Campus News

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...

Realistic commencement speakers focus on substance, not Seuss
With the commencement ceremony of April 30, 2009, Metropolitan State University saw its alumni number swell to almost 27,000. And I’m pleased to report that the majority of the speeches steered well clear of the trite “oh-the-places-you’ll-go” variety, focusing more on matters of...

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...

Student perspectives: Members of the recovery community share their experiences on how they continue to beat the odds and maintain long-term sobriety
I lay in a hospital bed in severe pain. My legs hurt, and the painkillers don’t seem to be doing any good. A doctor explains to me I have basically shattered both ankles and I need surgery if I’m ever going to walk again. I’m scared, probably in shock and my heart is still racing uncontrollably from the cocaine I had used hours before. In a drug and alcohol induced psychosis, I had decided to jump off a 30-foot balcony. Lying in bed, I swear to myself I will never use alcohol or drugs again. But despite multiple attempts with various treatment options, it will be three years before I can finally string together 60 days of sobriety...

The wheels on the bus go ‘round and ‘round...
Taking the bus… whether you don’t have a car, spend too much on gas, prefer to bike, hate commuting, want to go green, want to spend more time outside, or even just like the experience, public transportation has a variety of benefits for everyone. The Twin Cities make it especially convenient for students, with high frequency routes, steep student discounts and routes that drop you off at nearly the front step of all three Metropolitan State locations across the Cities...

Metropolitan State appoints vice president for administration and finance
Murtuza T. Siddiqui, Shoreview, has been appointed vice president for administration and finance by President Sue K. Hammersmith. The appointment was effective April 1. In this position, Siddiqui serves as the university’s chief financial officer and is a member of the president’s senior leadership team. He provides leadership for and overall direction of human resources; capital planning and campus services; budget planning, finance management; and information technology. Siddiqui provides...

Saib kuv: (Watch me - see the Hmong in me)
Metropolitan State University Third Floor Gallery is pleased to present Saib Kuv (Watch me—See the Hmong in me). The exhibit opened with a reception on Thurs., April 16 and will continue through July 24. This exhibit features a collection of digitally manipulated photographic portraits coupled with poetry and prose by emerging Hmong-American artists. The show was organized by the local nonprofit, In Progress, which provides opportunities for marginalized young people to develop their skills as...

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...

Metropolitan State recognized for service to adults
The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), a nonprofit dedicated to helping adults access higher education, awarded Metropolitan State University the 2008 CAEL Institutional Service Award. The award recognizes colleges and universities that have made an outstanding effort to reach out to adults and provide quality programs suited to their needs. The award was presented during CAEL’s 2008 International Conference on Nov. 13 in Philadelphia, Pa. College deans, presidents and administrators gathered to discuss how the presidential election and the economy will affect Americans’ access to higher education. Susan T. Rydell, professor, Psychology Department, College of Professional and Community Studies, and project manager, Minnesota Center for Professional Development, represented the university at the award presentation...

New student organization to promote “Active Minds”
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in four adults over 18 years old experience some form of a diagnosable mental disorder in any given year. With over 9,000 students enrolled at Metropolitan State University ranging in age between 15 and 71 years old, the campus is long overdue for some focus on mental health. A new student organization is forming to promote just that. The group is called Active Minds and their mission is to promote mental health awareness, education and advocacy on the Metropolitan State campus. The Metropolitan State chapter of Active Minds was started by Madeline Sutherland who is a graduate of Metropolitan State’s Human Services Program and a tutor in the writing center. She was inspired to start the organization by a documentary film called “Depression, Out of the Shadows.” The film tells the stories of real Americans who suffer from depression and how it affects families, workplaces and each individual. It features celebrated scientists describing the latest neurological research and revolutionary new treatments for depression...

Individualized B.A. Program
Are you undecided or have a specialized interest? If you are undecided and/or looking to focus on specialized career interests not offered in the university’s structured degree programs, the individualized Bachelor of Arts degree through First College may be for you. First College offers an individualized and interdisciplinary degree program for students who would like to design their own degree by choosing courses from most of the university’s curriculum and by exploring a variety of creative learning strategies (Priors, SDIS, FDIS and Internships) to meet their educational goals. Students in the individualized degree program complete the four-credit semester course, Perspectives: Educational Philosophy and Planning (Prsp 301), at the beginning of their educational journey. There are numerous sections offered both online and on campus each semester and there are still seats available for you to enroll...

GoCrossCampus launches tournaments at hundreds of campuses
After launching popular games at nearly forty colleges and universities in the US and abroad last school year, the popular team-based social gaming platform GoCrossCampus is continuing rapid expansion to hundreds of college campuses this fall, bringing hundreds of thousands of students into the GXC community. “Take a world domination game, multiply it by hundreds or even thousands of players, inject plenty of social interactivity, and set the whole thing on a map of your campus,” explains Matthew O. Brimer (Yale ’09), co-founder of GoCrossCampus...