Celebrating MSU’S new president, Janine Davidson
Janine Davidson insisted she didn’t want any kind of a fuss when, on July 24, 2017, she became the ninth president of Metropolitan State University of Denver.
So adamant was she that it took more than a year to convince her that a formal inauguration was in order.
Seven high-profile MSU supporters — Marti Awad, Ferd Belz, Patty Gage, Cindy Parsons, Robin Sadler, Marilee Utter and Charlie Walling — happily took the reins and organized a grand investiture and gala that was held on the grounds of the Jordan Student Success Building. It drew guests from across the nation and raised significant funds for MSU’S new Classroom to Career Hub, or C2hub.
The C2hub, overseen by MSU’S vice president of student affairs, Will Simpkins, brings together industry leaders and academic departments in an effort to give students the skills that will match the demand of employers across Colorado.
The guests included Davidson’s predecessor, Stephen M. Jordan and his wife, Ruth; Denver Mayor Michael Hancock; University of Denver Chancellor Rebecca Chopp; Everette Freeman, president of the Community College of Denver; state Sen. Angela Williams; General Darren Mcdew, commander of the U.S. Transportation Command, a global combatant command responsible for air, land and sea transportation for the Department of Defense; and retired Navy Captains David Mcfarland and Todd Seniff, who’d persuaded Davidson to “throw my hat in the ring” and apply for the MSU presidency.
Davidson came to MSU following a 30-year career in military operations, national security policy and academic research. Before joining MSU, she was Undersecretary of the U.S. Navy.
Over the course of the evening, Davidson was hailed as a champion of inclusive leadership, a “real-world educator” and someone who is “smart, funny and charismatic.”
Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne said she is impressed with Davidson’s “quiet kind of elegance and intelligence” and how she works to have the university be a “springboard to a better life for families and the community.”
MSU Denver, said Davidson, “is the future of higher education,” an institution that offers “an excellent education at an affordable price, a place where students feel welcome, supported and at home.”
Others thereto celebrate Davidson were John Paul Pogge, chairman of the MSU board of trustees; former board chair Michelle Lucero; Ron Tilton, president of FirstBank Holding Co. and vice chair of the MSU board; Rob Cohen, who had chaired the presidential search committee, and his wife, Molly; Noel and Leslie Ginsburg; Barbara Grogan; Rachael Gazdick, president/ceo of the Colorado I Have A Dream Foundation; Jean and Dr. Ben Galloway; Leigh Sinclair and hubby Arlan Preblud, founder of We Don’t Waste; United Way’s Luis Colon and Toti Cadavid; Firefly Autism chief Jesse Ogas and Wayne Taylor; Leanna Clark, vice chancellor at the University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus; Jeff Shoemaker, executive director of the Greenway Foundation; and Kaiser Permanente exec Maureen Mcdonald.
Joanne Davidson: 303809-1314, partiwriter @hotmail.com and @joannedavidson on Twitter.