November

Inside the President’s Cabinet

New advisory councils announced, plus an update on DACA among top takeaways at Nov. 13 meeting.

By Dan Vaccaro

November 14, 2017

Couldn’t make it to the Nov. 13 President’s Cabinet meeting? The Early Bird has you covered. Below are the highlights.

Advisory councils are here

President Janine Davidson, Ph.D., further outlined her plan for six universitywide advisory councils that will tackle MSU Denver’s high-level challenges. She initially announced the councils at her Welcome Home address in September.

Designed to provide recommendations and ideas to the President’s Cabinet, the councils will include members from across the University community. The framework for each council was based on information gathered at the prioritization meetings held in October as well as through Davidson’s conversations with members of the campus community and local leaders.

The framework for the councils and their leaders are as follows:     

• Strategy (lead: Matt Makley; co-lead: Anthony Grant)
• Academic Excellence and Student Success (lead: Jeff Loats; co-lead: Angela Marquez)
• Culture and Workplace (lead: Layton Curl; co-lead: Josh Mackey)
• Built Environment and Infrastructure (lead: Liz Hinde; co-lead: Tina Wells)
• University Policy Group (lead: Nick Stancil; co-lead: Sheila Rucki)
• Fiscal Responsibility (lead: Rey Hernandez; co-lead: Dino Hernandez)

The next step in this process will be a public comment period. All members of the community are strongly encouraged to read the framework document, which includes the initial tasks for each council, and offer comment by Nov. 20. You can also sign up to volunteer for a council using the same form.

Once the comment period is complete, revisions will be made to the framework by Dec. 1. The councils will officially begin their work following final approval at the next cabinet meeting on Dec. 11.

The first task for the leaders of each council will be to come up with a charter and build a core team that is diverse and relevant to the task at hand by Jan. 16.

Update on DACA

Last cabinet meeting, President Davidson gave an award to the team that worked on the University’s response to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program announcement in September. 

At this meeting, Davidson announced that the same group would continue its current work as a taskforce. The group has been charged with keeping up with proposed legislation and making recommendations for how the University can continue to support DACA students.

And everything else

• The volleyball team finished its regular season with a 16-2 record and tied for third place in the conference. The team hosts the conference quarterfinal round tonight at 7 p.m.
• MSU Denver was all over the news last week. A Drone Journalism course was featured on the front page of the Denver Business Journal and CBS 4 did a three-part story on the Advanced Manufacturing Program.
• The Student Experience survey closed on Oct. 31 and had a very strong 12 percent completion rate. Results are being tallied and will be shared with the community soon.   
• The University is closely monitoring the tax overhaul plans circulating in the U.S. Congress as well as the governor’s proposed budget for Colorado to see how they will impact the institution.
• In case you missed it, the MSU Denver community will be getting a little extra time off for the Thanksgiving holiday this year. The University will be closed Nov. 22-24.
• The phone system upgrade is entering its final phase. If you haven’t had your phone changed out yet, you will very soon.
• The Council of Administrators launched the Roadrunner Gratitude initiative again this year. Thank one of your colleagues by writing them a note and giving them a Roadrunner feather. 

For those who can’t attend cabinet meetings, you can always listen online. The next gathering of the President’s Cabinet is scheduled for Dec. 11 from 9-10:30 a.m. in SSB 400. All members of the campus community are welcome. The full minutes from the Oct. 16 meeting are now available online.