Early Bird

Congratulations to new AVP for Curriculum and Policy Development

Shaun Schafer will work with faculty and staff to support curriculum development and improve approval processes.

By Lindsey Coulter

September 17, 2019

Shaun Schafer, Ph.D., chair, Journalism and Media Production, has accepted the position of associate vice president of Curriculum and Policy Development. In his new role, Schafer will work collaboratively with faculty and staff to support curriculum development, improve curriculum-approval processes and encourage innovative and workforce-responsive curricula. He will also work closely with the Faculty Senate and staff to ensure that Metropolitan State University of Denver academic policies align with federal and state regulations and are supportive of student success.

“Dr. Schafer is particularly well-suited for this position, which requires academic rigor combined with reasonable flexibility,” said Provost Vicki Golich, Ph.D. “He has served on virtually all levels of curriculum-committee review and recently wholly revised the curriculum for Journalism and Media Production.”

Schafer joined the University in 2006 as an affiliate faculty member and served as a visiting assistant professor, assistant professor and associate professor before becoming a full professor in 2017. He has served on curriculum committees in the Colleges of Letters, Arts and Sciences and Professional Studies, served as faculty associate to the dean of CPS for curriculum and chaired more than two dozen screening committees.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma, a master’s degree in educational-leadership studies from Oklahoma State University and a doctorate in educational leadership from Colorado State University. Prior to joining the University, he worked in journalism for 20 years, starting as an intern at the Kansas City Business Journal before joining newspapers and news syndicates in Chicago; San Francisco; Fort Smith, Arkansas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Brisbane and Sydney, Australia.

“I love being a part of MSU Denver because I am enamored with the University’s goal of educating Coloradans,” Schafer said. “Students at MSU Denver should receive the highest-value higher education in the country, and I will work to ensure that our departments remain relevant and on the leading edge.”