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The 100,000th grad

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.

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.

NEWS

Strategic planning during a pandemic

STRATEGIC PLAN

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 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 “That has to be our otherwise don’t fit in the ‘traditional’ mold — need options,” she said. “That has to be mission: We meet our mission: We meet people where they people where they are are in their complicated, zigzaggy lives.” The 2030 Strategic Plan supports in their complicated, the University’s overall vision of being zigzaggy lives.” a nationally recognized leader for social mobility.

We hear you

“Z-change,” the cover story of our Winter 2020 issue of RED Magazine, got your attention, generating the kind of honest and open communication that we value and practice at Metropolitan State University of Denver. We appreciate that so many of you wrote to share your thoughts and concerns about the cover and the story, which focused on how some Generation Z and millennial MSU Denver students were participating in the racial-justice movement of 2020. The feedback spanned the spectrum.

Many of you noted that some protests, including those in downtown Denver, turned violent, resulting in injuries, vandalism and looting. As one reader commented: “Yes, things are not as we would like them to be, but destroying property and demanding that only their speech be the final word is not how America works.”

Others wrote to express support, as this reader did: “This issue is relevant and offers an often unheard perspective, and speaks to the heart and founding principles of MSU Denver from the 1960s.” These differences of opinion from our readers mirror the tough conversations that are happening every day in our classrooms and around the country. As noted in the article, our students are often leading those conversations on and off campus. Their thoughts and opinions reflect a wide variety of political perspectives, and we are proud that they are able to articulate their views and participate in respectful open dialogue. The examination and debate of ideas, whether we agree with them or not, is a matter of free speech, which is a closely protected legal right in our democracy and a fundamental part of the higher-education experience at MSU Denver.

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 CHANGE Amendment in its historical and modern contexts and encourages robust but civil WINTER 2020 | RED MAGAZINE 1 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

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METROPOLITAN STATE UNIVERSITY OF DENVER

Student champions equity

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

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

AMANDA SCHWENGEL

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.

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 Care Center and critical aid from the Student Emergency Fund, among other resources.

Fighting food insecurity on campus

AMANDA SCHWENGEL

at left: MSU Denver Hospitality students assemble meal kits for fellow students experiencing food insecurity.