METRO - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Office Manager, Library and Information Services
Amber has been a calm, consistent, and professional presence in the library since she was hired last summer. From the very start, she has gone the extra mile and does what needs to be done to ensure the library is able to carry out its mission to students, faculty, staff, and the Dayton's Bluff community. Perhaps most notably, Amber has been search support for a year of intense hiring activity in the library. She has supported at least five (5) search committees within the library and she is also working on upcoming library searches. While it is not unusual for an office manager to provide search support, this number of searches has required an enormous amount of detail-oriented coordination on Amber's part along with the ability to be flexible and patient. Everyone that Amber has worked with during these searches comments on her positive attitude and ability to get things done.
Amber has a prominent role as a member of the library's events committee. As one of many examples, she helped plan and coordinate February's Black History Month film series. Pulling off such a series was no easy task. To make the events successful, Amber worked with the President's Office, the Institute for Community Engagement and Scholarship, the Eastside Freedom Library, and many other university departments, external organizations, and individuals.
Additionally, Amber is transforming the culture within the library. She practices kindness daily and treats all library faculty, staff, and patrons with dignity and respect. Amber clearly deserves recognition for a year of outstanding work. Her enthusiasm is unmatched and her warmth and unflagging positive attitude have had a significant impact on the library and beyond. We thank you Amber!!
Anne Webb was a faculty member of Metropolitan State University in the College of Arts and Science. She died May 18 at age 87 in Bloomington.
A celebration of Webb's life is set for 4 p.m. June 9 at the Gill Brothers Funeral Chapel in Minneapolis. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking donations to be made in Webb's memory to Minnesota Public Radio.
Bee Xiong is an incredible asset to the university and to the library. He has an excellent professional demeanor, strong technical skills, and demonstrates kindness in how he interacts with students and other patrons. On a given day, he may help a student troubleshoot the hardware on their laptop, help a professor crunch numbers in SPSS, and help a neighborhood resident struggle to create their first LinkedIn profile. He is able to easily switch between users of various skill levels, juggle competing demands, and do so while never losing his calm. He is well known to our library patrons for his friendliness and his ever-present smile.
He has also helped us on multiple occasions troubleshoot technology used in the library or for student activities. In some cases, he's suggested solutions that improved upon our initial request, because the technical possibilities were unknown. In another instance, when we mentioned that a student needed help with a task, he not only helped the student but also created a handout that we could give to other patrons with similar needs.
Bee is our most-senior Information Commons Specialist at the library, and it shows in his ability to help patrons and library staff. He is constantly on the lookout for ways to improve our services, as well as create more efficient procedures. Bee is an innovative, design-minded employee who does not shy away from technical challenges or complex patron needs. In short, Bee is awesome. Everyone should be like Bee.
Beth Clausen is named dean of Library and Information Services
Beth Clausen has been named to the position of dean of Library and Information Services. She will start in her role on Aug. 1. Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs Amy Gort made the announcement on May 3.
Clausen earned her Master's in Library and Information Science, and BA in Journalism & Mass Communication; Political Science at the University of Iowa. She is currently the department head of Access Services at Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.
Clausen has 25 years of library experience with 18 years of administrative experience as department head of Northwestern University Library. She also served as the library director at Northwestern University at Qater, Doha, Qatar. She is a member of the editorial board for portal: Libraries and the Academy, 2015-present; editor of Global Perspectives column and referee for articles in areas of experience and expertise. Clausen is experienced with innovative library and information services programs, approaches and modes of delivery. She has worked collaboratively in a team environment with students, staff and faculty. She has written several noteworthy publications and has presented at many conferences.
Brett Buckner, managing director of OneMn.org, is a 2016 graduate of Metropolitan State's Master of Advocacy and Political Leadership, and earned his bachelor's in 2012 also from Metropolitan State. Buckner spoke recently on KFAI's Truth To Tell radio show, hosted by Tom O'Connell, professor emeritus.
Job Titles:
- Chief Diversity Officer / Accessibility Audit Co - Chair
Job Titles:
- Professor College of Individualized Studies
Job Titles:
- Interim Dean of the College of Management
Dr. Allen Bellas has accepted the position of interim dean of the College of Management and will start in that role on July 1. Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs Amy Gort made the announcement on May 1.
Dr. Bellas has been with Metropolitan State University since 2004. His primary teaching interests are environmental economics, principles of economics, benefit-cost analysis and the economics of public policy and social issues. He previously served in several leadership roles in the Metropolitan State Faculty Association, including serving as F.A. president from 2014 to 2016. Prior to joining the faculty at Metropolitan State, Dr. Bellas held adjunct positions at the University of Washington and Seattle University.
Dr. Bellas earned his BS in economics and actuarial science from the University of Michigan and his PhD in economics from the University of Washington. He has published in the areas of pollution regulation, health insurance coverage of alternative medicine and technological change at U.S. power plants.
Job Titles:
- Acting Community Engagement Coordinator
Dr. Amy Lane joins the Institute for Community Engagement and Scholarship as the acting community engagement coordinator for Academic Internships and Study Abroad.
Lane recently served as FUSION director and principal investigator in the Minnesota State I.T. Center of Excellence, housed within Metropolitan State University, where she collaborated with IT faculty on the National Association of Colleges and Employers Career Readiness initiative. Lane brings over 20 years of teaching and leadership experience in higher education, as well as a background in collaborating with diverse populations of students, faculty and employers from her work at several different colleges and universities.
Job Titles:
- Interim Dean of the College of Individualized Studies
Dr. Charles Tedder has accepted the interim position as dean of the College of Individualized Studies and will start in that role on May 8, 2018. He will serve as interim dean through fiscal year 2020. Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs Amy Gort made the announcement on May 7.
Tedder joined the Metropolitan State University in fall 2011 as an assistant professor in First College, which was renamed that year to the College of Individualized Studies. He earned his bachelor of arts in English at High Point University and his master's and PhD in English at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. His dissertation focused on utopianism in American novels, a prelude to joining a college founded on a utopian vision of what higher education can be for students and their communities. He has previously served as department chair and as an officer in the university's faculty association.
His teaching and research interests include philosophy and practice of higher education; 20th century American literature and culture; utopian studies; critical and literary theory; cultural studies and human rights; environmental discourse and the literary imagination; rhetoric and composition.
Dr. Frank Schweigert, interim dean of the College of Community Studies and Public Affairs, will extend his term through the 2019-2020 academic year to provide continuity to the college's leadership.
Job Titles:
- Dean of College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Dr. Judith Graziano has been named dean of the College of Nursing and Health Science.
Graziano will start in that role on May 8, 2018. Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs Amy Gore made the announcement on Friday, April 27.
Dr. Graziano has served as the interim dean since July 2016. She has been with Metropolitan State University since 2006. Her primary teaching interests are undergraduate and graduate research methodology, nursing theory, graduate level evidence-based practice and Doctor of Nursing Practice scholarship courses. She has served in a number of administrative roles at the university, including department chair, director of Nursing Programs, and acting associate dean, College of Health, Community and Professional Studies. She is experienced in program review and accreditation processes, and was the lead author of the School of Nursing's most recent self-study and continuous improvement report. Prior to joining the faculty at Metropolitan State, Dr. Graziano held a number of nursing clinical, leadership and research positions focusing on cardiovascular nursing and diabetes.
Dr. Graziano earned a master of science degree with focus on Leadership and Management and a PhD in nursing from the University of Minnesota. She is the recipient of grants from Novo Nordisk and the Society for the Advancement of Modeling and Role Modeling theory. She has published in the areas of quality of life and chronic disease management, and is lead author on a manuscript entitled "Minnesota Alliance for Nursing Education (MANE): A Unique Multi-institutional Approach to Preparing Nurses for the Future," which was recently published in the journal Nursing Education Perspectives.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor, Social Science Department
Kathleen's efforts in activism within the university and in the community have notably advanced the civic mission of Metropolitan State University. From coordinating a campus residency for Black Lives Matter Minneapolis to joining the national Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) leadership team, Kathleen pursues racial justice while deepening learning opportunities for students.
Job Titles:
- Director
- AQIP Academic and Student Affairs
Job Titles:
- Director, Center for Accessibility Resources / Accessibility Audit Co - Chair
This outstanding group of individuals came together through their common interest in creating a more accessible, welcoming and inclusive environment for all people at Metropolitan State University. They each represent not only their functional work areas, but also their respective bargaining units. The group gave a large amount of their time before, during, and after the winter break to go to each of our campus locations and evaluate all kinds of spaces for accessibility. The goal being to create a document that will be used by the administration for decision-making and planning, as well as for students and other community members.
The group will be presenting the results to the Equity & Inclusion Council as well as leadership. Their dedication and thoughtful insights related to this effort should be recognized by the University community as they will be instrumental in helping us all in our work to live up to our mission to provide accessible, high-quality liberal arts, professional, and graduate education to the citizens and communities of the metropolitan area, with continued emphasis on underserved groups, including adults and communities of color.
Job Titles:
- Professor College of Individualized Studies
Job Titles:
- Worker
- Student Worker Supreme Award
Lisa Thao is an absolutely outstanding student worker! She has facilitated the work of the Center for Faculty Development for the past two years. The Center for Faculty Development is a very busy place, and Lisa is at the heart of maintaining its work and fostering its success.
Lisa assists faculty with copying needs, and downloading the driver on the computer that "speaks" to the faculty member's StarID, she replaces toner, and takes care of the paper jams. Faculty enjoy talking with her and do not hesitate to seek her assistance. She is always polite and helpful. In her quiet way, we have come to realize that still waters run deep. We can have come to realize we can count on her and trust she will follow through on tasks.
Lisa is industrious and demonstrates initiative. She sees what needs to be done and does it. I, and all those who need her help, can count on her.
Lisa is motivated by excellence and by continuous quality improvement. She has helped make significant improvements in conference and orientation registration procedures, signage, and general flow of all of our events. She doesn't hesitate to ask questions or share concerns if she thinks a process, or anything for that matter, could be improved upon. Lisa will be graduating at the end of fall semester. We will miss her presence and work so much. She is one in a million and embodies a Student Worker Supreme supremely.
Job Titles:
- Office and Administrative Assistant, College of Sciences
Lucy Peterson does an incredible job in managing the Information and Computer Science department's administrative tasks. Lucy is just a four-letter short name but the person carrying the name has a long list of qualities that makes her deserving of a "Behind the Scenes" award.
Job Titles:
- Environmental Health and Safety Officer
Job Titles:
- Office Administrative Specialist, College of Management
Ask anyone in the College of Management about Mark Newfield and you'll hear a common response: Mark is the quintessential service-minded team player. He is efficient to a fault, exceptionally responsive, and always at the ready to help faculty, COM students, and those on his administrative team. He provides outstanding service to our international students in the Taiwanese cohorts. These students have come to rely on him for vital assistance with everything from navigating through our program to finding their way in the Twin Cities. He is proactive in his support of the program, an excellent communicator, and always a willing collaborator.
Mark also plays a pivotal role in providing administrative services for faculty, and particularly for our community faculty. Our community faculty often need clerical resources and services such as copying, gaining access to their classrooms, campus directions, and tech support. Mark is their indispensable "go-to," and he is regularly sought out by community faculty for information and administrative services, and sometimes just to be a good listener.
After more than a decade of commitment to excellence in the College of Management and throughout the University, Mark is richly deserving of award recognition.
Job Titles:
- Office Administrative Specialist, College of Management
Michelle Krone is a tremendous asset to the College of Management. She consistently demonstrates dedication to her job, great customer service skills, and a very enthusiastic attitude. Her work is done thoroughly and the finished product always looks good because of her creativity and ability to make documents look professional. Michelle shows initiative and looks for new and improved ways to get things done. She is always willing to step in and offer assistance no matter what the project, task or event is. When Michelle is involved, we know the planning will be thorough and complete.
Michelle has also demonstrated skills outside of her job duties such as her mechanical abilities. It is not beyond her to fix circuit breakers and to have a screw driver handy to take apart a broken drawer.
Michelle makes the College of Management shine and she has earned a great reputation throughout the university. Her dedication extends beyond the College of Management. She is an avid volunteer and has assisted at many graduation ceremonies. When there was a vacancy in the Office of the Provost, she temporarily served as the administrative assistant but we were thrilled when she wanted to return to COM.
Some of Michelle's work is done behind the scenes and some of it is not - but whatever work Michelle is performing, we know it will be outstanding.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Associate Professor Human Services College of Community Studies and Public Affairs
Job Titles:
- Office Manager, College of Community Studies and Public Affairs
This appointment greatly expanded the scope of Natalie's responsibilities and entailed some extraordinary challenges. First, a whole new set of administrative systems had to be put into place to incorporate this new constellation of departments and programs-requiring, in many instances, revising previously established practices. Second, academic support assignments had to be adjusted to accommodate new demands, with college-wide consistency in management and supervision. Third, a greatly expanded budget had to be instituted, monitored, and managed. Lastly, Natalie was in the unenviable position of assisting a new dean who had a lot to learn about the college, its programs, its faculty and staff, and University administrative systems in general.
Natalie has met all of these challenges, and many more - like working at three different campuses (St. Paul, Midway and Brooklyn Park). She continues do it all with positive energy, calm, hard work, and respect for all persons in the college. It was a huge job, and she did it willingly and extraordinarily well and clearly demonstrated her ability to be flexible, creative, and patient in the midst of change.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Urban Education, School
Nicholas D. Hartlep, assistant professor of Urban Education, School of Urban Education, Metropolitan State University, has been awarded the 2018 John Saltmarsh Award for Emerging Leadership in Civic Engagement.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director of Advising College of Management
Job Titles:
- Reference Librarian, Library and Learning Center
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor and Program Director for Alcohol and Drug
Deb Mosby, associate professor and program director for Alcohol and Drug Counseling at Metropolitan State, was featured on Crossing Divides, a news segment by the British Broadcasting Service. In the segment, Mosby, who self-describes as "very far to the left" meets with a die-hard Republican.
Raj Setheraju, assistant professor in the School of Law Enforcement at Metropolitan State, speaks with Brandt Williams of MPR News about recent incidents in the news and "why people of color are so quickly categorized as engaging in ‘suspicious behavior.' "
Job Titles:
- Professor School of Urban Education
Job Titles:
- Master of Advocacy and Political Leadership
Sharon Brooks, Metropolitan State University's Masters of Advocacy and Political Leadership program, is founder of Peace of Hope, a non-profit dedicated to supporting Twin Cities' families with members in prison. Sharon has provided skills training, transportation resources and education about the criminal justice system on campus and in the community.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Assistant, Office of the President
In just over 18 months Shelly Heller has changed the president's office and it has been noticed by all who interact with this office. Shelly welcomes everyone warmly and does everything she can to make the individual feel supported, special and valued. She patiently listens, whether the visitor is a vice president, a student or a member of the public. She is friendly with everyone and always goes the extra mile to figure out how she can help the person who is calling on the phone, emailing or standing in front of her desk.
It is extremely important that the president's assistant be friendly, sympathetic, and helpful because this person is truly the Ambassador for the University. She is often the first person an important dignitary, donor or distressed student encounters. I have witnessed time after time, Shelly exerting a calming influence over someone who is clearly upset. People are always telling me how much they like Shelly and enjoy working with her.
Like a true ambassador, she also makes sure things work on the other side by making sure I know who needs attention and how I can best meet their needs. Without her support I could not function effectively in dealing with the multiplicity of issues and problems that come to the President's office every day.
Everyone at the University knows Shelly's beautiful smile will brighten their day.
Job Titles:
- TRIO Advisor / Retention Specialist
Job Titles:
- Professor Human Services College of Community Studies and Public Affairs