Dear Roadrunners,
Strong leadership is at the heart of any successful organization.
That’s why the Office of Human Resources Learning and Development team at Metropolitan State University of Denver has created customized leadership development programming designed to help MSU Denver leaders at all levels develop the competencies and skills they need to help advance the University’s mission and to make this institution a place where students and employees feel like they belong.
LEAD
This year, the Learning and Development team welcomed the first cohort to a new program called LEAD. It aims to:
- Identify leadership strengths and opportunities for development.
- Explain how leaders embody the MSU Denver mission and CADRE values, including a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion; and learn how to align strategic goals.
- Develop core competencies and skills to build high-performing, engaged teams.
- Create trusting and meaningful relationships with fellow Roadrunners.
- Develop and present process-improvement projects that champion CADRE values.
- Celebrate the growth of themselves, other leaders and those they influence.
The program includes 10 full-day sessions spread over the course of a semester and is grounded in MSU Denver’s strategic plan and CADRE values. Managers, chairs, directors and other leaders with at least three direct reports and who have been at MSU Denver for at least six months are eligible to apply after a nomination from their supervisor or vice president, and that nomination process is now open. If you would like to nominate an employee to participate, please review program details and qualifications and the spring schedule. Then, send an email to [email protected] with “LEAD Nomination” in the subject line. Please include the name of the employee being nominated and what makes them a great candidate. The Learning and Development Team will follow up with the nominated employee within five business days.
New director
Speaking of MSU Denver leaders, I’d like to welcome Joe Schalk to the Roadrunner family. Joe is our new director of Planning, Design and Construction within the Facilities Department. He oversees the University’s master planning, space planning, relocations, furniture and construction efforts. Joe is a Colorado native and comes to us with extensive planning experience at the city and state levels. He has worked for the City of Westminster as a senior planner in the Community Development Department and most recently worked for the State of Montana as planning manager for the Architecture and Engineering Department. Joe is one of two directors within the Facilities Department, joining Sharon Lorince, director of Operations and Maintenance. Her team keeps the University buildings running and partners with the Auraria Higher Education Center to ensure that all buildings are operating for campus occupants, work-order management, environmental health and safety, hazardous-waste management, emergency management, building access, proactive planning for long-term stability of assets, capital-budget planning, budget development, energy use and sustainability.
Open Enrollment
Finally, I want to remind all employees that Open Enrollment — faculty and professional staff’s once-a-year opportunity to review and make changes to their benefit-coverage options — will end Nov. 18 at 4 p.m. This year’s Open Enrollment process is passive, meaning if you take no action, your medical, dental, vision and voluntary-plan elections will roll forward to 2023. However, employees who wish to participate in flexible spending in 2023 MUST reenroll each year.
If you have questions or want to set up a meeting with a Human Resources Total Rewards Team member, contact them at [email protected].
Sincerely,
Larry Sampler
Vice President for Administration