April

A cadre of decorators

The MSU Denver Cashier’s Office wins a contest to interpret the University’s mission and values.

By Nathan Solheim

April 27, 2017

Everyone at MSU Denver knows CADRE stands for Community, Access, Diversity, Respect and Entrepreneurship.

But, it could also stand for Cashiers Always Decorate Rooms Excellently.

The Cashier’s Office – a hard-working part of the Bursar’s Office long known for its bedecking skills – took first place in a recent contest in the University’s Administration branch to determine which administrative office could most effectively interpret the University’s core set of shared values—aka CADRE—through workplace decorations. The contest aimed to help the Administration branch for the Higher Learning Commission’s peer review.

The winning effort included a complex array of cascading letters hung from the ceiling that spelled out “CADRE.” In addition, decorators festooned the wall behind the customer service counter with images of Bursar’s Office employees, posted alongside several words as a means of replicating the University’s #RunYourOwnRoad campaign. More references to CADRE were strategically placed throughout the workspace.

“As we were putting up the decorations, we learned what was behind the letters,” says Lizbeth Acosta, a junior psychology major and student-worker in the office. “And I learned why I’m proud to be an MSU Denver Roadrunner. The mission really applies to why you’re here and getting an education.”

Employees completed the work during spring break and cut out more than 700 individual letters for the hanging display. Staff members routinely quizzed each other what the letters in “CADRE” meant. Along the way, they gained a greater understanding of the University’s mission and values.

“I truly believe that MSU Denver is connected to the community, and I like our focus on diversity,” says Maria Olivas, a cashier-specialist in the office, “so the mission is very similar to what I think about the University.”

Other offices that participated included the Office of Institutional Research, Team DELTA, Facilities, Accounting Services and the Budget Office. First place was determined by a five-judge panel in early April.

Bursar’s Office staffers—including student-employees—received MSU Denver polo shirts. The display will stay up until Halloween.