Notes of Impact | Fall 2017

NOTES OF

IMPACT

Section Title

YOUR LIFELONG LEARNING PARTNER The latest news from the University of Denver’s University College.

Dive into the data with Dr. Bobbie Kite, new academic director of Healthcare Leadership pg. 6 Interview with the CEO of RMPBS and University College alumna Amanda Mountain pg. 8

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WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS ISSUE

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE NOTES OF IMPACT VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1 | FALL 2017

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Photo Credits: Wayne Armstrong Cover Photo: Nena S. Rose (MA in Communication Management - Organizational Development, 2017)

Share Your Story Have you earned a promotion, changed to a new job, or been selected to speak at a conference? We want to hear from you! Visit universitycollege.du.edu/inq/alumni or email ucolsupport@du.edu. If you’re a faculty member, submit your latest accomplishments at universitycollege.du.edu/inq/faculty.

NOTES FROM THE DEAN Dear Friends, Welcome to our inaugural issue of Notes of Impact, a semi-annual publication that keeps you connected to the University of Denver and University College.

Whether you’re a faculty member who inspires and challenges our students, or you’re an alumnus making an impact on the world around you, we appreciate you being part of our community.

It’s an exciting time at University College, as we embark on a new strategic planning process that aims to strengthen the college as a leader in adult education.

We continue to be nationally ranked on several “best of ” lists, including U.S. News & World Report. We’re also growing. We’ve added exciting new programs that align with the needs of students and employers (see page 5), hired more faculty members to oversee these growing program areas (see page 6), and formed exciting partnerships across campus and within the region. These changes all reflect our goal to continue offering career-focused programs that work for busy adults.

As we share the ways we’re making an impact, I hope you’ll tell us how you’re doing the same. I encourage you to stay in touch with us and share your accomplishments. Whether you were recently promoted, started on a new career path, or hit a personal milestone, please take the time to send us these updates (see “Share Your Story” on previous page). We want to celebrate these successes and tell our community about you to help inspire others. Education has a ripple effect, and what you do makes an impact beyond your own world of peers, family, and colleagues—it also affects the community around you, leading to a positive impact on our world.

Sincerely,

Michael McGuire Dean

@DUucoldean

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A Bit of History

LOGO LINGO

You’ve seen the DU shield, but now discover some more about the icons included in our logo.

The University of Denver was founded in 1864—before Colorado was a state! University College started offering evening courses geared toward adults in 1938. Our first fully online program launched in 1996.

From nearly every location on campus, you can see the tip of the Rocky Mountains—an impressive backdrop to the place we call home. Did you know? The University of Denver’s Meyer-Womble Observatory is the country’s highest astronomical observatory, perched at 14,148 feet near the summit of Mount Evans.

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1 of 10 Colleges at DU

11:1 Student:Faculty Ratio

It takes 95 steps to get to the top of Williams Tower at the Ritchie Center, where you’ll find the Williams Carillon—a set of 65 chromatically tuned bronze bells, the largest of which weighs about six tons.

Listen for the carillon chimes every hour on the hour when you visit campus.

48 Master’s Degrees & Certificates

10% Active Duty or Veteran Students

Latest and Greatest

YOUR PARTNER for LIFELONG LEARNING University College has a storied history— one that you are likely a part of—and we continue to evolve to meet the demands of today and tomorrow. As a private university dedicated to the public good, the University of Denver delivers education that makes an impact. University College is a testament

to DU’s mission as we serve as a community resource for lifelong learning. Our programs continue to serve learners at any age in new and exciting ways, from intensive coding boot camps, to short courses for the love of learning, to degree programs.

Find where you belong...

Current Offerings

Updated Programs

University College is home to 48 master’s degree concentrations and certificates, plus a bachelor’s completion program— all delivered online, evenings on campus at the University of Denver, or in a hybrid of both. universitycollege.du.edu

Introducing the MA in Professional Creative Writing, with areas of study in Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Drama, and Poetry.

The Enrichment Program connects the intellectually curious adult to DU’s outstanding faculty, facilities, and programming through short, non-credit classes. universitycollege.du.edu/enrichment The Center for Professional Development (CPD) offers modern continuing education for teachers, techies, entrepreneurs, mental health professionals, advocates of social change, and more. du.edu/professional The University of Denver Coding Boot Camp (launched in April 2017) prepares IT professionals and career changers how to code in just 24 weeks. codingbootcamp.du.edu Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) is an adult learning membership program designed for those ages 50 and “better” who want lifelong learning and to build their community. universitycollege.du.edu/olli

The Healthcare Leadership program now offers a concentration and certificate in Health Data Informatics and Analytics.

The Global Affairs curriculum was revised to help students develop more cultural competency for an increasingly globalized world.

New Partnerships University College’s Transportation Institute has formed a partnership with the Daniels College of Business in hiring a jointly appointed faculty member to develop a new a new supply chain graduate certificate.

Rankings Our Bachelor of Arts Completion Program was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top 10 online program for small class size.

FAST FACTS ABOUT UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

1,500 Degree-Seeking

4,696 OLLI Members

172 CPD Programs Offered in 2017

12 to 102 5 Age Range of Enrichment Students

FACULTY: MAKING AN IMPACT

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FACULTY: MAKING AN IMPACT

EMPOWERED by

DATA

University College welcomes Academic Director and Associate Professor Dr. Bobbie Kite to the Healthcare Leadership program.

Imagine you go to Best Buy with a $100 budget for a television and you leave with a broken one for $1200 and no opportunity to fix it—essentially, that’s our healthcare system. We wouldn’t stand for that in business, yet in healthcare it’s commonplace, says Dr. Bobbie Kite, new Academic Director and Associate Professor for the Healthcare Leadership program at University College.

“The future of healthcare power is coming back to the patient through consumer devices and methods,” she said. Integrating this data will be key, as healthcare workers serve as the conduit between patients and physicians. If done effectively, it could lead to precision medicine—healthcare with the right treatment, at the right time, at the right place, with the right provider.

“We should know what’s available at what price at what facility,” she said. “To make better decisions and to improve patient care, we need to turn data into actionable insight.”

As healthcare evolves and technology grows, teaching students how to meet emerging healthcare demands will be more important than ever. “I’m committed to ensuring the content we teach students stays very focused on the cutting-edge of the changes that are happening, whether that be technology, policy, or payment cycles,” said Dr. Kite.

Dr. Kite’s mission is to empower patients with data that can save lives. As it stands, patients don’t have access to the information they need to make better decisions, and Dr. Kite knows this from personal experience.

Falling ill on the first day of her PhD program, Dr. Kite nearly died and was met with a medical bill of over $30,000—a price tag she said should have been $400 based on the procedure. This inspired her to focus her research on transparency and pricing.

“I work with data to prevent that situation from happening to someone else,” she said.

“I want to educate healthcare workers and enable them to help patients get the information they need.”

As she embarks on her new position at University College, Dr. Kite plans to build a robust faculty pool, forge new collaborations in the community, and continue to deliver career-focused content. All of this will help Dr. Kite deliver on her mission to empower patients with data—a fast-growing area in healthcare.

“There are more ways than ever before to access our own data outside of healthcare delivery systems,” she said. “Data only increases, never decreases.” With that in mind, it’s good to know Dr. Kite is digging deep into the data.

Dr. Kite (PhD, Public Health, University of Texas at Houston; MHS, Health Sciences in Emergency and Disaster Management, Touro University) comes from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, where she served as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the field of Biomedical Informatics and where she will remain an active adjunct faculty member through the next year.

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ALUMNI: MAKING AN IMPACT

M O VING M O UNTAINS

There’s a lot in a name, and because of this, perhaps Amanda Mountain (MS ’14) was always destined to take the reins of Rocky Mountain PBS (RMPBS). But of course, it wasn’t just her name—it was her 20 years of experience in media, education at the University of Denver, and commitment to the community—that landed her the role of President and CEO; she is the first female to hold the title in RMPBS history and one of the youngest public media CEOs in the country.

What role does public media play in today’s political and cultural climate?

It’s an extraordinary time for public media. We can prove the more public media the

community consumes, the more likely they are to vote, to attend community events,

to donate or volunteer at a non-profit.

What are some of the challenges of running a media company today?

Technology is always a challenge in a media organization, specifically a non-profit

organization. The audience expects us to be wherever they want us to be, so we need

to invest in delivering content for free over the air, but also to invest in building our

digital infrastructure. My degree at DU focused on innovation and change, and the

skills I learned through my program helped prepare me to navigate change manage ment processes at a large organizational scale. Not only did I learn to describe a vision

for the future, but also how to ensure our employees were engaged in the change.

Tell us about the strategic direction of RMPBS and how it serves the Colorado community.

We’ve evolved our mission from entertaining and enthusing Colorado through public

media to strengthening the civic fabric of Colorado through public media. In every thing we do, we think through the lens of how it can get people more engaged in their

communities and make Colorado a better place to live and work. We are playing a role

in bringing more statewide voices to the forefront.

What would be your advice to those aspiring to leadership roles?

I am very privileged to be the first woman CEO in our 62-year history, and I got this

opportunity because many people along the way helped open doors for me, and I

wasn’t afraid to walk through them. Honor the people along the way. When building

your career, I also recommend taking risks—especially women. Don’t be afraid to step

into an opportunity even if you don’t feel 100% ready. You never get to dictate the tim ing of some of the greatest opportunities in your life. When women get into leadership

roles, it’s up to them to create an accepting culture for everyone to thrive.

I’m a first-generation college graduate, and getting the opportunity to put myself through undergrad and take on a graduate degree was something I never thought I would do. Now that I was able to accomplish that part of my education, everyone who comes after me—whether it be my sister or my daughter—has a better chance to do the same. I firmly believe my education has helped me get to where I am in my career, and it will continue to help me reach my fullest potential. I loved my time at DU because it helped me prepare for today and my future.

Amanda Mountain graduated from University College with her MS in Leadership and Organizations (Strategic Innovation and Change) in 2014.

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ALUMNI: MAKING AN IMPACT

STUDENTS: MAKING AN IMPACT

A VETERAN FINDS PURPOSE

through EDUCATION

Education found Nandi Kegode when she needed it the most. Pulled to many corners of the world throughout her life, Nandi was born and raised in Kenya and educated through British boarding schools. After her family faced a legal battle back in Kenya, Nandi needed to find a new path, and her father encouraged her to pursue education in America. And the best way to do that, he said, was to join the U.S. Army.

“It was the first time that something was bigger than my addiction.”

“I felt purposeless and I blamed the world around me for not showing me who I was or how I was connected to it,” she said. “Then I joined the Army and my sense of entitlement was all of a sudden dragged through the mud.”

“It was exactly what I needed: to learn how to communicate my story and experiences and use that in order to help children and become an educator,” she said. “Not just educate minds, but educate the human being as a whole.”

Nandi spent four years in the U.S. Army, where she learned valuable lessons about loyalty and camaraderie. Her military experience made her a better person, Nandi says, but she soon faced a downward spiral into depression and turned to drugs and alcohol.

In her DU courses, Nandi felt engaged, challenged, and a sense of purpose. She learned to validate her thinking and be more thoughtful in her approach to communication. “It has been a life-changing experience for me,” she said. “I’m in love with learning.”

“I knew if I didn’t find a way out of my abyss I was going to die,” she said. While in Vail, Colorado, Nandi discovered an opening at a Montessori school working with children, and she jumped at the opportunity.

After Nandi graduates, she plans to pursue a master’s degree as she strives to further impact her community and the world. She found her path and purpose through education, where she plans to make her mark.

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She credits education as the catalyst for putting her life together and getting sober.

Soon, her dreams were taking shape and she sought to transform her newfound passion for education into something more.

To achieve her aspiration of building a school for disenfranchised youth, Nandi knew she needed more education herself.

Being a private university dedicated to the public good, the University of Denver aligned with Nandi’s own ethos. She decided to continue her education and complete her bachelor’s degree in communication through the University of Denver’s University College.

STUDENTS: MAKING AN IMPACT

ON BEHALF OF OUR FUTURE A STUDENT’S JOURNEY TO DC

Troy Tagliarino needed inspiration.

An assignment was looming in his leadership class at University College, and he needed to find a community partner to work with throughout the quarter.

He was seeking an organization or cause that would spur him into action and inspire him to do more for his community (and fulfill the needs of the class project, of course).

This is what led Troy to research, find, and eventually join Citizen’s Climate Lobby, a non-profit, non-partisan advocacy organization focused on national policies to address climate change.

“This would never have happened, if not for my University College studies,” he said. “My view of the world has opened up so that I see our society and its problems with clearer and more informed eyes.”

Through Citizen’s Climate Lobby, Troy was selected to visit the U.S. Capitol and lobby lawmakers on behalf of our future, he says. Troy attended the annual conference, met with congress people and aides, and served as group leader when meeting with Congressman James Clyburn of South Carolina.

“I’m not a Democrat, I’m not a Republican, I’m thoughtful,” he said. “Politics are so many

shades of gray, but climate change

and its impact are clearer.”

Leading comes naturally

to Troy, who serves

as the Director of Strategic Product

Development for

Sunblet—one

of the largest

construction

equipment

rental compa nies in the

world.

Through his leadership degree

program, Troy has

learned foundational

lessons in leadership like

managing virtual teams

and facilitation, but he has

also broadened his world view.

“The classes have increased my awareness of what’s going on politically and enabled me to grow and expand my vision,” he said. “I have a greater social conscious now.”

Getting involved in the political process has sparked a passion in Troy that he didn’t know existed, and he encourages everyone to find their own passion and pursue it.

“If you’re ever in Washington, no matter who you are and what your purpose, go to the capital,” he said. “We need to demand more from our congress people—that’s the power we have as the electorate.”

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A Lifetime Value Know your benefits! For any stage and any age, University of Denver Career Services serves as a valuable resource for alumni.

Career Advisor Get access to a career advisor for one year after graduation. From resume and cover letter guidance to job searching and salary negotiation, take advantage of the help provided by DU Career Services.

Pioneer Careers DU’s career database with hundreds of job and internship postings that can only be seen by the DU community.

Alumnifire Connect with more than 2,000 DU professionals and alumni through this networking site designed for DU alumni seeking networking, informational interviews, resume review, job shadowing, peer advice, and more.

Alumni Career Coaching Talk to a career expert for a free 15-minute consultation at 303-871-4331.

Interview Stream Rehearse a mock interview, record, and send it to a trusted friend or career counselor for feedback.

Events Attend career fairs, engage in professional development events, and watch webinars.

Discounts As an alum, you receive discounts to DU programming, including the Enrichment Program and boot camps.

du.edu/alumnicareers du.edu/career 12

BY THE NUMBERS

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE ALUMNI STATS Number of Graduates in 2017

258

States Represented by 2017 Graduates

32

FURTHEST TRAVELED FOR COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY: SARA KOSTANDY (MA ‘17) / 20-HOUR JOURNEY FROM DUBAI

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE FACULTY STATS Number of Active Faculty in 2017

322

Faculty Teaching in Multiple Programs

35

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE STUDENT STATS

*Know any prospective students in Mississippi?!

Get Social @DUcollege:

DU received high marks from the 2018 Princeton Review Best 382 Colleges list!

twitter.com/DUcollege

@DUucoldean:

Learning to learn is “one of the most important talents of the modern era, the skill that precedes all other skills.” (via @NPR)

@ChancellorChopp:

Achieving gender equality could add $4.3 trillion US GDP by 2025.

facebook.com/DUcollege instagram.com/DUcollege #

ALUMNI CHAPTERS

ALUMNI NEAR YOU Did you know University of Denver alumni live in all U.S. states and 145 countries?

Stay connected by finding a DU Alumni Regional Chapter in your area.

Atlanta Boston Chicago Dallas Denver Hawaii Houston Los Angeles Minneapolis-St.Paul New York Phoenix Portland San Diego San Francisco Seattle Washington D.C. Join the University College Alumni Network on Meetup to find upcoming events both online and in person by searching “University College” on Meetup.com.

What’s Your Story?

We know you have a story to tell and we want to hear it.

Share your latest success story with us and appear in the next issue’s Class Notes section. universitycollege.du.edu/inq/alumni

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University of Denver Coding Boot Camp

LEARN HOW TO

CODE

Next Cohort Begins November 6

IN 24 WEEKS

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, PHP, React.js, Node.js, MongoDB, Express.js, MySQL, and more

WHAT YOU’LL RECEIVE: • A collaborative, hands-on experience • Career-planning assistance, resume guidance, LinkedIn and portfolio support, and interview preparation • A portfolio of web applications to showcase your knowledge to employers

codingbootcamp.du.edu

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GRADUATION CELEBRATIONS

2017 Graduation Celebrations

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GRADUATION CELEBRATIONS

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Section Title

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WAYS TO MAKE AN IMPACT

1. STAY INFORMED Stay connected and know the latest at the University of Denver and University College by following along on social media or visiting news.du.edu.

2. GET INVOLVED Join the University College Alumni Network for professional development opportunities with your fellow alumni.

3. GIVE A GIFT By giving a gift, you can help support students through scholarships and initiatives. ucollege.du.edu/givetodu 4. BE PROUD Show your Pioneer Pride every chance you get. Request an alumni pin at du.edu/alumni, cheer on DU teams at sporting events, attend a local or regional event, and submit a Class Note.

5. NOMINATE Nominate yourself or a fellow grad for the 2017 Alumni Achievement Award at ucollege.du.edu/alumniaward2017 6. REFER A FRIEND Refer a friend to a University College program and receive a special thank-you package when they enroll.

Noteworthy Fall 2017 Events

SEPTEMBER 30

OCTOBER 27

NOVEMBER 11

DU at the Theater: Frozen

Alumni Achievement Award Nominations Due

Business Building Blocks: Grant Writing

OCTOBER 12

NOVEMBER 3

DECEMBER 12

The Power of Networks: Social Media

Application Deadline for Winter Term

Annual University College Holiday Celebration

OCTOBER 14

NOVEMBER 6

JANUARY 2

Focus Forward: Reinventing Career & Retirement

New Cohort for Coding Boot Camp Begins

Winter Term Begins

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For details about the events mentioned above and more listings, please visit universitycollege.du.edu/events

IMPACT YOUR WORLD Your Gift to the University of Denver’s University College Supports Student Scholarships, Innovation Efforts, and Leading-Edge Facilities for Learning

University College Scholarship Fund

University College is pleased to introduce Graduate Impact Scholarships designed to benefit highly motivated and engaged adult learners who value education as a way to improve lives and communities both locally and globally. There are also scholarships dedicated exclusively to Bachelor of Arts Completion Program students.

Dean’s Innovation Fund

This fund is used to enhance the student experience through technological advances, timely programming, and leading-edge facilities for learning.

ucollege.du.edu/givetodu

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University College 2211 S. Josephine St. Denver, Colorado 80208