Campus News

CWA announces new minor in Environmental Communication
Metropolitan State University, in order to keep pace with the times and embrace its environmentally-conscious and environmentally-interested demographics, will now offer the groundbreaking opportunity of pursuing a minor in Environmental Communication. Metropolitan State recognizes that while the shift to being “green” is increasingly growing, so is the quest in understanding the communication and issues involved in this area. The career field of environmental communication is budding as the demand in the “green” job sector is rising...

GEMS Mentoring Program guiding students to success
Metropolitan State University’s GEMS (Guiding, Empowering, and Mentoring Students) Mentoring Program offers undergraduate students a chance to strengthen their career and personal development as well as life skills through a mentorship. The year-long program is designed to build a strong relationship between the mentee and mentor. The program, starting in September and ending in May, is currently looking for interested mentees and mentors. This is the first official year for the program. Last year, the pilot year, GEMS supported eight undergraduates through mentorship. Its vision to guide, empower and support students will continue this year...

Metropolitan State University appoints Human Resources Director
Stephanie A. Miller has been appointed Human Resources Director by President Sue K. Hammersmith. The appointment was effective May 27. Miller serves as the university’s chief human resources officer, is a member of the president’s senior leadership team and is a member of the vice president for administration and finance’s leadership team. She has responsibility for all human resources policies and practices. Miller comes to Metropolitan State from Normandale Community College where she was the chief human resource officer. Previously, she was employee relations project lead manager for Accenture Human Resource Services in Richfield, Minn., a consultant with Neuvest in Edina, Minn., interim human resources...

Third Floor Gallery exhibit a powerful reflection of the Hmong-American experience
Saib Kuv, which translates from Hmong to English as Watch me or See the Hmong in me, is the current exhibit in the Third Floor Gallery, Library and Information Center on the Saint Paul campus. The 27 pieces of the exhibit are digitally manipulated photographic portraits from 19 different artists. Each piece is coupled with poetry or prose written by the artist. The show was organized by the local nonprofit, In Progress, which provides opportunities for marginalized young people to develop their skills as storytellers, artists and leaders through the use of digital media. It is a profound visual and literary illustration of the Hmong-American experience and the human realities which are endured when two cultures converge...

New ambitions at Haute Dish
Haute Dish is the art and literary magazine at Metropolitan State University. It is currently managed by Editor Kenny Bellew. Since every student at Metropolitan State pays a fee that goes to the student organizations, Bellew has begun a new directive to help encourage more diverse submissions. His hopes are that more students from different departments will submit their work, like the nursing and sciences departments. “There are a lot of creative people in those groups,” he notes. “Haute Dish is about displaying art to students,” says Bellew. They have accepted poetry, prose, artwork, photography, paintings and comic strips. Since Bellew has taken over as the managing editor...

Art Purchase Awards
Metropolitan State University’s Art Exhibition Committee selected two works for the 2009 Art Purchase Award acquisitions. One is an acrylic painting by student Christina Dickman-Loew of Chetek, Wisc., entitled Bird Wealth. The other is a color photograph by alum Terry Bebertz of St. Paul, entitled Replication. In an effort to encourage the growth and development of student and alumni studio artists, and to elevate the profile of the arts on campus, Metropolitan State’s Art Exhibition Committee orchestrated two $900 purchases on the basis of artistic merit. The placements of the works are yet to be established...

Scholarship funding awry? Questions arise about University funding and student representation
Metropolitan State University’s Student Senate is looking into some unclear decisions made about distribution of scholarship money at the University, as well as a possible violation of Minnesota State Colleges andUniversities system (MnSCU) policy on student representation on university committees. In the meantime, Student Senate members are trying to increase student participation on the University’s Scholarship Committee and help...

Diminishing achievement gap between students one of many pride points for the university
Talk to your classmates at Metropolitan State University and you’ll find that many students balance an array of responsibilities outside of their campus life. Take a look at your classes and it’s easy to see that the student to teacher ratio is intimate, about 13:1. Take a look around campus and you’ll notice that 30 percent of undergraduates are students of color...

As the economy sinks, college enrollment numbers climb
eak, scarce, bleak—call it what you want, and we’ve heard it all before—the current state of our economy is anything but burgeoning. Often compared to conditions as exorbitant as the Great Depression, it’s safe to say that people nationwide are scrambling. And they’re scrambling fast, as the layoff rate soars to record heights, breaking the ’90-’91 recession stats, with employers continuing to swing the axe. Daily announcements are surround-sound as headlines from CNN to our local and national periodicals to the Web incessantly reveal the newest victims surrendering to the belt-tightening economy. Families are seeking a quick turn-around solution for their impending and existing income challenges, and higher education ostensively fits the bill. A growth spurt of college enrollment numbers has taken place across the board, with Metropolitan State University smack...

MnSCU aims to recruit more underrepresented students
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system, which includes Metropolitan State University, is stepping up initiatives to encourage more students of color, first-generation college students, and low-income studentsto attend college. According to the State Demographic Center, Minnesota’s population is quickly diversifying and MnSCU plans to stay ahead of the game by encouraging students to seek higher education.“We have been reaching out to underrepresented students for quite some time,” says Melinda Voss, MnSCU Public Relations Director. “Historically, the underrepresented groups have not participated in higher education at the same level as other groups, so that is why there is a special outreach to these groups.” The MnSCU Board of Trustees’ number one goal, as part of its strategic plan, is to raise the participation and achievement in post-secondary education by meeting the needs of students with diverse backgrounds and educational goals...