Health career head start: UC Denver and Denver Public Schools discuss joint project

(March 17, 2009) Denver Public Schools on March 16 announced plans to open a charter school that will focus on preparation for health care careers. UC Denver is talking with DPS about support for this project which may include internships, curriculum assistance and faculty. The university has also been talking with Aurora Public Schools about a similar project.

Zen Camacho, UC Denver’s chief diversity officer, said the projects support the university’s mission to enhance the health and economic wellbeing of our state. Especially in these economic times, UC Denver stands uniquely qualified to provide the youth of our community access to secure, meaningful careers.

“The university also benefits from programs such as these,” Camacho said. “The intelligent, motivated students these programs attract will get to know UC Denver during their high school careers and may be more inclined to choose us for college.”

Camacho said all details of the programs are still to be worked out, and that the university’s faculty and academic leadership will be involved before any arrangements are finalized.

‘Art of Nursing’ benefits UC Denver College of Nursing

(March 16, 2009) Seventy-five supporters attended the third annual Art of Nursing benefit last month to benefit the University of Colorado Denver College of Nursing (CON) “Touched by a Nurse” Fund. The event supported doctoral education at the CON. The fund was started in an effort to alleviate the predicted nursing faculty shortage Colorado and the nation will soon face.

Angie Romani, president of the College of Nursing’s Advisory Board, and husband Tim hosted the party that filled Brushstrokes Gallery on Old South Gaylord Street in Denver. The gallery artists, John K. Harrell, Kit Hevron Mahoney and Anita Mosher donated 10 percent of the evening’s sales to the UC Denver College of Nursing.

Safeway donates $425,000 to cancer research

(March 5, 2009) On Thursday, Feb. 26, the Cancer Center’s breast cancer research received a $425,000 donation from Safeway, bringing Safeway’s total giving to $625,000 for the UCCC breast research program in the past two years. Drs. Tina Finlayson and Pepper Schedin, University of Colorado Hospital CEO Bruce Schroffel, clinical Cancer Center Executive Director Strode Weaver, UCCC Associate Director Donna Berrier and others were on hand to accept the donation.

The UCCC breast cancer researchers are beginning twice-monthly meetings to organize a breast cancer SPORE. Dr. Anthony Elias, associate director for clinical research, says the donation will pay for planning and seed grants necessary to develop multiple collaborative clinical, translational, and basic science projects to be included in the breast cancer SPORE application.

The Safeway donation is raised only a few cents at a time at the grocery store’s check-out stand. Shoppers in five states have been asked their willingness to support breast cancer research by “rounding up” their bill to the next dollar.

New Admissions Web site goes live

(March 2, 2009) The Office of Admissions, University Web Services and Integrated University Communications announces that the new Admissions Web site at http://www.ucdenver.edu/admissions went live March 2 on the recently launched http://www.ucdenver.edu site. Encouraging students to apply to UC Denver is a primary strategic goal for the university Web site. This new admissions site is an integral part of achieving that goal. As with all new sites, we will continue to improve the site as we receive feedback, monitor the conversions of information seekers into applicants, and develop new technologies that will improve the experience with our Web site.

By June 2010 the university will convert its entire Web presence to www.ucdenver.edu. For the time being, http://www.uchsc.edu and http://www.cudenver.edu continue to function without any change. The new http://www.ucdenver.edu site serves as the nucleus of the redevelopment project and will replace the other home pages once a critical mass of other redeveloped sites is achieved.

To see what’s next, or to learn more about the timeline for redevelopment of your unit’s Web site, visit http://redesign.ucdenver.edu.   

Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences construction under way

(Feb. 25, 2009) Construction activities began this month for the new home of the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Anschutz Medical Campus.

This facility is being built along Montview Boulevard between the Health Sciences Library and the Henderson Parking Structure. The new facility will be four stories tall and will be another state-of-the- art research building at the Anschutz Medical Campus.

The project is scheduled to be complete by mid-December 2010 with move-in occurring in February 2011.

The contractor, Mortenson Construction Co., will generally work from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday and will primarily access the project area through construction gates on Montview Boulevard.

During the course of this project, there will be noise associated with the construction activities. If the work noise will be sustained, we will provide advance notice. More disruptive work will be scheduled for weekends. Prior notice will be provided via UCD announce.

We anticipate the completed project will greatly enhance the Anschutz Medical Campus. For further information, please contact the UCD Project Manager Kathy McNally at 303-724-0755.

9th Ave. 'trash' becomes AMC treasures

(Feb. 18, 2009) Research staff lined up early Feb. 18 to claim free laboratory supplies. The items were left behind by colleagues moving out of UC Denver's 9th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard location to new facilities at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. When the university's Environmental Health and Safety team realized the volume and value of items abandoned in the last phase of moves, they gathered up the materials left behind and made them available on a first-come, first-served basis. All items were still in original cartons or plastic containers.

After the doors opened for the 'give-away,' it took less than 20 minutes for all the supplies to disappear – all that was left was one bag of scintillation vials.

Documentary director Marking shares expertise with film students

(Feb. 6, 2009) Havana Marking, documentary director, was at UC Denver College of Arts & Media recently to discuss her art. Marking is a documentary director who won the Audience Award and the Directing Award for World Cinema documentary at the Sundance 2009 awards.

Her documentary AFGHAN STAR looked at how contestants on a musical contest program "Pop Idol" in Afghanistan risk their lives to appear on the show.

Marking met with film and video students in Postproduction, Production II and Advanced Screenwriting during the two day visit.

Photo: Havana Marking speaks with video and film student Daniel Cummings.

Celebration honors burn unit verification milestone

(Jan. 30, 2009) Dozens of people helped celebrate an important milestone for the Burn Trauma Intensive Care Unit at University of Colorado Hospital. It was verified for the fourth time by the American Burn Association (ABA). It is the only accredited adult burn center in the state of Colorado. To become verified, a burn center has to attain the meticulous qualifications and standards set by the ABA which involves an intensive on-site review. According to the ABA Web site (www.ameriburn.org), “Burn Center verification provides a true mark of distinction for a burn center and is an indicator to government, third-party payers, patients and their families, and accreditation organizations that the center provides high quality patient care to burn patients from time of injury through rehabilitation.

The burn unit’s medical director, Gordon Lindberg, MD, says the community needs to know the Burn Trauma ICU is at the University of Colorado Hospital. He says, “if someone is burned, this is where they want to be.” He adds the unit doesn’t just treat burns. It also treats frostbite and serious skin infections.

Several burn survivors participated in the celebration on the Anschutz Medical Campus. Jason Rhodes, MD, is a surgeon at The Children’s Hospital, was treated in the Burn-Trauma ICU after a car crash in the summer of 2008. He thanked his doctors and nurses for the care he received and says his experience has made him a more compassionate physician.

The burn unit at University of Colorado Hospital will be up for verification again in three years. Photo: Burn Trauma Intensive Care Manager Mary Holden, RN, celebrates as the unit was verified for the fourth time by the American Burn Association (ABA).

Experiential Learning introduces students to volunteer opportunities

(Jan. 29, 2009) The inaugural UC Denver’s Volunteer Fair highlighted and informed more than 100 students of the diverse volunteer opportunities that exist in the community. The event, Tuesday, Jan. 27, in the North Classroom Atrium, featured 18 nonprofit organizations. Kyra Tarbell of the Experiential Learning Center at UC Denver noted the event was targeted toward UC Denver students but welcomed students from all institutions on the Auraria Campus.

“Auraria campus and especially UC Denver students are such a valuable resource to the community,” Tarbell stressed. “UCD students have so much energy, so many ideas and skills to contribute.”

The Volunteer Fair, which is planned for each semester, is similar to career fairs and acts as another resource to inform and encourage people interested in outreach who want to – but might not know how to – get involved, she says.

The students aren’t the only winners: “The Volunteer Fair provides a fantastic venue for organizations to make aware issues and to connect with students,” Tarbell says.

The event was sponsored by the Experiential Learning Center and Students for Community Engagement. Information: Kyra.tarbell@ucdenver.edu.

Photos: Left, Alexis Pearce (UCD, Biology major) chats with with Larry Beer (Regional Director of Open World Learning). At right,Joseph Marsh (MSCD, Art major) checks out his options.

Adopt-a-School provides 50 boxes of goods to needy families at Colfax

(Jan. 29, 2009) The tradition continues: Adopt-a-School, a Staff Council sponsored committee, this year collected enough food on the Downtown Campus to distribute 50 holiday dinner boxes to needy families at Colfax Elementary School. The brightly decorated boxes each had a complete family dinner and some extra goodies for the holiday season. 

Staff Council has been holding the annual food drive for more than a decade at the Downtown Campus. For all but two of those years, the beneficiaries have been Colfax Elementary.

“The program is important to help young students and their families and the staff at a local school know others care about and support them, and to provide a community service opportunity for the staff at UC Denver,” stressed Mary Francavilla, council chair.

Members of the committee delivered the boxes the last day of school before the school break and this surprise gift helped to make the holiday season a brighter one for many families.

Photos: Left, Maria, Carlos, and Emiliano Esquivel and, right, Lloyd, Branden, and Brian Vigil pick out their holiday boxes.

A personal welcome to incoming students

(Jan. 14, 2009) Welcome new students! How can we help you? The Downtown Campus Alumni Association converged on the Office of Admissions Tuesday evening, Jan. 13, to personally call each of the 424 new students as they gear up for the spring semester. Fourteen alumni from across the Downtown Campus took part.

“This was a great way to connect with our students,” stresses Carol Heller, director of the Alumni Association. “Our alumni volunteers were outstanding, and the students contacted were hugely appreciative of the support.”

Heller notes the association plans to continue the “call night” before the start of each semester.

Photos: Above left, alumni scholarship recipient Josiah Albertson, top, teams with Business School alumnus Rex Emery. At right, Business School alumnus Matt Cornwell leaves a message for an incoming student.

Waterways: a new exhibit in the Health Sciences Library Gallery

(Jan. 16, 2009) The Health Sciences Library has a new exhibit on display by a Downtown Campus alumnus. 

The exhibit is called Waterways and was inspired by the Platte River and Cherry Creek.  The artist, Jude Morales, is a graduate of the UC Denver Downtown Campus. 

An Opening Reception will be Saturday, Jan. 17, from 3–5:30 p.m.  “Waterways” is on display in the Gallery, located on the third floor of the Health Sciences Library, through the end of March. 

Change implemented to Uniform Grading Policy

(Jan. 14, 2009) Effective Jan. 1, the CU Uniform Grading Policy replaced the grading designations IW/IF and uses I instead, which turns into an F at the end of one year maximum. The change was approved by the Faculty Council and the Educational Policy and University Standards Committee of Council, then the faculty of the 23 CU schools and colleges eligible to vote addressed the motion; 21 voted yes, 1 voted no, and 1 abstained. President Bruce Benson has signed the new Administrative Policy Statement that governs our Uniform Grading Policy. All students who registered for courses beginning before Jan. 1, 2009 were and are still able to ask the faculty member teaching the course for an "IW" or "IF", depending on the rules of your school or college. (Most schools and colleges already have stopped allowing faculty to use "IW".

Check with your dean's office if you are unsure.) Students registering for courses beginning on or after Jan. 1 will be able to request only the grade of "I", as "IW" and "IF" will cease to be used for new registrations as of that date.The student enrolled must ask you for a grade of "IW" or "IF" if her/his circumstances warrant it. Many schools and colleges now have written agreements that the student and the Instructor of Record sign, indicating how the student will complete the work missing. Questions about the policy change can be submitted to R.Widmann@cu.edu or 303-860-5642.

Clinic opens for patients at risk for Type 2 diabetes

(Jan. 13, 2009) A new clinic in the Anschutz Outpatient Pavilion is now accepting patients at risk for Type 2 diabetes. CaReSearch Clinic Director Leigh Perreault says they will deliver cutting edge medical care to patients with pre-diabetes, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance or classical diabetes risk factors. The clinic is located in the Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes Clinic on the 6th floor of the Anschutz Outpatient Pavilion. Call 303-493-8333 (UPI) for more info, or the clinic, 720-848-2650 and press one for an appointment or to reach a CaRe team member.

Pre-bid meeting for emergency generator, Jan. 6

(Jan. 5, 2009) On Tuesday, Jan. 6, the UC Denver Facilities Projects Department will be conducting a mandatory pre-bid meeting for the installation of a new emergency generator for the CU Building located at 1250 14th St. When a successful bidder is placed under contract, construction is anticipated to begin in early February on the south east loading dock.

This emergency generator is necessary to bring the building up to current fire and life safety codes and enhance the efficiency and safety of the CU Building.

Questions regarding this work can be directed to Sharon Anthony at 303-724-1155 or Sharon.Anthony@ucdenver.edu.    

HR offers how-to guide on accessing employee SkillPort

(Jan. 5, 2009) Accessing employee SkillPort Training begins with My CU Portal. You can access the Quick Start Guide and the FAQ’s through this site. Having followed the instructions in the Quick Start Guide, if you have any difficulty accessing the training modules, please contact Janet Lowe at 303-860-5720. For more information, you can also access the university wide training site at http://www.cu.edu/eld.