Dear Roadrunners, 

Thank you to the hundreds of employees who attended Tuesday’s Faculty and Staff Holiday Fest, and cheers to the University Events team for hosting another successful gathering. I hope you all enjoyed some good food, fellowship and a chance to relax before finals week and Commencement.  

Health Institute Simulation Labs progress

I am very happy to announce that construction of the new Criminal Justice and Criminology and Center for Teaching, Learning and Design spaces on the third floor of the Administration Building is complete. This marks a significant milestone in the project, and teams will begin moving into their new spaces as soon as furniture installation is finished.  

  • Beginning Dec. 11, CJC will be in the Administration Building, Suite 300. Please contact Professor Hyon Namgung, Ph.D., or visit the department’s website for contact information. 
  • Beginning Dec. 18, the CTLD will be in the Administration Building, Suite 325. Please contact CTLD Director Jeff Loats, Ph.D., or visit the center’s website for contact information. 

Construction continues in the West Classroom Building to establish the Health Institute Simulation Labs, and email updates are being sent regularly to West and Central Classroom Building occupants regarding noise impacts. Please reference the information below and these helpful flyers, which I encourage you to share with your team and post within your spaces, as we can all help support communication around this significant project. 

  • Construction activities are now focused on the second floor of the West Classroom Building and will continue there through June. Some areas will remain inaccessible. 
  • Remodeling will begin in Suites 105 and 220 of the Central Classroom Building in January and should continue through June.  
  • All Roadrunners are invited to join the Project Update meetings. The next meeting is Dec. 19 from 1-2 p.m. Click here to join the meeting. 

For more information, please see the regularly updated SharePoint site. Or the Department of Facilities website. Please submit questions or feedback to Martha Nelson, senior project manager for Facilities Planning, Design and Construction. 

Your pre-holiday checklist 

This time of year is full of parties, luncheons and cookie exchanges. However, please also think of this pre-break time as an opportunity to clean out your areas and prepare for the new year.  

As you are planning to leave campus for the holiday break, please do the following to help protect our campus, keep unwanted guests and pests out and save energy: 

  • Close and secure your spaces. 
  • Turn off and disconnect all electronic items, including computers. 
  • Clean out all food items from refrigerators and office spaces. Do not leave anything in plastic wrap or baggies. 
  • Store ALL food items (even individually wrapped items) in a hard-sided sealed container. Pests can chew through bags and will go after sugar packets, candy and other items left out. 
  • Wipe down your desk. If you drop crumbs on the floor, please submit a work order here or notify [email protected] at least three days prior to break so the custodial crew can perform an extra cleaning. 
  • If you have plants in your office, try to prevent water from sitting in the base overnight as standing water attracts pests. 
  • If you have any allowable service animals on campus, empty their food and water bowls at night and pick up any remnants of food or treats. 

As always, if you discover something that requires immediate attention, please contact Auraria Higher Education Center Facilities (303-556-3260 during business hours) or the Auraria Campus Police Department (303-556-5000, available 24/7). 

Premium holiday

Due to the overall increase in costs to the Colorado Higher Education Insurance Benefits Alliance, there will not be a benefits holiday in December.  

Premium holidays are evaluated each year based on activity within the plan and financial status of the CHEIBA Trust — they are not automatic. Members have been fortunate that the CHEIBA Trust has been able to grant a premium holiday for the past 12 years, but each year there is discussion about the plan’s ability to support any type of premium holiday. 

Three professional-development opportunities

Equity, inclusion and MSU Denver’s CADRE values provide the underlying theme for all workshops. See details and register today for spring opportunities. 

LEAD 

The Leadership and Organizational Engagement team will partner with University experts to provide access to knowledge, skills and tools for leaders to hone their leadership and management skills. This includes the ability to influence and engage those they lead, facilitate change and develop a healthy and empowered team culture.  

  • Click here for dates, eligibility details and registration.  

LAUNCH

Supervisor 101: This three-day program will include content that is foundational to managing and leading, with a primary focus on those who are new/newer to leadership roles.  

  • Click here for additional program details and registration.  

The GROW program is a series of skills-based workshops that include topics relevant to support current and future professional and leadership development. These custom MSU Denver workshops are open to all employees, including staff, faculty and student employees. 

Additional programs and resources are available on MSU Denver Leadership and Organizational Engagement site. 

Thank you for staying up to date on all the exciting things happening at MSU Denver.  

Sincerely,  

Larry Sampler, chief operating officer and vice president for Administration