felt supported by MSU Denver faculty and staff as she worked toward her degree. Although her life was short, her memory will live on in those inspired by her warmth and generosity. (B.S. Biology, ’96) died last June 3 at age 50 with his wife, Amy, and his best friend Frank by his side. Tegland loved his job as a businessintelligence analyst and was an avid rugby fan, watching every televised match he possibly could, and even volunteered with the Colorado Rapids soccer team. An active outdoorsman and animal lover, Tegland spent his free time fly-fishing, gold prospecting, volunteering as a naturalist for Castlewood Canyon State Park and hanging out with his cats. ERICK TEGLAND
An eczema diagnosis in his infant son reignited Jon Fernandez’s independent streak. He was working as a sales manager for a pharmaceutical company when his then 3-month-old son Jackson was prescribed topical steroids to treat eczema. Fernandez immediately began researching the safety of such treatments, picking the brains of the experts with whom he worked. “I learned topical steroids should only be used for a couple of weeks. Any longer could lead to a worsening skin condition,” said Fernandez, who graduated from Metropolitan State University of Denver in 2000 with a B.S. in Environmental Science. “When we couldn’t find a viable alternative, we used the prescription sparingly and kept looking for another option.” That search for a safer topical eczema treatment inspired Fernandez to forgo the security of his corporate 9-to-5 job to launch in 2015 a biotech incubator focused on the emerging cannabinoid health-and-wellness industry. “My jobs supported my family, but I wasn’t happy,” he said. “Deep inside me, from a young age, was an entrepreneurial spirit — the desire to build something. To create. If I didn’t make the leap, I was always going to regret it.” The team of scientists and physicians he brought together soon identified intriguing peer-reviewed studies indicating that cannabinoids — any of the 100-plus chemical compounds found in the cannabis plant — could help decrease skin inflammation. By 2018, Fernandez was all-in on cannabinoids and skin care, co-founding CQ Science to develop cannabinoid-based treatments for eczema-prone skin conditions. CQ Science’s work was accelerated by a provision in the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill that removed hemp, a variety of cannabis, from the Controlled Substances Act. As a result, tens of thousands of ALYSON McCLARAN
VICTORIA “TORI” SUBLETTE
acres of land were dedicated to this once-outlawed crop and products containing cannabidiol, the nonpsychoactive cannabis compound widely known as CBD, proliferated. The global hemp-derived CBD skin-care market is projected to reach $1.7 billion in sales by 2025. “We discovered a unique opportunity to determine how hemp and CBD alleviated sensitiveskin conditions,” Fernandez said. “We spent years researching and testing to develop skin care for daily use.” Launched online in early 2020, CQuell — a line of plant-derived, dermatologist-approved products for dry, irritated and sensitive skin — became the first company using hemp-derived ingredients to earn the National Eczema Association’s Seal of Acceptance. Thanks in part to Fernandez’s ingenuity, Jackson’s eczema is managed. “Whatever your goal, you have to put yourself out there and follow your path,” Fernandez said. “Over 30 million people have eczema, and I wanted to focus on finding a solution. I’m not trying to cure everything — just treat sensitive skin.”
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FOR MSU DENVER ALUMNA BRANDI SHIGLEY, FASHION ISN’T ABOUT HAVING AN EYE FOR HOT TRENDS; IT’S ABOUT HAVING THE COURAGE TO BE AUTHENTICALLY YOU.
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BY P E Y TO N G A RC I A
AMANDA SCHWENGEL
Q&A
Style of success Brandi Shigley has been a player on the Mile High City’s fashion scene since she graduated from Metropolitan State University of Denver in 1999 with a degree in speech communication. She’s as bright and bold as her signature style, but her calling card is her unquenchable desire to help other creatives through her consulting business, Fashion Denver. How would you describe your signature style? Memories, comfort and super-eclectic. Everything that is on me is usually thrifted, hand-me-down and local. Fashion for me is being able to express who I am and what my heart is outwardly, and I find that expression in the treasures I find on racks at the thrift store and in hand-me-downs. How did you break into the fashion biz? When I was a young, I was obsessed with making paper purses. Flash forward, and I started a handbag business after graduating (from MSU Denver). I didn’t study fashion; I just put out what my heart wanted to do. I was just some girl learning how to make a handbag and breaking my needles on my sewing machine. I also taught myself how to build and launch a website,
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and then literally within four months I was selling internationally — London, Paris, New York, Chicago. Tell us about Fashion Denver. My passion really lies in helping people see their own potential. I help designers start their businesses by providing the services that I had to learn on my own: how to build a website, how to build your brand, how to plan an event. Since 2004, I have produced quarterly fashion markets bringing 20 to 40 local designers under one roof. They’re like fun fashion flea markets; there are three fashion shows throughout the day, and it always benefits a local organization. How did MSU Denver help you find success in fashion? MSU Denver was instrumental in shaping my future. My professors understood my personality, understood the way I learned and allowed me to be who I am. I had a professor named Carl Johnson for Intro to Speech who changed my life. He told me, “I want you to speak about what you’re passionate about.” And that experience completely changed everything about education for me. But even more so, it influenced how I went out into the world.
DARRAL FREUND
Pitch perfect Roadrunners right-hander Cade Crader pitched a perfect game March 27 against CSU-Pueblo in a 13-0 win. It was the first no-hitter of any kind in program history. “Probably around the fifth or sixth inning, I kind of glanced up and realized a good portion of the game had gone by and I hadn’t given up any hits,” Crader said. “The adrenaline was pretty high going into the last inning, but I was just trying to keep composed and just finish it off and not think about it too much.”
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POST-PANDEMIC VISION FOR ‘SHINE A LIGHT ON THE HIGHER EDUCATION
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