MSU Denver Magazine Fall 2025

MSU DEN VER MAGAZINE

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Celebrating 60 years of opportunity, impact and innovation.

NEVER OLD SCHOOL FINDING THEIR FLOCK [p. 30] /// WHY YOU LOVE MSU DENVER [p. 18] /// CHILLING FOR SCIENCE [p. 32]

After dark Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for redress of grievances.

A new mural adorns the Kalamath Building, a hub for MSU Denver’s community music programs in the Santa Fe Art District. Alumnus Adrian Raya, shown here, is part of the Mid-Brow Collective, the Denver-based artist group selected for the project. “You walk past Kalamath every day and don’t know what used to be here,” said MSU Denver Emeritus Art Professor Carlos Frésquez, also a MidBrow member. “This art will help reclaim and retell those stories.”

JOSH GEURINK

Behind the scenes

ALYSON McCLARAN

from the president

At MSU Denver, our “why” is clear: to fuel social and economic mobility through education and to lift students, families and communities through opportunity, equity and the power of learning.

That purpose comes alive twice a year as we watch Roadrunners like Hailey Glass (pictured above) cross the Commencement stage. At MSU Denver, she found the tools and the confidence to serve others.

Now, Hailey heads to law school as a member of the Roadrunner alumni family. More than 112,000 strong, with 75% living right here in Colorado, OUR POWERFUL

NETWORK OF CHANGEMAKERS IS SHAPING THE FUTURE OF OUR STATE. We hope to see you on campus this fall as we celebrate six decades of excellence on our University’s 60th anniversary.

As we launch MSU Denver Magazine, formerly RED Magazine, we celebrate stories like Hailey’s and remind ourselves of the bold mission that has made them possible for 60 years.

— Janine Davidson, Ph.D., PRESIDENT

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ALYSON McCLARAN

contents

The Center for Visual Art’s alumni exhibition forges connection and inspiration across generations.

FALL 2025 1 From the President

FEATURES 10

4 News 9 This or That? Getting to know Provost Matt Makley

A new 12-story mixed-use residence hall is expected to open in 2027.

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41 Caption Contest: Robot says what?

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Cool classes Some of MSU Denver’s most fascinating offerings.

PROFILES

34 People of purpose: Richard and Suzanne Holcombe

Helping kids speak easy MSU Denver Speech-Language Pathology students provide free therapy at the campus day care and get valuable experience in return.

48 Recipe: Calabacitas Locitas

32 Cold to the core: Geology grad safeguards ancient ice

10 reasons you love MSU Denver When you think about MSU Denver, what makes you proud? Here are the reasons you said you love the campus, community and commitment to students.

44 Roadrunners Athletics: Six decades of slam-dunk success 46 Roadrunner Roosts: Uncovering anthropologic office gems

Opportunity rising 60 years ago, an upstart college offered an unprecedented value proposition. More than 112,000 graduates later, the promise of higher education in Colorado is stronger than ever.

38 Class Notes

43 In Memory

MSU Denver’s first student-housing building promises to transform campus life

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Art at the heart of Denver

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Finding their flock MSU Denver is taking steps to combat an epidemic of loneliness and help Roadrunners build community on and off campus.

36 Five questions with Adelaide Britton

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On the cover: Students from the first graduating class of Metropolitan State College line up outside of Phipps Auditorium in 1969.

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EDITOR-IN- CHIEF

John Arnold

Meteorology students at Metropolitan State University of Denver travel thousands of miles pursuing the ultimate thunderstorms: supercells.

MANAGING EDITOR

Laura Miller CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Paul Beique Marcus Chamberland Cliff Foster Karen Garvey P U B L I C AT I O N D E S I G N E R

Aldrich Design

ANNICKA HANNIGAN

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

Karen Garvey, senior writer/content manager, Communications and Marketing Debora Gilliard, professor of Management Brian Gunther, technical process and communications manager, School of Education Jamie Hurst, associate vice president for strategic engagement, University Advancement Steve Juliff, communications specialist, School of Hospitality Laura Miller, associate director of editorial and content operations, Communications and Marketing Sam Ng, professor of Meteorology Cory Phare, marketing and communication strategist/senior copywriter, College of Health and Human Sciences Nicole Predki, senior lecturer, Department of Theatre and Dance Andrea Smith, associate vice president of strategic communications Lynne Winter, associate director of Advancement communications MSU Denver Magazine is published by the Metropolitan State University of Denver Office of University Communications and Marketing. © 2025 Metropolitan

ALYSON McCLARAN

State University of Denver. All rights

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“We were the first basketball team to win a national championship in Colorado history. That’s something that will never be done again.”

— Former head coach MIKE DUNLAP

32

“Every once in a while, I realize I’m maintaining ice that predates humanity — not just civilization, but us as a species.”

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 Denver or imply endorsement by its officers or by the MSU Denver Alumni Association.

MSU Denver does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation or disability in admissions or access to, or treatment or employment in, its educational programs or activities.

— RICHARD NUNN, Geology alumnus

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news

VR transforms engineering Thanks to a gift from the Cordova Family Foundation, MSU Denver alumnus Hugo Delgado spent more than 200 hours testing and evaluating 132 simulations to find the best virtual-reality headsets.

As a result of Delgado’s devotion — it was his senior project — more than 300 students in nine courses in the Advanced Manufacturing Sciences Institute have access to 15 VR headsets, which will help them build advanced-manufacturing skills through immersive learning.

The headsets allow students to complete a variety of tasks and get immediate feedback. “You put on the headset, and it’s walking you through what it would be like to be in the real world doing the job with whatever the technology is that’s being addressed,” said AMSI Director Mark Yoss.

Mariyah Younger is a Communication Studies major at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She’s also mom to three children.

Combining responsibilities hasn’t been easy; she started college in 2013 but soon left due to a lack of support. Now at MSU Denver, she can succeed at both.

“Usually, it’s one or the other — you’re either a parent or a college student,” said Younger.

The FamilyU program, a national initiative from the nonprofit Generation Hope, which supports student parents, gets much of the credit for helping them succeed. MSU Denver is one of five universities selected to participate in the 2024-26 program, which focuses on improving policies, resources and support systems for student parents.

MSU Denver’s involvement builds on its commitment to serve students who are parents and caregivers. “We want MSU Denver to be a destination of choice for student parents — a place where they know they’ll be seen and supported,” said Kristen Lyons, Ph.D., Psychology professor and faculty representative on the FamilyU team. <

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The task that students learn “can be as simple as ‘How do you read a scale for measuring?’ or as complicated as Ohm’s Law and how that applies in the workplace,” he said, referring to the discovery that an electrical current flowing through a conductor corresponds to its voltage.

Students will be able to apply those skills in a wide variety of workplaces, Yoss said. The Fourth Industrial Revolution, in which emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics and virtual reality are the new coal, steel and giant factories, is creating thousands of new jobs. The National Association of Manufacturers predicts that by 2033, the United States will need 3.8 million manufacturing jobs and that nearly 2 million of those will go unfilled.

One key to filling that employment gap, “You put on the Yoss said, is “changing the mindset that manheadset, and it’s ufacturing is dirty, dull, dumb and dangerous.” walking you through Mechanical Engineering student Noah what it would be Hodges, a member of one of the first classes like to be in the real to use the headsets, doesn’t need convincing. world doing the job.”

“This is probably one of my favorite classes,” — AMSI DIRECTOR MARK YOSS he said. <

JOSH GEURINK

ILLUSTRATION BY BAKS/ADOBE STOCK

Parenting students find support

Student Faisal Kaweesa, left, and instructor Stephen Morgan use augmentedreality headsets.

SARA HERTWIG

After 14 transformative years, Ann Murphy, Ph.D., has stepped down as dean of the College of Business. During the fall semester, she will serve as a faculty member, leading the college’s effort to become reaccredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

She plans to retire in December, bringing an end to 27 years as an Accounting professor, associate dean, dean and driving force behind the success of MSU Denver’s College of Business and its initial accreditation by the AACSB. Colleagues called Murphy a dynamo who is known for her unwavering work ethic and active involvement in all aspects of overseeing the college.

MSU Denver has launched a national search for Murphy’s replacement, with the expectation that a new dean will be in the role by Aug. 1. <

ALYSON McCLARAN

Dean Murphy leaves legacy

Red-light revelation above: Anthropology students collect artifacts at the Central City dig site.

For most college students, summer doesn’t involve hauling buckets of dirt under the blazing sun or getting excited about unearthing century-old nails, buttons and coins.

But for a class in Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Sociology and Anthropology Department, that work and historic finds like those were the highlight of their break.

Led by Assistant Professor Jade Luiz, Ph.D., students spent weeks excavating a historic brothel site in Central City. The dig is part of a field school that began in June 2023 and has yielded more than 12,000 artifacts.

“One of our students spotted buildings labeled ‘FB’ for ‘female boarding’ on an old map of Central City,” said Luiz, whose background is in archaeology and the history of sex work. “That’s when we knew we had something worth digging into.”

Since 2023, Luiz and her dig teams have found items including a commemorative spoon from the 1898 Battle of Manila, aluminum and ceramic fragments, shards of glass, a St. Camillus medal and a corset.

Central City’s historic red-light district once comprised five houses perched on a hillside across from the former train station. One side of the dig includes a plot where the first house in the district once stood.

The dig drew a lot of attention in Central City and among historians and archaeologists. As a result, students worked alongside volunteers from the Colorado Archaeological Society, giving them the chance to network and learn, Luiz said. Students have also hosted members of the Gilpin Historical Society at the dig site. <

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news news

AMANDA SCHWENGEL

“I HAVE A CORE BELIEF THAT EVERY HUMAN BEING HAS THE INNATE MENTAL CAPACITY TO DO ANYTHING.”

Aerospace >> lift off Metropolitan State University of Denver has launched a new undergraduate degree program in Aerospace Systems and Mission Design, preparing students for one of the state’s most in-demand industries.

The coursework covers a diverse blend of technical and operational topics. So, whether their special interest is spaceflight operations, cybersecurity, data analysis or system architecture, students will be able to pursue their chosen field.

Michael Botyarov, Ph.D., assistant professor in the College of Aerospace, Computing, Engineering and Design, described the curriculum as “holistic.”

“It focuses on some really big ideas: space-mission conceptualization; space-system design and integration; and spaceflightmission operations and support,” he said.

Graduates will have the technical and operational experience to understand the broad architecture of the aerospace industry.

And thanks to Colorado’s prominence as a national hub for the space industry, Aerospace students have the opportunity to land internships at nearby private, commercial and government-funded aerospace organizations, which in turn opens up a long list of specialization possibilities.

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COURTESY OF FIREFLY AEROSPACE

Mission >> lift off 2025 MARATHON AWARD RECIPIENT

Students inspire Dimond Navin Dimond, winner of Metropolitan State University of Denver’s 2025 Marathon Award, is not only a benefactor of the University; he also is a mentor and believer in what MSU Denver stands for.

“I have a core belief that every human being has the innate mental capacity to do anything,” Dimond said. “It doesn’t matter what your socioeconomic class is, where you came from, where your parents are, whether they had education or not. It doesn’t matter. You matter.”

The founder and chairman of Stonebridge Companies, a national hotelownership and -management firm, credits his achievements to education. That led Dimond and his wife, Rita, to establish the Dimond Fellows Program to provide hands-on experience for students in MSU Denver’s School of Hospitality.

University President Janine Davidson, Ph.D., said the Dimonds created the program and that their involvement didn’t stop there. “They run it, and they mentor students every year,” she said. “Navin is a role model — not just because of the company he’s built but how he models it with his family.”

The Marathon Award is MSU Denver’s most prestigious honor, recognizing individuals whose contributions and influence have made an enduring impact on the University.

Mariachi program debuts

Pathway for social workers Matthew Bustos, an addiction counselor at Denver Health, never thought graduate school was possible until he joined MSU Denver’s innovative Apprenticeship Pathway.

The first-of-its-kind pilot program allows Master of Social Work students to use their full-time, social workrelated jobs to meet internship requirements.

“I never would have been able to pursue social work or grad school had the internship not been tied in with my work,” said Bustos.

Launched in partnership with Colorado’s Behavioral Health Administration and the National Center for Apprenticeship Degrees, the pathway offers scholarships and addresses a growing statewide crisis: Colorado needs thousands more behavioral health professionals, especially in rural areas.

“They’re trying to really make higher ed more accessible for certain people in the workforce,” said Jess Retrum, Ph.D., chair of MSU Denver’s Department of Social Work.

Complementing the apprenticeship is the Front Porch Initiative, which supports graduates pursuing licensure by paying supervisors — helping to prevent burnout and expand the workforce.

Nearly 30% of MSW students are already enrolled in the pilot program.

“It is a sign that our student body was very much in need of this option,” Retrum said. “Once we opened the door, a lot of students walked through it.”

For many students, mariachi is more than a music genre — it’s a lifeline to family, culture and identity.

Now, the distinctive Mexican folk music can also be a degree.

This fall, Metropolitan State University of Denver launched an Individualized Degree Program in Mariachi Performance and Culture, a major that combines performance with Chicana/o Studies, World Languages and Business coursework. Students also explore realworld applications in areas such as education and arts management.

“What we’re trying to create here is the Juilliard of mariachi,” said Philip Ficsor, Music professor and one of the faculty members who helped develop the program.

The degree’s origins lie in the student mariachi ensemble Los Correcaminos, whose members asked for a class on the musical tradition, said Affiliate Professor of Music Lorenzo Trujillo, Ed.D., J.D. More than 10 years of effort and planning culminated in the degree program.

“What we’re trying For student Ruby Godoy-Flores, the to create here is ensemble’s secretary, the program sends a message about belonging. the Juilliard of “There’s nothing like it in Colorado,” she mariachi.” said. “It’s going to bring in a lot of people, — MUSIC PROFESSOR not just from here but from other states, too.”

PHILIP FICSOR

NEARLY 30% OF MSW STUDENTS ARE ALREADY ENROLLED IN THE PILOT APPRENTICESHIP PATHWAY

JOSH GEURINK

30% The mariachi ensemble performs at Casa Bonita.

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HOMECOMING IS OCT. 8-11 Get rowdy at MSU Denver’s annual Homecoming! Join fellow alumni, faculty and staff members and students for a fun-filled week of activities celebrating Roadrunner Pride and cheering on our athletic teams.

Oct. 8

Women in Leadership Panel

Oct. 9

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20 Tailgate Party ORY T S I Men’s and Women’s Soccer Games GH H RO G TH

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NIN RUNOct. 10

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Alumni Receptions for: College of Letters, Arts and Sciences College of Health and Human Sciences

Oct. 11

Roadrunners 5K Alumni Awards Luncheon Road Riders Cycling Club Ride Mug Club Happy Hour Roadrunners Hall of Fame Banquet

MARK YOUR CALENDAR! RUN

NIN

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2023

Learn more and get tickets at msudenver.edu/ homecoming

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MSU DENVER’S HOMECOMING ERA

ALYSON McCLARAN

this < or > that W I T H M AT T M A K L E Y

Always looking for OPPORTUNITIES and hope.

LinkedIn or TikTok Tennis or pickleball Phone call or email Introvert or extrovert “Wicked” or “Dune” Abstract expressionism or realism Coffee or tea Optimist or pessimist Minimalist or maximalist River rafting or hot springs

Get to know Matt Makley, Ph.D. PROVOST AND EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Makley has been a familiar face at

PHONE CALL > Please, let’s save one

ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM > I am in a

MSU Denver for nearly two decades,

another from the never-ending, cascading deluge of emails!

jam band, and we allow ourselves plenty of room for “abstract” exploration.

EXTROVERT > Just ask my lovely wife,

OPTIMIST > Always looking for oppor-

Alea — she is an introvert who often probably wishes her husband were less outgoing.

tunities and hope. What is the alternative? Spiraling tales of doom and defeat. I choose to not operate that way.

“DUNE” > Huge Frank Herbert fan. Read

HOT SPRINGS > This is a tough one! Cut

all the “Dune” books in like a month. The focus on water, scarcity and fragility informs much of my scholarship these days.

to the quick. I LOVE rivers. But I am not a huge fan of charging rapids. So give me a hot spring. Off the beaten path, must hike to get to it? Even better.

and now he has stepped into a new role as provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. A historian with expertise in Indigenous North America, Colorado water history and the American West, Makley previously led the Department of History and served as Faculty Senate president.

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MSU Denver’s first student-housing building promises to transform campus life

A new 12-story mixed-use residence hall is expected to open in 2027.

BY KAREN GARVEY

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In a major milestone for a University historically focused on serving commuter students, Metropolitan State University of Denver is marking its 60th anniversary by developing its first University-owned student residence hall. The mixed-use, on-campus development promises to transform the student experience on the Auraria Campus in downtown Denver.

University leaders said the project will create a more vibrant and community-centric campus environment while also addressing concerns about the availability of downtown housing options for students.

“This milestone project is about more than bricks and mortar,” said MSU Denver President Janine Davidson, Ph.D. “It’s about transforming the student experience and reimagining what it means to be a Roadrunner in the heart of Denver.”

Construction began this summer on the 12-story, $117 million student-housing building that is being built on a 2-acre parcel at 12th Street and Auraria Parkway, across from Ball Arena on the former MSU Denver baseball field. The building is expected to be completed in 2027.

Plans for the project call for 550 student beds on the upper 10 floors. Retail space will be located on the first floor; the Classroom to Career Hub, MSU Denver’s signature workforce initiative known as the C2 Hub, will be on the second.

“Housing supports the University’s mission to make higher education more accessible,” said Will Simpkins, Ed.D., vice president of Student Affairs. “We’re in our 60th year. If you think about where we want to be at 75, what we’re doing

“Housing supports the University’s mission to make higher education more accessible.”

SAR+ ARCHITECTS

— WILL SIMPKINS, VICE PRESIDENT FOR STUDENT AFFAIRS

now will help us realize that future vision for the University.”

The new student residence hall is the first phase of a two-building Living and Learning Hub that will include a second 12-story building. A project of the Auraria Campus with partner Columbia Ven-

“This moment marks more than a transaction — it’s a bold step forward for the Auraria Campus and the communities we serve,” said Colleen Walker, Auraria Campus CEO. MSU Denver is poised to invest up to $135 million in infrastructure that will enhance the campus and

tures, the second structure will provide more than 300 workforce housing units for income-qualified residents of Denver, including campus community members. It also will also serve as the new home of the Auraria Early Learning Center, a child care center currently located on the south side of campus.

students’ experience. Along with constructing the student residences, the University will expand and upgrade sports, recreation and event space inside the Auraria Event Center.

MSU Denver sold bonds to fund the studenthousing and event center renovation — debt that will be repaid using revenue generated by the residence hall. Meanwhile, funding for the C2 Hub will come from multiple sources, including more than $9 million in private donations and an anticipated $6.6 million investment from the state of Colorado.

University officials said the projects will not impact student tuition and fees.

“Even with this debt issuance, MSU Denver will remain the second-lowest (public institution of higher education) in debt per student in the state,” said Laura Pinnie, a member of MSU Denver’s Board of Trustees and chair of the governing body’s Finance and Audit Committee.

University administrators are confident that there is sufficient student demand to fill the building. One-third of MSU Denver students who participated in a recent survey commute more than 40 minutes to campus, and more than 70% who rent or live with family members expressed interest in living on campus.

“We truly believe the Auraria Campus can become a destination campus where students and other members of the community will spend more time beyond coming and going to class,” Simpkins said. <

The new residence hall will feature retail space, the C2 Hub and beds for 550 students.

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POLINA SARAN

Opportunity rising

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By Michael Haederle and John Arnold

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60 years ago,

an upstart college offered an unprecedented value proposition.

More than 112,000 graduates later, the promise of higher education in Colorado is stronger than ever.

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W

hen Metropolitan State College opened its doors in fall 1965, students dodged traffic and defied expectations.

With no dedicated campus of their own, the college’s first enrollees were nicknamed “Roadrunners” because they had to hustle across busy streets to get to classes in scattered downtown Denver office buildings.

They weren’t typical college students — and that was the point.

Roy Romer, the former Colorado governor whom many consider the “father of MSU Denver,” was a young state lawmaker when he led the effort to create a new four-year public institution that would bring greater flexibility to higher education and better accommodate the needs of working students. And in turn, the new college would accommodate the needs of area industry leaders who had been telling lawmakers for years that they needed better-trained, better-prepared workers.

Sixty years later, that upstart college with no campus has transformed into one of the most innovative public urban universities in the country, enrolling nearly 18,000 undergraduate and graduate students and contributing $1 billion a year to the state’s economy.

Former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer

Yet Metropolitan State University of Denver remains as true as ever to its founding mission.

“The founders would absolutely recognize today’s University, and they would be pleased that we have flexed with the changes our students needed,” said Janine Davidson, Ph.D., who has led MSU Denver since 2017 as its ninth president.

During her tenure, Davidson has steered the University through monumental challenges — including the Covid pandemic, state funding cuts and shifting national policies and perceptions — while advancing its mission to bolster Colorado’s workforce and communities through accessible, high-value and relevant programs.

“We define ourselves by who we include, not who we exclude,” she said, “so that students who are ‘nontraditional’ or transferring from somewhere else or who are not as well-prepped by their high schools for higher education will have a chance to transform their lives.”

Nearly 60% of MSU Denver undergraduates are first-generation college students, and 40% have transferred from other institutions. More than half are students of color. Through the decades, the University’s more than 112,000 graduates have made an enduring impact throughout Colorado and beyond.

In fact, MSU Denver’s tenacious students were highly motivated from the outset, said Sandra Maresh Doe, Ed.D., one of Metropolitan State College’s first teachers in 1965 who endured the administrative challenges of a fledgling college and persevered for the mission.

“You had to want to be here,” said Doe, who retired as a professor of English in 2022. “But we had a unique mission in that we gave every student individual attention. We didn’t have big lecture halls. We didn’t have teaching assistants — nobody helped us teach our classes. We just liked students.”

That student-first ethos persists today, with highly accomplished faculty members who love the classroom. MSU Denver’s humanities and arts programs make the University “a cultural center of gravity for our community,” Davidson said.

Continued on p.16

Metro State College holds its first Commencement ceremony June 1, 1969.

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“We define ourselves by who we include, not who we exclude.”

— JANINE DAVIDSON, MSU DENVER PRESIDENT

Students register for classes in the 1970s.

MSU DENVER 60TH ANNIVERSARY MILESTONES Oct. 4, 1965 //

1977 // MSC moves into

1990 // With legislative

Metropolitan State College opens its doors to 1,189 enrolled students. Thirty-six faculty and staff members greet them.

the newly completed Auraria Higher Education Center, sharing space with the University of Colorado Denver and Community College of Denver.

approval, the words “of Denver” are added to the school’s name in a bid to improve name recognition and distinguish the school from Metropolitan State University in Minnesota.

1966 // Kenneth Phillips, Ph.D., is named the first president, replacing acting President Harlan Bryant, Ph.D., who presided over MSC’s creation.

June 1, 1969 // The College confers its first 60 baccalaureate degrees.

1974 // MSC’s beloved mascot Rowdy makes first appearance.

opens as a student union.

1993 // Sheila Kaplan,

1968 // Students vote to change the mascot from the Mustang to the Roadrunner, acknowledging the nickname students acquired as they ran between classes in buildings scattered across downtown Denver.

1994 // Historic Tivoli Brewery

1986 // To improve access for students, MSC becomes the first college in Colorado — and one of the first in the nation — to offer registration by phone.

1988 // Former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir’s Denver home is relocated to the Auraria Campus and becomes MSC’s Golda Meir Center.

Ph.D., becomes the first woman to serve as president of the University.

During her tenure, MSC of Denver separates from the State Colleges in Colorado board to form its own governing board.

Meanwhile, the school clears the 20,000-student enrollment mark during Kaplan’s tenure.

1996 // MSC of Denver offers its first online course, Introduction to Technical Writing, with 21 students enrolled.

2000 // MSC of Denver’s Men’s Basketball team wins the NCAA Division II national championship, becoming the first college basketball team in the state to bring home a national title.

October 2000 // The 180,000-square-foot Kenneth King Academic and Performing Arts Center opens on campus.

December 2003 // Larry Langley, 52, becomes the 50,000th person to receive an MSC of Denver degree.

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And true to its original mandate, MSU Denver is laser-focused on preparing students to enter Colorado’s workforce. Industry partnerships and career programs fostered through the Classroom to Career (C2) Hub get employers engaged with students prior to graduation so they can explore career options and be workforce-ready when they receive their diplomas.

The C2 Hub, established in 2019, also encourages students to overcome obstacles and stay in school, said Adrienne Mar-

“[MSU Denver is] still focused on preparing people for a better life, changing their economic standing for themselves and their families.”

— STEPHEN JORDAN

tinez, associate vice president of Classroom to Career Initiatives.

“One of our focus areas is illuminating that light at the end of the tunnel,” she said. “We know our students are juggling a lot of competing life priorities — family care, child care, elder care, jobs — and we want to make it as easy as possible for students to tap into our activities, as well as employers.”

As MSU Denver’s programs and partnerships have evolved over the decades, so has the University’s presence on the Auraria Campus. MSU Denver’s home since the 1970s has created a sense of place that continues to change the face of downtown Denver, said Stephen

below: Community members tour the Aerospace and

Engineering Sciences Building. at right: Leaders break ground on the Jordan Student Success Building.

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Jordan, Ph.D., MSU Denver’s longest-serving president, who led the institution from 2005 to 2017.

The Hospitality Learning Center, Science Building, Aerospace and Engineering Sciences Building and 13-acre Athletics Complex were all constructed on Jordan’s watch, along with the Jordan Student Success Building (his name was an honorary addition to the building after his retirement in 2017).

The campus’ transformation continues today, with construction scheduled next

year for the state-of-the-art Gina and Frank Day Health Institute Tower, which will bring 10 health-related disciplines under one roof on the central campus.

And MSU Denver’s first residence hall is under construction on the north edge of campus and expected to open in 2027 with beds for 550 students, new dining and retail options and a new headquarters for the C2 Hub. The new projects, Jordan said, show that MSU Denver is “still focused on preparing people for a better life, changing their economic standing for themselves and their families, which has always been the core mission of the University.”

Jordan’s legacy includes another major milestone in MSU Denver’s history: the name change in 2012 from Metropolitan State College of Denver to Metropolitan State University of Denver. The new name and designation as a university brought the institution’s first graduate programs and greater prestige and helped pave the way for federal designation in 2019 as a Hispanic-Serving Institution.

The question Jordan asked when considering university status was: “Does this change who we are, what our mission and vision are?”

“The answer was no,” he said. “The name change was not an attempt to become a research university. It was an attempt to address the fact that in many professions today, in order to advance and be successful, you needed a master’s degree. It was really clear that there was a demand for these programs and the need for professional advancement.”

Homecoming heats up as Rowdy and MSU Denver alumni and students gather for a bonfire in 2013.

THE THREE PRIORITIES OF PRESIDENT DAVIDSON:

“Students, students, students.”

2005 // Stephen Jordan, Ph.D.,

2015 // The 13-acre Regency

MSC of Denver’s longestserving president, begins his 12-year tenure, overseeing the construction of multiple new buildings on campus and leading the institution’s effort to achieve university status.

Athletic Complex opens, featuring multiple fields, tennis courts and the 23,000-square-foot Cohen Center for Athletics.

July 2010 // MSC of Denver receives approval to launch three planned master’s degree programs, the institution’s first-ever graduate-level offerings, in Teacher Education, Professional Accountancy and Social Work.

August 2010 // The state-ofthe-art Auraria Science Building opens, providing additional space for MSC of Denver’s Biology and Chemistry Departments.

2012 // The 145,000- squarefoot Student Success Building and state-of-the-art Hotel and Hospitality Learning Center open.

April 18, 2012 // Metropolitan State College of Denver officially changes its name to Metropolitan State University of Denver when Gov. John Hickenlooper signs SB12-148.

As MSU Denver continues to advance the lives of its students, Romer not only validates its success but stresses the need to continue offering opportunity to those students who might otherwise be shut out of higher education.

“I still believe education is the key to the good life,” he said in 2021 after receiving the Marathon Award, MSU Denver’s highest honor. “There are so many people who have not yet had that opportunity.”

Davidson agrees, which is why the three priorities she laid out upon assuming her role in 2017 haven’t changed: “Students, students, students.”

“Our most notable contribution is to provide high-quality, affordable and accessible education for so many Coloradans who might otherwise have been left behind,” Davidson said.

“MSU Denver has always been a high-value, smart choice for students.” <

2017 // MSU Denver’s stateof-the- art Aerospace and Engineering Sciences Building opens. The 142,000-squarefoot structure houses the University’s programs in Aerospace Science, Computer Science, Engineering, Technology and Industrial Design.

2017 // Janine Davidson, Ph.D., becomes the University’s ninth president. A former Air Force officer and pilot, she was the first woman to fly the Air Force’s tactical C-130 and served as undersecretary of the U.S. Navy.

2019 // The Classroom to Career (C2) Hub is established to prepare students and help them transition to careers after graduation. An advisory board consisting of students, faculty and staff members, employers and community members determines the C2 Hub’s operating structure.

2019 // MSU Denver earns federal designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution.

Its 5,469 enrolled Hispanic and Latino students are more than any other highereducation institution in Colorado.

2019 // The University begins offering in-state tuition to undocumented students who have lived and attended high school in Colorado. A year later, with MSU Denver’s leadership and example, the state legislature passes the ASSET Bill, which authorizes in-state tuition rates to qualified undocumented students statewide.

March 2020 // As the global

MSU Denver shifts to remote learning. Faculty members scramble to reconfigure their courses for online delivery.

Dec. 7, 2020 // Brandon Ingersoll, a Communications major with a minor in Psychology, becomes MSU Denver’s 100,000th graduate.

March 2024 // Gina and Frank Day pledge $10 million to the Gina and Frank Day Health Institute at MSU Denver.

June 2025 // MSU Denver Board of Trustees approves plans for the University’s first residence hall, scheduled for completion in 2027.

Covid-19 pandemic surges,

Learn more and join us for yearlong celebrations at msudenver.edu/60th-anniversary

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10 REASONS YOU

love

MSU DENVER

When you think about MSU Denver, what makes you proud? Here are the reasons you said you love the campus, community and commitment to students.

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The diversity of our student body

JOSH GEURINK

Roadrunners reflect the richness of Colorado communities and redefine what college looks like. More than half of undergraduates are students of color. Nearly 60 percent are first-generation students, and most balance school and work.

“MSU Denver truly elevates diversity on campus. We’re supported and celebrated here.” — GABRIEL TRUJILLO, Psychology, 2024

The attention given by our professors

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Faculty members mentor students with care and enthusiasm. “The faculty at MSU Denver made all the difference. Biology Professors Hays, MacArthur and Odden saw my awe and enthusiasm for evolutionary biology and ecology, and they shared resources that further led me in the direction of my passions.” — NINA DROPCHO, Biology, 2012

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Our support for veterans

MSU Denver offers veterans a welcoming space and the flexibility to create personalized academic paths. “I started at MSU Denver as a veteran who had tried a few different schools and had been left unimpressed. MSU Denver allowed me to create a degree that worked for what I was looking for.”

— KYLE FRAZER, Individualized Degree Program, 2010

AMANDA SCHWENGEL

ALYSON McCLARAN

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Associate Professor Elmer Harris leads a class on teaching social studies.

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Emanuel Walker is commissioned as an officer in the Army’s cyberwarfare branch.

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With 14 NCAA Division II teams, Roadrunners compete hard and support one another even harder. “I was a softball player and coach for the University, which was my favorite part about my college experience. … It was challenging and exhausting but worth it.” — ARIANNA VALDEZ, Integrative Health Care, 2023

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The Athletics programs

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Our commitment to first-generation families

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First-gen students and their families get tools and support through dedicated programs that foster success and belonging because no one should go it alone. “We all belong here just as much as a student who has had family that goes to college and has a degree already.”

— ALYSON DOTY, first-generation Social Work student at MSU Denver

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JOSH GEURINK

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ALYSON McCLARAN

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Students express themselves through sidewalk chalk art at the Rowdy Cookout in September.

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Our return on investment

With over 112,000 alumni — most staying in Colorado — MSU Denver fuels a nearly $1 billion annual impact on Colorado’s economy. And the University’s graduates are prepared to contribute professionally and civically. “(My professors) all did a great job of preparing me for my career and giving me the practical knowledge that helped me in the workforce. I felt like I was way ahead in practical knowledge over others that I worked with that came from the big-name universities.” — WILLIAM BUSE, Electronics Engineering Technology, 1977

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Museums, music venues and the Performing Arts Complex are just steps away from campus. And in the nearby Santa Fe Art District, MSU Denver’s Center for Visual Art serves as a cultural hub. Roadrunners don’t just study art, they live it. “It was the best experience growing as an artist at school and being able to thrive still as an artist today, 16 years later.”

— VANESSA SILVER, Art Drawing, 2009

Our dedicated staff and academic advisors MSU Denver’s staff and advisors help students navigate college life, from class registration to life planning, offering steady support every step of the way. “I love working with students who’ve struggled or who are coming back after time away. I meet them where they are.” — ALEXIS MAGAÑA, MSU Denver academic advisor

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Our clubs and student organizations

With over 100 student-led groups, Roadrunners connect through shared interests and discover new passions and friendships along the way.

“What we’re really doing isn’t just playing music; it’s delivering emotions and memories.” — WILLIAM TREVIZIO, Business and Music student and member of MSU Denver’s mariachi ensemble, Los Correcaminos.

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Our impact on Colorado and beyond

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The arts-andculture community

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MSU Denver graduates go on to lead, innovate and uplift communities, contributing talent, vision and heart to the state and far beyond. “There is a misconception that a college degree is not that important. Obviously, that is the wrong argument when you look at the benefits you see in the long term.”

— KISHORE KULKARNI, Ph.D., professor of Economics at MSU Denver

Flip to the back cover to participate in this issue’s prompt.

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Helping kids speak easy MSU Denver Speech-Language Pathology students provide free therapy at the campus day care and get valuable experience in return.

By Lynne Winter and Valeria Quiroz

Dawn P. Bookhardt

MADE A GENEROUS GIFT

AMANDA SCHWENGEL

Attorney and activist Dawn Bookhardt, J.D., is dedicated

A $1 million gift from Dawn Bookhardt helped establish the Bookhardt Family Speech-Language Clinic in the Gina and Frank Day Health Institute at MSU Denver.

Learn how to make an impact at msudenver.edu/giving

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to helping Metropolitan State University of Denver educate a diverse health care workforce in the fields of speech, language and hearing.

The former chair of the MSU Denver Foundation board of directors made a transformational $1 million gift to help support the Gina and Frank Day Health Institute.

The institute, comprising 10 health-related academic departments, “Whatever you includes students in MSU Denver’s give, you’ll get Speech, Language, Hearing Sciences back multifold.” program, an area of health care near and dear to Bookhardt. Her gift will help support the Bookhardt Family Speech-Language Clinic within the Day Health Institute. The clinic was recently renamed in Bookhardt’s honor.

“I want to change the dynamics of speech, hearing and language education and careers — for people from all racial and ethnic backgrounds to know they can be part of it,” said Bookhardt, a longtime MSU Denver supporter. “I’m putting my money where my mouth is.”

The Speech, Language, Hearing Sciences program and clinic at MSU Denver will educate students who diversify the field and provide patients with an experience that improves overall health outcomes.

Bookhardt encourages others to step up and make a gift to the University, which she considers a worthy organization with students who deserve the support.

“Whatever you give, you’ll get back multifold — that’s just the way the universe works,” she said. “I’ve been given so much from MSU Denver in terms of knowledge, experience, love and student engagement.

“It’s a gift of the heart — the best gift I’ve ever made.” <

Linda Baker and Abby Marroon recently met for the first time, though Marroon has known Baker’s son, 4-year-old Monty Manley, for nearly a year. Marroon, a graduate student in the Master of SpeechLanguage Pathology program at Metropolitan State University of Denver, worked with Monty from June to December last year at the Auraria Early Learning Center, a campus day care. Marroon, working for the Bookardt Family Speech-Language Clinic, said she noticed a significant improvement in the boy’s speech during that time.

“When we first started with the clinic, (Monty) was barely speaking at all,” Baker said. “Now, he speaks in full sentences, his pronunciation is wonderful, and communication — and the reduction of frustration at home — has improved so much.”

The Bookhardt Family Speech-Language Clinic is a key part of MSU Denver’s Speech, Language, Hearing Sciences graduate program. It allows students to provide free services to people of all ages under the supervision of licensed speech-language pathologists.

“We started right away with kids, and that’s one of the things this program here at MSU Denver does,” Marroon said. “I was literally in class trying to learn everything while thinking, ‘All right, let’s figure out what to do with Monty!’”

The clinic’s partnership with the Auraria Early Learning Center enables students to work with children in both small groups and individual settings. At the same time, it offers a much-needed affordable child care option to students and faculty and staff members on the Auraria Campus and the wider Denver population who are parents

Monty

RECEIVED LIFE-CHANGING SPEECH THERAPY

of young children. The center offers full-time programs for children from 12 months to 5 years old and serves the Auraria Campus and Denver on a space-available basis.

Marroon said she appreciates the convenience of having clinics on campus and being able to move between classes and sessions.

This collaboration also benefits families such as Baker’s by offering early detection and therapy for speech and hearing problems during hours when parents are at work and the master’s students are on campus, allowing children to integrate therapy into their daily routines.

“It is so easy. He is not disrupted in his day, and he looks forward to it,” said Baker, whose older son also attended the Early Learning Center when he was a preschooler.

Monty now teaches his parents new words and shares what he learns during his sessions. Baker said she is grateful for the partnership between the clinic and the center. As a psychologist, she understands the value of students gaining real-world experience, which is why she supports the program. Baker sees her own clients in a private practice in Denver.

“In my profession, I was also an intern for a long time, and I remember people being hesitant with interns,” Baker said. “From my perspective, you get a double eye on everything with people who are invested in doing things right because they are learning. It has been great on our end.”

For Marroon, the experience aligns with her goal of helping others. “That is all I ever wanted to do: helping kids find their voices,” she said. <

Abby Marroon

GAINED REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE HELPING KIDS

ALYSON M c CLARAN

Graduate student Abby Marroon works with 4-yearold Monty Manley at the Bookhardt Family SpeechLanguage Clinic at the Auraria Early Learning Center.

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B y KAREN GARVEY

Cool classes

JOSH GEURINK

Metropolitan State University of Denver has class. Or, more precisely, classes. The University’s innovative and expert faculty members craft courses that encourage students to investigate, explore, create and, most important, think. In the process, students gain skills to excel in real-world work as diverse as landing planes and brewing beer. Some of the University’s most fascinating offerings:

who typically include traditional and nontraditional graduates and undergraduates in a variety of majors, prepare their malted grains for fermentation.

ALYSON McCLARAN

Field Observation of Severe Weather

Introduction to Homebrewing and Fermentation Like a mug under a tap, this course fills up fast. Offered by the School of Hospitality, the course provides students with an opportunity to experiment and create their own concoctions. And if you think the craft beers offered around town are creative, be assured that they

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have nothing on MSU Denver students, who have come up with jalapeño, pickle and even Mountain Dew-based brews.

But the class, taught by Katie Strain, isn’t all brewing and sipping. It starts with basic science — brewing is chemistry, after all. There’s a bit of the history of brewing and regional differences in beer, too. From there, students,

Armed with cameras, handheld weather sensors and the latest in streaming weather-observation technology, Meteorology students hit the road, pursuing the ultimate thunderstorms: supercells.

Traveling thousands of miles in a roving weather lab, the future forecasters gain valuable insights into the behavior and impacts of the severe weather they will build their future careers predicting.

Scott Landolt, Ph.D., an affiliate professor of Meteorology in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, cautions that this is not a storm-chasing class. “It’s important for students to

relate what they are learning in class about interpreting observations,” Landolt said, “including weather radar imagery, and to understand what those storms look like in person.”

Advanced Investment Management Each semester, the MSU Denver Foundation allocates $100,000 to Finance Professor Adam Schor’s Advanced Investment Management class. That money is split evenly between the studentmanaged Coyote Fund and Roadrunner Fund. Over the past five years — through a global health crisis, supplychain breakdowns, tech volatility, inflationary spikes and monetary tightening by the Federal Reserve — students have outperformed top market indexes by about 20%. The course isn’t about turning out millionaires and moguls, but preparing

JOSH GEURINK

SCOTT LANDOLT

students work with fresh hops. Oklahoma storm footage captured during a Meteorology class. Students perform traditional folk dances.

Aspiring detectives analyze fingerprints and blood spatters.

Marketing professor leads a class on AI.

ALYSON M c CLARAN

left to right : Hospitality

EDWIN SANCHEZ DANIEL

Ballet Folklorico

students to understand and engage with the forces that shape markets. And there is more at stake than good grades and healthy margins.

The class’s overarching goal is to generate enough return to support scholarships for future students.

Creativity and AI in Marketing A year ago, Marketing Professor Angelica Bahl, Ph.D., assigned students to make videos using their smartphones. “That seems like last century,” she said.

This past spring, she created an artificial-intelligence class to “open students’ eyes

to this amazing tool we can use in business.”

She does not, she said, want to foment an AI robot takeover. On the contrary, despite teaching students to apply and appreciate the potential of AI, she believes “it’s important to realize that creativity and innovating something great is uniquely human.”

Class begins with introducing students to creativity theory. They become familiar with AI and its bells and whistles before creating a promotional campaign for an existing product and, finally, using the technology to design a new product.

This class is perfect for students who like to marry their moves with history and culture. Dating to the Aztecs, Folklorico dances, like the traditions behind them, vary from state to state. Instructor Edwin Sanchez Daniel said his students, including those exploring their heritage and those who want to discover others, dip a toe into the stories and customs behind Folklorico from Guadalajara, Nuevo León and Veracruz in Mexico, plus other regions. Near the end of the class’s debut semester, dancers performed at events on the MSU Denver campus and beyond, including for an Aurora middle school. As a final exam, students incorporate all they’ve learned to choreograph their own Folklorico.

Crime Scene Investigation As anyone who’s a fan of the CSI television franchise — or any of its crime-solving cousins — knows, if you want to nail a perp, you’ve got to have evidence.

Preferably forensic evidence.

MSU Denver students can gain the skills to join the ranks of those TV science-fueled sleuths. Taught by Sarah Bailey, a veteran investigator with the Aurora Police Department, Crime Scene Investigation teaches students techniques for developing fingerprints, examining physical evidence and analyzing blood spatters. Most important, Bailey said, the hands-on experience teaches students to examine every possibility and take nothing for granted.<

* WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE/

most life-changing class at MSU Denver?

Send your story to magazine@msudenver.edu.

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The Center for Visual Art’s alumni exhibition forges connection and inspiration across generations.

BY LAURI LYNNXE MURPHY

MSU Denver alumna Lola Montejo stands between two of her paintings at the Center for Visual Art.

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ALYSON M c CLARAN

at the heart of Denver DESPITE THE POPULAR “starving artist alone in a garret” trope, artists thrive in community. At Metropolitan State University of Denver, the Department of Art has made a priority of creating and nurturing that community for students and professional artists.

Since 1990, MSU Denver’s Center for Visual Art, now located in Denver’s Santa Fe Art District, has been a vital part of that mission.

More than a gallery, the CVA is a thriving hub where artists, students and faculty members intersect with global talent and alumni artists.

The CVA is “an amazing resource for students, who can work there while seeing faculty shows and mounting their thesis exhibition,” said Natascha Seideneck, an associate professor of Art at MSU Denver and an alumna whose photos were recently featured at the CVA. This year, as it does every five years, the CVA hosted “Reconnect,” a vibrant, juried showcase of the diverse artistry of MSU Denver graduates. The 2025 artist roster, selected by Rory Padeken, the Vicki and Kent Logan Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Denver Art Museum, featured working artists who graduated from 1974 to 2024 and represented 30 artists and collaborations.

MSU Denver Magazine caught up with six of the artists to learn more about the past and future of the CVA.

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HUMBLE

HARDWORKING

The CVA was hardly the University’s first ROOTS venue for student-art showcases. Bill Starke, proudly the oldest artist in this year’s “Reconnect” show and a Class of ’73 alumnus, remembered a vastly different educational environment, with classes spread among multiple downtown buildings and a small department-run gallery at 11th Avenue and Cherokee Street.

The sculptor valued the University’s roots as a working-class school, where many students were military veterans attending class, thanks to the GI Bill, while working full-time jobs. “I got a great education from serious artists like Jim Westergard, E. Jean Schiff, Bob Mangold and Bill Hayes,” Starke said.

“Then, (I) went to my job hanging wallpaper, where I got a different education from guys who never went to school.” That education led to a career as an artist, and at 78, Starke has his work in collections around the world.

Starke wasn’t the only artist who expressed appreciation for MSU Denver’s collaborative approach. “I was older when I started school — I already had my own sense of self,” said Ramon Trujillo, a former wrestler who found his way to the Art Department while pursuing Mechanical Engineering and graduated in 2019.

Trujillo recalled that Professor Emeritus Carlos Frésquez, who often taught mural painting, “was so encouraging, and there was so much camaraderie in class, that I wanted to recreate that experience with likeminded artists and other alumni,” he said.

When Adrian Raya met Trujillo in Frésquez’s Painting class, the two began working together in the Latino and Chicano Art Students Association, or LaCASA, which Frésquez had encouraged students to found.

In 2019, the 11-member club became the only one of its kind on campus geared toward fostering a “welcoming environment at the University” for Latino and Chicano Art students, Raya said.

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“I got a great education from serious artists like Jim Westergard, E. Jean Schiff, Bob Mangold and Bill Hayes.”

— BILL STARKE, FINE ART, 1973

Alumnus Adrian Raya, a member of the Mid-Brow Collective, was featured at the CVA’s “Reconnect” exhibition in May.

INSPIRING

TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

GALLERY

A NEW

IN AN

EMERGING

URBAN SCENE

As the CVA debuted in 1990, MSU Denver was celebrating its 25th anniversary, locals were just beginning to call a reemerging downtown neighborhood “LoDo,” and the city was considerably more isolated from the greater art world.

The new gallery, then on Wazee Street, opened within a small but burgeoning local art scene, becoming a showcase for talents incubating in the MSU Denver Department of Art. That first weekend, 1,300 visitors, including thenGov. Roy Romer and U.S. Rep. Pat Schroeder, stopped by the new gallery.

By 2008, the CVA had graduated to its own building, a long-empty motorcycle garage, at the north end of the Santa Fe Art District. The new space provided an elevated profile and reach, and 14,000 square feet of gallery, classroom and storage space. The CVA’s impact there includes supporting local muralists and international talent such as Shepard Fairey, creator of Barack Obama’s iconic “Hope” poster.

POLINA SARAN

Trujillo and Raya also created the Mid-Brow Collective with Frésquez, along with two other alumni.

The goal, Trujillo said, is “to leave a mark that impacts many for the better.” One of those marks will be left on the Kalamath Building, which houses the MSU Denver Department of Music’s community programs. The Mid-Brows began working on a mural there in August, inviting aspiring young artists and interns as young as 14 to contribute.

Most artists juggle their profession with day jobs, and many are drawn to teaching. For decades, students such as Natascha Seideneck have been inspired by MSU Denver’s Art professors, all working artists themselves. After graduating in 2001, Seideneck returned from graduate school and guest taught in Professor Jennifer Garner’s thesis class. Then, when Garner, a former CVA director, was named art curator at Denver International Airport, Seideneck took over the class.

Lola Montejo also experienced the CVA as both student and professor. As a teenager, Montejo emigrated from Spain to New York City, where she encountered abstract expressionism and developed a passion for painting. As a student at MSU Denver, she found a mentor in then-Professor Amy Metier. The CVA fed Montejo’s hunger for “new and different art at a time when Denver had fewer galleries — we wanted something riskier,” she said. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at MSU Denver in 1998. Now, she has returned as a professor, teaching Painting and Drawing. She introduced her students to the CVA and said they “feel a sense of ownership and belonging” there.

“Having a nice, free and close local resource helps the students see more art, and I can assign them extra credit for seeing shows,” Montejo said. “They are able to feel a sense of belonging and feel like a part of it.” <

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MSU Denver is taking steps to combat an epidemic of loneliness and help Roadrunners build community on and off campus.

BY KAREN GARVEY

Every month, Ashley Blondo emails 50 or so friends, friends of friends and casual acquaintances, most of whom are fellow Metropolitan State University of Denver students, and invites them to gather at Sloan’s Lake Park to make art.

The art may involve painting or drawing; Blondo, who uses they/them pronouns, even foresees crocheting in the group’s future. But while creating is fun, even therapeutic, it’s the means to a greater objective: building community and fostering connection among fellow students. “Friends have shared that it has been really helpful making new friends,” Blondo said. “One person brought another friend who’s new to (MSU Denver), and now she’s meeting people.”

Meeting people is no problem for Blondo, who expects to graduate next spring with a

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country, according to a 2023 proclamation by then-U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, M.D., is an epidemic of loneliness. No group knows that better, or experiences it more, than college-age adults.

Murthy’s proclamation was followed in 2024 by an American Psychiatric Association poll that found nearly one-third of adults had experienced loneliness at least once a An epidemic of loneliness week over the previous year, while 10% said More than ever, Americans are struggling they were lonely every day. That frequent, to find meaningful connections. We may chronic loneliness was reported most in have Facebook friends and TikTok followpeople ages 18-34. ers by the hundreds or thousands; we may Five years earlier, researchers at healthbe on a first-name basis — electronically insurance giant Cigna Healthcare reported speaking, at least — with multimillionsignificantly higher rates of loneliness. Once aires, movie stars and marquee athletes. again, young people suffered the most.

But too many of us feel we have no one Cigna found that more than in our corner, no one who PEOPLE AGES 18 TO 22 seven in 10 people ages 18 to will listen when we need 22 said they sometimes or to talk. Definitely no one always feel alone, and 71% who’ll take us to the airport said they sometimes or always of them said no one underor help us move. feel alone stands them well.

What we have in this Psychology degree. “I’m the person who connects people to other people,” they said.

“I’m loud and talk a lot in class.”

But they get that it’s not that easy for everyone. “You have to put yourself out there,” Blondo said. “That comes naturally to me, but that’s not true for everyone.”

7 in 10

ALYSON M c CLARAN

Finding their flock

facing page: MSU Denver

student Ashley Blondo, center, meets classmates Kaysie McGurk, left, Bug Bobitsky, second from left, Aden Walsh, second from right, and Arianna Enriquez, right, to create art at Sloan’s Lake.

An innovative approach While public-health officials and psychologists research the why and what to do about it, college and university leaders don’t have the luxury of lengthy study — they’re too busy working hard to combat the problem every day. That’s certainly happening at MSU Denver, where the challenge may be greater because the University is a commuter school, said Randal Boldt, Psy.D., director of the MSU Denver Counseling Center. But with that challenge has come great innovation.

In the past year, the University has reallocated existing resources to create the Student Health and Well-being Department, which is charged with promoting not just student physical health but emotional well-being as well. It does that through counseling and wellness programs and by creating opportunities for recreation.

The University also has created the position of director of Recreation and Wellbeing. Richard Miccio, a licensed clinical social worker who assumed that role May 1, said it will integrate the work of multiple departments, including the Health Center at Auraria, the Counseling Center and Campus Recreation.

In another major step, MSU Denver has expanded the traditional fall Welcome Week to Welcome Month. The goal is to reach every student, regardless of the time of day or day of the week they’re on campus, said Stephen Cucchiara, executive director of Student Life and Belonging, who spearheaded the change. “We’re trying not to overwhelm students with everything everywhere all at once,” he said.

Now, the first week will be devoted to welcoming everyone onto campus. “The second week,” Cucchiara said, “we want students to feel, ‘OK, I’ve met a couple of other students’; now, let’s go a little further and help you find your community.”

The third and fourth weeks are about wellness and showing students pathways to get the support they need, including peer mentors.

The blame game Whenever the subject of loneliness and young people comes up, fingers typically point at this generation’s tendencies to walk around staring into phones and to trade physical interaction for online communities.

“Our phones, and being sucked into these vortices of scrolling, don’t help with relationship-building,” said Boldt, of the Counseling Center. “I think that’s a part of what’s going on.”

Social media doesn’t get all the blame, however. Young adults started feeling lonelier all the way back in 1976, a year in which phones still had dials on them and a few dozen mathematicians and engineers were on the verge of figuring out how computers could talk to one another. Twenty-five years later, the book “Bowling Alone” detailed Americans’ plummeting participation in social groups such as the PTA, church, clubs, political parties or bowling leagues.

Over the past four years, researchers with the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Making Caring Common project have been researching the loneliness problem. In 2023, a Gallup poll of college students found 39% reported they had felt lonely the previous day. And a Gallup poll this year found young men are more likely to experience ongoing loneliness than their female counterparts.

So what else is going on? Boldt sees our deep political divide as another culprit. “I think that adds to a sense of fear and a lack of feeling safe with one another,” Boldt said.

“That makes building community more of a challenge.”

Blondo agrees. For a class research project last fall after the election, the MSU Denver Psychology student asked adults what causes them stress. “Almost everyone said uncertainty about the future or what’s going on in the world,” they said.

All this matters because the benefits of social connection are much more than just someone to have a beer with on Friday night.

A library’s worth of studies show having strong relationships and a good sense of community makes us healthier, helps us live longer and can even keep our brains in better working order.

On the flip side of that coin, those who experience loneliness and social isolation see an increased risk of dreaded health outcomes, including heart disease and stroke.

Connection, community, purpose One solution that many public-health experts agree on is that connecting to something, particularly something greater than an individual’s immediate wants, helps provide a sense not only of community but of purpose.

In a talk at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, psychologist Richard Weissbourd, who has studied loneliness and possible solutions to it, spoke about what we’ve lost as the number of Americans attending church has plunged. In the process, he said, we’ve lost “a place where adults engage kids, stand for moral values, engage kids in big moral questions, where there’s a fusion of a moral life and a spiritual life.”

As The New York Times reported, Weissbourd said he was not advocating that people become religious. Instead, he said, he was suggesting it’s important to have “a sense that you have obligations to your ancestors and to your descendants.”

If joining a group of people with similar interests or backgrounds and shared goals is a solution, MSU Denver is doing its part and then some.

For University students not fortunate enough to be on Ashley Blondo’s email list, Cucchiara, of Student Life and Belonging, said there are plenty of opportunities to find connection. “We have to be very creative and innovative,” he said, “and we are.”

“We offer a huge variety of student organizations,” he said, including the usual student government and student media, fraternities and sororities, “but also we recognize the demographics of our students and offer support for programs that focus on students of many different identities.”

For all its struggles as a commuter school, Blondo said, MSU Denver does have an advantage. “I think something we have at MSU Denver is the varied ages,” Blondo said, pointing out that as they spoke, they were sitting on the patio of a friend who is more than a decade older than they are. “I love that about MSU Denver. We are literally all learning from each other.”

That’s how it works best, Boldt said.

“Together as Roadrunners, we can rise as a community.” <

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Geology grad Richard Nunn safeguards ancient ice for the future of climate science.

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profile

By Erin Blakemore Photo by Alyson McClaran

Cold to the core

RN

At the National Science Foundation’s Ice Core Facility in Lakewood, the freezer always wins — or so Richard Nunn likes to say.

As assistant curator, Nunn spends his days working in subzero conditions, overseeing the largest collection of ice cores on Earth. “There really is no average day,” said Nunn, a 2010 Geology graduate of Metropolitan State University of Denver. One day he’s processing newly arrived samples from the field; the next, he’s managing the database, distributing cores to researchers or assisting with on-site studies.

Most days, he’s deep inside a -24°C freezer, bundled in layers of winter gear, surrounded by ancient ice.

The stakes of his work are high. Ice cores — cylindrical samples extracted from glaciers and polar ice sheets — contain trapped air bubbles, dust and other materials that offer a direct, time-stamped record of Earth’s climate going back hundreds of thousands of years.

The facility holds samples from Antarctica, Greenland and North America, all cataloged and stored with precision.

“It’s the only source on the planet for a direct measurement of what our atmosphere was comprised of tens of thousands of years ago,” Nunn said. That data helps scientists understand the natural pace of climate change and how current human-driven changes differ. “Post-industrial cores show drastic shifts. Things are changing way faster than should happen naturally.”

His career is built on the foundation laid at MSU Denver. “I had some of the best professors,” Nunn recalled. “I have a really wonderful spot in my heart for MSU Denver.” His geology training — once focused on rocks — now helps him understand a colder, more delicate archive of Earth’s history.

Over the years, Nunn has built lasting connections with scientists worldwide. Still, he feels the gravity of his role most in quiet moments: “Every once in a while, I realize I’m maintaining ice that predates humanity — not just civilization, but us as a species.”

If all goes as planned, these samples will serve as critical reference points for climate scientists for generations to come. And future researchers will have Nunn and his colleagues to thank for keeping these important scientific sentinels safe. <

Richard Nunn

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During Metropolitan State College’s earliest years, Doug and Suzanne Holcombe found a second chance — and each other

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profile

By Erin Blakemore Photo by Alyson McClaran

D&SH

People of purpose

He was a reluctant student who had to be dragged back to college.

She had come home to Colorado after discovering college in Kansas wasn’t the right fit. Both were searching for direction when they arrived at the fledgling Metropolitan State College — and both found far more than an education.

Doug Holcombe had flunked out of his first college because, as he put it, “I couldn’t spell.” Suzanne Williams wanted smaller classes and more hands-on learning. MSC — then operating out of scattered buildings in downtown Denver — became the place where they reclaimed their academic lives and eventually met each other.

“There was no real campus,” Suzanne recalled. “The student union was in an old garage. We took PE at the Y. And if you had a class in the Double A building and needed to get to Cherokee, you had to hustle.”

The couple first connected working at Winter Park during winter break and reconnected later on a student outing to the new McDonald’s on Colfax. Suzanne graduated in 1969 with her education degree, launching a teaching career. Doug, inspired by a Physical Education professor who showed him that “one person can do something incredible,” delayed graduation to serve as student body president. He spent much of his time at the State Capitol, lobbying skeptical legislators for institutional funding and the right to compete in intercollegiate athletics.

Doug also joined students across Colorado in organizing protests against the Vietnam War. “We weren’t your average high school grads,” he said. “Many were veterans or the first in their families to attend college. We were people of purpose.”

That shared sense of purpose shaped their marriage, their careers and their ongoing commitment to MSU Denver. Now retired — Doug from coaching and teaching, Suzanne from the classroom — they’ve remained connected to the University that shaped their lives. Their son is also an alum.

“MSU Denver is supposed to be there for the average guy, the vet returning home, or the student who needs a second chance,” Suzanne said. Doug added, “It was my last chance. And a first chance for a lot of kids.” <

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AB questions with

19-year-old graduate Adelaide Britton Becoming the youngest student to walk across Metropolitan State University of Denver’s graduation stage in May took determination, lots of hard work and a clear vision for the future. Adelaide Britton has all those qualities and then some.

Now, with her MSU Denver degree in Aviation and Aerospace Science with a concentration in Air-traffic Control, and having passed a Federal Aviation Administration exam, the 19-year-old from Fort Collins is ready for her career to take off.

MSU Denver Magazine asked Britton about her successes and her plans.

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profile

By Karen Garvey

1

How did you get interested in becoming an air-traffic controller? It was so random!

The father of a good friend of my mom’s was an air-traffic controller, and my junior year of high school, my mom said, ‘You’d be good at air-traffic control’ — I think because I’ve always been very organized and very plan-oriented. So when I was assigned to research a career, I chose that.

2

How were you able to graduate at 19 — a feat that made you the youngest graduate of MSU Denver’s spring 2025 class?

My high school, Windsor Charter Academy, offered concurrent enrollment with Aims (Community College). And I knew what I wanted to do, so when I got to college, I was able to dive in head first. All my classes at (MSU Denver) have been Aviation, so it was great to just immerse myself in them. And I took 9 credits over the summer and 18 credits one semester. I just really went for it.

3

Photos by Alyson McClaran

How were you able to do that and still have a social life? I’m an introvert, so I wasn’t as worried about that. But I also worked while I was in school, and in my first job I met my best friend in the world. And I’m lucky to have good friends from home, and I still get to hang out with them. I’m definitely more interested in quality over quantity. But when I talk about my classes, most of my friends have no idea what I’m talking about.

4

Now that you’ve graduated, what’s next?

There are air-traffic-control openings, and I applied in March. I took the aptitude test and passed, so the next step is a psychological evaluation. If I pass that, then I would go to the Federal Aviation Administration academy in Oklahoma City. From there, I think it depends on the class ranking you get. The better you do, the more say you have, but they give you options about where you work.

5

What advice do you have for people your age in general and college students in particular? Know yourself.

MSU Denver Aviation graduate Adelaide Britton points to a location on the Denver International Airport sectional chart.

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class notes

1980s

auditing. Rawl says her career would not be possible without her MSU Denver education.

CHRIS LYNN (B.S. Profes-

Send us your news

SCAN THE CODE OR EMAIL: MAGAZINE@MSUDENVER.EDU

Submitted photos should be a minimum of 300 dpi in high-quality JPEG format, with names of all people pictured.

sional Pilot, ’85) began his career as a corporate pilot before shifting to residential real estate for greater family flexibility. In 2013, he joined the Denver Metro Chamber’s Leadership Denver Program, which led to a board position at the Seniors Resource Center, an organization providing care and services to enable older adults to remain living in their homes. When the founding CEO retired six years later, Lynn stepped into the role, and he has continued to serve since then. He attributes his success to the education and experiences he gained at MSU Denver.

KENTON ADLER (B.A. Commu-

nications Multi-Major, ’87) has spent over 26 years at Lyon College in Arkansas, transitioning from information technology to director of development for its Scottish Heritage Program. A skilled bagpiper with the Lyon College Pipe Band, Adler also created the award-winning Celtic-music podcast “Celtic Crossroads.”

SHERYL RAWL (B.S. Account-

ing, ‘87) began her career of over 25 years as a CPA and internal auditor in Minnesota, launching into international audits in Germany and France after completing an executive-mentorship program.

Those early career experiences laid a foundation that allowed her to explore many facets of internal and external

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1990s

holds a joint professorship at Oregon Health and Science University and co-directs a joint institute between OHSU and PNNL, showcasing significant contributions to scientific research and academic leadership.

JOSHUA ADKINS (B.S. Biology,

SAFA SULEIMAN (B.A. History,

’95) built on his MSU Denver foundation with graduate studies in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Colorado State University, leading to a distinguished career at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Now a lab fellow, Adkins also

’96) has over 20 years of experience in undergraduate and elementary pedagogy. Her debut picture book, “Hilwa’s Gifts,” illustrated by Anait Semirdzhan, was published in April.

FARRAH MAGEE (B.S. Human

Performance and Sport, ’99) spent 20 years with the Colorado Rockies, rising from part-time customer service to assistant director of season tickets. Now, she runs Farrah Magee & Co., offering remote business-management and virtual-assistant services to help businesses streamline operations and achieve their goals.

Inspired by a family legacy of fighting for what’s right, TERRY FAULKNER (B.A. Sociology, ’99) has dedicated himself to justice, education and advocacy. He spent over a decade in South Korea teaching and developing cross-cultural content, later using his skills in writing and project management to support mission-driven organizations in the U.S. Faulkner looks forward to contributing to a future where fairness, equity and opportunity are not just ideals but realities.

2000s 1 CHARLEEN RAMIREZ-MARES

(B.A. Chicano Studies, ’00) is the owner of La Brewjula Café LLC, which recently celebrated its first anniversary.

The coffee shop is close to campus and run by RamirezMares and her daughter, a current MSU Denver student.

1

Charleen Ramirez-Mares with her daughter at La Brewjula Café.

The Monogram Collective, helping brands grow and refine their impact. Outside of work, she’s a passionate Chicago Cubs fan, traveler and outdoor enthusiast.

After earning a GED and working in a lumberyard for several years, ZACHARIAH ABDELBAKI (B.S. Psychology, ’05) began taking college classes during lunch breaks at Arapahoe Community College, eventually transferring to MSU Denver. For nearly 20 years, Abdelbaki has worked at the Juvenile Assessment Center, serving youth and families in Colorado’s 18th and 23rd Judicial Districts, with a focus on early intervention and making the community a better place for everyone.

AMY SCHAMBERG (B.A. Human

JENNIFER FOSSER (B.A. Jour-

nalism, ’03) built a career in Chicago, blending marketing, business strategy and brand development. She now leads

Development, ’08) spent more than a decade working in public education as a school psychologist, supporting the mental-health and learning

needs of students. Schamberg then became a board- certified health coach to improve the well-being of educators and front-line professionals. She now leads wellness workshops, offers individual coaching and is pursuing additional publichealth training to better support educators and front-line professionals. Shamberg is grateful for this exciting chapter of professional growth.

2010s BRIAN HITCHCOCK (B.S. Psy-

chology, ’11) pursued an M.S. in Counseling Psychology at Evangel University, returning to Denver after graduation to work with children at Denver Human Services. Hitchcock has since gone into private practice and now lives in Colorado Springs, where he provides counseling to active-duty soldiers and their families.

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class notes

JORDAN HOPKINS (B.A.

History, ’11) began his career in education at Jefferson County Open School before spending a decade abroad, teaching in Morocco; Seoul, South Korea; Brazil; and Hawaii. Hopkins returned to the U.S. to teach, most recently teaching seventh-grade Englishlanguage arts at Fort Logan Northgate Middle School.

ERICA LEE JOHNSON (B.A.

Theatre, ’10) is the founder of Affinity Counseling of Colorado, an online private practice offering trauma-informed therapy and coaching. She also founded Affinity Pathfinder, which supports artists, activists and changemakers through holistic care and creative resilience. One of Johnson’s proudest fullcircle moments was returning to the University, where she created and taught a course called Self-Care in Theatre.

Deeply connected to the Denver theatre community, she does work shaped by her performance background and her passion for creating spaces where people feel seen, safe and free to grow.

STEPHANIE KANE (B.S. Hos-

pitality, Tourism and Events, ’11) loved being a student at MSU Denver, where she was highly involved in the Hospitality, Tourism and Events program. Kane returned to Long Island, New York, after graduation to support her family and discovered a passion for sustainable agriculture, becoming a certified biodynamic farmer and organic land professional. She

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later transitioned to the fitness industry and is now a certified Pilates and barre instructor. Kane has a home full of animals, including chickens, a Pekin duck and four cats.

ASHLEY STAMPS (B.S. Psy-

chology, ’14) founded Mile High Face and Body Art 12 years ago, offering such services as face painting, henna and balloon art. Stamps has built networks to support others in the industry and now partners with major entertainment venues such as Casa Bonita, training new artists and sharing her passion for spreading joy through art.

2020s ALYSSA MIDDLETON (B.S.

Psychology, ’21) followed her passion for helping families, couples and individuals strengthen their relationships through a humanistic and experiential approach by pursuing a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Regis University. Middleton is a marriage and family therapist and founder of the Center for Relational and Child Therapy, and she also works part time with Kids First Healthcare, supporting family access to care.

Originally from Texas, she now lives in Denver with her husband and rescue pets and enjoys hiking, theatre and exploring local restaurants.

Caption this!

GABRIEL HUTCHINGS (BFA Art,

Travel back to the 1980s with this class from the past, featuring MSU Denver

’22) is a regional admissions counselor for the School of Visual Arts in New York. Based in Colorado, Hutchings is a practicing artist whose work has been featured in exhibitions locally and abroad and is available at art markets and online. He previously worked as an art installer for the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver and Museo de las Americas.

Professor Charles Howerton introducing students to an early robot prototype.

It’s a moment that perfectly captures the excitement of innovation in its early days. What do you think Professor Howerton — or the robot — is saying?

Email magazine@msudenver.edu with your most creative, funny or clever caption and show us your storytelling spark. The best entries will be featured in our upcoming issue.

KATIE THORNTON (B.S. Psy-

chology, ’23) is the manager at Ceramics in the City, where she has worked for over six years. Thornton envisions a future career that combines her degree with her passion for art, possibly in the field of art education.

ROSEANNA ELIZONDO (B.S.

Psychology, ’23) began her MSU Denver journey in 2009 but faced years of health challenges before completing her degree with the invaluable support of faculty, flexible programs and scholarships.

Having access to a flexible program, a sense of community and scholarships made it possible for her to balance her healing, motherhood and work.

Now pursuing an M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Bellevue University, Elizondo works as a behavioral-health specialist at the University of Colorado Hospital.

MARGARITA MIRONOVA (MSW

Social Work, ’23) has been working as a psychotherapist at Boulder Thrive since earning a master’s degree in Social Work, supporting clients through Continued on p. 42

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class notes

gone from information-technology support roles to making a meaningful impact in his community as a software engineer.

2

AMBER PEREZ (B.S. Human

Maciej Wal

relationship challenges, life transitions and trauma. She is an immigrant who arrived in the U.S. alone at 19, and her journey informs a culturally grounded, resilience-based approach. Mironova integrates evidence-based practices, including cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness and trauma-informed care, and has recently completed eye movement desensitization and reprocessing training to support clients in their healing process. Guided by mentors at MSU Denver and beyond, Mironova is committed to compassionate, transformative care.

2 MACIEJ WAL (B.S. Computer Information Systems, ’23) returned to school in 2019 and found his calling in cybersecurity. After a brief stint in the private sector, he reconnected with MSU Denver’s Cybersecurity Center, where he serves as a platform architect. In 2024, he built the Centurion Secured platform, which supports over a dozen organizations across Colorado, bolstering their cyberdefenses. Wal is proud to have

42

Services, ’24) says her degree prepared her mentally and physically for her amazing career as a correctional youth security officer with the Division of Youth Services in Colorado. Perez was a firstgeneration college student and had four of her five children while earning her degree and working full time. She was recognized for excellence with the Espiritu de Aztlán as a senior. She gives back through community volunteering and credits MSU Denver’s supportive staff and resources for helping her succeed.

MARIA GONZALEZ (B.S. Entre-

preneurship, ’25) is a mother, grandmother, immigrant and social entrepreneur who founded Adelante Community Development, a nonprofit supporting micro-entrepreneurs in Colorado’s Latino population.

While running the organization and raising a family, she returned to school to complete her degree. Gonzalez sees entrepreneurship as a path to justice and equity and is committed to expanding her impact through bold partnerships and community-driven innovation.

ANDREW BAXTER (B.S.

Industrial Design, ’25) recently accepted a position as a mechanical designer with Kiewit Power Engineering.

Baxter plans to move to Kansas City in July to start his new job.

MS U DENVER MAGAZ IN E | FA L L 2 02 5

in memory

Faculty & Staff

AMANDA SCHWENGEL

Former MSU Denver Political Science professor and longtime department chair NORMAN W. PROVIZER, Ph.D., died April 11 at age 80. Known affectionately as “The Sage,” he invigorated the University through decades of teaching, civic engagement and public outreach. Arriving at Metro State, as it was known in 1989, the department numbered just three faculty members. Provizer helped it grow exponentially, thanks to his expertise in politics and international affairs — and his commitment to students.

He spearheaded the creation of the Golda Meir Center for Political Leadership, attracting and honoring luminaries from the arts as well as politics and international affairs. A jazz aficionado, Provizer also infused his deep passion for music into campus culture. He contributed to Rocky Mountain News and DownBeat, hosted “Jazz Notes” on KUVO‑FM and was honored as a 2020 Jazz Hero by the Jazz Journalists Association. He is survived by his wife, Roz, and daughter Jennifer Provizer. Memorial contributions may be made in his honor to the ACLU or National Kidney Foundation.

JERRY WILSON, Ph.D., profes-

sor emeritus and former chair of the Physics Department, died March 1 at age 85. Wilson was born on a Missouri farm and moved to Boulder, where he raised two sons and began a distinguished academic career. Wilson spent over 30 years at MSU Denver, serving as the founding chair of the Physics Department and later as dean of Arts and Sciences.

After retiring to Las Vegas in 1995, he enjoyed golf, cards and time with family. Wilson was a beloved husband, father, grandfather and uncle known for his warm smile, infectious laugh and love for life. His legacy lives on in the many lives he touched.

LINDA R. BRUCE died March

23 at age 76. Bruce grew up in Denver, where she attended South High School, forming lifelong friendships and cultivating the kindness and selflessness that would define her life. She dedicated many years of service to MSU Denver before retiring. Bruce was a kind and compassionate soul who never hesitated to lend a helping hand to those in need. Her warmth and generosity touched the lives of many, and she will be deeply missed by all who knew her.

DAVID THORNTON died March

13 at age 74. Thornton graduated from high school in Atlanta in 1968 and served in the U.S. Army from 1971 to 1973.

He went on to earn multiple degrees, including a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Walden University. Thornton began his career as a lineman with Southern Bell and rose through the ranks at AT&T and Lucent Technologies, retiring as a sales director for Europe,

Middle East and Africa after 35 years of service. He later taught business management at several colleges, including MSU Denver, until 2019. Thornton was known for his kindness, humor and impeccable style, and he loved riding his Harley and sharing adventures with his wife, Georgia. He will be remembered fondly and deeply missed by all who knew him.

HAROLD R. FRANKLIN (B.S.

Computer and Management Science, ’84) DEBORAH K. HAMMAR (B.A. English, ’85) SCOTT D. BRADBURY (B.S. Management, ’86) JOSE ENRIQUE ROMERO (B.S. Behavioral Science, ’86)

1990s LEE L. DABNEY (B.S. Human

Services, ’90)

Alumni & Students

DAVID C. DIBBERN (B.A.

Communications Multi-Major, ’94) CHRISTOPHER J. BECHTOLD (B.A.

1970s CURTIS C. DOTSON, Ed.D.

(B.S. Behavioral Science, ’70) WARD L. HUET (B.S. Mechanical Engineering Technology, ’71) KENNETH VIGIL (B.A. Humanities, ’73; B.A. Art, ’75) MARY. W. HEIDERSTADT (B.A. Elementary Education, ’76) RON R. OVERBY (B.S. Political Science, ’76) PAUL E. KAURIN (B.S. Electrical Engineering Tech, ’76) DIRK R. HOWARD, MBA (B.S. Accounting, ’76) MARY E. INNES (B.S. Accounting, ’77) BENEDICT J. JANACEK (B.S. Law Enforcement, ’77) JANIE CASTLES (B.A. Early Childhood Education, ’78) PATRICIA A. KAUS (B.A. Human Resource Management, ’79) LISBETH M. FRITZBERG (B.S. Nursing, ’79)

Individualized Degree Program, ’96) CHARLES O. BURDEN (B.A. History, ’96; B.S. Political Science, ’12) LOUIS D. JARES (B.S. Biology, ’97)

2000s TONI M. RICKS (B.S.

Criminal Justice and Criminology, ’01) JASON M. RUNYON (B.S. Aviation Technology, ’01) RYAN W. PLANT (B.S. Finance, ’04) JOYCE BUCKLAND (B.A. History, ’06) SHANE R. DAYLEY (B.A. History, ’07) DAVID W. RUSCH (B.S. Land Use, ’08) CATHLEEN (CAT) HURST (B.A. English, ’08)

2010s NICOLE POLLACK (B.S.

Environmental Science, ’14) LISA M. LEDDY (B.S.

Psychology, ’14)

1980s MARCIA S. JOHNSON (B.S.

Criminal Justice and Criminology, ’83)

2020s BRADY H. COLE (B.A. Individualized

Degree Program, ’23)

CATHALINA (KATIE) DUFFIELD

(B.S. Computer and Management Science, ’83) M S U D E NV E R M AG AZI NE | FALL 2 02 5

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SIX DECADES OF

A look back at the Roadrunners’ unforgettable 2000 national basketball title and the new generation of teams chasing championship dreams.

M SLA DUNK

SUCCESS

BY MARK COX

above: Coach Mike Dunlap at right: The 2000 Men’s

Basketball team takes home the national championship.

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ROADRUNNERS FANS have witnessed a lot of special sports moments over the past six decades. But for sheer exhilaration and historic significance, it might be hard to top the moment when Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Men’s Basketball team won the NCAA Division II national championship for the first time in 2000.

At the start of a new century, the team’s hard work and long hours of training paid off with a 33-4 record and the University’s — and Colorado’ s— first men’s basketball championship. And head coach Mike Dunlap was named National Association of Basketball Coaches Coach of the Year. Dunlap, now a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Hall of Fame, remembers the victory like it was yesterday.

“We were the first basketball team to win a national championship in the history of Colorado, period,” Dunlap said. “That’s something that will never be done again.”

Two years later, Dunlap led the team to a second title. In fact, the coach amassed so many victories and accolades during his nine years (1997-2006) at MSU Denver that he is among the most decorated head coaches in Division II men’s basketball history.

PHOTOS BY EDWARD JACOBS JR.

Since leaving MSU Denver, Dunlap experienced impressive highs in the NBA, including serving as a Denver Nuggets assistant coach and a coach on the championship-winning Milwaukee Bucks.

Currently, he’s the men’s head coach at Colorado Mesa University.

“I respect the innocence of the players and the game at this level,” Dunlap said. “The student-athlete is in a special window, where learning through failure and success can still impact the direction of their lives.”

Dunlap’s mind is an encyclopedia of basketball lore, analytical knowledge and mentoring insights. What advice would he give to a young coach just starting out?

“Hold the mop,” he said. “By which I mean: Be committed to the collective effort and willing to perform any task that benefits the team. Young coaches need to understand the power of process over results. And of course, never, ever stop believing in your dream.”

Reaching for glory in 2024-25 Four teams believing in their dreams are this year’s Women’s Soccer, Softball, Volleyball and Men’s Baseball squads at MSU Denver.

“Every one of these teams made the NCAA Tournament during the 2024-25 season,” said Eric Lansing, MSU Denver’s assistant director of Athletics Communications. “It’s the first time we’ve had four teams make the big tournament since the 2014-15 season, so it’s a great achievement.”

The Women’s Soccer team earned a home playoff game for the first time since 2012, ultimately making it to the semifinals. It also clinched a spot in the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament for the first time in a decade.

The Softball team, meanwhile, earned the third seed in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament before taking its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2016. Five players earned all-conference honors.

While baseball will always throw curveballs, it’s fair to say MSU Denver’s Baseball team is on a heater. With a 23-5 home record and seven players earning all-conference honors, the Roadrunners secured an RMAC Tournament fourth seed.

Despite beating the No. 1-seeded team and earning a spot in the championship, MSU Denver’s baseball team ultimately missed out on the title. But its hot run propelled the team to its third NCAA Tournament in four years.

As if that weren’t prestige enough, three former Roadrunners were part of the 2025 RMAC Hall of Fame class. J.R. Smith, who rose from student assistant to assistant athletic director; Brandon Jefferson, NCAA Division II men’s basketball Player of the Year and first-team All-American in 2013-14; and Debbie Hendricks, who posted a record of 353-148 in 16 years as head volleyball coach, were inducted into the Hall in July.

The greatest success was achieved by the University’s Volleyball team, which went 29-3 with a 14-0 record in the RMAC, winning the RMAC regular-season championship and the RMAC Tournament title. For two weeks, the team was ranked No. 1 in the nation. And the team earned its 24th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.

“It’s incredible to think that the Volleyball team has now been to the Big Dance for 24 straight seasons,” Lansing said. “It doesn’t look like they’ll be slowing down any time soon. You can never count them out.” < M S U D E NV E R M AG AZI NE | FALL 2 02 5

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roadrunner roosts RICHARD SANDOVAL, Ph.D. Associate professor of Anthropology

1 A miniature Altar Q. Sandoval made this model of the millennia-old stone altar at Copan, in present-day Honduras, to help him connect the box’s symbols and figures. For several years, he studied that repur1 posed box so much that, he said, he practically had it memorized.

That intense focus was key to Sandoval’s deciphering the messages that Altar Q contains.

2 Reelect honesty.

Sandoval’s grandfather, Ernest Sandoval, served three terms as sheriff of Costilla County on Colorado’s border with New Mexico, where the family has lived and ranched for generations.

3 Student gift.

The Maya may have labored for years finely crafting and perfecting the Altar Q. But

1

2 3

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today, smaller versions can be reproduced with a couple of keystrokes and a 3D printer.

Which is exactly how this alabaster version was created by one of Sandoval’s students, who presented it to him.

4 The Dresden Codex.

The original 800-year-old artifact is held in a library in Germany. Sandoval’s is a laminated copy of the codex,

which consists of almanacs that include hieroglyphic texts, columns of numbers and hundreds of drawings that Mayan priests used for prophecies.

Archaeologists know it was special because it was bound with jaguar skins, similar to the way Europeans used leather.

5 Aztec calendar.

On a trip to Mexico years ago, Sandoval’s father picked up

a mini-replica of the famous Aztec sun stone, which is on display at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.

The calendar consists of 365 days and a 260-day ritual cycle that form a 52-year “century.”

6 B’alam, the jaguar.

B’alam is an ancient Maya word for the spotted cat. This one came into Sandoval’s custody when a colleague was

retiring and offered to pass along her book collection. But Sandoval recalled her saying he would have to take the jaguar, too. She assured him it would bring good luck. That luck hasn’t always extended to the creature itself, which sustained minor facial wounds, courtesy of Sandoval’s cat.

4

5

POLINA SARAN

Y

ou don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes or decipher ancient codes to figure out what interests Associate Professor of Anthropology Richard Sandoval. A quick peek inside his office in the Central Classroom Building paints a pretty clear picture. Aside from a collection of books on ancient civilizations that any library would envy, Sandoval’s office is full of objects that speak to his research on Indigenous language and culture. That interest, along with six years of study, led Sandoval to a major discovery about Maya writing and art. The Denver native’s discovery, published in Transactions of the Philological Society, uncovered the oldest record of widely used sign language. And he did it all under the watchful eyes of his grandfather and a stuffed jaguar.

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M S U D E NV E R M AG AZI NE | FALL 2 02 5

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Courtesy of Magi Ratliff, Marketing and Educational Services program administrator, Health Center at Auraria

Calabacitas Locitas

NICO/ADOBE STOCK

Calabacitas are a Mexican staple on cold days.

This warm dish is versatile and can be paired with beans or rice or eaten by itself. Zucchini is the star of the show, high in antioxidants and vitamin A, which support a healthy immune system and eye and reproductive health.

INGREDIENTS • 1½ lbs. zucchini or squash (2 larger zucchinis) • 1 small onion

DIRECTIONS

• 3 garlic cloves

1. Roast tomatoes at 400 degrees for at least 20 minutes. Save juices.

• 1 jalapeño

2. Finely dice onion and cook in olive oil over medium heat until it starts to golden. Add garlic, cook until fragrant (30-60 seconds).

• 3 plum tomatoes • 2 cups corn kernels • 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano • ¾ teaspoon salt (plus more to taste) • freshly cracked black pepper • cotija cheese (optional) • freshly chopped cilantro (optional) • olive oil

3. Add a couple of spoonfuls of the onion-garlic mixture to blender.

4. Dice zucchini into 1/4-inch pieces. Add to the onion-garlic mixture in the pan, along with 3/4 teaspoon salt, freshly cracked black pepper and 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano. Stir well and sauté for a couple of minutes.

5. Chop jalapeño into quarters. Add the roasted tomatoes to the blender along with 1/4 of the jalapeño and the onion-garlic mixture already in the blender.

6. Combine well and taste. Add slivers of the jalapeño until the heat tastes right to you.

7. Add the tomato mixture back to the saucepan and let the zucchini simmer in it for a couple more minutes until the zucchini is tender but still a little firm. If using canned corn, drain it, then add it in, letting it heat up to match the rest of the dish.

8. Season to taste.

9. Serve immediately with your choice of garnish.

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MSU DENVER MAGAZ I N E | FA L L 2 02 5

1965

1995

2025

MSU Denver cheerleaders strike the same pose in 1965, 1995 and 2025. Though the original trustees envisioned a school without athletics, much less cheerleading, the students couldn’t be dissuaded from championing their school pride.

Today, the Cheerleading Club regularly participates in national competitions, promoting the University, Athletics and the Roadrunner spirit.

ALYSON M c CLARAN

Then and now

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID Permit 2965 Denver, CO

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

TELL US

What was your

FAVORITE most

LIFECHANGING

class at MSU Denver?

SEND YOUR STORY TO magazine@msudenver.edu.

See current classes we love on p. 24.