May

Roadways: a year-end update

Lunden MacDonald, executive director of the comprehensive student-success program, recaps and looks ahead.

By Lunden MacDonald

May 10, 2018

Greetings from Roadways! We hope you are all well at the end of this academic year and getting ready to send your students off to another semester, a summer study abroad, an internship or graduation. Though stressful, this is an exciting time to celebrate our students and one another.

As the term draws to a close, I want to update you on the progress this semester with the establishment of Roadways. While we’ve spent much time working out logistical considerations – a new website, business cards and office signage, to name a few – we’re also busy laying the foundation for the upcoming year, and I’m pleased to share our progress with you.

• Colorado Challenge: The Colorado Challenge team is undergoing some changes. This grant-funded program will come to an end June 30, and Metropolitan State University of Denver has partnered with the Denver Scholarship Foundation on a COSI grant application that would transition support positions. We anticipate an update on grant selection in late May.
• Steering Committee: The Roadways Steering Committee has been established and has had two successful meetings. We’ve broken the larger committee into three smaller working groups; group chairs will soon establish a schedule for open public meetings. Please stay tuned for further information in the Early Bird and from the Roadways crew.
• Mission Statement and Strategic Plan: The Roadways team has developed a draft mission statement while drafting unit-specific outcomes and assessment measures that all tie back to priorities set forth under the strategic plans of Enrollment Management and the larger University. With input from the Steering Committee, the plan is in the final drafting stages and will be available on our website by June. Please contact us directly with any questions or feedback.
• Retreat: Using the strategic plan as a foundation, the Roadways team will take part in a planning retreat June 11 and 12. This will be our first opportunity to really dig in and map what the next year will look like for the program. A calendar of events and a timeline for strategic initiative implementation will result from this retreat; information will be shared as soon as it is available.
• Orientation: This summer’s Student Orientation, Advising and Registration program will be the first true introduction of Roadways events and programming. SOAR has been re-imagined to include several online pre- and post-orientation modules to reduce the “firehose” effect of information delivery and allow students to connect with peers, faculty and support-services areas in an interactive daylong orientation session. This also allows for a more personalized approach with our incoming first-year students.
• Convocation: Roadways is planning New Student Convocation for Aug. 16. Our largest event of the year is designed to welcome incoming freshmen and transfer students to campus. This year’s program will be enhanced to better highlight the roles faculty play in student success at MSU Denver. Keep your eyes out for a save-the-date, which includes a pre-Convocation party at the Tivoli Brewery for faculty, MSU Denver dignitaries and our keynote speaker.
• 1 Book/1 Project/2 Transform: Roadways is excited to take this signature University event to the next level. All of the approximately 3,500 incoming students who attend SOAR orientations will be given a copy of “The Sun Does Shine” by Anthony Ray Hinton. Faculty members are encouraged to incorporate this book into their curriculum for the fall and/or spring semesters. The link to request desk copies and to confirm book adoption will be live soon — look for an announcement via Early Bird. Additionally, we hope you all will join us for Hinton’s campus visit in October (dates to be determined soon). We are excited for our common reading and service program to move beyond the first year and extend into the entire campus community.
• MSU Denver Professional Development Conference: Several Roadways areas will be presented throughout the day May 17 at the MSU Denver Professional Development Conference. Click here to register, and come ready to engage in a campus dialogue with us – and all of your cross-campus Roadrunner colleagues. 

The Roadways team is excited to be in full effect this fall, and we look forward to many more student-centered successes to come. Thank you for your continued support during this time of transition, and please do not hesitate to reach out with questions, suggestions or concerns for our continued collective growth, together. 

Best,

Lunden MacDonald, Ph.D.