News University of Northern Colorado

UNC Announces 2016-17 Undergraduate Dean's Lists

Fri, 07 Jul 2017 06:00:00 GMT

The University of Northern Colorado has released its undergraduate Dean's Lists for the 2016-17 academic year in recognition of students' outstanding scholarship.

Dean's List

Students who completed a minimum of 24 semester hours during the academic year (summer, fall and spring terms) and achieved a 3.75 or above grade point average for any two terms are named to the Dean's List of Academic Distinction (Dean's List).

By Student Last Name (PDF)
By College (PDF)

Dean's Honor Roll

Students who completed a minimum of 24 semester hours during the academic year (summer, fall and spring terms) and achieved a 3.5-3.74 grade point average for any two terms are named to the Dean's Honor Roll.

By Student Last Name (PDF)
By College (PDF)

Those named to either list receive a certificate acknowledging their accomplishment.

Future UNC Students Can Use Common Application to Apply Beginning Aug. 1

Thu, 29 Jun 2017 06:00:00 GMT

Students applying to the University of Northern Colorado this fall will have the option to do so through the Common Application, an online platform and college planning website used by over 2 million students, teachers and counselors in the United States and abroad.

"We're pleased to be adding the Common Application to the application options we offer students — in part because students across Colorado and the United States have been asking us for this option in increasing numbers," said Sean Broghammer, director of admissions at UNC, noting that future students can continue applying directly at www.unco.edu.

The tool is among UNC's enrollment tactics as the number of applications continues to trend upward. The university is bracing for its third-straight year of growth in new first-time freshmen and fourth-straight year of growth in new graduate students. UNC is on target to enroll over 13,000 students at the fall census date for the first time in over a decade.

In addition to the new application feature, students and counselors will also have access to the Common Application's 24/7/365 support, financial aid and scholarship opportunities, and the ability to sign up for a free virtual mentor.

Other Colorado universities using the Common Application include the University of Colorado in Boulder and Colorado State University.

For more information about the Common Application, visit www.commonapp.org. Visit www.unco.edu to learn more about UNC.

UNC Alumna Aisha Jackson Cast in Third Broadway Show

Mon, 19 Jun 2017 06:00:00 GMT

Aisha Jackson, a 2013 graduate of the University of Northern Colorado's Musical Theatre program, has been named to the cast of the Broadway production of Frozen, a musical based on the Disney film of the same name. Jackson will be the understudy for the role of Anna, one of the production's lead roles.

In her third appearance on Broadway, Jackson will cover the role for Patti Murin whenever she's unable to perform due to illness, vacation or other reasons.

Jackson is currently in the original Broadway ensemble cast of the musical Waitress. She made her Broadway debut in 2014 in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, working as a "swing," which required her to learn the role of six characters and be ready to fill in if illness, vacation or some other reason kept the regular cast member from performing her role. She ended up filling the role of five characters during the show's run.

Jackson's Off-Broadway performances include A Bronx Tale, a musical co-directed by Robert DeNiro, in 2016, and Invisible Thread in 2015.

UNC audiences will remember Jackson's performances in Ragtime as Sarah and in Anything Goes as Reno.

Jackson received one of the UNC Alumni Association's inaugural 10 Under 10 Awards in 2015. The award program recognizes outstanding graduates of the past decade whose achievements can serve as a model for current and future UNC students. Read a Q&A with her in the fall 2016 issue of UNC Magazine.

Frozen will play its out-of-town tryout at the Buell Theatre in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Aug. 17-Oct. 1. Tickets for performances in Denver are on sale now. For information on the Denver engagement, visit the DCPA website. Tickets for Broadway performances will go on sale later this year.

UNC Alumni on Broadway

Josh Buscher - West Side Story 2009 (OC), Pricilla Queen of the Desert (OC), Big Fish (OC)
Ryan Dinning - Machinal (OC)
Jenny Fellner - Wicked, Mama Mia, The Boyfriend, Pal Joey (OC)
Scott Foster - Forbidden Broadway (Alive and Kicking) 2013, Brooklyn (OC), Forbidden Broadway (Alive and Kicking) 2014
Greg Germann - Assassins (OC), Biloxi Blues (OC), Boeing/Boeing
Patty Goble - Bye Bye Birdie 2009 (OC), Curtains (OC), The Woman in White (OC), La Cage Aux Follies 2004 (OC), Kiss Me Kate 1999 (OC), Ragtime (OC), Phantom of the Opera
Derek Hanson - Anything Goes, Side Show, An American in Paris
Tamara Hayden - Les Miz, Cabaret
Autumn Hulbert - Legally Blonde
Aisha Jackson - Beautiful - The Musical, Waitress, Frozen (2018)
Ryan Jesse - Jersey Boys
Patricia Jones - Buried Child (OC), Indiscretions (w/Kathleen Turner)
Andy Kelso - Mama Mia, Kinky Boots (OC)
Beth Malone - Ring of Fire (OC), Fun Home (OC)+
Victoria Matlock - Million Dollar Quartet (OC)
Jason Olazabal - Julius Caesar (OC) (w/Denzel Washington)
Laura Ryan - Country Roads: The John Denver Musical (OC)
Lisa Simms - A Chorus Line
Andrea Dora Smith - Tarzan, Motown (OC)
Erica Sweany - Honeymoon in Vegas - The Musical (OC)
Jason Veasey - The Lion King
Jason Watson - Mama Mia
Aléna Watters - Sister Act (OC), Adams Family Musical (OC), West Side Story 2009,
Wysandria Woolsey - Chess, Parade, Beauty and the Beast, Aspects of Love, Phantom of the Opera, Cats
Aaron Young - Fiddler on the Roof 2015

Note: OC = Original Broadway Cast

UNC Closed July 4 for Independence Day

Fri, 16 Jun 2017 06:00:00 GMT

University of Northern Colorado administrative offices will be closed and there will be no summer session classes on Tuesday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day.

To contact specific university departments for information about schedules and services available on holidays, visit the UNC Directory.

UNC Trustees to Meet Friday, June 16

Mon, 12 Jun 2017 06:00:00 GMT

The University of Northern Colorado Board of Trustees will meet at 8:30 a.m. Friday, June 16, in the Panorama Room at the University Center, 2101 10th Ave.

Trustees will take action on:

the 2017-18 budget, including tuition, fees, and room and board rates;
capital construction priorities, as required by the state, for fiscal year 2018-19;
faculty promotion and tenure recommendations;
emeritus faculty recommendations;
Faculty Senate approved amendments to clarify portions of three sections in the Board Policy Manual;
a resolution related to the renewal of bonds.

During the meeting, the board will adjourn into executive session to discuss personnel issues pursuant to C.R.S. 24-6-402 (3)(b)(I).

The board's tentative 2017-18 meeting schedule is:

Nov. 16 (working session)
Nov. 17 (regular meeting)
Jan. 19 (regular meeting)
March 1 (working session)
March 2 (regular meeting)
June 15 (regular meeting)

UNC Receives $1 Million Grant for Inclusive STEM Initiative

Wed, 07 Jun 2017 06:00:00 GMT

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute awarded the University of Northern Colorado a five-year, $1 million grant to develop a classroom model and establish a new center to engage more students, from all backgrounds, in the sciences.

UNC is one of 24 colleges and universities selected out of 511 that submitted pre-proposals in the first round of the Inclusive Excellence initiative sponsored by HHMI, the largest private, nonprofit supporter of science education in the United States.

As part of the award, UNC faculty will research student experiences in their STEM classrooms to better understand the conditions that support intrinsic motivation among students. Faculty will then analyze the data and implement instructional practices to help achieve student success —in particular among STEM majors from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, families in which the student is the first to attend college, low socioeconomic backgrounds in addition to students who transfer, or are military veterans or who identify as LGBTQ.

One of the project's goals is to increase retention and graduation rates of these traditionally underserved students. The grant will also establish the new Center of Inclusive Excellence in STEM, which will provide infrastructure and leadership to continue STEM faculty development and expand this professional development across campus.

"Our goal is for this work to lead to a culture at UNC where STEM inclusive excellence is the norm and where conversations about improving conditions for intrinsic student motivation and success are commonplace." said the grant's principal investigator Susan Keenan, professor and director of the School of Biological Sciences.

HHMI expects that the Inclusive Excellence grants will produce useful models for other schools that might share similar contexts and challenges.

For more about the initiative, click here.

About the Grant

Project Title: Improving Classroom Culture to Support Intrinsic Motivation as a Pathway to STEM Inclusive Excellence
Grant award: $1 million, September 2017-August 2022
Funding Agency: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Researchers: Project Director Susan Keenan (professor and director of Biological Sciences), Co-Project Directors, Lori Reinsvold (acting director of UNC's Mathematics and Science Teaching Institute) and Jodie Novak (professor of Mathematics), and Investigator Cassendra Bergstrom (assistant professor of Psychological Sciences)
Of note: Over multiple stages of peer-review by scientists and science educators, HHMI identified 24 schools out of 511 that applied for Inclusive Excellence 2017 awards.

UNC Trustees’ Committee, Board to Meet Wednesday

Mon, 08 May 2017 06:00:00 GMT

The finance and audit committee of the University of Northern Colorado Board of Trustees will meet from 8:30-10 a.m. Wednesday, May 10, in the fourth-floor boardroom of Carter Hall, 1700 9th Ave. That will be followed by a special board meeting in the same location.

The finance and audit committee meeting will include a state update from UNC President Kay Norton, a budget preview for the upcoming year, a financial aid discussion, an overview of the financial report from the third quarter and an internal audit update. No action will be taken.

Following the finance and audit committee meeting, the board will hold a special meeting, adjourning into an executive session to discuss personnel issues pursuant to CRS §24-6-402(3)(b)(I)). There are no other items on the board's agenda.

The board's next regularly scheduled meeting is June 16.

UNC Holds 2017 Spring Commencement Ceremonies May 5-6

Sat, 06 May 2017 06:00:00 GMT

The University of Northern Colorado held ceremonies marking the 127th spring commencement May 5-6.

The Graduate School ceremony to award specialist, master's and doctoral degrees was at 7 p.m. Friday, May 5, in Bank of Colorado Arena in the Butler-Hancock Athletic Center, south of the intersection of 14th Avenue and 20th Street.

About 300 spring graduates received advanced degrees. Approximately 290 graduate students expected to complete advanced degree requirements this summer were eligible to participate in the spring ceremony. UNC doesn't offer a summer commencement ceremony.

UNC alumnus Bruce Pearson was the keynote speaker for the Graduate School ceremony.

Pearson, who earned his master's degree from UNC in 1969 and was named a 2017 UNC Honored Alumnus, has been an international leader in band music education for more than 30 years. He's published numerous books on music teaching methods, and his Standards of Excellence teaching materials are used by most school band programs in the United States to teach new musicians.

The undergraduate commencement ceremony was at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 6, at Nottingham Field, intersection of 17th Avenue and Reservoir Road.

About 1,000 spring graduates received their undergraduate degrees. An additional 300 students expected to complete degree requirements this summer were eligible to participate in the spring ceremony because UNC doesn't offer a summer commencement ceremony.

The ceremony's featured speaker will be retired petroleum geologist Raymond Pierson, who, after receiving his bachelor's degree in geology from UNC in 1980, turned a class project into a study that led to the discovery of oil and gas in the Codell sandstone layer of the Wattenberg Gas Field in Weld and neighboring counties. His discovery is still producing gas and oil today.

Distinguished faculty and student leadership awards were also presented during the ceremony.

About UNC's Spring/Summer 2017 Graduating Class

No. of students graduating: 2,043
No. of students earning bachelor's degrees: 1,432
No. of bachelor degree recipients who attended commencement: 1,175
No. of students earning graduate degrees: 609 (474 master's, 93 doctorates, 42 certificate/specialists)
No. of graduate degree recipients who attended commencement: 372
Age range: Undergrad: 20-60; Grad: 20-66
Average age: Undergrad: 24; Grad: 33
Graduate's average GPA: Undergrad: 3.21; Grad: 3.82
Most popular majors (by degrees awarded): Undergrad: Business Administration, Sport and Exercise Science, Nursing, Psychology, Criminal Justice. Grad: Education, Special Education, Educational Leadership, Music, Speech-Language Pathology.
International Countries Represented: 18 (Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, China, Columbia, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic), Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Libya, Mexico, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom)
States/Territories Represented: 46 (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming)
Colorado Counties Represented: 50 (Adams, Alamosa, Arapahoe, Archuleta, Baca, Boulder, Broomfield, Chaffee, Cheyenne, Conejos, Crowley, Custer, Delta, Denver, Douglas, Eagle, El Paso, Elbert, Fremont, Garfield, Grand, Gunnison, Jefferson, Kit Carson, La Plata, Lake, Larimer, Las Animas, Lincoln, Logan, Mesa, Moffat, Montezuma, Montrose, Morgan, Otero, Park, Phillips, Pitkin, Prowers, Pueblo, Rio Blanco, Rio Grande, Routt, Saguache, Summit, Teller, Washington, Weld, Yuma)

Tentative as of May 4, 2017. Degrees yet to be conferred for spring/summer 2017.

State to Honor Two UNC Students as Top Teacher Candidates

Thu, 04 May 2017 06:00:00 GMT

Update 5/12/17: View event photos and a recap of the event.

Two University of Northern Colorado students will be recognized among the state's top teacher candidates by the Colorado Department of Higher Education.

Amie Bray and Joel Suarez-Ramirez, who were nominated by UNC faculty, were selected to the department's Aspiring Educator Honor Roll. They and other top students from Colorado's 22 educator programs will be honored during a ceremony May 8 at the Capitol in Denver to kick off Teacher Appreciation Week. CDHE Executive Director Dr. Kim Hunter Reed will give remarks beginning at 1:45 p.m. in the West Lobby of the Capitol.

Bray, who has been interested in becoming a teacher since elementary school, is currently working toward her degree in Mathematics with an emphasis in Secondary Education. She is a recipient of the College of Natural and Health Sciences' Academic Scholars Award, and is an active member in Mortar Board, a national honors society for seniors.

"Amie is a truly outstanding student, with a passionate desire to learn all that she can, both mathematically and pedagogically, in order to be ready to be the best teacher that she can be," UNC Math Professor Steven Leth said in his letter nominating her for the CDHE honor.

Suarez-Ramirez is a teacher-licensure candidate in the secondary science program. His interest in teaching and science started at a young age. As a teen, he worked with children at summer camps in Carbondale. The junior is a department scholar in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. He is a member of UNC's concert band and speaks English, French and Spanish, having grown up in a Spanish-speaking household. He plans to go to graduate school before one day leading a school.

"He is always prepared, always completes tasks on time, and always is a student others chase in terms of academic excellence," Oceanography Professor William Hoyt said in his nominating letter. "He is probably the strongest candidate I have seen in our program in over 25 years."

For more information about the Aspiring Educator Honor Roll, visit http://highered.colorado.gov/Academics/TeacherEd/Aspiring-Educator-Honor-Roll.html

UNC Graduate School Announces Student Awards

Tue, 02 May 2017 06:00:00 GMT

The University of Northern Colorado's Graduate School has announced the recipients of awards recognizing superior academic achievement and outstanding research in graduate studies. The winners, who will be honored at the May 5 Graduate School commencement ceremony, are:

Citation for Excellence

The Graduate Dean's Citation for Excellence is awarded to students nominated by their school in recognition of superior academic achievement in graduate studies.

Julie Barritt: Doctor of Philosophy, Counseling Psychology
Harjit Dhesi: Doctor of Philosophy, Nursing Education
Amy Graefe: Doctor of Philosophy, Educational Psychology
Jeffrey King: Doctor of Philosophy, Educational Mathematics
Andrew Thompson: Master of Arts, Criminal Justice
Niloofar Ramezani: Doctor of Philosophy, Applied Statistics & Research Methods

Citation for Outstanding Dissertation/Capstone/Thesis

The Graduate Dean's Citations for Outstanding Dissertation, Capstone and Thesis are awarded to students recognized for outstanding research in graduate studies.

Outstanding Dissertation

Rasha Alhammad: Doctor of Philosophy, Educational Technology - "Click, Explore, and Learn: Graduate Students' Experiences and Attitude Toward Using E-books for College-level Courses"
Laura Heiker: Doctor of Philosophy, Biological Education - "Environmental contaminant exposure and effects on bats: studies in Sichuan Province, China and Colorado, USA"

Outstanding Capstone

Kristina Gulbrandsen: Doctor of Audiology, Audiology - "Audiologist's knowledge regarding patients with dementia and cognitive decline"
Bo Martinez: Doctor of Audiology, Audiology - "Noise Exposures of Basketball Officials"

Outstanding Thesis

Benjamin Kugler: Master of Science, Sport and Exercise Science - Exercise Physiology: "Effects of Dietary Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation and Resistance Training on Late Onset Doxorubicin-Induced Myotoxicity"

UNC Researchers Develop Unique Community Safety Program for S.D. Reservation

Tue, 02 May 2017 06:00:00 GMT

University of Northern Colorado researchers have developed unique programming for a grant-funded project to address community safety on the Cheyenne River Reservation in Eagle Butte, South Dakota.

Assistant Professor of School Psychology David Hulac and graduate assistant Lauren Rankin are finishing the project with the South Dakota District of the Federal Probation and Pretrial Services (FPPS). They were asked to developed training manuals to help prevent crime and reintegrate those who've committed crimes.

Rankin recently presented the Community Coaches manual and provided training to mentors who will be paired with court-involved Native Americans to provide support as trusted advisors. The Community Coaches program will start this spring.

"Coaches and participants work on activities designed to help participants gain personal insight and independence on their journey to being productive community members," Rankin said. "Based on our own literature reviews and our work with South Dakota Federal Probation, it was clear that there was very little precedent for such a program. However, it was important to everyone that Native values, practices and perspectives were included in any supervision and treatment plan.

"The coaches' manual is part of a series of manuals for the program that includes group counseling, behavior management, and individual problem solving, all of which are evidence-based in their design."

Hulac and his colleagues got involved in the project based on his previous work to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral interventions that FPPS was providing across the state.

"Due to a quirk in federal law, Native Americans are far more likely to be tried in federal court, which has harsher prison sentences," he said. "A Native American who commits a similar crime to a non-Native in South Dakota is more likely to face a longer prison sentence.

"Alternatives to incarceration are important, and so this program was designed to provide a better cognitive behavior therapy program that incorporated Native values with the intention of helping program participants understand that criminal thinking and behavior did not align with traditional Lakota values."

About the Grant

Project Title: The Cheyenne River Program
Grant award: $69,000, July 2016-June 2017
Funding Agency: South Dakota District of the Federal Probation and Pretrial Services
Researchers: UNC Assistant Professor David M. Hulac (primary investigator), UNC graduate assistant Lauren Rankin, and Irene Harper (co-primary Investigator), Bellevue University
Of note: The mission of the project is: "To help participants overcome barriers to lawfulness and community engagement and to keep community members safe." In addition to pairing mentors with court-involved Native Americans, the program includes group counseling, behavior management, and individual problem solving, all of which are evidence-based in their design, Rankin said.

UNC Students Win Daniels Fund Ethics Contest For Second Straight Year

Mon, 01 May 2017 06:00:00 GMT

For the second year in a row, a team of six University of Northern Colorado Monfort College of Business students won the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative 2017 Consortium Case Competition April 27-28 in Denver.

For the competition, the UNC team analyzed a fictional case of safety issues in emerging technology. The students confronted ethical issues about what to do with the new technology and how to ensure the safety issues wouldn't happen in the future. They presented before a panel of eight judges, representing business professionals from multiple states.

The team consists of seniors Evan Adams, Management & Accounting, Christopher Bristow, Management; Michelle Ellison, Accounting; and juniors Christopher Campbell, Finance & Accounting; Madison Marrs, Marketing; and Kendall Ryan, Marketing.

Professors Sharon Clinebell and Keiko Krahnke serve as faculty advisors and attended the presentation. Clinebell directs the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative in the college. In addition, UNC Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative faculty fellows are Charmayne Cullom, Gal Faganel, Janel Greiman, Michael Martin and Denny McCorkle.

This year's case competition involved 10 business schools from Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming that are members of the Daniels Fund Ethics Consortium.

About the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative and Consortium

Reflecting Bill Daniels' commitment to ethics and integrity, the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative strives to deliver principle-based ethics education and reinforce the value of ethical business and personal conduct. The Ethics Initiative encompasses three components — the Collegiate Program, the High School Program, and the online Case Bank — each with a specific approach and target audience.

The Collegiate Program was launched in 2010 with a $7.5 million grant and eight participating schools, and was renewed for another five years (2015-2019) with an $11.25 million grant and the addition of three more schools. To learn more, visit DanielsFund.org/ethics.

Winners of Eighth Annual Entrepreneurial Challenge Announced

Fri, 28 Apr 2017 06:00:00 GMT

Five winners of the eighth annual University of Northern Colorado Monfort College of Business Entrepreneurial Challenge received a total of $50,000 in prize money during the final competition on Friday at the University Center.

First place went to Stow ($25,000), a Windsor online community and marketplace for storage and parking; second place was Lacuna Diagnostics ($13,000), a Fort Collins service to help save pets' lives; third place was Class Composer ($7,000), a Boulder web-based software service that helps elementary schools create better class lists in significantly less time; fourth place was EZ Protein ($2,500), a Pueblo company that offers an innovative protein dispenser; and fifth place was To Market ($2,500), an Arvada startup that offers an online marketplace for sourcing local food.

In addition to the prize money, winners receive business incubator services from UNC BizHub. Also, the four runners-up will receive a print and digital subscription to BizWest and the winner will receive a subscription plus access to BizWest's data.

Five finalists presented their business plans to a panel of three judges including George Lobisser, co-founder and CEO, RipeLocker LLC and partner, Maliky Capital LLC; Tyler Richardson, co-owner, Richmark Holdings Inc.; and Ross Shell, founder & CEO, Red Idea Partners. The host for this year's event was Jeff Nuttall, principal, BizWest Media.

In addition to the winners being announced, downtown Greeley business entrepreneur Ryan Gentry received the 2017 Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award, which honors an entrepreneur who exemplifies the spirit of American enterprise and the drive to succeed. This is the first year the award has been given. "Gentry exemplifies the best of our young entrepreneurs who focus on creating value and ethical business practices," said UNC Professor David Thomas.

About the Winners

Stow, based in Windsor, offers an online community and marketplace for storage and parking, allowing users with extra storage space to make extra income by listing it on the Stow platform. Stow helps connect those who have storage space with those that need space while providing extra income to everyday people. "We are so excited about what this prize money can do for Stow to help us grow our business and serve our clients," commented Devin Eldridge. "We are grateful to UNC for the opportunity to compete and we believe we can have a big impact on the economy in Colorado."
Lacuna Diagnostics, from Fort Collins, promises to save pets lives by dramatically reducing diagnostic turnaround time by creating and sharing digital images rather than relying on shipments of physical microscope slides.
Class Composer is a Boulder web-based software service that helps elementary schools create better class lists in significantly less time. The software enables school staff to feel confident about creating balanced and effective classes in less time.
EZ Protein, is a Pueblo startup with an innovative protein dispenser for ultimate convenience that stores up to three different types of protein powders or other supplements, water, and has a simple, intuitive touchscreen user interface.
To Market is an Arvada based startup with an online marketplace for sourcing local food, bringing efficiencies previously missing to the local buying and selling process of high quality foods supporting high quality restaurant experiences. To Market creates a tool for farmers to maximize their time, yields, and earnings while getting the best chefs the best quality products.

Generous partners and supporters of the Monfort College of Business Entrepreneurial Challenge include UNC BizHub Collaborative, BizWest, and Colorado Lending Source.

For more information about the competition, visit www.mcb-echallenge.com.

UNC Business Students Recognized in BBB Torch Awards

Thu, 27 Apr 2017 06:00:00 GMT

Three University of Northern Colorado business students won the award for Best Written Nomination Paper at the 2017 Better Business Bureau Torch Awards for Ethics on April 26 in Loveland.

Kady Barthelemy, Alvaro Marquez and Alyssa VanAmerongen, all students in the Business Ethics class taught by Keiko Krahnke, associate professor of Management and Business Communications, worked with Loveland-based Davidson-Gebhardt Chevrolet/Subaru.

Participation by UNC students is the result of a longstanding partnership between the Monfort College of Business and BBB. They, along with business students from Colorado State University and the University of Wyoming, prepared entries on behalf of 19 nominated businesses, evaluating the ways in which the businesses promote the six TRUST! principles:

Transformation at the Top
Reinforce and Build
Unite the Team
Steer Performance
Treasure People
!Enthusiastically Reinvest

"One of the highlights for the companies going through the process is working with the students," said Shelley Polansky, VP/Communications and Outreach for the BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust. "They enjoy providing an out-of-the-classroom ethics learning experience for our future workforce,.

Next year marks the 20th BBB Torch Awards for Ethics and nominations are being accepted to begin the review process with new business students again this fall. Details are available at go.bbb.org/2prh0RI.

About Better Business Bureau Institute for Marketplace Trust
BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust is a 501(c)(3) education foundation that provides businesses and consumers with education, resources and training on ethics. In fiscal year 2016-17, the BBB Institute reached more than 5,000 people via outreach and education programs and awarded more than $13,000 in ethics scholarships and honorariums.

UNC Appoints Allie Steg Haskett to VP for Development and Alumni Relations

Tue, 25 Apr 2017 06:00:00 GMT

University of Northern Colorado President Kay Norton today promoted alumna Allie Steg Haskett to vice president for Development and Alumni Relations.

Steg Haskett, who currently serves as UNC assistant vice president for Development, will replace Wayne Webster when he leaves May 19 for a similar position he accepted at the College of Wooster.

In her current role, Steg Haskett leads the university's fundraising team. She directs UNC's development strategy and operations, manages the university's team of gift officers and works closely with UNC donors. An experienced development executive, Steg Haskett's 12-year career with UNC has resulted in securing multiple, million dollar gifts and grants in support of UNC priorities and the growth and professionalism of UNC's development operations.

"Allie is a visible and well-respected member of our university community, and her career experience gives her and the division staff the continuity and skill necessary to move UNC forward during and after the recently announced comprehensive fundraising campaign," UNC President Kay Norton said in a campus memo announcing the appointment.

Upon graduating with a bachelor's degree in Human Communication from UNC, Steg Haskett, who also holds a master's degree in nonprofit management from Regis University, started her career developing volunteers and donors for the American Cancer Society. She returned to UNC in 2005 as associate director of alumni relations. Shortly thereafter, she was appointed UNC's director of corporate and foundation relations and then assistant vice president in 2011. She also served as interim vice president for Development and Alumni Relations during the 2014-15 academic year before Webster's arrival.

"Among the many privileges of my career is the opportunity to enable UNC donors to invest in the university, and over time, see that investment return educated graduates, new research, and community improvement. I look forward to continuing this work in an expanded leadership role," said Steg Haskett.

In making the announcement, Norton also thanked Webster for his two years of service to the university.

"Under his leadership, the university launched new initiatives, enhanced our operational agreement with the UNC Foundation, and took the steps necessary to launch the Campaign for UNC," she said. "We send him and his family our kindest regards as they finalize plans to join the Wooster community."

Tree Planting to Celebrate Arbor Day, Tree Campus USA Designation

Fri, 21 Apr 2017 06:00:00 GMT

UNC will celebrate Arbor Day and its designation by the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree Campus USA for the fifth consecutive year with a tree planting and ceremony at 9 a.m. Friday, April 21, at the permaculture garden on the south side of Ross Hall.

Three flowering crabapple trees will be planted and a forester from the Colorado State Forest Service will present the Tree Campus USA award.

Tree Campus USA is a national program created in 2008 to honor colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging students and employees in conservation goals.

UNC retained the title by continuing to meet the program's five standards, which include maintaining a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures toward trees, an Arbor Day observance and student service-learning projects.

The university is also a certified arboretum recognized by the National ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program. The accreditation program is sponsored by Morton Arboretum in cooperation with the American Public Gardens Association and Botanic Gardens Conservation International. In addition to the campus's 3,700 trees, the arboretum includes over 17,000 flowers, hundreds of perennial plantings, a xeric garden with neighboring community garden plots, and a Colorado grassland exhibit.

UNC is also home to the Colorado Tree Coalition state champion trees based on their size:

A Kentucky coffee tree (northwest of Frasier Hall)
Two Amur cork trees (north of Gray Hall and south of Gray Hall in the parking lot island)
A pecan tree (northeast of the intersection of 9th Avenue and 19th Street).

To take self-guided tree tours visit www.unco.edu/treetour.

The Arbor Day Foundation and Tree Campus USA sponsor Toyota have helped campuses throughout the country plant hundreds of thousands of trees. More information about the program is available at arborday.org/TreeCampusUSA.

Spring Performing Arts Series Closes Season with 'Major Barbara' April 20-23

Thu, 13 Apr 2017 06:00:00 GMT

The University of Northern Colorado's Performing Arts Series closes its spring season with Major Barbara, featuring students from the School of Theatre Arts and Dance, playing at 7:30 p.m. April 20-22 and at 2 p.m. April 23 in Langworthy Theatre in Frasier Hall.

Set in the steampunk world of Victorian London and filled with humor, pathos and some of George Bernard Shaw's most challenging ideas, Major Barbara has been universally praised as a unique mix of Oscar Wilde and Bertolt Brecht. In this comedy of ideas, Shaw pits Andrew Undershaft, a millionaire weapons manufacturer, against his own daughter, Barbara, a major in the Salvation Army. in a fascinating and uneasy philosophical debate about the best way to save a man's soul—with bullets or bread, cannons or Christ/

Guaranteed to spark fierce post-show discussions, critics have hailed Shaw's masterwork as a witty, hypocrisy-revealing comedy that mixes war and morality into "dramatic dynamite."

The performance is rated PG.

Parking is free in UNC lots after 5 p.m. weekdays and all day/night on weekends

For ticket information, visit the Performing Arts Series website.

UNC to Hold 2017 Spring Commencement Ceremonies May 5-6

Thu, 13 Apr 2017 06:00:00 GMT

The University of Northern Colorado will hold ceremonies marking the 127th spring commencement May 5-6.

The Graduate School ceremony to award specialist, master's and doctoral degrees will be at 7 p.m. Friday, May 5, in Bank of Colorado Arena in the Butler-Hancock Athletic Center, south of the intersection of 14th Avenue and 20th Street.

About 300 spring graduates will receive advanced degrees. Approximately 290 graduate students expected to complete advanced degree requirements this summer will be eligible to participate in the spring ceremony. UNC doesn't offer a summer commencement ceremony.

UNC alumnus Bruce Pearson will be the keynote speaker for the Graduate School ceremony.

The undergraduate commencement ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 6, at Nottingham Field, intersection of 17th Avenue and Reservoir Road.

About 1,000 spring graduates will receive their undergraduate degrees. An additional 300 students expected to complete degree requirements this summer will be eligible to participate in the spring ceremony because UNC doesn't offer a summer commencement ceremony.

Distinguished faculty and student leadership awards will also be presented during the ceremony.

Tickets are not required to attend the ceremonies and seating is available on a first-come basis.

Parking is free in UNC lots.

For additional information, including ceremony etiquette and protocols, the inclement weather plan for Saturday's ceremony and how to view a live webcast of the ceremonies, go to www.unco.edu/commencement.

About UNC's Spring/Summer 2017 Graduating Class

No. of students graduating: 2,043
No. of students earning bachelor's degrees: 1,432
No. of students earning graduate degrees: 611 (476 master's, 42 doctorates, 93 certificate/specialists)
Age range: Undergrad: 20-60; Grad: 20-66
Average age: Undergrad: 24; Grad: 33
Graduate's average GPA: Undergrad: 3.21; Grad: 3.82
Most popular majors (by degrees awarded): Undergrad: Business Administration, Sport and Exercise Science, Nursing, Psychology, Criminal Justice. Grad: Education, Special Education, Educational Leadership, Music, Speech-Language Pathology.
International Countries Represented: 18 (Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, China, Columbia, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic), Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Libya, Mexico, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom)
States/Territories Represented: 46 (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming)
Colorado Counties Represented: 50 (Adams, Alamosa, Arapahoe, Archuleta, Baca, Boulder, Broomfield, Chaffee, Cheyenne, Conejos, Crowley, Custer, Delta, Denver, Douglas, Eagle, El Paso, Elbert, Fremont, Garfield, Grand, Gunnison, Jefferson, Kit Carson, La Plata, Lake, Larimer, Las Animas, Lincoln, Logan, Mesa, Moffat, Montezuma, Montrose, Morgan, Otero, Park, Phillips, Pitkin, Prowers, Pueblo, Rio Blanco, Rio Grande, Routt, Saguache, Summit, Teller, Washington, Weld, Yuma)

Tentative as of May 4, 2017. Degrees yet to be conferred for spring/summer 2017.

Speakers Announced for UNC's Spring Commencement Ceremonies May 5-6

Thu, 13 Apr 2017 06:00:00 GMT

The University of Northern Colorado will hold ceremonies marking the 127th spring commencement May 5-6. UNC alumni will serve as keynote speakers for both the graduate and undergraduate ceremonies.

Renowned music educator Bruce Pearson will be the keynote speaker for the Graduate School ceremony at 7 p.m. Friday, May 5, in Bank of Colorado Arena in the Butler-Hancock Athletic Center, south of the intersection of 14th Avenue and 20th Street.

Alumnus Raymond Pierson will speak at the undergraduate commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 6, at Nottingham Field, intersection of 17th Avenue and Reservoir Road.

Now a retired petroleum geologist, after receiving his bachelor's degree in geology from UNC in 1980, Pierson turned a class project into a study that led to the discovery of oil and gas in the Codell sandstone layer of the Wattenberg Gas Field in Weld and neighboring counties. His discovery is still producing gas and oil today.

About 300 spring graduates will receive specialist, master's or doctoral degrees on Friday. Approximately 280 graduate students expected to complete advanced degree requirements this summer will be eligible to participate in the spring ceremony. UNC doesn't offer a summer commencement ceremony.

About 1,000 spring graduates will receive their undergraduate degrees Saturday morning. An additional 300 students expected to complete degree requirements this summer will be eligible to participate in the spring ceremony because UNC doesn't offer a summer commencement ceremony.

Distinguished faculty and student leadership awards will also be presented during the ceremonies.

Tickets are not required to attend the ceremonies and seating is available on a first-come basis.

Parking is free in UNC lots.

UNC to Host Holocaust Memorial Observance Events April 25-27

Wed, 12 Apr 2017 06:00:00 GMT

Events on the UNC campus during Greeley's Holocaust Memorial Observance this month include the traditional Litany of the Martyrs on April 25; a presentation by the observance's featured speaker, Holocaust survivor Steen Metz, on April 26; and a showing of Son of Saul, the Academy Award-winning Hungarian film that depicts a day-and-a-half in the life of a prisoner in Auschwitz.

All events are free and open to the public.

Schedule of On-Campus Events

Reading of the Litany of the Martyrs
Tuesday, April 25, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
University Center, Fireside Lounge

Help remember the victims who perished in the Holocaust. Volunteers are welcome to join and read names as their memory is honored. To sign up, call Joe Bluestein at 970-686-9923.

Holocaust Survivor Presentation: Steen Metz
Wednesday, April 26, 7:30-9 p.m.
University Center Ballrooms

On Oct. 2, 1943, 8-year-old Steen Metz and his parents were arrested and deported to the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp from their home in Odense, Denmark. The Nazi facility was the scene of constant hunger, brutal living conditions and death. Of the many children who passed through Theresienstadt, Steen Metz is one of the few who survived.

International Film Series: Son of Saul
Thursday, April 27, 7-8:30 p.m.
Lindou Auditorium, Michener Library

Set in October 1944 in Auschwitz-Birkenau. this 2015 winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, depicts a day-and-a-half of Saul Ausländer, a Hungarian member of the Sonderkommando, the group of Jewish prisoners isolated from the camp and forced to assist the Nazis in the machinery of large-scale extermination. While working in one of the crematoriums, Ausländer discovers the corpse of a boy he believes to be his young son. As the Sonderkomando plans a rebellion, Ausländerl decides to carry out an impossible task: save the child's body from the flames, find a rabbi to recite the mourner's Kaddish and offer the boy a proper burial.

Free parking is available in the UNC lots after 5 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends. Hourly parking permits, available from kiosks at parking lot entrances, are required 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

For the full list of Holocaust Observance Week events in Greeley, visit the Greeley Holocaust Memorial Observance website.