Academic News - June 2019
CSU-Pueblo and the National Hispanic Institute to Host Colorado Great Debate Program
CSU-Pueblo and the National Hispanic Institute, which provides Latino leadership education programs to top-performing high school students in the United States, Mexico, Latin American and South American countries, will partner to present the brand new Colorado Great Debate program, for a projected 150 high school students between their freshman and sophomore years, starting this summer.
The program, taking place June 27-July 2, 2019, is the first part of a three-year leadership curriculum designed to engage and develop youth who demonstrate early promise as community leaders. The Great Debate is designed to help students advance their communications skills, increase their self-confidence in public speaking, and develop critical thinking and analytic skills.
“When we were asked to consider the possibility of becoming a host site for a new Great Debate program in Colorado, we immediately knew this matched with our new vision of becoming the People's University of the Southwest United States,” said Chrissy Holiday, Vice President of Enrollment Management, Communication, and Student Affairs at CSU-Pueblo. “Helping young people realize their potential and achieve their dreams is what CSU-Pueblo is about, and we wanted to be part of making this opportunity available to the youth of Southern Colorado and beyond. We look forward to welcoming participants to our campus and developing a long-standing relationship with them that helps make going to college a given for every young leader who visits.”
NHI’s high school programs have an impressive track record, with 98 percent of participants going on to college, and 90 percent of those completing a degree within five years of enrollment. Its alumni lead in a range of professional roles in their communities, including education, entrepreneurship, government, health care, law, and technology.
“We’re excited to partner with Colorado State University-Pueblo to launch the Colorado Great Debate,” said Chris Nieto, Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for NHI. “The Great Debate program is the launchpad for our Latino leadership programming, and we feel that CSU-Pueblo will provide young leaders in this increasingly vital Latino region a home to begin their training.”
CSU-Pueblo Nursing Program Ranked one of the Best in the Nation
RNCareers.org has ranked CSU-Pueblo’s nursing program as the best in the state, and fourth in the nation for its Bachelor of Science program.
CSU-Pueblo's School of Nursing BSN program is ranked #4 on RegisteredNursing.org's 2019 Best RN Programs in Colorado. Ranking is based on current and historical NCLEX-RN "pass rates" and received a score of 94.82.
And, it’s AGACNP/FNP Graduate Nursing Program was named "Best Value Nursing Program" for 2019-20 by GraduateNursingEDU.org
“It’s a lot of dedication by the faculty, commitment to the community, the hospital and service of Southern Colorado,” said Dr. Joe Franta, associate dean for nursing.
The CSU-Pueblo program will get even stronger this fall, that’s when it will offer its first Doctorate in nursing.
Click here to see KOAA News 5's Report on CSU-Pueblo's Nursing Program.
Psychology Building Renovation Groundbreaking
CSU-Pueblo President Timothy Mottet invited the public to celebrate the University’s continued commitment to academic quality at the May 15, groundbreaking for the state-funded renovation of the CSU-Pueblo Psychology Building.
The event took place on the west lawn of campus across from the Administrative Building at the west entrance of the Psychology Building.
Speakers at the event included President Mottet, Provost Mohamed Abdelrahman, Karl Spiecker, Vice President for Finance and Administration, Colorado Representative Daneya Esgar, Bob Binder from the design firm DLR Group and Louis Nazario of H.W. Houston Construction.
The approximate cost of the renovation is $16.8 million (funded by the State of Colorado, Capital Development Committee.)
The 45-year-old building is being redesigned to be a new collaborative space dedicated as a Center for Integrated Human Health and Humanities and will serve as a hub for interdisciplinary collaboration between the various disciplines focused on Human Health, the Humanities, Social Sciences, Technology and Data Sciences. It will emphasize modern classrooms that are small in size, reflecting the current practice of personal attention to students. Classes with large enrollment will be held in other spaces on campus, such as the General Classroom Building.
The building also will support the needs for a state of the art nursing programs, including simulation labs and distance learning classrooms and support for nursing doctoral students’ collaborative spaces.
Find out more about the Psychology Building at: https://www.csupueblo.edu/about/campus/construction-projects/psychology-building.html
All of the work is expected to be completed by May 2020.
Four CSU-Pueblo Students Interning at Smithsonian Institution
Students, left to right: Sarah Megilligan, Xavier Madrid, Abigail Seman, Miranda Caro
CSU-Pueblo has sent four students to Washington, D.C to complete a nine week internship at the Smithsonian Institution over the summer of 2019.
The relationship, made possible by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and University's (HACU), allows students from CSU-Pueblo to experience hands on learning opportunities in fields specifically associated with their majors.
As members of the fourth cohort of Smithsonian Interns from CSU-Pueblo, the following students are cultivating their own personal success. These students uphold the standard of excellence that past interns have maintained the past three years.
Xavier Madrid, a junior honors student majoring in Sociology with an emphasis in Criminology. He is a first generation college student born and raised in Pueblo, Colorado. Xavier is interested in studying cultural heritage and identity in Southwest Colorado and plans to focus on this area when he attends graduate school. These plans will be facilitated through Xavier’s internship experience, as he will intern for the National Museum of American History.
Sarah Megilligan, an active student-athlete and Colorado Native, is currently a junior at CSU-Pueblo majoring in Mass Communications with an emphasis in Integrated Communications/Electronic Media and minoring in Computer Information Systems and Honors. Sarah will intern for the Web and Digital Office of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.
Senior Miranda Caro studies English with an emphasis in Creative Writing and a minor in Communication and Rhetoric. A Pueblo native, Miranda attended Dolores Huerta Preparatory Academy, where she began taking college classes in her freshman year of high school, later graduating as valedictorian from Dolores Huerta Preparatory Academy and concurrently graduated from Pueblo Community College with her Associate of Arts Degree in May of 2017. Miranda aspires to pursue a graduate degree in Communication and Rhetoric. Miranda will be interning with the Education and Advancement Departments of the Smithsonian Libraries, where she will work with historic materials and correspond with donors.
First-generation college student Abigail Seman, a nineteen-year-old senior at CSU-Pueblo, began her collegiate career at age fourteen, earning an Associate of Arts at Pueblo Community College in 2017, and graduated Summa Cum Laude. Continuing her career at CSU-Pueblo, Abigail is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History with a minor in Philosophy. Abigail, who has maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout her college career, desires to continue her education by pursuing a doctorate with emphasis on 20th Century World. Abigail will intern for the National Museum of American History.
In the spring of 2016, CSU-Pueblo and The Smithsonian Institution signed a memorandum of understanding making it possible for CSU-Pueblo students to intern at the Smithsonian for one month in the summer. The internship is designed for students who may not have the opportunity to complete a 15 week internship at the Smithsonian to complete a four week Internship
Students have interned at a number of locations including the National Museum of American History- Lemelson Center for the Study of Innovation and Invention, the Archives of American Art, The National Postal Museum, Office of Protection Services, Smithsonian Facilities Digital Archives Management, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery (FSGA) and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
CSU-Pueblo’s partnership with the Smithsonian has positively impacted dozens of student interns by preparing them for their futures after graduation. Anyone interested in growing this system of reciprocity is encouraged to contact the CSU-Pueblo Foundation at 719-549-2380. This is an exciting opportunity for donors to continue their exemplary contribution to both their community and the lives of students.
Zero Tuition Increase for In-State Undergraduates at CSU-Pueblo
Tuition will remain unchanged next year for Colorado resident undergraduate students at CSU-Pueblo as part of the newly approved incremental budget and tuition proposals for the CSU System. The Board of Governors of the CSU System approved the proposals for the System’s three campuses and System Office for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2019, at the May 7, CSU Board of Governor’s Board Meeting.
Not only does this approval effect CSU-Pueblo, the other institutions of the CSU System will reap the same benefits at CSU and CSU-Global. Tuition remaining flat for Colorado resident undergrad students comes with a 3% increase for non-resident and graduate students. This came as welcomed news to President Mottet.
“We are thankful for the strong support of the CSU Board of Governors. We are also pleased that the General Assembly has invested in higher education to keep the cost of attendance low,” President Mottet said.
This means CSU-Pueblo undergraduate tuition will remain at $6,349 for the coming year for Colorado residents taking 12 credit hours. This ranks below in-state tuition rates at peer institutions such as Washburn University, University of Tennessee-Martin, and University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
Click here for a detailed comparison of the three CSU campuses.
Colorado State University-Pueblo Hosted Commencement on Campus for First Time in Over Two Decades
CSU- Pueblo celebrated more than 1,000 graduates on Saturday, May 4. Commencement was split into two ceremonies, one beginning at 10 a.m. and another that followed at 3 p.m., both were held in Massari Arena on CSU-Pueblo’s campus in the Health, Exercise Science, and Recreation building. This year’s theme for the ceremonies was “Celebrate Achievement. Celebrate Commencement.”
During the first ceremony graduates from the College of Education, Engineering, and Professional Studies and the College of Science and Mathematics. The second ceremony included the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Hasan School of Business.
Parents, friends, family members, faculty and staff, and fellow students cheered for one another as graduates walked across the stage. The congratulatory applause echoed in Massari Arena filled with nearly 5,000 in attendance.
Senate President Leroy Garcia, D-Pueblo, served as the commencement speaker for graduates for both commencement ceremonies. Garcia shared his words of wisdom with background from his own life, road of education, and current political success. Garcia also spoke about growing up on Pueblo’s east side and the struggles his family endured to pay for a college education, which then helped him make his decision to enlist in the United State Marine Corps. He then went on to receive his undergraduate degree and later earned his master’s degree. He spoke about failure and the lessons it taught him to make him successful today.
“I hope you will continue to work hard in the years ahead and not only reach, but exceed the goals you have set for yourself. I hope that if you meet failure, that you will overcome it stronger and more successful than before,” said Garcia.
During the afternoon ceremony Governor Jared Polis also delivered a commencement address to students. Polis opened with remarks letting students know that he too had received an undergraduate degree and that it served him well as an entrepreneur, during his time in education, and now while serving as the Governor of Colorado. The message of failure and success proved to be a common theme throughout the day.
“The most successful people in this world have failed, time and time again,” said Polis.
Although failure was spoken about frequently, success was celebrated throughout the day. After ceremonies concluded students, their families, friends, and faculty and staff of CSU-Pueblo celebrated under the big red tent on the east lawn of the administration building near the historic landmark fountain on campus. Once students walked across the stage they were welcomed into the CSU-Pueblo Alumni Association, starting the next chapter of their legacy here on campus.
For more CSU-Pueblo news, click here.
