Faculty and Staff,
Since coming to JWU more than four years ago, I’ve seen a significant increase in the school pride that our students, faculty and staff have expressed not only for our institution as a whole but also for our athletic programs and the student athletes who make the programs so great. I’m proud of these students. They study hard. They participate in community service, and when traveling to play opponents they represent the university in a positive light. Our student athletes also retain at a higher percentage and have higher GPAs than the campus average.
On Nov 6, our campus community will once again have an opportunity to show our campus pride for our athletic programs. We’ll be rooting for not only our own Denver Campus Wildcats, but also the North Miami Campus who will be traveling to play our men’s varsity basketball team in our newly renovated Wildcat Center. Loreen Chant, president of the North Miami Campus, and John Parente, executive director of athletics at the Providence Campus, will join us to cheer for the JWU Wildcats.
To celebrate this special event, as well as our themed ‘Alumni Night,’ all students, faculty and staff are invited to attend the pre-game tailgate party starting at 5pm. Chili and hamburgers (including vegetarian), soda and bottled water will be available under the covered tent located on the west side of Wildcat Center. Both the tailgate party and basketball game are free to students, faculty and staff; guest admission will be $6 for adults, $3 for children under 12 and children under 3 will be admitted for free. The tailgate dinner will be served until the start of the game at 7pm.
Additionally, to commemorate this special event, Friday has also been declared Wildcat Spirit Day! Please wear your JWU Wildcats gear. If you don’t have JWU gear, the Athletics Department will have their concessions stand open on Wednesday and Thursday from 1pm - 4pm where you can pick up t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts and other JWU apparel you'll need for Friday. I look forward to seeing you there – Go Wildcats!
FOCUS 2011 Update - Presentation Reminder
Please remember to attend one of the FOCUS 2011 update sessions on Nov 4, 2009. The sessions, hosted by University Executive Vice President Tom Dwyer, University Provost Veera Gaul and Senior Vice President of Regional Campuses Mim Runey, will be held at 9am and 2:30pm in the Jared S. Polis Auditorium. FOCUS 2011 is imperative to the continued development of our institution. When we launched FOCUS, we committed to ongoing and free-flowing communication through these annual meetings and various campus-level initiatives. The goals and initiatives are crucial to student success and excellence across the entire system. Your involvement and enthusiasm have and will continue to be vital to the success of JWU and our campus.
Presidential Distinguished Visiting Professor - Dave Anderson
On Oct 28, the Denver Campus hosted its first annual Presidential Distinguished Visiting Professor (DVP), ‘Famous Dave’ Anderson. It was an honor and a privilege to host such a wonderful guest who shared such inspirational insight with our students, faculty and staff. Despite the campus closing at 2pm due to inclement weather, Jared S. Polis Auditorium was filled with students of all majors. Later that evening, Dave sat down to have dinner at the local Famous Dave’s restaurant in Stapleton to share additional stories and advice with our students. Hosting guests like Dave brings amazing opportunities to our students and I pledge to work towards hosting a Presidential DVP each year. Thank you to Tony Barreiro and all who made this first Presidential DVP a success.
William R. Tiefel Professorial Chair - Roger Dow
Please join the faculty and staff of The Hospitality College on Nov 4, at 10am in the Jared S. Polis Auditorium to learn from Roger Dow, President and Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Travel Association. The U.S. Travel Association is the national umbrella organization representing all segments of the $770 billion U.S. travel and tourism industry. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. with an active presence in Europe, Asia and Latin America. The William R. Tiefel Professorial Chair was established the university’s first endowed chair in 2003 as an ongoing legacy of industry involvement and interactive hospitality education. Through a series of lectures, panel discussions and interactive question and answer sessions, hospitality industry luminaries step into the classroom to share their insights and wisdom with the next generation of hospitality leaders.
A Note about our Holiday Celebration
You may notice a difference in our holiday celebration this season. In years past, the campus has worked to be more cost conscious with the number of resources we spend on holiday décor, cards, and activities. In light of our increasing financial commitment to student scholarships and grants, JWU will not be sending holiday cards or gifts in 2009. Additionally, holiday décor will be replaced with year-round, neutral décor that is more specific to celebrating JWU and can be used for multiple events and special occasions. Although this may seem less festive than past years, please understand that this is a conscious decision that will work for the financial health of our institution.
New Student Resource – DBJ Digital Subscription
This year, the Denver Business Journal (DBJ) began offering a limited number of digital subscriptions to universities and colleges across Colorado. JWU has begun to provide this resource to our students and faculty local business issues in classroom discussions, case studies and projects. Access includes full-text articles about the Denver business community as well as access to the Book of Lists, a listing of local companies in their fields, by ranking. We are one of a handful of institutions in the state who have access to this resource and I’d like to thank Scott Bemis ’06 Hon., publisher and president of the Denver Business Journal, for working with our staff to make these subscriptions possible. Remember that you can access this online research database and many others via JWU’s library website.
Annual Service at Rosa Linda’s Mexican Café
JWU will once again participate in the annual tradition of working with alumnus Oscar Aguirre ’02 and his restaurant, Rosa Linda’s Café, to prepare and serve Thanksgiving meals to the needy. This will be the 25th year that Oscar and his family have served the Thanksgiving meal, including the 3,800 meals that were served just last year. To help prepare for the feast prior to Nov 26, or to serve on Thanksgiving, please contact Matt Gray in the Community Leadership Institute.
Urgent message from Information Technology - Phishing Alerts
The university has seen an increasing number of incoming emails asking users to provide their JWU username and password information. While these emails may look like legitimate JWU email messages, they are not.
Responding to these messages with your username and password, gives outside entities full access to your JWU email messages, contacts and other account information. They can use your email account to SPAM other email users, both internally and externally. Ultimately, since it will appear that the SPAM activity is coming from JWU, we, as an institution, are then blocked from sending emails and doing business with legitimate organizations.
Please remember the following guidelines regarding email and internet usage:
-You should never respond to requests for information from unknown sources. Requests for information from known sources should be verified before sending information.
-No JWU staff member will ever ask you for your password or other personal information via email or by phone call.
-You should not download applications from unknown and/or un-trusted websites.
If you have responded to any of these types of messages with the requested information, please go to the Johnson & Wales University Outlook Web Access site to reset your password immediately. For additional information, visit the JWU Helpdesk website.
Wildcat Interest Groups for Incoming Students Update
The Denver Campus's Wildcat Interest Groups for Incoming Students or WIGIS (pronounced wee-gees) program is off to a terrific start. Created to provide incoming students with opportunities to connect with other students, faculty and staff through participation in 22 different topical or theme based groups, WIGIS members have already participated in dozens of on- and off-campus activities. Some of the highlights so far include appetizers at the Venue Bistro, lunch at Masalaa, First Friday Santa Fe Art Walk, salsa dancing, yoga classes, volunteer support for Race for the Cure, Sunday worship, music swaps, a visit to the Boulder Farmer's Market, and lunches at the Wildcat Center. Thanks to all staff and faculty for your continued support and efforts to make WIGIS a meaningful experience for our students.
Emerging Leader Series Accepting Applications
The Community Leadership Institute is now accepting applications for the Emerging Leaders Series (ELS). ELS is open to all JWU first-year and new transfer students who wish to enhance their leadership skills while learning about student leadership opportunities at the Denver Campus. Beginning at the start of the winter term with a Saturday campus retreat, students will meet weekly with campus leaders to discuss a wide range of student leadership roles, learn a variety of leadership skills and apply them through the creation and implementation of a campus impact project. Applications may be picked up at the CLI; the submission deadline is Monday, Nov 9. For more information, please contact Rena Gardenswartz, student leadership programs manager.
Staff and Faculty Updates
Congratulations to Susan DuBose and Anne Becker. Susan is the new assistant director of Experiential Education & Career Services (EE&CS). Anne has also joined the EE&CS staff as an Experiential Education Coordinator. We thank them both for their service in their previous roles and wish them well in their new positions.
Congratulations to Greg Lorenz, dean of experiential education. Greg successfully defended his dissertation titled "A Grounded Theory Study of Wellness and College and University Leaders" on Oct 28, 2009. He will officially graduate with a Ph.D. in Education & Human Resource Studies in December 2009.
Congratulations to Hospitality College faculty member Paul Lombardi. Professor Lombardi teaches FSM 1065, food safety and sanitation management, and is the food and beverage director at Bandimere Speedway. The Bandimere Speedway was selected by the Jefferson County Department of Health and Environment as a 2009 Leader in Food Safety Award. This is an honor and indicative of the right type of industry-experienced faculty who serve as role models for our students.
Many thanks to JD Sawyer for his many years of service to the Denver Campus. We wish him well in his future endeavors as he leaves our campus community.
Congratulations to former staff member Gloria Picinini ’06. Gloria is now the personal chef for NeNe Hilario, forward-center for the Denver Nuggets basketball team. Gloria is able to prepare authentic Brazilian cuisine for NeNe; both are native Brazilians. Good luck, Gloria!
Staff and Faculty Anniversaries
Shawne Ahlenius, 3 years on Nov 28
Laura Briesser-Smith, 4 years on Nov 29
Terry Campbell-Caron, 1 year on Nov 11
Carol Finnegan, 4 years on Nov 30
Delilah Gonzales, 1 year on Nov 24
Paul Lombardi, 2 years on Nov 27
Peter Lorato, 4 years on Nov 28
Greg Lorenz, 9 years on Nov 11/27
Sara Miller, 6 years on Nov 3
Patti Parkis, 1 year on Nov 24
Elizabeth Peal, 1 year on Nov 20
Kim Tranter, 8 years on Nov 26
Virginia Williams, 4 years on Nov 7
Vincent Wincelowicz, 5 years on Nov 29