Academics

Graduate students expand capacity of local governments

Greg B Swenson — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 15:10:32 +0000

Graduate students expand capacity of local governments Greg B Swenson Fri, 12/12/2025 - 08:10

CU ��'s Masters of the Environment (MENV) program partners with Colorado communities through capstone projects and coursework to build local government capacity, advance sustainability and resilience initiatives, and provide students with hands-on professional experience.

Capstone and government collaboration

At the Erie farmers market on a summer morning, a booth tucked between vendors doesn’t offer food or goods, but it still buzzes with conversation.

MENV students Adam Arata, Stephany Correa-Diaz and Sean Lee are asking residents in Erie what resilience means to them. The trio is developing the town of Erie’s resilience action plan as part of their capstone program—ensuring community voices are the center of their work.

Over the past nine months, this graduate student team has met with community members, analyzed local vulnerabilities and collaborated with town staff to design actionable strategies to strengthen Erie’s preparedness for climate impacts and other challenges in collaboration with Erie’s sustainability manager, Eryka Thorley, and sustainability and water conservation specialist, Emma Marino, an MENV graduate. They’ll soon deliver a comprehensive resilience action plan to help Erie build long-term sustainability and resilience.

Arata shared:

“My team is thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with a growing Colorado community to safeguard residents’ high quality of life and to position the town to thrive in the face of emerging and overlapping challenges. This project allowed my team to collaborate with subject matter experts, elected officials, town staff and over 900 community members. We received immense support and feedback throughout the process from our Erie partners and our advisor Dr. Leslie Blood. I have no doubt Erie's Sustainability Division will thoughtfully and successfully implement the plan following its adoption by the town council, potentially aided by a second MENV capstone team next year."

The students submitted their resilience action plan to the Colorado Office of Sustainability, who is working with the town of Erie toward adoption of the plan.

MENV courses and capstone offer project-based experiential education

MENV combines academic training with applied learning to prepare students for impactful sustainability careers. While the program offers diverse course offerings, many students lean toward public service, and through their coursework and capstone, focus on expanding capacity of local governments. Together, these projects provide MENV graduate students with professional, hands-on experience while providing partner organizations with the additional capacity and insights needed to address critical sustainability initiatives.

In addition to capstone projects, MENV students also work directly with communities across Colorado to strengthen local capacity through the Building Community Capacity course, taught by Natalie Ooi (teaching professor, sustainability in outdoor education specialization lead and associate chair for professional master's programs in the Department of Environmental Studies). This course hosts the Rural Technical Assistance Program, an initiative that aims to revitalize rural Colorado communities by leveraging outdoor recreation opportunities. Through this program, MENV students partner with CSU Extension and the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office.

Beyond MENV

The MENV program not only adds student support to local governments during periods of collaboration through the capstone program but also cultivates talent that continues to serve them. Many alumni of the MENV program now run and work in sustainability offices and participate in city planning initiatives in Lyons, Keystone, Denver, Erie, Lafayette, Englewood, Littleton and hopefully many more towns in the future. MENV offers unparalleled experiential education that trains the next generation of leaders who will guide sustainability initiatives across local governments in Colorado and beyond.

Student teams take on the role of community consultants and help facilitate a community-driven process focused on visioning and planning for outdoor recreation and main street development to improve economic prosperity and quality of life for rural Colorado communities.

Ooi shared:

“The Rural Technical Assistance Program is an amazing collaboration between the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office, CU ��’s MENV program and CSU Extension. It is a great example of how collaboration and a passion for public service can bring about meaningful outcomes for rural communities looking to develop or transition towards an outdoor recreation economy. It also showcases what meaningful stakeholder engagement and facilitation looks like, providing students with these invaluable skills for the future.”

Through this program, students Sarah McLaurin, Abigale Purvis, Jess Hertzberg and Emily Palanjian partnered with the town of Keystone and Summit Partnership to provide technical planning support as part of Ooi’s course. Their work ultimately led to Jess Hertzberg becoming the town planner for Keystone.

Spotlight on impact and scale

Over the last several years, student interest in working with local governments continues to grow, with this year's capstone cohort featuring five teams that are supporting communities across Colorado.

Their projects include electrifying Denver’s neighborhoods in collaboration with the city's Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency office and the city and county of Denver; developing waste diversion initiatives for the city of Westminster; and creating resilience action plans for the towns of Erie and Hayden.

The caliber of student work is on par with current sustainability professions. For example, Kasrah Eslami and Monroe Roush, who were graduate consultants with Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI), presented their work on tackling greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets at Switch ��, an event for renewable and sustainable energy professionals.

Lasting impacts

Capstone projects often create tangible impacts that extend well beyond the nine-month project period. A standout example is the 2024 partnership with ICLEI USA, a nonprofit organization that supports local governments in accomplishing their sustainability goals. The project team developed a practical toolkit to help local governments integrate sustainability and circular economy principles into procurement practices.

Josefina Hajek-Herrera, a member of this team, now works with ICLEI USA as circular strategy advisor to share and implement the toolkit with city employees across the country.

"Our capstone project with Alyssa and Caroline at ICLEI USA was a wonderful and impactful experience. The toolkit is now used to guide local government policy and program development across the nation. Alyssa and I now use the toolkit to develop and teach a sustainable procurement cohort for 25 local governments. I'm incredibly proud of the work we delivered during capstone and proud to see how it's being implemented.”

This ongoing initiative demonstrates how MENV capstone projects not only strengthen sustainability efforts in Colorado but also create tools, frameworks and professional connections that drive meaningful environmental impact nationwide.

ICLEI USA also opened the door to MENV students to engage with local governments through the Colorado Resilience Engine (CORE) Internship Program. The program is competitive for both graduate students who want to work with local governments and local governments that submit project proposals to bring on a graduate intern.

The inaugural cohort of five Colorado municipalities and their sustainability staff (three of which include MENV alumni) matched with five graduate interns (three of which are current MENV students). In one case, current MENV student Erin Spencer is collaborating with MENV alum Hannah Miller, sustainability manager for the city of Louisville.

On any given week, CORE interns might be facilitating workshops with town staff, compiling climate or community data, designing surveys, or developing pilot programs, helping municipalities advance sustainability and resilience initiatives while gaining hands-on professional experience.

Miller shared:

"Erin has been instrumental in advancing and completing projects that had been sitting on the back burner for far too long. She has been an incredible asset to the team, and her ability to self-start and expand our limited capacity has been a tremendous help! At the same time, her counterparts Dani, Brooke, Colton and Eloise also deserve high praise, as demonstrated by their outstanding presentation at Mountain Towns 2030 conference."

Learn more about CU ��'s Masters of the Environment program.

CU ��'s Masters of the Environment program partners with Colorado communities through capstone projects and coursework to build local government capacity, advance sustainability and resilience initiatives, and provide students with hands-on professional experience.

Zebra Striped

White

Make your course materials accessible with the University Libraries

Megan M Rogers — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 20:23:47 +0000

Make your course materials accessible with the University Libraries Megan M Rogers Fri, 12/05/2025 - 13:23

Ensure every student has no-cost, reliable access to your course materials by submitting them to the University Libraries.

Traditional

White

Librarians advance teaching and research through graphic novel, comics collections

Megan M Rogers — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 19:47:14 +0000

Librarians advance teaching and research through graphic novel, comics collections Megan M Rogers Thu, 11/20/2025 - 12:47

The University Libraries partnered with faculty on a collaborative research grant to explore how comics and graphic novels are used in teaching and research across campus, working to build interdisciplinary collections that support innovative instruction and student engagement.

Traditional

White

CU �� learning outcomes assessment takes shape, garners cross-campus participation

Megan M Rogers — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 17:39:03 +0000

CU �� learning outcomes assessment takes shape, garners cross-campus participation Megan M Rogers Mon, 11/17/2025 - 10:39

In 2024, CU �� identified the need for an intensive cross-campus focus on creating and assessing program learning outcomes to support student success, guide academic planning and meet the standards of the university accreditation agency, the Higher Learning Commission. While the focus began with undergraduate degree program assessment, graduate degree programs subsequently joined the effort.

The university has built a strong foundation for assessment with centralized support and a growing collection of plans and reports. CU �� has also worked to build assessment into academic program reviews, ensuring data-driven improvements.

The following interview with Katherine Eggert, vice chancellor for academic planning and assessment, and Aaron Zimmerman, assessment analyst, addresses the need for assessing program learning outcomes and the cross-campus effort to get them in place.

Katherine Eggert

Aaron Zimmerman

What motivates the process of program learning assessment?

The core questions that motivate the program learning assessment process are the following:

“What do we, the faculty of this program, expect our students to learn?”
“What evidence do we have that our students are achieving these program learning outcomes?”
“Based on the evidence that we have collected, what changes can we make to our curriculum to continue to increase student learning and student achievement?”

In this sense, student success is the core motivation. The faculty of each program work together to answer these questions, and our team supports them and keeps records of their assessments.

What is involved in the program learning assessment cycle?

At CU ��, we have implemented a four-year cycle for program learning assessment to ensure continuous improvement and accountability. The cycle begins with a planning year, with faculty working together to develop program learning outcomes that capture what students should know and be able to do by the time they have completed their studies within the given degree program. Faculty then identify meaningful sources of evidence of student learning (for example, papers, projects or exams) that assess students’ mastery of these program learning outcomes.

During the following three years, the program collects data and submits an assessment report at the end of each year. The program then re-enters the cycle with a new planning year, which is an opportunity for the program to analyze the data that has been collected as well as to revisit and revise the previous cycle’s assessment plan.

What are the benefits of the program learning assessment process for students?

When a program shares its program learning outcomes with students, students have a clear sense of what they will be learning, i.e., “By the end of my study in this program, I will be able to...” Furthermore, when students have a curriculum map of their degree, they also can see what they are learning in a given course, how that learning prepares them for future courses and how the program’s curriculum fits together.

Finally, when students seek guidance from their academic advisors or Career Services on possible employment options, they can collaboratively reference the program’s learning outcomes for a concrete sense of the skills and knowledge students have practiced and mastered during their studies.

What are the opportunities that program learning assessment creates?

Assessment structures a unique opportunity for the program's faculty to have meaningful conversations around student learning. Faculty members can engage collaboratively in their analysis of student work: “Based on the evidence that we have collected, what are the strengths and the areas for growth that our students are currently demonstrating?”

Another important opportunity is for the program to consider how it shares the meaningful teaching and learning taking place within the program with the public. A program might share its learning outcomes and some data about student learning on its website, for example, demonstrating to prospective students and the public at large that the program not only has ambitious educational aims but also direct evidence of their students achieving these ambitious learning goals. This is all the more critical during a time when the value of higher education is being questioned.

What advice would you give to programs regarding the learning assessment process?

The first piece of advice would be to create time and space for these discussions to take place. The more these discussions become a routine part of a department’s business, the more learning assessment—and learning improvement—becomes an integral component of the program’s culture.

The second piece of advice is to frame program learning assessment as an opportunity for curiosity and authentic inquiry. A program’s assessment plan should be centered, first and foremost, on questions that matter deeply to the faculty. Questions like, “How well are our students able to apply what they are learning (in our coursework) to the field?” and, “How well are our students doing at designing and conducting independent research?” go to the heart of what faculty care about when it comes to teaching and learning.

Visit Program Assessment for additional information and recent news and presentations.

CU �� is making progress on creating and assessing program learning outcomes to support student success, guide academic planning and meet the standards of the university accreditation agency.

Traditional

White

New degrees to expand pathways in natural sciences

Megan M Rogers — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 14:00:46 +0000

New degrees to expand pathways in natural sciences Megan M Rogers Mon, 11/17/2025 - 07:00

Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine

A new suite of Bachelor of Science degrees across many majors in the Division of Natural Sciences will prepare students for evolving careers in science, research and technology.

Traditional

White

4 ways to avoid cheating, plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty

Anonymous — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 16:30:22 +0000

4 ways to avoid cheating, plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 11/14/2025 - 09:30

Rushing to finish assignments or study for tests can sometimes lead to academic dishonesty—where students engage in plagiarism, cheating or helping another student gain an unfair advantage. Whatever the intention, these actions violate the Honor Code and have consequences. Here are four strategies to avoid these issues.

Off

Traditional

White

Spring academic calendar: Lots of changes, don't be surprised

Megan M Rogers — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 17:18:07 +0000

Spring academic calendar: Lots of changes, don't be surprised Megan M Rogers Tue, 11/11/2025 - 10:18

With the changes to the academic calendar that began this fall, be sure to note key dates to the spring 2026 semester: earlier start of classes, spring midsemester reading day, earlier spring break, two reading days before Monday–Friday final exams and a Saturday commencement.

Thursday	Jan. 8	Classes begin
Monday	Jan. 19	Martin Luther King Jr. holiday (university closed)
Thursday	Feb. 26	Spring midsemester reading day (no classes; no exams)
Monday–Friday	March 16–20	Spring break (no classes; university closed Friday, March 20)
Friday	April 24	Last day of classes
Saturday–Sunday	April 25–26	Reading days (no classes; no exams)
Monday–Friday	April 27–May 1	Final exam period
Saturday	May 2	University commencement

Note: Colorado Law follows a different academic calendar.

Changes to the academic calendar began this fall. Be sure to note key dates for the spring semester: An earlier start of classes, earlier spring break, a Saturday commencement and more.

Traditional

White

Quick writing tips for acing your finals

Megan M Rogers — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 19:10:15 +0000

Quick writing tips for acing your finals Megan M Rogers Fri, 11/07/2025 - 12:10

Worried about your end-of-term papers? You’re not alone. Writing can be a daunting task, especially when you don’t know where or how to begin. When you’re stuck, remember these three tips to ease the stress of acing your written projects.

Start in the middle, write the beginning last

It’s easy to get caught up in writing the perfect introduction. It should be clear, concise and engaging. But how do you pull that elusive combination out of thin air? Simple answer: You don’t.

Consider starting with an outline. Begin with a bulleted list, then fill in the details. Once you have captured the big ideas for your paper, it’s much easier to connect the dots and form a logical argument.

Not ready to write an outline yet? Pick one idea that’s interesting to you and just start writing down your thoughts as they come to you. Don’t worry about punctuation or correctness—just freewrite. This approach opens up your creativity and helps you to capture your ideas on the page without the pressure of your inner editor getting in your way before you know what you want to say.

Crafting an introduction is a much simpler feat when you give yourself time to articulate a clear sense of purpose.

If possible, read your writing aloud

Reading your writing aloud isn’t the only way to edit, but it’s one of the best. First and foremost, you are more likely to catch mistakes when reading aloud. It’s common to subconsciously gloss over words while you read in your head, especially when you already know what you intended to say.

Reading aloud creates a necessary layer of separation from the work that helps you pick up on grammatical errors and awkward phrases.

Reading aloud also helps you slow down and pay attention to your word choice. This process can help you tidy your sentences of superfluous words and better communicate your meaning.

Reading aloud to a peer or a writing consultant is even better because they can offer feedback and ask questions that may help you improve your clarity and argumentative impact.

Visit the CU �� Writing Center

Whether you’re working on a research paper or preparing for a test, the CU �� Writing Center is an excellent resource to enhance your writing skills.

The Writing Center consultants are happy to be a final set of eyes before you submit your project. However, if you want to write the best possible paper, stop by the Writing Center before you write a single word. The consultants also will help set you up for success by teaching universal tools that make writing every future paper easier.

The Writing Center is a free support service available to all CU �� students, faculty, staff and alumni. There are remote sessions and in-person options offered at locations across campus, including Norlin Library and some residence halls. Appointments are recommended, but drop-ins are always welcome. Keep in mind the schedule fills up quickly around mid-terms and finals, so plan ahead!

Visit the Writing Center website for more information or to book an appointment.

Finals are around the corner—don't forget these three tips to ease the stress of acing your written projects.

Traditional

White

Finals prep: Tips to finish strong

Anonymous — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 16:23:40 +0000

Finals prep: Tips to finish strong Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 11/07/2025 - 09:23

Finals will be here before you know it! It's never too early to get organized and ensure you're on track to finish the semester strong.

Off

Traditional

White

College of Music announces new applied jazz strings course

Megan M Rogers — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 14:22:48 +0000

College of Music announces new applied jazz strings course Megan M Rogers Tue, 11/04/2025 - 07:22

College of Music

Upcoming construction at the University Memorial Center will improve the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system; the Campus Dining & Hospitality loading dock; and pavement between it and the neighboring Center for Academic Success and Engagement.

The CU �� College of Music's Thompson Jazz Studies Program is excited to announce the addition of applied jazz strings—taught by recent alum and current Jazz Studies Lecturer Enion Pelta-Tiller—to the college's various jazz performance degrees.

Traditional

White

Academics

Graduate students expand capacity of local governments

Capstone and government collaboration

MENV courses and capstone offer project-based experiential education

Spotlight on impact and scale

Lasting impacts

Related Articles

Make your course materials accessible with the University Libraries

Related Articles

Librarians advance teaching and research through graphic novel, comics collections

Related Articles

CU �� learning outcomes assessment takes shape, garners cross-campus participation

What motivates the process of program learning assessment?

What is involved in the program learning assessment cycle?

What are the benefits of the program learning assessment process for students?

What are the opportunities that program learning assessment creates?

What advice would you give to programs regarding the learning assessment process?

Related Articles

New degrees to expand pathways in natural sciences

Related Articles

4 ways to avoid cheating, plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty

Off

Spring academic calendar: Lots of changes, don't be surprised

Related Articles

Quick writing tips for acing your finals

Start in the middle, write the beginning last

If possible, read your writing aloud

Visit the CU �� Writing Center

Related Articles

Finals prep: Tips to finish strong

Off

College of Music announces new applied jazz strings course

Related Articles

Academics

Graduate students expand capacity of local governments

Capstone and government collaboration

MENV courses and capstone offer project-based experiential education

Spotlight on impact and scale

Lasting impacts

Related Articles

Make your course materials accessible with the University Libraries

Related Articles

Librarians advance teaching and research through graphic novel, comics collections

Related Articles

CU �������� learning outcomes assessment takes shape, garners cross-campus participation

What motivates the process of program learning assessment?

What is involved in the program learning assessment cycle?

What are the benefits of the program learning assessment process for students?

What are the opportunities that program learning assessment creates?

What advice would you give to programs regarding the learning assessment process?

Related Articles

New degrees to expand pathways in natural sciences

Related Articles

4 ways to avoid cheating, plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty

Off

Spring academic calendar: Lots of changes, don't be surprised

Related Articles

Quick writing tips for acing your finals

Start in the middle, write the beginning last

If possible, read your writing aloud

Visit the CU �������� Writing Center

Related Articles

Finals prep: Tips to finish strong

Off

College of Music announces new applied jazz strings course

Related Articles

CU �� learning outcomes assessment takes shape, garners cross-campus participation

Visit the CU �� Writing Center