May

Meet our director of Graduate Studies

Find out more about Shannon Campbell, who’s been busy since coming on board this academic year.

May 2, 2018

With the arrival of Shannon Campbell, Ph.D., this academic year, Metropolitan State University of Denver has a director of Graduate Studies fully and solely dedicated to expanding and institutionalizing its graduate programs.

“This is a very exciting time for Graduate Studies at MSU Denver,” Campbell said. “We are uniquely positioned to lead Colorado in curricular innovation and workforce readiness through the creation of transformative graduate programs. 

“Our graduate offerings prepare students to be thought and practice leaders. I’m honored to serve in this role and remain fully committed to supporting excellence in graduate education, research and scholarly activities at MSU Denver.”

Campbell brings a wealth of experience in the business world and academia to the director role. She earned her doctorate in integrated marketing communication from the University of Texas at Austin and then served as director of graduate studies for the public-relations/integrated-marketing communication program at the University of Miami.

Introduced in 2010, the MSU Denver master’s-level graduate programs are a response to lessons learned from a number of Hispanic-Serving Institutions, said Provost Vicki Golich.

“The same underrepresented populations who need access to higher education to pursue their careers also need access to post-baccalaureate educational options. Many careers now require a minimum of a master’s degree to enter the workforce successfully,” she said. “Thus, it is critically important that MSU Denver provide master’s programs relevant to these needs in Colorado.”

Since joining MSU Denver, Campbell has established the Office of Graduate Studies. This has involved creating, revising, revamping and enhancing several key assets: the graduate catalog, policy manual, graduate Leadership Advisory Council, a sustainability-improvement plan, program-proposal process and the Graduate Council. Additionally, she has integrated MSU Denver with the Colorado Council of Graduate Studies, even hosting a meeting on our campus.

Before Campbell’s arrival, faculty and staff dedicated to establishing graduate programs at MSU Denver worked diligently to do so; however, resource concerns limited operational possibilities, said Golich.

“(She) is well on her way toward creating the kind of graduate culture we want to have here at MSU Denver – and that the Higher Learning Commission is looking for as we seek to expand the number of graduate programs we offer,” Golich added.

For more information on the Office of Graduate Studies, contact Shannon Campbell at scampb63@msudenver.edu or 303-605-5285.