AAStaterfor alumni & friends of

adams state college

fall 2010fall traditions mCdaniel scholarship trust record enrollment

Puppies loveASC volunteers

AAStaterTraditions and rituals help people to connect with each

other and reaffirm their sense of belonging. Many traditionsare well, traditional like Homecoming. The longstandingrituals and events of Homecoming not only strengthen the re-lationship alumni have with their alma mater, but also helpform new relationships between todays students and theirpredecessors.This issue of the A-Stater looks at many new fall tradi-

tions that have emerged at ASC in recent years. Each fall wewelcome new students at Orientation and Freshman Convo-cation. The annual Autumn@Adams celebration helps inte-grate the campus and community with events focused on such themes as OurEarth, our Valley, Understanding Peace,and this years concept: Everyone has aStory to Tell.Every year more and more students extend a helping hand to the community

during ASC Cares Day. For two decades, the Chemistry Department has delightedschool kids with the Chemistry Magic Show, usually held near Halloween.As a way of honoring our community and ASCs work as a Hispanic Serving In-

stitution, a few years ago we began celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with cul-tural events. Receiving Title V grants to assist Hispanic Serving Insitutions alsoseems to have become a tradition at ASC.Our programs in art, music, theatre, and writing have created The Arts Extrava-

ganza, a new tradition that introduces high school students to their offerings. TheCommon Reading Experience is a relatively new academic tradition by which stu-dents, faculty, and staff explore the themes of a shared book.A few years ago, in preparation for a reaccreditation self-study, we initiated the

Day of Reflection. Classes are cancelled, and all faculty, staff, and students are en-couraged to spend the day addressing the colleges strengths and challenges. At thisyears Day of Reflection, we focused on assessment and shared governance in highereducation.Adams State also has an important tradition of honoring its supporters. At this

years ASC Foundation Student and Donor Recognition Dinner, we joyfully an-nounced the creation of the McDaniel Scholarship Trust by Emeritus Professor ofHistory John McDaniel (see page 20). In modeling a tradition of giving, Dr. Mc-Daniel has made the second largest gift in Adams States history.The values of a given group of people are reflected in and reinforced by the tradi-

tions it observes. Traditions build bridges between generations and create socialcohesion. If some traditions fall away or become modified with the passage of time,others are generated that speak to our needs and priorities.One value that underlies all traditions at Adam State old and new is our

mission of providing higher education to rural Coloradans, especially low income,minority, geographically isolated, or otherwise underserved students. Our newer tra-ditions all contribute in some way to that objective.

VOL. 50, NO. 3 FALL 2010

Published by Adams State College

adams state college alamosa, co 81102719.587.7011 800.824.6494

www.adams.edu e-mail: ascalums@adams.eduonline edition:

www.adams.edu/alumni/astater/

PRESIDENT OF THE COLLEGEDr. David Svaldi

BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR ADAMS STATE COLLEGETimWalters 73 Chair

Steve Valdez 87 Vice ChairGigi Darricades Mary Griffin Ramon Montoya 69Ann Rice Arnold Salazar 75 Charles Scoggin, M.D.

Dr. Tim Armstrong Faculty Trustee Kenneth Scally Student Trustee

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARDLori Lee Laske 91, 01

Executive Secretary/Director of Alumni RelationsToney Cantu 70 President

Kasey Russell 03 Vice PresidentKaren Rubidoux Miller 94 Secretary

D. Mike Garcia 73, 77 Robert Oringdulph 71Sandy Ortega 74 Chris Page 02, 03Jeremy Ratliff 96 Brian Rossbert 02

Rich Scanga 75 Liz Tabeling-Garcia 96, 06

ASC FOUNDATION BOARDDuane Bussey 82 President

Dr. John McDaniel Vice PresidentJohn A. Marvel 70 Secretary/Treasurer

Russell Achatz 85 Keith Cerny Genevieve CooperDale Hettinger 64 Charles Chuck Houser 62 Jeni Jack 85Cindy Palmer Rich Scanga 75 Chris Sittler 04 Ray Skeff

Izora Southway 66 Eldo Wall Michael Ware 69

FOUNDATION HONORARY BOARD MEMBERSStephen Bokat 68 Marguerite Salazar 75, 76

FOUNDATION EMERITUS BOARD MEMBERSSharon Carter Bob Copeland 49Richard Jacobs Harold KelloffRalph Outcalt John ReasonJ. Byron Uhrich R. Paul Wagner

FOUNDATION EX-OFFICIO MEMBERSDr. David Svaldi ASC President

Tammy Lopez 91, 00 Executive Director of the FoundationSteve Valdez 87 Trustee Liaison

GRIZZLY CLUB BOARD OF DIRECTORSKeith Cerny Chair Dave Barrows Vice Chair

Dennis Ortiz 79 Ric Cline 71Ericha Loosbrock Jeni Jack 85 Joe Martinez 99Jay Meyer Dennis Shioshita 77 Steve Valdez 87

ADAMS STATE COLLEGE MISSION STATEMENTAdams State College dedicates its resources to provide opportunityand access for all students. The College is an innovative leader thatrecognizes the inherent educational value of diversity. It is a cata-lyst for the educational, cultural, and economic interests of ruralColorado, the surrounding region, and the global community.

EDITOR & DESIGNERJulie Waechter

ASSOCIATE EDITORLinda Relyea 96

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERSNancy Blevins 11 Chris Day Mike Henderson 07

Gaylene Horning 94 Larry Jeffryes 69Lace King 13 Tim Mouser

presidents letter:

embracing traditions - old & new

the coverFreshman Vinnie DAndrea and sophomore Ariel Brauer got back as much love as theyextended when they volunteered at the Valley Humane Society during the annual ASCCares Day Community Plunge, Oct. 2. In its tenth year, ASC Cares Day is one of manynew traditions at ASC. See more, page 14.

David Svaldi

in side

departments

online edition of the A-Stater

www.adams.edu/alumni/astater/become a fan:

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Fall traditions include outreach, service, and academic exploration ~ Page 14cover story

AAStater

online

adams updatesASC tops last years record enrollment 4$3.18 million Title V grant supports student success 6Completing the North Campus 8The transformation continues 10

givingDr. John McDaniel donates colleges second largest gift 20Lifelong nurse creates nursing scholarship through bequest 22School of Business student lounge named forJ. Thomas Gilmore 66, 67 23

homecoming memories 24alumnotes 30alumni scrapbook 34sports scenes 38

4 | A-Stater | Fall 2010

a larger freshman class, growing graduate programs, and improved studentretention helped Adams State set a new record for enrollment this fall. Adams Staterecorded a 4 percent increase in on-campus undergraduate and graduate students, for atotal of 2,967, according to Dr. Michael Mumper 76, senior vice president for EnrollmentManagement and Program Development.

fresh faces: ASCs 2010 freshman class is 5.7percent larger than last years, totalling 565 students. Thesescenes from the annual Freshman Orientation and WelcomeBack Luau show theyre clearly happy to be at ASC.

ASC topslast yearsrecordenrollment

update

Fall 2010 | A-Stater | 5

This is the seventh consecutive semester of enrollmentgrowth, and now with record enrollment two years in a row, wefeel this is a good sign of a permanent trend, Mumper said.An additional 500 undergraduate students are enrolled on-

line or through other distance education programs, bringingAdams States total enrollment to 3,467, compared to last

years previousrecord high enroll-ment of 3,369.That figure in-cludes 2,747 un-dergraduates and720 graduate stu-dents.Adams State

President DavidSvaldi noted: Weare nearing fullcapacity for on-campus students.We do anticipateadditional growth,but the bulk ofthat will be in on-line programs.Mumper said

the freshman classincreased 5.7 per-cent over 2009, to565. Students arepersisting fromthe first to second

year of college at a higher rate, with retention thisyear at almost 60 percent, up nearly 9 percent fromtwo years ago. Mumper attributes this improve-ment to several new programs designed to fosterstudent success and to an increase in the quality ofentering freshman students.We have been bringing in more students who

have outstanding academic records in high schooland do well at ASC. That improves our retentionrate, Mumper said.Our caring campus allows us to better address

the needs of underserved students whether theyare from rural areas, low income families, minoritygroups, or are in their familys first generation toattend college, Svaldi added.

program growthGraduate student enrollment is up 5.4 percent

over last year. Most of Adams States graduate stu-dents are enrolled in online or hybrid programs,

which include a summer residency on campus.This is the highest number of graduate students ever,

Mumper said. Adams State recently expanded its number ofmasters degree programs to seven.Student diversity at Adams State is also increasing. Total

undergraduate Hispanic enrollment increased from 29 per-cent in 2009 to 32 percent. Another 14 percent of the under-graduate student body identifies as African American, NativeAmerican/Alaskan, Asian/Pacific Islander, or multi-racial.

This grant will help usimprove our student achieve-ment, especially of Hispanicand low-income students,Mumper added. ASCs stu-dent retention rates have in-creased steadily over the pastthree years, and this grant willhelp us to build and expandthat success.Adams State has the

longest Hispanic Serving his-tory among Colorado four-year institutions, with currentHispanic e