The Metropolitan State University of Denver President’s Cabinet kicked off the 2023-24 academic year by convening for the first time Aug. 17. The meeting was led by President Janine Davidson, Ph.D.
Opening remarks
- MSU Denver announced a partnership with United Airlines to tackle the pilot shortage.
- There’s still time to RSVP for Welcome Back on Aug. 31.
- Dawn Bookhardt, J.D., recently gave MSU Denver $1 million toward the new Health Institute Simulation Labs.
Roadrunner Shoutout Award winners
Each month throughout the school year, the President’s Cabinet recognizes a faculty member, staff member and student employee who exemplify MSU Denver’s core values of community, access, diversity, respect and excellence (CADRE).
This month, the winners were:
- Staff: Jeremy VanHooser, associate director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
- Faculty: Karen Marie Jaramillo, lecturer in Chicana/Chicano Studies
- Student employee: Ethen Krebs, site coordinator at the Center for Urban Education
Announcements
Faculty Senate
Faculty Senate President Liz Goodnick, Ph.D., associate professor of Philosophy, spoke to the Cabinet to introduce new and returning officers.
- Visit the newly improved Faculty Senate website for meeting info, a member directory, FAQs and more.
- The 2023-24 priorities are regular operations; faculty workload; the change from Multicultural to Ethnic Studies and Social Justice; and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion-oriented faculty-handbook language.
- Faculty Senate meetings are open to the public with an in-person option and a Teams option. If you would like to speak at a meeting, contact Anjeli Dwyer two weeks prior to the meeting. Employees can also consider submitting a PowerPoint slide with information to include in the announcements section at the beginning of the meeting.
Office of Diversity and Inclusion
VanHooser updated the Cabinet on ODI initiatives.
- The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion report will be available soon. This year, the report focuses on the diversity strategic plan, reflecting work the University and campus partners have done.
- The Diversity Initiative Grant applications have been updated and became available Aug. 1.
- Results of the Campus Climate Survey are available, and a new survey will begin in March.
- MSU Denver has been selected as the 2025 host of the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education conference.
- MSU Denver’s Hispanic-Serving Institution Week is scheduled to take place Sept. 11-16 with four major events.
- The Music, Race and Social Justice Visiting Artist Series will take place Thursday, Oct. 5, and Wednesday, Nov. 8. Both events are free and open to the public.
- Richard T. and Virginia M. Castro Distinguished Visiting Professorship events are scheduled for Oct. 16-17.
- Cleo Parker Robinson has been named as the 2024 Rachel B. Noel Distinguished Visiting Professor.
Homecoming
Brandi Rideout, senior director of Alumni Relations, updated the Cabinet on this year’s Homecoming, which takes place Sept. 25-30 and celebrates 20 years’ worth of events. Visit here for a full schedule of events.
Campus ID badge building-access update
Larry Sampler, chief operations officer and vice president of Administration, notified the Cabinet of pending changes to building access across campus. Following this summer’s pilot program, the Auraria Higher Education Center is updating building access to prioritize the safety of everyone on campus. For the start of the semester, all building access will remain the same as in the spring semester, with the exception of Central Classroom, which will remain campus ID badge-access only as it has been throughout the summer. Other buildings will undergo a phased access rollout throughout the semester, so be sure to remind your students to get their campus ID badge at the ID center. Campus ID badges should be worn by everyone on campus. More updates, including dates and procedures, will be available soon.
Counseling Center and Health Center at Auraria
Jeanne Burkhart, Ph.D., interim director and associate director for Clinical Services, and Richard Miccio, LCSW, assistant director of Educational Services, Marketing and Inclusion, spoke to the Cabinet about all of the resources available for students and employees through the Counseling Center and the Health Center at Auraria.
Counseling Center
The biggest concerns for students are typically anxiety, depression, relationships and substance abuse, and the Counseling Center saw 827 unique students last year for more than 5,700 sessions. Students can take advantage of six individual sessions per semester and unlimited group therapy sessions.
The Counseling Center offers multiple free services to students, including:
- Crisis intervention.
- Individual and group counseling.
- Workshops.
- Resources for mental health, addiction and more.
Faculty and staff members are also eligible for one session per semester and will receive a referral with services that are appropriate for them.
Health Center
The Health Center at Auraria also offers an array of medical and mental-health services to students and employees. Similar to the Counseling Center, the Health Center offers free care to students paid for through certain fees.
Strategic planning
Meredith Jeffers, Ph.D., director of Strategy, gave an update on recent efforts by the Strategy team. This year, each of the 2030 Strategic Plan Pillars will have a primary line of effort, which will be organized through a framework of objectives and key results. This framework will allow the campus community to focus, align, commit and track strategic-success measures in a way that is transparent and collaborative. Regular updates will be provided at each Cabinet meeting.
Up next
The next President’s Cabinet meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 14, at 11 a.m.