Metropolitan Denver Magazine - Spring 2019

>ROADRUNNER PILOTS

humanities

> E M M Y AWA R D W I N N E R

> N E W G R A D U AT E P R O G R A M S

SPRING 2019

Oh, the

WHY STUDY PHILOSOPHY, HISTORY OR LANGUAGE? WHAT IS THE VALUE OF LIBERAL ARTS? THE ANSWERS MAY SURPRISE YOU.

Do you know this face? Wilton Flemon, Ph.D., has taught chemistry at Metropolitan State University of Denver for more than 50 years and has touched the lives of countless students during that time.

To recognize his commitment, the Board of Trustees recently named the Wilton Flemon Postdoctoral Fellowship Program in his honor. The program aims to attract and retain faculty from diverse backgrounds. Flemon also won one of the University’s MLK Peace Awards in January.

PHOTO ALYSON MCCLARAN

FirstLook First

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VOL. 7 NO.1 RED.MSUDENVER.EDU

METROPOLITAN DENVER MAGAZINE PHOTO JOHN ARNOLD

REAL LIFE REFLECTED IN MUSIC Lisa Downing is a two-time Emmy Award winner and top-five New Age Billboard solo pianist; but first and foremost, she considers herself a storyteller.

Read her story on Page 26.

08 12 16 F E AT U R E

7 DEGREES OF SEPARATION

How MSU Denver’s unique graduate programs help students advance in careers and fill shortfalls in Colorado’s top industries.

UNITED ACROSS GENERATIONS

Gary Moore is a captain and linecheck airman with United Airlines.

But to his sky-bound sons, he’s just Dad.

F E AT U R E

OH, THE HUMANITIES

Why study philosophy, history or language? What is the value of liberal arts? The answers may surprise you.

02 THE FIRST WORD

22 THE MAN BEHIND THE MIC

03 IN YOUR WORDS

24 MAKING DREAMS POSSIBLE 30 PEOPLE

President Janine Davidson, Ph.D., reflects on the present and future at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Alumni share their majors and why they think today’s students should study those subjects.

04 NEWS

MSU Denver continues to have an impact on and off campus.

ON THE COVER Pundits have been predicting the demise of the liberal arts and humanities for years. But are these traditional disciplines really going away? And what happens if they do?

Inquire on Page 16.

F E AT U R E

Alumnus Vic Vela is a recognizable voice on Colorado Public Radio; he’s also a voice of hope for recovering addicts.

Alumna Rachel Averch dreamed of opening a school; today, she empowers students to dream big.

26 ANOTHER STORY TO TELL

Emmy Award-winning alumna Lisa Downing scores the soundtrack of human experience.

28 BRINGING ART HOME

Industrial-design alumnus Dustin Nyhus turned his love of furniture and art into a winning combination.

Alumni share news and notes.

31 PEOPLE IN MEMORY

We remember those who are no longer with us.

32 THE FINAL WORD

VP of University Advancement Christine Márquez-Hudson is writing a fresh fundraising playbook for MSU Denver.

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the

FIRSTWORD Your university – present and future PHOTO MARK WOOLCOTT

I am always amazed at how quickly the spring semester goes at Metropolitan State University of Denver. It’s April and the final sprint to commencement is already here.

And what a remarkable semester it has been!

On Feb. 19, we were officially recognized as a Hispanic-Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education (Page 4). This federal designation is the result of more than 10 years of work by countless members of the University community and has the potential to open new funding sources that can be used to support all of our students.

We’ve had incredible speakers on campus, including Melina Abdullah, Ph.D., the 2019 Distinguished Visiting Noel Professor and an expert on race, gender, class and social movements; Emerson Brooking, a best-selling author and national expert on the intersection of social media and conflict; and Kathleen Cleaver, our 2019 Bridge speaker and noted author, activist and feminist. Those events, among many others, brought people from across Colorado to the Auraria Campus to share in great discussion about some of the most pressing issues of our time.

Our professors and students have been featured all over the local and national media, in outlets such as Colorado Public Radio, Forbes, Time magazine and Food and Wine. One of our jazz faculty members, Ron Miles, was even nominated for a Grammy Award (Page 5).

We also launched our Strategic Plan 2025 initiative (Page 6), which will help us set goals and objectives for the next five years. I hope

Metropolitan Denver Magazine is published three times a year by the Metropolitan State University of Denver Office of Marketing and Communications. © 2019 Metropolitan State University of Denver. All rights reserved. Address correspondence to: Metropolitan Denver Magazine, MSU Denver, Office of Marketing and Communications, Campus Box 86, PO Box 173362, Denver, CO 80217-3362. Email: magazine@msudenver.edu.

The opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the policies and opinions of Metropolitan State University of Denver nor imply endorsement by its officers or by the MSU Denver Alumni Association. Metropolitan State University of 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.

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you’ll participate in helping us shape our future through the strategic-planning process.

This issue of Metropolitan Denver Magazine is representative of the high quality of MSU Denver’s programs and people. The lead feature is on a topic to which I am deeply committed – the value of the liberal arts and humanities in educating conscientious citizens and skilled workers (Page 16). We also have a story on our seven graduate programs and how they are helping students reinvent themselves while also meeting critical needs in the Colorado community (Page 8). And as always, we have several alumni profiles, including one of a well-known CPR journalist (Page 22) and an Emmy Award-winning composer and storyteller (Page 26).

These stories reflect the important work that happens at MSU Denver every day – educating people who go on to the pinnacle of success in almost every career imaginable and who make a difference in communities across our state and country. I believe a university should be judged by the quality and influence of its alumni. And by that measure, your alma mater is truly extraordinary.

Thanks for making us proud, and please be in touch to let us know about your successes.

Sincerely,

Janine Davidson, Ph.D. President

PUBLISHER CATHY LUCAS | EDITOR DAN VACCARO | ART DIRECTOR SCOTT SURINE | PUBLICATION DESIGNER CRAIG KORN | CONTRIBUTORS JOHN ARNOLD | MARCUS CHAMBERLAND | LINDSEY COULTER | MARK COX | CLIFF FOSTER | SARAH HUNSINGER | ALYSON MCCLARAN | ELIZABETH MORENO-ROSALES | CORY PHARE | MARK STAHL | JULIE STRASHEIM | JESSICA TAVES | MATT WATSON | LYNNE WINTER | MARK WOOLCOTT | CORA ZALETEL | EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: DEBORA GILLIARD, PROFESSOR OF MANAGEMENT | BRIAN GUNTHER, SCHOOL OF EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY AND PROGRAM COORDINATOR | JAMIE HURST, ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT | TRACI MCBEE ROWE, DIRECTOR OF DONOR RELATIONS AND ADVANCEMENT SPECIAL EVENTS | SAM NG, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF METEOROLOGY | KIP WOTKYNS, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF JOURNALISM

Your WORDS In

We asked you this question on social media:

What was your major, and why do you think today’s students should study it?

Courtney Marie Leatherman

Social work. There is a serious need for social workers. The classes are fun, and it’s a rewarding field!

Samantha McReynolds

Athletic training. Versatile career options and rewarding field!

Chris Escobar

I was undeclared for five semesters. Take time to really figure out what you like, and stay broad. Don’t pigeonhole yourself and end up having to study an extra year because “I really thought I wanted to be a nurse, but it turns out I want to be an accountant.” I ended up studying political science and economics. I worked in a marketing company for two years. Now I’m in law school. But I was hell-bent on being a musician or English teacher. Take a bit to discover yourself and sample things of interest, then decide later.

Ariana Tabuyo

Environmental science because we can educate the public about climate change and why it’s important to save the earth.

Bree Neison

Human nutrition and dietetics – because everyone eats, several times a day, and we are given hardly any education on how to do it properly. It’s a mix of science, math, biology, anatomy, human interaction, health care and cooking. Such a fun major.

Amanda Hillard

Individualized Degree Program! Because you take your education into your own hands and pursue what truly inspires you and sets your soul on fire. Each person has unique interests and ambitions, so it makes sense that their higher learning be customized as well.

Enrique Castillo Olivas

Amanda Roper

Behavioral science with a minor in political science.

I learned so much about people, why people do things the way they do, and so much about how we’ve become the society we live in today!

Tom Nocera

Chicano studies and history.

This degree has given me the tools to serve the community through an equitable lens.

Aviation management was my major (minored in marketing).

I believe in following your dreams. If your dreams soar, then so should you.

David Crumbaker

Brett Kelley

I studied political science (go, Dr. Rucki!!). I think students should pursue it because anything that helps us better understand how people interact in the public sphere – and better understand Washington, D.C. – can’t really be a bad thing at this particular juncture.

Marion Buntyn

Mine was microbiology with a chemistry minor. All of the work for the degree taught me the value of doing research into any topic to get to the truth.

Robert Brehm

History/anthropology Class of 2015 – learn how to analyze, interpret and then concisely write about information. Also become an educated participant in our democracy, something that seems to be increasingly rare.

However, take a mix of courses and expose yourself to as many things as possible. I miss my MSU Denver days!

Behavioral science, emphasis in psychology and anthropology with a minor in math. I’m a coach (six days/week, 11 months/year), and my day job is advertising sales. At the time, I had no idea how helpful all of this was to my future.

Behavioral science helps me understand how others behave and why. Math is great for logic and deduction. Couldn’t be happier with my decision to pursue both, especially at MSU Denver. These are words I say quite often even when others don’t ask. Thank you, MSCD (what it was when I was there) for everything.

Best institution in Colorado hands down.

Chris O.

I majored in mechanical engineering technology with a math minor. I think people with technical minds and good creativity should pursue engineering to better the world we live in and add to our capabilities. I love what I do, and I can thank MSU Denver for opening doors for me.

Destiny Smith

Entrepreneurship with a minor in finance. :) It’s a newer program, and America was built on entrepreneurs. Plus, anything in finance/accounting is going to be in demand.

Ivy Compton

Events and meeting management – because every industry has training, meetings and events!

Julie Winslow

I majored in computer information systems.

Technology plays such a key role in every business today that this degree provides a solid foundation for entering into just about any industry.

Note: Some responses have been lightly edited for clarity.

SHARE YOUR STORY

Everyone has a story to tell, and we want to hear yours! Email us: magazine@msudenver.edu.

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News

MSU Denver continues to have an impact on and off campus.

REPUTATION ON THE RISE PHOTO ALYSON MCCLARAN

People are noticing and remembering Metropolitan State University of Denver. MSU Denver’s 2018 brand audit proved that multiple efforts to raise the University’s profile as a high-quality, high-value institution are exceeding expectations.

Conducted every two to three years, brand audits measure awareness and perceptions of the University among students, faculty, staff, alumni, area business leaders and other external partners.

MSU DENVER NAMED HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTION It’s official: The university that serves more Latino students (5,469) than any other higher-education institution in Colorado has earned federal designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, a status that unlocks access to millions of dollars in grant opportunities and corroborates Metropolitan State University of Denver’s decadelong effort to better reflect and serve Colorado.

MSU Denver was granted HSI status Feb. 19 with a letter from the U.S. Department of Education confirming that the University met the criteria for proportion of Latino students and institutional spending on students. The institution can now apply for multimillion-dollar grants designed to promote access and increase graduation rates.

“Becoming an HSI-designated university positions MSU Denver to provide the highest possible quality of education to Hispanic-identifying students and all students,” said President Janine Davidson, Ph.D. “I commend every single faculty and staff member who has contributed to this process – especially my predecessor, President Stephen Jordan – and I look forward to the new opportunities this designation will create for all Roadrunners.”

READ MORE: red.msudenver.edu/2019/msu-denver-earns-hispanic-servinginstitution-status.html

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A key 2018 audit goal was to break the 80 percent threshold for external brand recognition. The University surpassed that goal, hitting 84 percent. This positions MSU Denver well for meeting – and potentially surpassing – its Strategic Plan goal of 85 percent recognition by 2020.

“The MSU Denver brand is shining stronger than ever,” said Vice President of Strategy Cathy Lucas.

“We’re thrilled to be ahead of our goal and that people both inside and outside the University are paying attention to the transformative work happening here.”

Other key takeaways included: • 84 percent of external respondents rated MSU Denver as “good” to “excellent.”

• Brand recognition among local business leaders increased 8 percentage points in just two years to 81 percent.

• 80 percent of faculty and 81 percent of staff surveyed marked the MSU Denver brand as “good,” “very good” or “excellent.”

• External respondents recognized the need for liberal arts/humanities and viewed MSU Denver as cultivating well-rounded, critical-thinking graduates.

PHOTO ALYSON MCCLARAN

MET MEDIA CELEBRATES FOUR DECADES OF STUDENT JOURNALISM Hundreds of former editors and reporters gathered in late February to celebrate four decades of student journalism at the 40th anniversary of The Metropolitan, the student-run newspaper at Metropolitan State University of Denver. The celebration generated excitement among alumni while encouraging future journalists to join the ranks of those whose lives and careers have been bolstered by their time with the paper.

An anniversary exhibition at the event included a timeline of milestones,

showcasing campus news, sports, features and entertainment through the pages of The Metropolitan. Current students and professional staff members also answered questions and spoke about how Met Media provides opportunities to gain practical experience and enhance career-ready skills.

of freedom regarding the revolution in Iran. Classified ads sold skis, stereo systems and a dirt bike while seeking refrigerators and desks. The issue’s top story outlined legislative discussions of mergers and potential collaborations between the institutions on the Auraria Campus.

The first issue of The Metropolitan, published Feb. 21, 1979, included topics not unfamiliar to today’s campus staff and students. An editorial railed against the rising cost of textbooks and questioned the price

IF YOU MISSED THE EXHIBITION, you can revisit Met Media issues going back to 1979 online at: issuu.com/themetonline/stacks.

PROFESSOR ADDS GRAMMY NOMINATION TO LIST OF ACCOLADES PHOTO JOHN ARNOLD

Ron Miles, director of Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Jazz Studies Program, continued his ascent to the upper echelons of the music profession. He was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Jazz Instrumental Album category for “Still Dreaming,” a collaboration with critically acclaimed musicians Joshua Redman, Scott Coley and Brian Blade.

A recent inductee into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame, Miles also performed in February at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as part of a collaboration with the National Geographic Society and National Gallery of Art. Earlier this semester, he served as the musical keynote at MSU Denver’s MLK Peace Breakfast.

Music critics from The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition” had high praise for Miles’ most recent album, “I Am a Man,” and included it on their annual best-albums lists.

He was also the subject of a short documentary by acclaimed filmmaker Mimi Chakarova, also titled “I Am a Man.”

PHOTO RACHEL TRUAX

News

STRATEGIC PLAN 2025: REDEFINING POSSIBILITIES Roadrunners are looking to the future with the start of the Strategic Plan 2025 process that kicked off in January. Vice President of Strategy Cathy Lucas and Matt Makley, Ph.D, professor of history and president of the Faculty Senate, are co-chairing the 18-month effort, which will produce goals and objectives that serve as a road map to becoming the leading public urban university in the nation.

Seeking collaboration and transparency throughout the process, leaders hope to engage 4,000 to 5,000 internal and external stakeholders, including alumni. The process began with the formation of a diverse and talented Strategic Planning Team composed of faculty, staff, administrators, students and alumni.

The team will guide the six-part process and keep the campus community updated on progress until launch in July 2020.

PHOTO ALYSON MCCLARAN

PHOTO MARK WOOLCOTT

President Janine Davidson, Ph.D.

Alumna Meranda Vieyra

1) Getting organized (January-March) 2) Data gathering and engagement (April-July) 3) Making sense of the issues (August-October) 4) Vision building (November-December) 5) Goals building (January-March 2020) 6) Strategic implementation (April-June 2020) STAY TUNED FOR THE LATEST UPDATES AND TO SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK: msudenver.edu/strategic-plan-2025

TWO ROADRUNNERS NAMED TO 25 MOST POWERFUL WOMEN LIST Metropolitan State University of Denver President Janine Davidson, Ph.D., and alumna Meranda Vieyra, 2010 graduate and owner of Denver Legal Marketing LLC, were named to the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce 2019 Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business list.

Established seven years ago, the Chamber’s Top 25 awards have celebrated the professional achievements and contributions of more than 175 Colorado women “who operate at the highest level of business performance and community leadership.”

Selected by a committee that includes past honorees, Davidson earned kudos for her innovative leadership of MSU Denver and Vieyra for her entrepreneurial spirit and marketing service to the Denver legal community.

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DAVIDSON SEEKS STATE INVESTMENT IN HIGHER ED

MLK PEACE AWARDS HONOR THOSE LIVING THE DREAM

READ MORE: red.msudenver.edu/2019/ music-and-the-movement.html.

PHOTOS JOHN ARNOLD

For 28 years, the Metropolitan State University of Denver community has come together each January to celebrate the legacy and ideals of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at the annual MLK Peace Breakfast. The 2019 celebration, “Music and the Movement,” featured a keynote from Ron Miles, director of Jazz Studies, and an award presentation honoring (pictured right, from top): Rebecca Dobbin, program assistant, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences; Wilton Flemon, Ph.D., professor, chemistry; Virginia Castro, community activist and partner in MSU Denver’s Richard T. Castro Distinguished Visiting Professorship; and Tammy GarrettWilliams, author, senior pastor at Transformed Ministries and founder of the Above Waters Project (pictured with event emcee Gloria Neal).

President Janine Davidson, Ph.D, continued to push for greater state investment in higher education in a presentation to Colorado’s Joint Budget Committee on Jan. 11. She encouraged legislators to re-evaluate the funding model, which she said is not helping the state reach the goals expressed in the Colorado Department of Higher Education’s master plan: increasing credential completion, erasing equity gaps and investing in innovation.

“If we really want to move the needle on these goals, we need to invest in the things we know will move the needle; we need to fund our focus,” Davidson said.

To accomplish those goals, Davidson recommended that the state make a greater investment in higher education that supports Pell-eligible students; Latinx, African American and Native American students; first-generation college students; and Colorado residents.

She also called on the state to prioritize urban academic institutions and innovations that grow the local workforce.

“We know we can make a difference in these students’ lives,” she said. “And that these students will go on to make a difference in Colorado communities.”

READ DAVIDSON’S REMARKS HERE: msudenver.edu/president/jbc-remarks/.

WANT MORE? Keep up to date with MSU Denver news at red.msudenver.edu.

HOW MSU DENVER’S UNIQUE GRADUATE PROGRAMS HELP STUDENTS ADVANCE IN CAREERS AND FILL SHORTFALLS IN COLORADO’S TOP INDUSTRIES. STORY CORA ZALETEL

Seven degrees of separation A

Amber Longoria has a modest goal: to lead the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Given the obstacles she has overcome – abuse, homelessness and a traumatic brain injury – it would be unwise to bet against her.

Longoria is a student in Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Master of Health Administration program, one of the University’s seven graduate degrees. She also works as the administrative officer of education at the VA Eastern Colorado Healthcare System, lectures on mental health at universities across metro Denver and serves as senior vice commander of the American Legion 5280 Mile High Post.

These accomplishments would have been difficult to foresee when Longoria escaped a physically and emotionally abusive father by joining the Navy at 19. She was raised to believe she would never succeed and, thus, never saw herself as college material.

After four years in a high-securityclearance job as a Spanish linguist in the Navy, Longoria found herself unexpectedly on the verge of suicide.

Living in her car and selling her plasma for food, she was still reeling from the social anxiety and feelings of isolation bred by her past.

“The military convinces you that being a vet is powerful and opens doors – and it can – but I didn’t get the skills I

PHOTO ALYSON MCCLARAN

Amber Longoria is a student in the Master of Health Administration program, which celebrated its first 10 graduates in December. The program prepares higherlevel health care management leaders to meet the needs of a booming industry.

needed to transition into civilian jobs,” she says.

Longoria was persuaded by her mother to use the GI Bill and later earned a degree in economics from the University of Colorado Denver.

During that period, she grew in selfunderstanding. She learned that she wasn’t unintelligent but that a traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress disorder (the result of childhood beatings) meant she needed different tools to be successful. She also found her calling – serving vets – when she joined a student veteran organization.

Longoria says. “Part of the application was a personal essay in which I was able to show how much I had overcome in my life and to share my ambition for moving up at the VA.” Today, Longoria is a year from graduation. With the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimating 2.3 million new jobs to be added in the health care industry by 2024, she’ll be poised to advance in a rapidly expanding field – the next step on the road toward making a difference in the lives of other veterans.

She was ultimately hired by a homeless program at the VA but recognized that her aspirations were larger. A friend reminded her that graduate education was a good way to advance.

Longoria will be among the first graduating classes from the 2-yearold MHA program, which celebrated its first 10 graduates in December.

The program prepares higherlevel health care management leaders to meet the needs of a booming industry.

“I applied to MSU Denver because the courses were conducive to my work schedule, and the price was right, given that I had no GI Bill remaining,”

In many ways, the MHA is representative of all of MSU Denver’s graduate programs – five current and two forthcoming – in that they

combine a unique student-centered approach with a focus on addressing state and local workforce needs.

The degrees explicitly target underrepresented communities and lean into the University’s urban environment to amplify opportunities for scholarly engagement and real-world practice.

“The same underrepresented populations who need access to higher education to pursue their careers also need access to postbaccalaureate educational options,” says Provost Vicki Golich, Ph.D. “Many careers now require a minimum of a master’s degree to enter the workforce successfully, making it critically important that MSU Denver provide graduate programs relevant to these needs in Colorado.”

A lesson in flexibility Nancy McAlister began her career in retail management. After her four children were born, however, she chose to stay home with them to SPRING 2019

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balance her husband’s heavy travel schedule as a national sales manager.

Two decades later, with three of her children in college, the 52-year-old Thornton resident started substitute teaching for extra income and fell in love with the classroom.

In spring 2018, she decided to get her elementary-education teacher license through the Master of Arts in Teaching program at MSU Denver, which offers traditional and alternative paths for people to change careers and make a difference. While not for career teachers, the MAT provides strong pedagogical training in urban and suburban contexts to prepare future educators. The program also provides a way for those who have relocated to Colorado to obtain licensure.

“MSU Denver was the best fit for me, financially and geographically,” she says. “And I knew the program would have a more diverse age base in its student population, meaning I would have people close to my age as classmates.”

In this “third chapter” of her life, McAlister appreciates the flexibility of course scheduling and being able to test pedagogical research (such as brain breaks) in the Adams 12 classrooms where she continues to substitute teach each week.

She’s also been impressed by the caliber of the faculty. “They are interested in our individual success but also are focused on sending teachers into classrooms who will make a difference and represent the teaching profession,” she says.

opportunity to get a better education, so it is a proud moment for my family and for me to be able to complete my MBA. I needed to add new skill sets, and while I learned a great deal about the varied approaches to business, I also learned a lot about myself.”

After she graduates next fall, McAlister will aim to do just that in her own third- or fourth-grade classroom.

Director of Graduate Studies Shannon Campbell, Ph.D., says regardless of whether a student seeks to change his or her field, or advance in their current one, MSU Denver has a program to fit their needs.

A change of course Swati Suri also wanted to switch careers. But she needed to find a Master of Business Administration program that didn’t require an undergraduate business degree.

From a long line of teachers, the native of India pursued teaching as an undergraduate, but when teaching jobs dried up, she switched careers, first to banking then to a software company.

After she and her husband moved to Denver, Suri chose to pursue an MBA at MSU Denver because it was advertised for people who weren’t solely business majors. In December, she became one of the first three MSU Denver students to graduate with an MBA degree.

“Honestly, it’s a dream come true,” she says. “It also was my parents’ dream to provide my brother and me the

“We are strategic and mindful of the needs of the students but also of employers,” she says. “I would call our graduate programs applicable, necessary and entrepreneurial, as they provide win-win situations for students and employers.”

Past, present and future The launch of MSU Denver’s first three graduate programs – the MAT, the Master of Social Work and the Master of Professional Accountancy – coincided closely with the institution’s name change to Metropolitan State University of Denver in 2012.

The MPAcc provides students with an accelerated road to an advanced accounting degree with emphases in high-demand areas such as public accounting; fraud examination and forensics accounting; and internal

best fit for me, financially and geographically. And I knew the program would have a more diverse age base in its student population, meaning I would have people close to my age as classmates.”

— Nancy McAlister

PHOTO ALYSON MCCLARAN

“MSU Denver was the

PHOTO MARK WOOLCOTT

Professor Minga Negash works with a student in the Master of Professional Accountancy program in MSU Denver’s College of Business.

auditing and taxations. The program also provides the educational requirements to sit for Colorado’s Certified Public Accountant exam.

The MSW continues to grow in enrollment each year, offering fully online and customized mixeddelivery options. The program helps address significant workforce shortages such as the need for additional caseworkers and mentalhealth professionals in 57 of Colorado’s 64 counties.

Beginning next fall, the latest graduate offerings from MSU Denver, cybersecurity and nutrition/dietetics, will address issues as broad as national security and as local as school lunchroom menus.

The Master of Science in Cybersecurity comes as the United States faces increasing vulnerability to cyberattacks and the potential for 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity positions by 2021.

Steve Beaty, professor of computer science, notes that more than 10,000 job openings exist for cybersecurity professionals in Colorado alone, and the need for these professionals will

continue to rise because all professions are affected by cyberthreats.

He says the program was developed in association with local industry – commercial, nonprofit and government – and integrates social science and traditional science for a unique approach to investigative online security. The program straddles three disciplines – computer science, computer information systems and criminal justice.

“We had meetings with professionals from each sector to make sure we were covering all bases while developing the degree,” Beaty says.

“Those meetings will continue to ensure we remain responsive to the emerging needs of all organizations.

“The human element is crucial as most break-ins occur due to what we call ‘social engineering’ – tricking people to click on links or otherwise doing something they know they shouldn’t do.”

The Master of Science in Human Nutrition and Dietetics will fill a need as the only graduate degree of its kind

PHOTO COURTESY OF COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Swati Suri chose to pursue a Master of Business Administration at MSU Denver because it was advertised for people who weren’t solely business majors. In December, she became one of the first three students to graduate from the program.

in metro Denver, emphasizing experiential learning and real-world research projects as well as nutritional counseling and assessment techniques.

A unique service-learning component will involve assessing urban nutrition efforts and creating education initiatives with Denverarea agencies. As a part of the program’s culturally responsive curriculum, students will complete a research project on an issue critical to diverse populations. Also available through this degree are a graduate certificate in human nutrition science and a dietetic internship.

Campbell, the director of Graduate Studies, says the University will continue to engage in thoughtful, strategic and purposeful growth in graduate programs.

“There are no prescriptive mandates for growth,” she says.

“Rather, the Office of Graduate Studies will continue to work closely with the provost to ensure that our programs meet the specific needs of students and the needs of Colorado.”

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PHOTO JOHN ARNOLD

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PHOTO COURTESY OF GARY MOORE

GARY MOORE IS A CAPTAIN AND LINE-CHECK AIRMAN WITH UNITED AIRLINES. BUT TO HIS SKY-BOUND SONS, HE’S JUST DAD. STORY CORY PHARE

H

How was your flight?

Unless there was turbulence, chances are you’ll say “good” when asked.

That’s thanks to people such as United Airlines Capt. Gary Moore.

As a line-check airman, Moore is charged with making sure you get from point A to point B safely with minimal disruption.

Currently flying Boeing’s 777 and slated to take the helm of the famed 787 Dreamliner in May, the 1983 Metropolitan State University of Denver graduate in aerospace sciences has airlocked a legacy that stretches into the future, as his three sons follow in his flight-patterned footsteps. But it’s also one that began decades before, similarly united across generations.

“My dad was my role model; I aspired to be like him,” he says.

“I’m both lucky and proud it’s worked out this way for me.”

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You could say the Moore family’s fate was written in the stars.

Gary’s father, Jack Moore, began his career as a flight navigator in World War II, where he used an instrument called a sextant to make mathematical calculations from celestial bodies.

Following the war and stints with several airlines, he eventually landed with United, where he continued as a flight navigator – barely

And, using the laserlike focus that’s served him throughout his 33-year-plus tenure with the airline, he finished in a mere three semesters, crediting the industry-steeped expertise of the faculty and their subsequent network for launching careers.

“MSU Denver has such a high rate of success with the students who come here,” Moore says. “Whether it’s becoming a pilot, working in maintenance or airport management, people who come here typically land in the aviation field.”

missing out on becoming a pilot because of age restrictions.

Having his dad in the cockpit helped chart a course for the young Gary, who expressed gratitude for a childhood with travel benefits that brought him to opposite ends of the earth. “Growing up, we were always traveling,” he says. “My mom was from Austria, so we’d visit relatives there, along with family all the way in Australia.”

The career landscape was shifting, however. Advances in aviation technology continued, and by 1975 the navigator role was phased out.

But with evolving age restrictions and years of flight experience, opportunity presented itself.

So, at 56, Jack was brought on as a new-hire pilot with United Airlines.

“After just missing out the first time around, my dad was able to spend the last four years of his career in the pilot’s seat,” Gary recalls. “That was really something.”

• Inspired by his father, Gary eventually followed his own airborne aspirations that took him from his hometown of Los Angeles to Denver.

Beginning at Mt. San Antonio College – which had its own affiliation with United – he came to what was then Metropolitan State College of Denver on the recommendation of one of his father’s compatriots.

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It’s certainly served him well in a career that requires lifelong learning, something he keeps honed by volunteering for United’s Flight Safety Action Program, reviewing protocols and procedures to ensure that passengers are shepherded to their destinations safely. And as a linecheck airman, he mentors the new 777 pilots to do the same.

“On the 777, you’ve got up to 366 people sitting behind you, trusting you’ll know what to do when something doesn’t go as planned,” Moore says. “Being a line-check airman is probably the pinnacle of my career – it’s an awesome responsibility.

“And though I don’t have all the answers, I know the resources to help find them.”

• When you love your job, the enthusiasm is infectious.

“I’d come home and share the stories of what I’d done that day at work with my sons,” Moore says. “And because I liked what I did so much, it got them engaged too.”

Take his oldest, Blake. Now a first officer with SkyWest Airlines, the 2017 MSU Denver graduate credited the advanced simulations and applied training in his program for successful preparation.

“When I showed up to ground school at SkyWest, I felt ready,” says the former captain of the University’s Precision Flight Team. “I already knew the systems, how to start the engines and fly the profiles – the big-picture stuff. All that was left was to see what it looked like out of the front of the window.”

The desire to learn started early, too. Blake – then around 12 years old – began emulating his father on the surprisingly detailed Microsoft Flight Simulator computer program. Upon watching his son virtually flying a 737 into Los Angeles, Moore asked him to tune the radio into the LAX Instrument Landing System frequency of 109.9 – and to his surprise, it worked.

“I’d start bringing my old instrument-approach charts from Jeppesen, and pretty soon he had a whole binder of them he was working from,” Moore says. “That’s when I realized he was really taking it all in – he’s really interested in becoming a pilot.”

Middle son Jack had a bit of a longer route to takeoff. Now a junior at his father and brother’s alma mater, he began his college career in Hawaii before transferring to MSU Denver. He currently works at the Denver jetCenter in Centennial Airport and credits even his introductory courses for setting a solid foundation for getting his private pilot’s license.

“I love the program here,” Jack says. “And to think I’m sitting in the same classes, learning the same stuff as my dad at the same school – that’s pretty cool.

“I didn’t want to become a pilot at first, but I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

Youngest son, Danny, a junior at Chatfield Senior High School with his private pilot glider license, also plans a future in flight – yet one more Moore, making it a family affair in the air.

• As all three Roadrunners noted, it’s a culture of applied connectivity that makes MSU Denver’s program soar.

Selected as a flight-operations intern for a summer semester with United Airlines, Blake was employed for several months at United’s flight-training center. As part of the experience, students are in the flight-deck jump seat for two round-trip journeys. One of these just happened to be a Boeing 777 going from San Francisco to Tokyo with a certain captain he’d known his entire life.

To add to the moment, the rest of the family – Moore’s wife, Kara, Jack and Danny – came along for the ride. And though it was one of countless flights they’d joined him on, the longtime United captain felt the faint flicker of a torch being passed.

“All of a sudden, I’m old hat when their brother is up in the cockpit,” Moore says, with a smile. “That was a high point for me, for sure.”

• Some people have a runway that’s cleared for takeoff with smooth sailing, while others take a longer, zigzaggy approach.

For Gary Moore, though, it’s a journey that crisscrosses generations and the globe – from Los Angeles, by way of San Francisco, on to Frankfurt, Tokyo and his home base of Denver.

And just as the skies have been friendly to him, it’s his sons who keep him well-grounded.

“They’ll have folks come up to them and go, ‘Oh, wow, your father’s a triple-7 captain?’” he says. “But to them, I’m just Dad.”

PHOTO JOHN ARNOLD FAMILY PHOTOS COURTESY OF GARY MOORE

Left to right: Boeing 777 flight to Tokyo piloted by Gary Moore with son Blake on the jump seat as part of a United Airlines internship.

The Moore family photographed on the flight deck.

Blake, Gary and Jack Moore at MSU Denver’s World Indoor Airport.

A vintage shot of Jack Moore, Gary’s father, wearing his United Airlines uniform.

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Oh, the

hum

T

The humanities have a perception problem.

Fields of study such as philosophy, history and language are sometimes relegated to elective status in the court of public opinion. Disciplines that focus on “Why?” instead of “How much?” can get lost in a culture constantly calculating return on investment.

Somewhere along the way, the aptitudes developed by studying the humanities were deemed “soft skills,” as if critical thinking weren’t critical for everyone or “people skills” weren’t important for all people.

Why?

manities WHY STUDY PHILOSOPHY, HISTORY OR LANGUAGE? WHAT IS THE VALUE OF LIBERAL ARTS? THE ANSWERS MAY SURPRISE YOU. STORY MATT WATSON

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Go to college; get a job

A 2018 report from Strada and Gallup found that work outcomes are the main reason most people choose higher education. Fiftyeight percent of students said getting a good job is their primary motivation, while 23 percent reported a general motivation to learn more and gain knowledge without a direct link to career aspirations.

“Go to college; get a job,” is a familiar enough refrain, but it hasn’t always been that way. Janine Davidson, Ph.D., president of Metropolitan State University of Denver, notes that when Gallup asked this question in the 1950s and ’60s, the top response was “to gain a more meaningful understanding of life.”

So should academia change to meet the demands of the modern student, or should students trust that university leaders and faculty members are the education experts?

“People say, ‘If we partner with businesses, our curriculum is going to end up all STEM and business, and we’re not going to have philosophy or history classes. We’ll graduate a bunch of robots,’” Davidson says. “That’s the wrong approach. You have to have a career-focused environment, but it’s up to us as leaders in higher education to do more than help students get entry-level jobs. We want them to be successful throughout their careers and their lives and to contribute to society more broadly.”

Decision-makers at colleges and universities have been holding that line. A 2015 Georgetown University study on the economic value of college majors found that since the 1980s, the share of students in humanities and liberal-arts majors has declined, but the overall number of students taking humanities and liberalarts classes has gone up.

Return on investment

“Those things aren’t mutually exclusive,” Davidson says. She argues that students need to study something they care about in order to do well in school and the workforce. “If you’re going to be successful in your career, you have to be passionate about what you do. It’s not just a luxury; I think it’s a prerequisite. We’re here to help people find their passion and then find their path.”

The challenge is connecting students to careers without turning college into technical training that gets students into entry-level jobs without preparing them for a long career or other civic contributions.

No examination of college majors is complete without a solid list of “famous people who …,” and the anecdotes are easy for the humanities.

History majors have gone on to become president of the United States (George W. Bush) and chief justice of the Supreme Court (John Roberts). And if government jobs aren’t glamorous enough for you, pretty much every one-name TV talk-show host has a liberal-arts degree, including Oprah (communications), Conan (history) and Colbert (theater).

You might not be surprised that best-selling author Stephen King has an English degree, but so did the first American woman in space, astronaut Sally Ride. And the tech entrepreneurs who PHOTO JESSICA TAVES

PHOTO TREVOR DAVIS

Students in liberal arts and humanities classes at MSU Denver.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ADAM GRAVES, PH.D.

Ben Nichols, frontman for Memphis band Lucero, performs music from an album inspired by Cormac McCarthy’s novel “Blood Meridian” at a D-phi event. The performance was preceded by a lecture by MSU Denver Historian Matthew Makley, Ph.D., who offered a historical analysis of the events that inspired McCarthy’s book.

created PayPal, LinkedIn and Slack all studied philosophy, as did legendary basketball player and coach Phil Jackson.

But those are the outliers, right? What about everyone else?

In 2014, Jeffrey Dorfman, professor of economics at the University of Georgia, took salary data from Payscale.com to calculate return on investment for humanities majors, taking into account college tuition and the prospective earnings of someone with no college degree. Dorfman estimated a lifetime return on investment of 300 percent to 700 percent for humanities-degree holders, topping out with more than $650,000 in extra earnings for philosophy majors above and beyond high school diploma earners.

How does that compare with other degrees?

That Georgetown study found that one in every four humanities or liberal-arts graduates earns more than a quarter of college graduates who majored in architecture or engineering. Engineers might make more money than humanities grads on average, but no major comes with a guaranteed salary upon graduation.

The humanities also position undergraduates well for more advanced degrees. Philosophy majors in particular have the highest composite score on the GRE graduate-school entry exam and the highest average score on the LSAT law-school aptitude test, according to data from the Educational Testing Service and the Law School Admission Council. In an era when the master’s degree is becoming more important in the workforce – 27 percent of hiring managers in a CareerBuilder.com survey said they’re recruiting master’s graduates for jobs that used to require only four-year degrees – an additional degree matters.

The numbers are clear: You can be successful and make money with a humanities degree. So how do higher-education institutions connect their graduates to careers?

Qualities, not qualifications

Joe Rice, director of government relations for Lockheed Martin Space, can personally vouch for the benefits of a humanities

degree. Rice, president of MSU Denver’s Alumni Association and the alumni representative on the Board of Trustees, has a degree in history from the University. His career has included local and state government in Colorado as well as setting up a municipal government in Iraq as an officer in the Army.

“I suggest to people, ‘Follow an academic path because it interests you, but you also need to have an idea of how you are going to translate that in the marketplace,’” Rice says. “There is a role for every degree in the job market. Starbucks, Walmart, Lockheed Martin … we all have communications departments. We all have HR departments. We have finance, legal, logistics and transportation. Somebody who studied one of those degrees needs to understand how to get a job.”

That includes students studying STEM and business, who might think their major courses are all they need to be a successful professional. Lockheed Martin requires its employees, including engineers, to complete internal training on giving presentations and other such skills.

“Communication is critical. You can have the best idea in the world, but what good is it if you can’t communicate it?” Rice says.

In her first year as MSU Denver president, Davidson asked a group of Colorado business leaders exactly what they’re looking for in prospective employees, and they responded with a list of qualities, not qualifications.

They listed in-demand technical skills such as cybersecurity training and data analytics, but then they also listed critical thinking, creativity, a global perspective, cognitive flexibility, cross-disciplinary abilities and ethics.

People skills

When asked that same question, Denver-area executives and hiring managers repeatedly said they need people who know how to work with others.

Rob Cohen, chairman and CEO of IMA Financial Group Inc., says communication and critical thinking are vital to client services.

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IMA provides financial services in the United States and internationally.

“Critical thinking is necessary to be able to listen, comprehend and solve our clients’ most critical challenges,” he says. “Good communications skills are important so that once we have solutions for our clients, we are able to share them in an efficient and effective manner.”

At Arrow Electronics, the top-ranked Colorado-based company in the Forbes 500 list and a Forbes Top Regarded Company in 2018, the first attributes that come to mind for President of Global Supply Chain Services Alan Bird are common sense and work ethic.

“Those are two things that are desperately needed in the workforce. Quite frankly, I don’t need the most brilliant person in the world, but I need someone with strikingly good common sense and work ethic,” Bird says. “One of the first things I look at for people coming out of college is where they worked throughout college. I don’t care if they’re a busboy, they’re cutting grass, they’re waiting tables – I want you to have done something. That demonstrates work ethic.”

Bird suggests students study something they’re interested in, even if they can’t see it translating into a 50-year career. You can always change jobs later – most people change jobs often anyway, even if they’re not changing fields.

“I tell every college student, ‘Make sure you graduate. I don’t care what you graduate in or really even where you graduate from. By graduating and getting the piece of paper, you have proven that you have the capacity to learn, and as an employer that’s really important to me,’” Bird says.

Abby Wurmnest works in talent acquisition for nonprofits such as Developmental Pathways, which serves people with developmental disabilities and their families. Wurmnest’s team looks for employees who are first and foremost mission-oriented but also prioritizes communication, adaptability and interpersonal skills.

“They need to want to make a difference. They need to be dedicated, collaborative, relationship-focused and

“It’s the liberal arts

compassionate,” Wurmnest says. “These skills are how the work gets done. If you do those things, you are efficient and effective at what you do.”

The Blue Bench, a sexual-assault-prevention and -care center with a community-outreach team, looks for a similar skill set.

“We look for candidates with strong communication and activelistening skills. … We also want candidates with a high level of emotional intelligence,” says the Blue Bench’s Sarah Stapp.

“We do our work as a team and want to maintain a positive and supportive work environment.”

A world without humanity

How many books have you read about robots taking over the world? Or movies and TV shows about technology eroding our humanity?

Davidson, MSU Denver’s president, says science fiction gives us a glimpse into a world without humanity.

“Science-fiction writers get it. They’re philosophically, emotionally and socially extrapolating what a world looks like where people use technology and artificial intelligence without thinking about what that might actually do to your society, to your people, to your very humanness,” she says. “Higher education is more important than ever because our society is getting so complex – we have got to educate, not just train, the next generation to cope with the trends that are coming at us.

“It’s the liberal arts and humanities that help us make sense of what’s going on in this world.”

Bird, the Arrow Electronics executive, says his company’s forays into AI demand ethical decision-making.

“Artificial intelligence is built on programming into software and hardware. The reality is, the person that’s doing that can either write that program for good or for bad,” Bird says. “You’re making decisions on behalf of people that have profound effects. In addition to Facebook, Twitter and Google Search, AI is being used in medicine, in logistics, in almost every discipline in the world and will only become more prominent.”

A language student gets some helpful advice from a professor at MSU Denver.

and humanities that help us make sense of what’s going on

—Janine Davidson, Ph.D. President

PHOTO MARK WOOLCOTT

in this world.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF ADAM GRAVES, PH.D.

Barney Frank (right) spoke with students about his life in politics at a D-phi event.

Frank represented the Fourth Congressional District of Massachusetts for more than three decades.

The National Endowment for the Humanities’ most prestigious honor goes to the Jefferson Lecturer, and last year’s lecturer was a Harvard-trained physician with a doctorate in English literature. Rita Charon is a pioneer in the field of medical humanities, and her lecture focused on how the humanities allow doctors to see the suffering in patients and better understand how to help them.

Matt Makley, professor of history and MSU Denver’s Faculty Senate president, said historical context is essential in any field.

“Science and disciplines within science tend to operate in their respective silos, and often I think it’s helpful to have a broadthinking historian who can connect scientific movements and paradigms with particular moments,” Makley says. “Moreover, the humanities connect us, as a civil society, to the questions and dialogues that have fueled inquiry across disparate times and cultures. Study of the humanities helps us wrestle with fundamental questions about the human experience and our place in the cosmos.”

Arlene Sgoutas, interim dean of MSU Denver’s College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, sees the impact of dehumanization in the news today.

“Why study the humanities? Perhaps the evidence is in our times. It might be that the more we devalue the humanities, the less empathic and compassionate we become,” Sgoutas says.

“When I think about the ongoing displacement of peoples, the increasing devastation to the climate and the rising violence to targeted communities … the more I think we need the humanities, so we do not disconnect from the suffering of other people.”

Humanities in action

The Denver Project for Humanistic Inquiry, or D-phi, is MSU Denver’s effort to enrich intellectual and cultural life in the community. Associate Professor of Philosophy Adam Graves founded the organization in 2015 to put the humanities to work.

“We mobilize the resources of humanities faculty at MSU Denver to partner with cultural institutions throughout the city to add value to the content that they already have,” Graves says. “We also bring humanities scholars, their expertise, to topics that are both timely and timeless in nature by partnering with these cultural institutions.”

Such events include a discourse on computers and consciousness at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, which included NASA engineers, computer scientists and philosophers discussing the moral implications of the “smart” machines that play a prominent role in modern life. Another event at a brewery featured a musician performing an album based on a novel while a professor offered historical analysis of the book’s inspiration.

D-phi’s community-based engagement is unique among university humanities centers.

“The partnerships that we have are not arbitrary. Our society as a whole is in dire need of the kinds of questioning, the kinds of thoughtful deliberation, that are distinctive to the humanistic disciplines,” Graves says. “It’s ironic that the humanities find themselves today in a defensive position, when in some sense, what we have to contribute is perhaps of greater value today than any time in our past.”

In an age of endless information and rapid change, the humanities provide frameworks to interpret and understand what it means to be human.

“You can’t pose the question, ‘What is the value of the humanities?’ without engaging in the very thing whose existence seems to be in question. The fact that we ask these kinds of questions of ourselves indicates that the humanities do in fact have value,” Graves says.

So why study the humanities? It’s simple: If you’re inquiring as to whether inquiry has value, you’ve already answered the question.

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If you live in Colorado, then you know Vic Vela … or, at least, his voice. The awardwinning Colorado Public Radio host is a mainstay on the airwaves and a welcome presence in cars and homes across the Front Range.

But what you probably don’t know is this: Vela is a recovering drug addict and an inspiration to many suffering from similar afflictions.

“People are surprised when they learn about the person behind the voice,” he says. “But they are also really supportive.”

Vela’s struggles with addiction spanned two decades, starting in high school. He says he used drugs to self-medicate the pain of growing up as a closeted gay boy in a poor family in small-town Colorado, an insight he unearthed during his recovery.

For years, he was a high-functioning addict.

He got a degree in speech communications from Metropolitan State University of Denver in 2000, becoming the first member of his immediate family to graduate from college, and had instant success in the journalism industry. He interviewed celebrities, covered major events and won awards.

But over time, drugs took their toll. He lived a life of extremes. “I can remember when I was covering the Capitol, I would crouch behind a dumpster, smoke crack and then go inside to interview the governor,” he says. He would tell himself that if he were really an addict, he wouldn’t be doing important work every day.

In the end, his addiction outstripped his talent. He wound up unemployed, bankrupt and so sick he thought he might die. At times, he wished he would.

On Jan. 25, 2015, Vela made the decision to quit.

He says everything was different when he finally admitted he was an addict. He was hired by CPR and discovered that he could be great at his job without drugs; he found a community that accepted him; and he found his voice … as an advocate.

These days, he uses his platform to help others struggling with addiction.

He regularly talks with groups

and shares stories on social media. He sees himself as putting a human face on a growing problem. “(In 2017), more Coloradans died from a drug overdose than any other year in history,” he says. “But people are also surviving. I want to let others know that recovery is possible. I’m proof of that.”

On the career front, Vela continues to produce noteworthy journalism. Over 15 years, he’s gotten to interview

such subjects as Jay Leno and Janet Napolitano. He’s reported on big issues such as election reform in Colorado. Most recently, he says his work is less about hardhitting news and more about making people smile – for example, a recent feature he did on the “Orange Crush” Broncos teams of the late 1970s.

Vela credits MSU Denver for helping jump-start his career. Not only did he do an internship with a local television station during college, but he says the learning environment was ideal. “I loved that the people in my classes were from all walks of life,” he says. “Being around them helped me grow up. I wouldn’t have gotten that at another school.”

Vela has been sober for four years. In that time, he’s won two regional Edward R. Murrow awards. He’s as healthy as he’s ever been. And he recently got an exciting second job – he’s going to teach classes at MSU Denver in the fall. His goal: to help aspiring journalists find their voice.

The man behind the mic Alumnus Vic Vela is

STORY DAN VACCARO

| PHOTO JOHN ARNOLD

a recognizable voice on Colorado Public Radio; he’s also a voice of hope for recovering addicts.

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Making dreams possible Alumna Rachel Averch dreamed of opening a school; today, she empowers students to dream big.

STORY LYNNE WINTER ’17

| PHOTO ALYSON MCCLARAN

As the eldest child of a Montessori schoolteacher, Rachel Averch knew from the time she was 5 years old that she, too, wanted to be a teacher.

“Every day, I would come home and play ‘school’ with my younger sister,” says Averch, president, co-founder and CEO of the Montessori Children’s House of Denver.

“By the time she reached kindergarten, she was testing at a third-grade level because I was teaching her everything I learned during the day.”

To realize her vision of being an administrator and teacher, Averch knew she needed to continue her educational pursuits and reached out to the Individualized Degree Program at Metropolitan State University of Denver. With guidance from IDP, she customized a degree program to fit her needs, allowing her to take classes while running the school.

“It was perfect,” the 1996 graduate says.

“Earning my unique degree in both education and administration made every dream I had possible.”

After graduating from high school, Averch took a short detour on her road to teaching, accepting a full scholarship to study business at a community college in northeastern Colorado. The detour ultimately proved fortuitous.

Averch’s school has grown from its humble beginnings on Birch Street to three campuses serving more than 250 students between the ages of 12 months and 15 years.

And with growth came change.

“The business education I received turned out to be a beautiful gift,” Averch says. The knowledge she gained from her classes allowed her to put together a business plan for an idea she and her mother had devised: opening their own Montessori school in Denver.

She no longer teaches in the classroom and is instead primarily involved with administrative duties and developing her leadership team. When she has time, she loves visiting the collaborative classroom environments to watch children learn and celebrate their individuality.

The bank saw potential in the idea too – approving her for a loan at just 19 years old.

“It’s a disservice to society for everyone to have the same set of skills,” she says. “Our graduates are independent and unique – they all have different interests and abilities.

That is what makes people amazing.”

Averch and her mother set out to find a location for their new school and came across a homey old farmhouse on Birch Street in the metro area. They knew it would be perfect for the children they would serve.

In 1991, they co-founded the Montessori Children’s House of Denver.

“The mission of MCHD is to support and empower people to reach their full potential, and we believe that Montessori is the best method of education for achieving that goal,” Averch says. “Children are so capable. When they are given trust, respect and the right learning environment, the things they can accomplish are amazing.”

Averch is driven by her desire to provide people with an environment where they are free to discover their purpose. She continues to encourage others to follow their inner voice as she did in her quest to become a teacher.

“It’s all really wonderful – I have a whole team of talented people who are building this dream,” she says. “The last 27 years have been just magical.”

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Another story to tell Emmy Award-winning alumna scores the soundtrack of human experience.

STORY CORA ZALETEL | PHOTO JOHN ARNOLD

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It should come as no surprise that the song that earned Lisa Seville Downing her second Emmy Award was originally about telling bedtime stories to her son. The top-five New Age Billboard solo pianist is a storyteller at heart who interprets the human experience with the keys beneath her fingers.

While the 1982 graduate of Metropolitan State University of Denver hesitates to pick favorites among her compositions – because she considers them her children – she admits to being most attached to that award-winning song, “The Dragon Within.”

“It started as the story of a dragon named Jasper,” Downing says. “But later, I realized that the power and energy of the dragon I had created was within me.”

She wasn’t the only one who recognized the power inherent in the song. It became part of the score for a Rocky Mountain PBS film series called “Saving the Soul of Denver,” which told the stories of Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame inductees. In March 2018, the series earned an Emmy for Best Music Composition/Arrangement.

Downing credits MSU Denver for propelling her into the career of her dreams. But not in the way you might expect – the most significant lessons she learned on campus didn’t have to do with music.

She created a unique contract major in traditional and nontraditional music with a keyboard emphasis that included a majority of coursework at MSU Denver supplemented with classes from University of Colorado Denver. A degree committee made up of professors from both schools approved the classes to be included and the actual degree title.

She says the negotiation skills she learned from that experience prepared her to manage performance contracts for herself and the more than 1,200 performers she represents through her company Vision Quest Entertainment.

“Over the years, that work has funded my efforts to become the pianist I am today,” she says.

And she has certainly become an extraordinary pianist, and an even better storyteller, as evidenced by the national acclaim she has received for her work.

Downing’s 2017 Emmy-winning composition, “The Torii Gates,” was inspired by a story she heard about a Japanese fishing village called Hachinohe. The village’s sacred gates were designed to impede evil spirits and ensure the safety of the town’s fishermen on dangerous seas. In 2011, the village was devastated by a powerful earthquake and tsunami, and the gates were swept away. Months later, they washed ashore on the Oregon coast and were taken to the Portland Japanese Gardens, where they were repaired and later returned to the village.

Winning Emmy Awards would top most musicians’ list of accomplishments. But Downing is even more proud of raising a successful son while being a single mother.

Now 30, her son is a certified behavioral interventionist who works with people across the autism spectrum. He recently encouraged her to leave a legacy by getting the entire catalog of her work (48 songs and four CDs) transcribed. She is amazed by how different her compositions sound when played by musicians using sheet music versus performing them with knowledge of the stories behind them.

Downing’s success story continues with a Japanese tour in 2020. She also hopes her future might hold a third Emmy and first Oscar. Her work for another Rocky Mountain PBS collaboration, “Marilyn Van Derbur Atler: An Incest Survivor’s Odyssey,” recently earned top honors at the Los Angeles Film Awards.

Carnegie Hall may be the dream concert venue for many musicians. But as a Colorado native, Downing aspires to one day hear her music bounce off the sandstone monoliths at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, giving her yet another story to tell.

Bringing art home Industrial-design alumnus Dustin Nyhus turned his love of furniture and art into a winning combination.

STORY MARK COX

| PHOTO ALYSON MCCLARAN

Once upon a time, shoppers on a budget might have had to choose between buying a piece of art they loved and a household item they needed.

Eight years ago, Denver-based furniture designer Dustin Nyhus decided people shouldn’t be forced to make that choice. He and his wife, Kim, launched Deny Designs – a company that brings the art world into people’s living spaces by blinging up everyday home furnishings and accessories with original artwork.

Today, the business’ customers face a dizzying range of design choices from the company’s in-house art gallery, which features more than 180 artists and 15,000 pieces of art. That means credenzas become sculptural objects; shower curtains turn into giant portraits; dining areas are transformed by crazily creative tableware. And the really good news? Every purchase supports the contributing artists.

A winning idea Deny Designs has been an enduring success, but in the early days, it didn’t always seem destined to go that way. “When we launched, the notion of using artists’ work on products was slowly becoming normalized, but only with small-scale stuff like cups and mouse pads,” Nyhus recalls.

“We took things a big step further by putting individual works of art directly into homes,

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as home furnishings. People hadn’t seen that before.”

As with many great ideas, good fortune also played a role. Nyhus says that in 2011, technological advances were just reaching a point where the materials the company needed could be mass-produced quickly and affordably. In other words: His was the right idea at the right time.

Before launching the business, Nyhus studied industrial design at Metropolitan State University of Denver, which he describes as a perfect fit. “Since the students don’t live on campus, it’s geared to help people like me, who had to work around full-time jobs. They don’t really hold your hand, and I think that’s a good thing. Studying there taught me a lot about responsibility and working efficiently on a tight schedule.”

That hard work provided a solid grounding, which ultimately helped Nyhus achieve two goals close to his heart – supporting the work of talented artists and producing unique products at reasonable prices. “We set out to establish a highly distinctive niche in the market,” he says, “and I guess we achieved that.”

Hands-on approach Deny Designs was recently acquired by Leaf Group, where Nyhus serves as senior

vice president of product design and development. Despite his elevated role, the hands-on designer still insists on regularly rolling up his sleeves.

“Leadership responsibilities can pull you in different directions, so you have to be more efficient in scheduling the necessary time to do what’s important to you,” he says. “I still get my hands dirty – literally – on a daily basis, and love playing around with ideas and equipment. Ultimately, the creative side of things is what makes me tick.”

Designer genes Nyhus’ design journey started when he was a child in Denver, watching his father and grandfather – both gifted builders – craft mini-miracles with their hands. So when he sees his own three young sons playing with their toys, is he looking to see if any of Daddy’s talent has rubbed off on them?

Might there be some magic in the family genes?

“That’s certainly a hope,” he says with a laugh. “Every home project I do, the kids are right next to me – wearing their little safety goggles – measuring stuff and cutting up wood. They’re completely hands on. And I always teach them that there’s nothing to be afraid of when you’re creating things, because that’s the truth. If you’re willing to put in the time and effort, you can go out there and make anything.”

People Alumni News + Notes 1980

Janet Austin (B.S. fine art/printmaking, ’80) is a public artist in Evanston, Illinois, whose work confronts ecological concerns and reflects the uniqueness of the location, drawing on natural, historic and cultural inspiration. Upon graduation from MSU Denver, she earned a master’s degree in printmaking from the Villa Schifanoia Graduate School of Fine Art in Florence, Italy. Last fall, Austin and her work were featured in The Wall Street Journal as part of an article on short-term public-art loan programs.

1984

John Kevin Dolan (B.S. mathematics, ’84) teaches math as an adjunct instructor at Salt Lake Community College and coaches youth sports in Salt Lake City, where he lives with wife, Lisa. He moved to Utah to work as a computer engineer and continued his tech career as a systems engineer and programmer. They have two sons: Daniel, a Naval Academy graduate and LCDR Navy helicopter pilot, and Matthew, a Merchant Marine Academy graduate who is pursuing an MBA.

1992

Kelly Robbins (B.S. marketing, ’92) is a speaker, author and coach who assists people on their journey to self-empowerment and happiness through the creation of unique businesses and lifestyles. She just published her first book, “Trust Your Next Step: Creating the Confidence to Cut Fresh Tracks,” and recently founded the “Fresh Tracks with Kelly Robbins” podcast.

1994

David Pedersen (B.S. speech communication, ’94) earned a master’s degree in audiology, Doctor of Audiology and Doctor of Philosophy in Education with a specialization in Organizational Leadership after graduating from MSU Denver. He was an audiologist in the Air Force and transferred to the Army before retiring in 2016. He teaches a class in logic and rhetoric as well as tutoring precalculus students while serving as the director of development and online administrator at the Spring Vale Christian School in Owosso, Michigan.

1995

Scott Dukart (B.S. computer information systems and management science, ’95) has traveled the world as an information technology professional for the last 24 years.

He currently serves as the director of IT for Trancon, where he delivers IT solutions that enable businesses to increase revenues and gain competitive advantages while improving user experiences through innovation.

Jecole Shaw (B.S. human services, ’95) is a kinship supervisor (child welfare) at the Denver Human Services Assistance and Workforce Center.

1997

Anna Maria Basquez (B.A. journalism, ’97 and B.S. accounting, ’05) is a freelance reporter and small-business owner. The first graduate of the University’s Rocky Mountain News scholarship, she has earned three professional-writing awards during eight years as a reporter for daily papers in California and Colorado. She was the only reporter from Colorado to cover both of Pope Francis’ visits to the World Meeting of Families in Dublin (2018) and

Philadelphia (2015). She competed with 3,000 world-media members to land one of 46 spots on the media platform across from the pope’s altar in Ireland. She has also operated Denver Catholic Speed Dating LLC for nine years, connecting more than 30 now-married couples, and hosted her first international event, Dublin Catholic Speed Dating, in 2018.

2006

Chris Swathwood (B.S. aviation science, ’06) was named a recipient of the inaugural 2018 Business Aviation Top 40 under 40 by the National Business Aviation Association.

Swathwood, director of aircraft sales and acquisitions for Altivation in Evergreen, was honored for helping educate lawmakers about the importance of the aviation industry as chair of the legislative-affairs committee for the Colorado Aviation Business Association. He played an instrumental role in passing legislation that created license plates celebrating the aviation industry and is now tackling aircraft sales-tax reform.

10 UNDER 10 AWARD WINNERS The Metropolitan State University of Denver Alumni Association recognized its 10 Under 10 Award winners at the Alumni Awards Luncheon during Homecoming Week , Feb. 16.

The honor recognizes 10 outstanding alumni who have graduated in the past 10 years (2009-18). The winners are pictured here with President Janine Davidson, Ph.D., and alumnus and host Travis Luther (behavioral science, ’08).

(Front row, from left) Leon Duran, criminal justice and criminology, ’15; Kate West, program coordination for Integrative Health, ’15; Mary Landerholm, social work, ’12, MSW, ’14; Davidson; Albert Gutierrez, criminal justice and criminology, ’09; Magens Orman, aerospace systems design, ’15; (back row, from left) Nate Nicklas, math, ’13, brewing operations, ’16; Zachary Berger, history, ’16; Jesse Freitas, marketing, ’10; Luther; Nic Garcia, journalism, ’11; and Brian Bailey, hospitality, tourism and events, ’16.

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People In Memory Paul Webster (B.S. accounting, ’06) was named vice president of strategy for Assure Holdings, a provider of intraoperative neuro-monitoring services. He has two decades of managerial and strategic-leadership experience in the health care industry and served most recently as vice president of policy and health economics for Air Methods Corp., one of the largest air-medical-service companies in the world.

2008

Ashley Baird Emrich (B.A. anthropology, ’08) is a property-claims-desk adjuster for American Family Insurance in Denver.

2009

April Abernathy (B.S. psychology, ’09) is an employer-development specialist at the University of Colorado Boulder.

2012

Nina Dropcho (B.S. biology, ’12) earned a master’s degree in biology from New Mexico State University in 2017 and is

pursuing her Ph.D. at NMSU, where she studies the genetic basis of evolution of invertebrates and their symbionts. She also teaches biology at Dona Ana Community College.

2013

Jack Bish (B.S. anthropology, ’13) earned a master’s degree in anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2018 and is pursuing a Ph.D., with a concentration on geometric morphometrics of hominin spine evolution.

2015

Shannon Williams (B.S. accounting, ’15) is a principal accountant in the State of Wyoming Treasurer’s Office in Cheyenne.

SHARE YOUR NEWS Email your class notes to magazine@msudenver.edu

INSTANT (AND LASTING) IMPACT In response to a University Advancement request to share how MSU Denver has affected graduates’ lives and careers, Mark Zaitz (education, ’75) shared a story that began nearly 45 years ago. Zaitz was in a transitional process of exploring how and where to finish his undergraduate degree six years after graduating from high school in Queens, New York.

He had finally decided to become a teacher, when a friend who had moved to Denver in 1973 encouraged him to do the same.

“I flew out and met with an admissions advisor in a mobile trailer in what is now the ‘Golden Triangle’ in Denver,” Zaitz said. “After looking over my transcripts, she said that if I would complete the paperwork and return to Denver by mid-March, I’d need only four quarters of coursework and student teaching to graduate and become a teacher.

“Not only did I arrive for that first class in March, which started my life in Colorado and my path to a teaching and administrative career (including being named the 1986 Cherry Creek School District Elementary Teacher of the Year), but I met a young aspiring teacher as I entered the very first class on that very first day, Carol Pew (education, ’76), who has been my wife since March 1975. We both are filled with wonderful memories of ‘Metro’ before the Auraria Campus, enriched by outstanding professors and student colleagues.

Our careers flourished during a wonderful time for teachers throughout the Denver area.

Few people are more grateful than us to have chosen MSU Denver when we did, and few have benefited more greatly in every way.”

Share the story of how MSU Denver transformed your life: magazine@msudenver.edu.

1970s

Faculty and Staff

Timothy Guy DiGregorio (business management, ’77), July 2018 Susan Flaxer Zalkin (B.S. sociology, ’79), July 2018

1980s

Dana Walters (B.A. psychology, ’80), August 2018

1990s

Ella P. Rank (B.A. communication studies, ’90) was proud of having attained her degree at MSU Denver and was an avid supporter of the University. She died in January 2018.

2010s

T.J. Cunningham (M.A. education, ’12) was a father of five, a dedicated educator, a former football star at the University of Colorado and a former defensive back in the NFL. Most recently, Cunningham served as an assistant principal at Hinkley High School in Aurora, where he was known as an inspirational leader in the lives of the community’s young people. In February, he was shot in a dispute over a parking spot and died the following day.

Irv Brown was the first baseball coach in MSU Denver history, leading the program to a 34-22 record over two seasons from 1968 through 1969. But his impact in Colorado extended far beyond MSU Denver. As a college basketball referee, he officiated six Final Fours between 1969 and 1980. He served as commissioner of the Colorado Athletic Conference and was the color analyst on broadcasts of football and basketball games, including the NBA. He was also a co-star of “The Irv and Joe Show” on Mile High Sports Radio during the 1970s and 1980s. He was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 1997 and into the MSU Denver Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012. He died in February.

Laresh Jayasanker, associate professor of history, was an outstanding teacher, advisor and mentor to Metropolitan State University of Denver students, especially history students who aspired to teach.

He joined the MSU Denver faculty in 2011 and previously taught at Carroll University, the University of Texas at Austin and as a high school social-studies teacher. His research focused on immigration- and globalizationspurred transformations in U.S. food culture. In addition to publishing numerous articles on the topic, he completed a book manuscript that is expected to be published posthumously. He died last November at age 46.

SPRING 2019

31

the

FINALWORD The new VP of University Advancement is writing a fresh fundraising playbook for MSU Denver.

STORY LINDSEY COULTER | PHOTO ELIZABETH MORENO-ROSALES

W

hen Christine Márquez-Hudson joined Metropolitan State University of Denver in November as vice president of University Advancement, she hit the ground running. With support from her team, she developed an 18-month, tailor-made action plan that will tackle big goals and position MSU Denver for sustainable success.

Márquez-Hudson, who also heads the MSU Denver Foundation, shared what attracted her to the University, how giving impacts the institution’s mission and how she’s sharing her many talents.

What brought you to MSU Denver?

What excited you about becoming a Roadrunner?

The mission, definitely. I’ve spent my entire career advancing education and economic opportunities for high-potential individuals.

That is what MSU Denver is all about. The opportunity to nurture and support that mission is tremendously exciting. It gives me the sense of purpose that I thrive on.

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Why do you feel particularly connected to and invested in our students?

MSU Denver students are Colorado – and are the future of our state. It benefits all of us to invest in them. I also know personally the value of an education. My mother was a teacher and my father a first-generation college student. My sister and I were fortunate. In our family, it wasn’t whether or not we were going to college but where we would go to college. Our education opened up incredible doors for us in our careers. I want that possibility for all MSU Denver students.

Why would you encourage Roadrunner alumni to give back to their University?

When I speak to current students or alumni, they share a common story: MSU Denver changed their lives. It was the place where they felt welcome and supported. Their education was meaningful and relevant, and the doors it opened set them on a new path.

We want to offer that opportunity to more students. In fact, we want to make the experience even better. To do that, we need

resources for scholarships, support services, improved classrooms, technology and great faculty. Making a gift to MSU Denver is a “pay-it-forward” opportunity – and it feels great.

What keeps you busy outside of work?

I have three kids and a wonderful husband who keep me quite busy. We love to ski, hike and explore Colorado. I also love to sing and perform with my husband, who is a professional bass player, and family. My dad was a choir director, my mother sang, and my sister played the trumpet. In fact, Lorenzo Trujillo, who runs MSU Denver’s mariachi band, used to perform with my dad’s mariachi group at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church – and I was in that choir for years.

When I joined the team here, Lorenzo invited me to sing with the MSU Denver mariachi group at its May concert.

PUNCH YOUR TICKET TO

DAY R E V N E D U S M ES AT THE ROCKI LUE JAYS B O T N O R O T .

S V S IE K C RO

Tickets are $30 and include an MSU Denver/Rockies co-branded baseball cap, pregame alumni recognition event and gathering area to meet fellow Roadrunners.

Space is limited, so register now to reserve one of 300 tickets: msudenver.edu/alumni/

Sponsored by the MSU Denver Alumni Association

JUNE 1, 2019 6:10 P.M.

MSU Denver Day at the Rockies June 1, 2019, 6:10 p.m.

Rockies vs. Toronto Blue Jays

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit 2965 Denver, CO

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

See the

in action.

Schedules available at roadrunnersathletics.com