Expanded Story: Becoming 密歇根州立大学丹佛

4月18日, Metro State officially changed its name to Metropolitan State University of 丹佛, 当政府. John Hickenlooper signed SB12-148 in the jam-packed Student Success Building lobby, 宣布, “这是法律! You can now officially call yourselves Metropolitan State University of 丹佛.”

President Stephen Jordan began the celebration by stating that this “might be the best day yet to be a Roadrunner! This isn’t the end, though. Rather it’s the beginning of a new era for Metro State.”

Hickenlooper said he has been and will always be a supporter and added that 密歇根州立大学丹佛 is one of the outstanding universities in Colorado and in the nation. “Changing the institution’s name was a great way to honor what it has become: a great asset for not just 丹佛, but for all of Colorado.”

The seeds of the University’s new era were sown two years before, when the 校董会 voted to study a name-change option. The resulting Strategic Name Initiative garnered overwhelming support for a new name: 80 percent of the 9,000名学生, 教师, 工作人员, alumni and community members who completed an online survey wanted a name change. The primary reason was to increase the value of an 密歇根州立大学丹佛 degree while eliminating the misperception that the institution was a community college.

In his closing remarks, Jordan recollected 密歇根州立大学丹佛’s opening in 1965, 当1,189 students enrolled.

“Today we educate nearly one-fifth of all undergraduate resident Coloradans. We have nearly 24,000名学生 enrolled at Metro State. That’s a 2,000 percent increase since 1965.

“小打小闹的, full of fighting spirit, this is a ubiquitous theme I see as we keep one foot in our past and one in the future and become Metropolitan State University of 丹佛. It is a great day to be a Roadrunner!”