2015 Spring Commencement Metropolitan State University of Denver
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2015 SPRING COMMENCEMENT METROPOLITAN STATE UNIVERSITY OF DENVER SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015 SPRING COMMENCEMENT SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015 Letter from the President .......................... 2 MSU Denver: Transforming Lives, Communities and Higher Education .... 3 Marshals, Commencement Planning Committee, Retirees ............ 4 In Memoriam, Board of Trustees ............. 5 Academic Regalia ....................................... 6 Academic Colors ......................................... 7 Provost’s Award Recipient ......................... 8 Morning Ceremony Program .................... 9 President’s Award Recipient ................... 10 Afternoon Ceremony Program ................ 11 Morning Ceremony Candidates School of Education and College of Letters, Arts and Sciences ........................................ 12 Afternoon Ceremony Candidates College of Business and College of Professional Studies ..........20 Seating Diagrams ................................….27 1 DEAR 2015 SPRING GRADUATION CANDIDATES: Congratulations to you, our newest graduates! And welcome to your families and friends who have anticipated this day — this triumph — with immense pride. Each of our more than 80,000 graduates is unique, but all have one thing in common: Their lives were transformed by the education they received at MSU Denver. Most have stayed in Colorado, where they teach our children, own small businesses, create beautiful works of art, counsel families in crisis and design cutting-edge products that improve our lives. They are role models who have infused our state and their neighborhoods with economic growth, civic responsibility and culture. They have seized the opportunity to transform their families and their communities. Now it is your time to begin making the most of all that you have learned! MSU Denver transformed higher education in Colorado when, 50 years ago in the fall of 1965, we opened our doors with six majors, 1,187 students and a mission to give the opportunity to earn a college degree to almost anyone willing to take on the challenge. Since then, we have continued as a game changer in countless ways, including being the leader in Colorado in diversity and service to veterans; adding affordable master’s degrees; and serving as a model for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. We’ve created partnerships with Colorado industries to design rigorous academic programs that meet their needs and that give our students a leg up on great careers. For instance, our Hotel and Hospitality Learning Center (HLC) is already strengthening the state’s hospitality industry. Our newest partnership with the aerospace and advanced manufacturing industries will lead to the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and a new bachelor of science degree in advanced manufacturing sciences. The institute will be housed in the Aerospace and Engineering Sciences Building when it opens in 2017. This new state-of-the-art facility — along with the HLC, our Student Success Building and the new Regency Athletic Complex at MSU Denver — will complete the cornerstones of the University’s neighborhood. As I alluded to earlier, MSU Denver will soon celebrate its 50th anniversary. As a member of the graduating class of 2015, you can set the stage for your alma mater’s next 50 years. Your future accomplishments will reflect back on MSU Denver and bring us even greater accolades. Please share your achievements with us and watch for information about our yearlong anniversary celebration starting on July 1. Sincerely, Stephen M. Jordan, Ph.D. President, Metropolitan State University of Denver 2 MSU DENVER: TRANSFORMING LIVES, COMMUNITIES AND HIGHER EDUCATION MSU Denver has always been a leading-edge institution. From our opening in 1965 as a high- quality, high-value, yet accessible college to the addition of master’s degrees to our evolution to university status, MSU Denver defines what “transformational” means in higher education. Occupying a deliberate educational niche in Colorado, MSU Denver has grown enrollment from 1,187 to nearly 22,000 today. We educate the largest number of students of color among the state’s four-year institutions: 34 percent of our students are of color, mirroring Colorado’s racial and ethnic makeup. Just over 30 percent are first-generation college students. Our efforts to increase Latino enrollment and become a Hispanic Serving Institution will ultimately benefit our entire community. We are already ranked among the top 100 colleges and universities in the country for graduating Latino students. By 2020 almost two-thirds of Colorado jobs will require postsecondary education or training, yet by current estimates only one in five ninth graders will go on to earn a college degree. MSU Denver is positioned to lead the way in closing this educational gap. Our entrepreneurial spirit is evident in academic programs that are responsive to the needs of our marketplace and community, which gives our graduates a competitive edge. For instance, our new Institute for Advanced Manufacturing will offer a bachelor of science degree that integrates science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines. This kind of effort makes our programs attractive to older students — the average age is 26 — to first-generation students (over 30 percent of our enrollment), and to working professionals and people returning to refresh or learn new skills. We actively attract veterans and military-connected students as well. Military Times ranked the University as Colorado’s top college for veterans (and ranked it 32nd nationally) in its “Best for Vets: Colleges 2015” report. Veteran enrollment has grown by 41 percent over five years, making MSU Denver one of Colorado’s highest military-enrolling institutions. The return on investment of an MSU Denver degree is impressive. Our tuition is the lowest among Colorado’s largest four-year universities, while the College Measures Report shows that our bachelor’s degree graduates have one of the highest first-year earnings medians. By maintaining this momentum, MSU Denver is making strides in transforming lives, communities and higher education and, in turn, creating great promise for our students, our graduates and Colorado. 3 MARSHALS Andrea Maestrejuan, Ph.D. Christine Noel, Ph.D. Edgar Maldonado, Ph.D. Roland Schendel, Ph.D. Faculty Marshal Melissa Masters, Ph.D. Arlene Sgoutas, Ph.D. Sheila Rucki, Ph.D. Troy Morgan, M.S. Hope Szypulski, N.D. Ned Muhovich, Ph.D. Ingrid Weiland, Ph.D. Jim Murphy, M.B.A. Ann Williams, Ph.D. Faculty and Staff Hyon Namgung, Ph.D. Lorri Wray, B.S. Assistant Marshals Alexis Newton, Ph.D. Ed Zarate Robert Amend, M.A. Pamela Osborne, M.N.M. Brian Bagwell, Psy.D. Andrea S. Peterson, M.T.A. Shelby M. Balik, Ph.D. Deanne Pytlinski, Ph.D. RETIREES Francisco Barbosa, Ph.D. Elizabeth Ribble, Ph.D. Richard Beck, B.S. Philip Bernhardt, Ed.D. Jean Rother, M.S. Director of Application Services, Bill Carnes, D.M. Lori Saiki, M.S.N. Information Technology Michael Caston, M.S. Roland Schendel, Ph.D. Miri Chung, Ph.D. Arlene Sgoutas, Ph.D. David Bernstein, M.S.W. Director of Center for Christopher Cooley, M.S. Ted Shin, M.F.A. Effective Interventions Diane Davis, Ph.D. Helle Sorensen, M.A. Jane Broida, Ed.D. Lori Diefenbacher, Ed.S. Hope Szypulski, N.D. Professor of Leisure Studies Cynthia Gillette Dormer, Ph.D. Andrew Thangasamy, Ph.D. Angela Casola, Ph.D. Darrin Duber-Smith, M.B.A. Kim VanHoosier-Carey, Ph.D. Affiliate Women’s Jean-Francois Duclos, Ph.D. Meenakshi Venkataraman, Ph.D. Studies Faculty Amy Eckert, Ph.D. Ingrid Weiland, Ph.D. Bruce Degi, Ph.D. Jan Perry Evenstad, Ph.D. Ann Williams, Ph.D. Professor of English Judson Faurer, Ph.D. Hsin-Te Yeh, Ph.D. Barbara Gabriel, M.A. Meg Frisbee, Ph.D. Kathryn Young, Ph.D. Senior Lecturer of History Mandi A. Schaeffer Fry, Ph.D. Kevin Zeiler, J.D. and Geography, Learning Nicole M. Furuiye, M.S. Communities and Jennifer Gagliardi-Seeley, Ph.D. First Year Success Program Joice Gibson, Ph.D. COMMENCEMENT Margaret Gregory, M.A. Affiliate Mathematics Ramon Griffin, Ph.D. PLANNING COMMITTEE Faculty Steve Haigh, B.A. Leticia Duarte, B.S. Jeff Helton, Ph.D. Coordinator, Monys Hagen, Ph.D. Professor of History Kathy Heyl, M.S. Special Events and Commencement Activities Paulette McIntosh, B.A. Madison Holloway, Ph.D. Director of TRiO High Deborah Horan, Ph.D. Paige Olivier, B.S. (2017) School Upward Bound Tonya Hunt, M.S.N. Assistant, Special Events and Joan Schall David W. Jackson, Ph.D. Program Assistant I, Commencement Activities Michael B. Jacobs, Ph.D. Financial Aid Kathleen Jewby, B.F.A. Tiffany Snell, B.S. (2016) Assistant, Donald Sherman, B.S. IT Professional II, Devi K. Kalla, Ph.D. Special Events and Information Technology Brian Kelley, M.F.A. Commencement Activities Amy Kern, M.F.A. Raenea Gomez, M.A. William Simpson, Ph.D. David Klein, M.F.A. Affiliate Philosophy Faculty Sonia Gonzales, B.A. Michael Kolb, Ph.D. Louis Talman, Ph.D. Marilyn Hetzel, Ph.D. Diana Kurniawan, M.P.A. Professor of Mathematics Kathy Heyl, M.S. Jackson Lamb, M.B.A. Barbara Uliss, Ph.D. Paul Hitchcock, B.A. Professor of Accounting Laura K. Love, M.F.A. Janell Lindsey, M.S. Kathleen Luttenegger, Ph.D. Donna Wilson, M.A. Edgar Maldonado, Ph.D. Program Assistant I, Student Lunden MacDonald, Ph.D. Troy Morgan, M.S. Academic Success Center 4 IN MEMORIAM Shawn McNary, M.S. Affiliate Technical Communications Faculty Brooks Van Everen, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of History MSU DENVER BOARD OF TRUSTEES Michelle M. Lucero, J.D. Chair Dawn P. Bookhardt, J.D. Vice Chair Robert L. Cohen B.A. Current Past Chair Elaine Gantz Berman, M.S.P.H. Hon. Terrance Carroll, J.D. Barbara Grogan, B.A. William Hanzlik, B.S. Walter Isenberg, B.S. John Pogge, J.D. Kenneth Bisio, M.F.A. Faculty Trustee Joseph Boss, B.S. (2015) Student Trustee Judy George, B.S. Alumni Trustee 5 ACADEMIC REGALIA Academic attire is modeled after monks’ clothing from the Middle Ages, when college faculty and students were members of religious orders.