January

Inside the President’s Cabinet

Updates on DACA, Roadways and the president’s advisory councils highlight Jan. 15 meeting.

By Dan Vaccaro

January 16, 2018

Couldn’t make it to the Jan. 15 President’s Cabinet meeting? The Early Bird has you covered. Here are the highlights.

Advisory councils chart a path
The co-leads of each advisory council presented a draft charter, principle question and proposed timeline for their work this semester. After soliciting feedback, co-leads will finalize charters and the steering committee roster for each group. That information will be made available shortly thereafter in the Early Bird and on the Office of the President webpage.

Co-leads emphasized the importance of broad participation in their work and committed to providing opportunities for the University community to share ideas and feedback.

President Janine Davidson, Ph.D., echoed that sentiment. “I genuinely believe that the best ideas come from bringing diverse perspectives together,” she said. “That’s why we need to bring as many voices to the table as possible. At the same time, it is a delicate balance because too many can lead to gridlock."

Latest on DACA
General Counsel David Fine reported that last week a judge in California blocked the rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, ordering the U.S. to treat DACA as it was before President Donald Trump’s announcement last fall. This means that DACA students and staff who are eligible for renewal can now apply to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Unfortunately, new applications will not be accepted at this time. 

Fine called the injunction “temporary good news” and said the University’s new DACA taskforce was in discussion with leadership on how best to support students and staff in light of this information.

President meets JBC
In the president’s update, Davidson recapped her first meeting with the Colorado Legislature’s Joint Budget Committee. In her remarks to the JBC, she discussed the inequitable funding formula that has led to MSU Denver being the least-funded four-year institution in the state.

Davidson told lawmakers MSU Denver is the best partner for the state to meet the goals in its ambitious higher education plan. “If you really want to change outcomes the way you say you do, then invest in the University that is already doing work to lift students up,” she said.

And everything else
• Calendar year-end giving to the University was even stronger than anticipated in 2017, generating approximately $1 million in new revenue when compared to the previous year. 
• New benefit deductions should be reflected in January paychecks. Please double-check your statement and contact Human Resources with any questions.
• The Roadways program launched Jan. 2, and will support students through the entire college lifecycle from recruitment to graduation.
• The ombuds search continues this week. Attend an open forum to meet the candidates.
• Looking for a colleague’s phone number? You can find updated numbers in the A to Z Directory.
• Athletics announced 89 student-athletes were named to the 2017 Fall Semester Athletic Director's Honor Roll, a department record. Student-athletes also achieved the highest combined GPA in school history at 3.21.
• Roadrunners Athletics launched a new livestreaming app that allows fans to watch games on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Roku platforms.

For those who can’t attend cabinet meetings, you can always listen online. The next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 12 from 9-10:30 a.m. in SSB 400. All members of the campus community are welcome.