2012

Big Sky Selects UNC Players

UNC men's basketball senior Mike Proctor has earned a spot on the All-Big Sky Honorable Mention team.  He is the 11th UNC player since 2006 to earn All-Big Sky honors.  UNC women's basketball sophomore D'shara Strange was selected as the Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Year and was selected to the league's 2011-2012 All-Big Sky Conference First Team.  Teammates Kaisha Brown and Lauren Oosdyke both earned Honorable Mentions.

 

UNC Swimming and Diving Program Earns Honors

UNC's swimming and diving program capped off its 2011-2012 regular season with individual and team honors from the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and College Swimming Coaches Association of America.  The Bears earned three all-conference awards from the MPSF and were one of 165 NCAA Division I programs to earn a Scholar All-America Team award from the Coaches Association.  The CSCAA Scholar All America award is presented to the college and university swimming and diving teams across the country that have acheived a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 higher.

 

UNC Barerra is Coach of the Year

University of Northern Colorado's head coach Tim Barerra has been named the 2011 Big Sky Soccer Coach of the Year in a vote by the league's eight head coaches.  Tim has completed his 13th season in Greeley as head coach, his sixth season in Division I, and led Northern Colorado to its first Big Sky Conference regular season co-title.  The Bears were the No. 1 seed in 2011 and hosted the Big Sky Championship for the first time since joining the league in 2006.

 

Track Star Named Big Sky Athlete

For the second time this season, University of Northern Colorado junior sprinter Evan Taylor has been named the Big Sky Conference male track athlete of the week.  Evan is the defending Big Sky Conference champion in the 200 meters and holds the school record in the event.

 

Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Adds Beitzel

Former UNC Basketball standout Devin Beitzel has been named the state's 2011 Male Collegiate Athlete of the year by the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.  Devin, who led the Bears to the first NCAA tournament appearance in school history, averaged 21.5 points per game last season, and was named the MVP of the Big Sky Conference.  Also inducted is Greeley native Frank Carbjal who played basketball and baseball for UNC from 1958 to 1961.  As a Division I all-region pitcher in 1960, he helped the Bears to a pair of College World Series appearances.  He then coached for 41 years at high schools and community colleges, accumulating more than 500 basketball wins.  They will join other Athlete of the Year selections, including Denver Bronos quarterback Tim Tebow, elite swimmer Missy Franklin and hockey standout Peter Forsberg.

 

Faculty Recieves CDE Grant

University of Northern Colorado faculty research project director Elysia Clemens and researchers Lisa Rue, Robyn Hess, Sonja Rizzolo and John Froiland, have been selected by the Colorado Department of Education to develop, design and implement an evaluation system for five federal and state funded programs.  The three-year, $179,000 contract will allow them to review current practices and provide a recommended framework for measuring outcomes for dropout prevention and student engagement programs for at-risk students.

 

Graduate Students Score High

Graduate students in UNC's Professional Counseling programs acheived scores on the National Counselor Examination for licensure and certification that were significantly above the national average and significantly above the average for other accredited programs.  The examination tested knowlege in a range of areas, including Human Growth and Development, Group Work, Appraisal, and Professional Orientation and Ethics.

 

Nursing Professor Recognized by Vietnam's Ministry of Health

Faye Hummel, professor of Nursing at the University of Northern Colorado, was recently recognized by Vietnam's Ministry of Health for her leadership in establishing the first and only master's of science nursing program in their country.  Hummel was recognized by Vietnam's University of Medicine and Pharmacy for her contribution to Vietnamese medical education and for her tutoring of Vietnamese students over the past two decades.  Vietnamese officials noted that nursing education and practice in Vietnam has improved drastically as a result of Hummel's work. (Hummel also volunteers her time to co-direct the Friendship Bridge Nurses Group, a non-governmental organization that partners with Vietnamese educators and policymakers to advance the profession of nursing and improve health care in Vietnam.  In addition to developing the master's program, Hummel and her colleagues have sponsored nine nurses from Vietnam on study tours of nursing education and practice in the United States.  The exchange program has allowed Vietnamese nurses to benefit from the knowledge of the U.S. nursing system.) 

 

2011

 

Professor Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award

Charmayne Cullom, professor of Computer Information Systems at the University of Northern Colorado's Monfort College of Business, has been honored by the International Information Management Association with its Lifetime Achievement Award.

 

Monfort College Seniors Score in Top 4 Percent

Graduating seniors at the University of Northern Colorado's Monfort College of Business scored in the top 4 percent collectively on a nationally administered standardized test for business students.  All Monfort College of Business students must take the "Major Field Test in Business" in their final year of study.  Monfort seniors have scored in the top 4 to 10 percent every year since 2003.  More than 32,000 students take the exam nationwide in the areas of accounting, finance, quantitative busines analysis, management, marketing, legal/social environment, international business and economics.

 

UNC Authors Receive Book Award

A book authored by two University of Northern Colorado professors has received national attention from the annual Eric Hoffer Book Award.  Tracy Mueller and Robin Brewer, both associate professors of special education at UNC, authored the book "Strategies At Hand: Quick and Handy Positive Behavior Support Strategies" - a bookmark style, child-focused resource for teachers, parents and others who work with children.

 

UNC Women's Volleyball Name Conference and Tournament Champions

This is another incredible year for the UNC Bears volleyball team.  For the third year in a row, the Bears are the Big Sky Conference women's volleyball champions.  In addition, Coach Lyndsey Benson has been named the 2011 Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year.  The honor is the second for coach Benson.  That's not the only recognition the Bears have earned.  This year, Junior Kelly Arnold was named the Big Sky Conference's Most Valuable Player and was honored as the National Player of the Week from the Collegiate Volleyball Update for matches played between November 21-27.  Kelly is the first Northern Colorado player to earn that honor.  The Bears have a history of winning: they also won the Big Sky postseason title in 2009 and  shared its 2010 regular-season title.  In Hawaii, the Bears lead all three sets against No. 3 Hawaii, but Rainbow Wahine edged them out.  We are proud of their efforts and representing our community so well.

 

Player of the Week

Northern Colorado's Lauren Oosdyke has been named the Big Sky Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week for the games played the week of November 21-27.  This is Oosdyke's second career Player of the Week honor.

 

National Institues of Health Grant Assists Professor

University of Northern Colorado Associate Professor Mark Thomas has received a second national grant this year to study how dopamine is regulated in the brain.  Disruptions in dopamine have been linked to schizophrenia.  The $349,000 grant comes from a division of the National Institutes of Health.

 

Grant Supports Amputees and Biomechanics Lab at UNC

University of Northern Colorado assistant professor of Sport and Exercise Science Jeremy Smith and colleagues Gary Heise, David Hydock, and Carole Schneider have been awarded a Major Research Instrumentation Program grant totaling over $348,000 in combined funding from the National Science Foundation and the university.  Jeremy's studies of movement in amputees iftted with prosthetics, has the potential to lead to better design of the devices and rehabilitation programs.  He and his colleagues will also examine the benefits of exercise on mitigating side effects of treatemetns for cancer survivors struggling with balance.  The Science Foundation portion of the grant, which will cover 70 percent of the project's total costs, is designed to help researchers purchase equipemtn that will improve their work in the Biomechanics Lab in UNC's Gunter Hall and at UNC's Rocky Mountain Cancer Rehabilitation Center.

 

P.A.Y. it Forward Event Connects UNC Students to Community

More than 100 UNC students, lcoal high school students and community members spent their Saturday morning on September 17 collecting 150 bags of trash in areas surrounding the university as part of the inaugural Bears P.A.Y. It Forward Community Clean Up ... the PAY standing for parks, alleys and yards.  The event was coordinated in an effort to help improve Greeley's University District.

 

Professor of Chemistry/Biochemistry Honored for Research Achievements

Loretta Jones, prefessor emerita of chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Northern Colorado, has been awarded the Achievement in Research for the Teaching and Learning of Chemistry from the American Chemistry Society.  Her pioneering work positively affected countless graduate students and fellow researchers, ranging from those who have been influenced by her research on multimedia and visualizations to her work in building the viability of chemical edcation research nationally and internationally.  She has also secured more than $7 million in grants and worked to build and sustain the Chemistry Education doctoral progarm.

 

Bears Assistant Coach Invited to National Team Camp

UNC Bears assistant soccer coach Nikki Marshal has been invited to a team camp for the U.S. women's national team.  Overall, 24 athletes were invited to the camp and Nikki is one of ony two Colorado-born players invited.  Nikki already has a ton of international playing experience, as she was a member of the 2007 team that played in the Pan-American games in Rio de Janiero.  Nikki helped lead Team USA to the finals.

 

UNC Dean Receives Honorary Doctorate from University in Thailand

UNC's Dean of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences Eugene Sheehan has received an honorary doctorate from Burapha University in Thailand recognizing an international exchange program he created for faculty and graduate students from both universities.  In the past 2 years there have been 100 faculty and graduate students from Burapha attending UNC.  There are currently 6 doctoral students auditing courses in UNC's educational leadership program.

 

Player of the Week Honored

Northern Coloraod junior Kelly Arnold has been honored as the Big Sky Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for matches played between September 26 and October 2.  This is Kelly's fourth career Big Sky Player of the Week award.

 

Sigma Delta Pi Named Honor Chapter

The University of Northern Colorado chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the national collegiate Hispanic honor society, has been named an Honor Chapter for its outstanding community activities during the past year, marking the 5th consecutive year the chapter has received the recognition.  The UNC chapter has participated in cultural activities inclduing the 7th Annual Hispanic Poetry Contest, Latin dances, canned food drives and holiday wrapping for School District 6 during the 2010-2011 school year.

 

UNC Receives Department of Education Grant

The University of Northern Colorado has been awarded a grant totaling over $1.8 million over 5 years from the US Department of Education for a national professional development program.  The program will improve instruction for students with limited English proficiency and will provide resources to educators who work with them.  UNC will be partnering with Centennial and Dos Rios elementary schools on the project as well as schools in Poudre School District and Denver Public Schools.

 

Spring All-Academic Teams Announced

The Big Sky and Great West Conferences have announced their spring All-Academic teams.  The University of Northern Colorado had 30 student-athletes named to the teams in baseball, women's golf, men's and women's tennis and men's and women's outdoor track and field.

 

Science Project Heads to Space

A science project designed, engineered and built by a team of University of Northern Colorado physics students was launched into space in July.  While not the first UNC project to be launched by NASA, this was the first time one has entered the environment of outer space.  The project collected data that will be used to better understand a part of Earth's atmosphere normally not studied because space craft tend to pass through too fast and research balloons can't take data-gathering equipment high enough.  The UNC project was funded through NASA's Colorado Space Grant Consortium, which helps NASA develop the scientists who will play key roles in the country's future space exploration.

 

UNC Education Programs Re-Accredited

University of Northern Colorado education programs have received full re-accreditation from the Natioanl Council of Accreditation and Teacher Education.  The education programs are also accredited by the Colorado Department of Education and the Colorado Department of Higher Learning.

 

UNC Student's Receive Coveted U.S. Scholarships

Two University of Northern Colorado students are among 14 students from Colorado colleges selected to receive highly coveted U.S. Department of State scholarships to study abroad.  Ryan Ballard, a senior, will receive $4,500 to study in Taiwan.  Grant Thoresen, a junior, will receive a $5,000 award to study in Kazakhstan.  Funding is through the Benjamin A. Gilman International Schlarship Program, which is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.  Approximately 2,300 scholarships are awarded annually.

 

Women's Basketball Academic Top 25

The University of Northern Colorado women's basketball team has been named the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll for the third time in four seasons.  The team has a combined 3.358 grade-point average making them one of three Big Sky Conference schools to rank among the top 25.

 

Monfort Students Score Nationally

Graduating seniors at the University of Northern Colorado Monfort College of Business scored in the top 10 percent collectively on a nationally administered standardized test given by the Eduational Testing Services Major Field Test in Business.  Monfort students have scored in the top 5-10 percent of students every year since 2003.  They are tested in areas including accounting, finance, quantitative busines analysis, management, marketing, legal/social environment, international business and economics.  All Monfort students must complete the online exam in their final year of study.

 

El Pomar Grants Passed to Four Students

Four University of Northern Colorado President's Leadership Program students were selected by their peers in the El Pomar Scholars Program to earn a $1,000 state grant from the El Pomar Foundation.  The grant will support a project by Katy Nikkel, Gena Sturgon, Lexi Ververs and Lauren Koppel to benefit A Kid's Place of Weld County.

 

UNC Junior Drafted to Rockies

University of Northern Colorado Junior Jarod Berggren has been drafted in the 32nd round by the Colorado Rockies.  He is the first Bear to be drafted by the Rockies.  He is the 17th player in school history since 1965 to be selected to the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.  Jarod was also named to the Great West All-Conference First Team this season.

 

Track & Field Standout Earns All0District Honors

University of Northern Colorado senior track & field standout Justine Sandersfeld capped her stellar college career by earning Capital One's Academic All-District 2nd-Team honors.  She is the 7th Northern Colorado student-athlete honored by the College Sprots Information Directors of America in 2010-11.  Justine is the school record holder in both the indoor and outdoor 400 meters and is a member of the school's 4x400 meter record holding relay team.  She is also a five-time Big Sky All-Academic selection.

 

Big Sky Announces All-Academic Teams

The Big Sky Conference has announced the members of the 2010-2011 Winter All-Academic teams for women's basketball, men's basketball and men's and women's indoor track and field.  The University of Northern Colorado had 24 student-athletes named to the team, including Devon Beitzel in men's basketball who was named a Capital One Academic All-American and Kaisha Brown in women's basketball, a Capital One Academic All-District selection.

 

UNC Music Programs Keep Tradition of Success

Over the last 30 years, the University of Northern Colorado music programs have upheld a grand tradition of success, winning over 100 awards.  Recently, UNC has taken home three awards from DownBeat Magazine.  UNC Jazz Lab Band I was recognized as the college winner for large jazz ensemble, the Vanguard Combo won for jazz group, and the UNC Symphony Orchestra was recognized as the college winner for classical group.  The Symphony Orchestra has won eleven awards over the last eleven years.

 

UNC's Beitzel Added to All-America First Team

Northern Colorado senior Devon Beitzel has been selected as one of five players on this year's Lowe's Senior Class All-America First Team.  Beitzel was one of 30 national semi-finalists for the prestigious award in November and one of just 10 finalists in January.  The Senior Class Award and subsequent honor teams are chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I head coaches, national media, and fans to honor the most outstanding senior student-athletes in NCAA Division I men's basketball.  The award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

 

UNC Student Wins National Service Award

University of Northern Colorado Honors student, Rachel Rose Jackson, has been awarded a $2,500 scholarship as one of just three winners in the 2011 National Students In Service Awards competition.  This award recognizes college students for their commitment to addressing social and environmental challenges.  Ms. Jackson was honored for her work, establishing a non-profit organization that serves women and children living on the streets of Ghana.  In addition to the scholarship, the Students in Service program will award UNC with a $2,500 grant to support civic engagement programs for students.

 

Fund Class Wins First at GAME Forum

The Student and Foundation Fund class at the University of Northern Colorado's Monfort College of Business won first place at the Global Asset Management Education forum at Qunnipiac University.  The class won in the Undergraduate Core Student Fund category, competing against students from 24 countries.  The students manage a portfolio of more than $1 million (actual dollars) donated to the UNC Foundation.  The program enables students to interact with business professionals while studying portfolio management and security analysis.

 

MVPs Abound

UNC Senior Devon Beitzel, one of the top scorers in the country, has been named the Big Sky Conference MVP.  Devon is the first UNC Bear to win the award.  Senior Neal Kingman earned a spot on the All-Big Sky Second Team and senior Chris Kaba received Honorable Mention.

 

UNC Men's Basketball Wins Big Sky

Way to go Bears!  The University of Northern Colorado men's basketball team won the Division I Big Sky Conference title and the Big Sky Tournament - for the first time in the school's history.  They play the #2 seed San Diego Aztecs March 17 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

 

Brain Grant Awarded the Professor

Mark Thomas, University of Northern Colorado Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, recently earned a $60,000 grant for his research on cognitive functions in the brain.  The grant was awarded by The Brain and Behavioral Research Fund of the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression.

 

Peace Corps Recognizes Volunteer Spirit at UNC

For the third year in a row, the University of Northern Colorado ranks in the top 25 on the Peace Corps annual college list.  UNC is 17th this year in the number of alumni with bachelor's degrees who currently volunteer with the internatinal organization.  Since the inception of the Peace Corps 50 years ago, more than 500 UNC alumni have served.

 

UNC Professor of Chemistry Receives National Science Foundation Grant

University of Northern Colorado assistant professor of Chemistry, Robin Macaluso, has received the prestigious National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development grant.  The grant is given to junior faculty who exemplify the teacher-scholar role through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research.  The $460,000 5-year award will be used to enhance research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctural researchers who will work with Robin and researchers at national laboratories to develop a better understanding of magnetism and superconductivity in intermetallic compounds.  The project also calls for UNC's Math and Science Institute to train high school chemistry teachers in developing K-12 solid-state chemistry instructional materials.

 

Oosdyke Name Big Sky Player of the Week

University of Northern Colorado's Lauren Oosdyke has been named the Big Sky player of the Week for games played January 10-16.  For the week, Lauren averaged 25.4 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals per game.

 

UNC Faculty Awarded Archival Monitoring Grant

University of Northern Colorado library faculty members Jay Trask and Kay Lowell have been awarded a $3,500 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to help fund the "Archival Environmental Monitoring for the James A. Michener Library" project.  The project will focus on developing an environmental monitoring system including humidity and temperature monitors for the archival, rare books and special collections of Mr. Michener for long-term preservation of his materials.

 

Beitzel Selected as Big Sky Winner

UNC's Devon Beitzel was selected as the Big Sky Conference men's basketball Player of the Week on January 3.  This is his fifth career Player of the Week honor.

Dean Appointed to State Board

Eugene Sheehan, dean of the UNC College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, has been appointed to the State Leadership Academy Board by the Colorado Department of Education.  Dr. Sheehan will serve a three year term on the 14-member committee that advises the State Board of Education on topics that include recruitment of and professional development for current and future public schools principals.

 

Professor Receives Grant to Further Testing of Snake Venom

University of Northern Colorado Professor Stephen Mackessy recently earned a $50,480 bio-science grant from the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade to further test and analyze the use of snake venoms in anti-cancer drugs.  His lab is one of a few in the world conducting bio-chemical analysis of venoms.  If the results hold up under further evaluation, there is potential for the development of drugs specifically for treatment of breast, colon and skin cancers.

 

 

2010

 

Faculty Member Earns Hearing Conservation Award

University of Northern Colorado faculty member Deanna Meinke recently earned the Natalie Stukas Hearing Conservation Award from the Illinois Academy of Audiology.  The award recognizes outstanding achievement in clinical practice, consumer education, product development, or research in the area of hearing conservation.  Deanna's research includes the early detection and prevention of noise-induced hearing loss.  She is leading research to develop testing for military personnel.  Noise-induced hearing impairment accounts for nearly 10 percent of the total number of disabilities among veterans.

 

Student Wins International Competition

Hayden Holbrook, University of Northern Colorado student and former Northridge High student, has won the 2010 International Drum Set Competition at the Percussive Arts Society's International Convention held in Indianapolis, Indiana in November.

 

UNC Vice President Appointed to Advisory Committee

University of Northern Colorado Senior Vice President and Provost Abe Harraf has been appointed to the advisory committee for the Colorado Commission on Higher Education.  He will serve as the academic affairs representative.

 

UNC Receives Governor Energy Grant

The University of Northern Colorado is one of two state universities that has received a grant from the Governor's Energy Office to study energy efficiency among campus buildings.  the university was awarded $31,000 to pursue Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification in existing buildings.  The certification emphasizes green landscapes, custodial practices, recycling, energy conservation, renewable energy, sustainable purchasing practices and air quality.

 

UNC Assistant Professor Published

University of Northern Colorado assistant professor of Biological Sciences Chhandak Basu and grad student Brenda Thornton have co-authored an article that was published in Science Express, the electronic edition of Science magazine, which is known for articles written by Nobel Prize winners.  The article confirms the National Center for Atmospheric Research model which shows plants world-wide absorb more pollutants than previously thought - up to 36% more.

 

UNC Professor to Chosen for Crime Symposium

Philip Reichel, professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Northern Colorado, is one of four U.S. professors selected to participate in a symposium on Transnational Crime Prevention and Policing Strategies in Hangzhou, China.  Reichel will use research from the United Nations as well as research he conducted in Europe to explain the importance of countries working together to help prevent crimes such as human trafficking.  He will propose strategies such as information sharing and mutual legal assistance agreements as part of the solution.

 

UNC Receives Grant

A national leader in the field of teacher education, the University of Northern Colorado recently received a $1.2 million, five-year grant from the National Science Foundation to support and prepare math and science teachers to serve in high-need school districts, especially in rural areas.  Scholarships will be awarded through a competitive process to 22 qualified UNC upperclassmen majoring in STEM disciplines - Science, Technology, Engineering or Math.  In addition, 80 freshman and sophomores will receive paid internships that provide them with K-12 teaching and tutoring experiences.

 

Health Psychologist of the Year

Greeley psychologist Daniel Bruns, Psy.D., was named Health Psychologist of the Year by the American Psychological Association.  Bruns earned his doctorate in psychology from the University of Northern Colorado and has maintained a practice in Greeley for 25 years.

 

UNC Faculty Member Recipient of First Award

University of Northern Colorado's College of Natural and Health Sciences, School of Biological Sciences faculty member Chhandak Basu is the recipient of the first Biology Mentor Award given by the Council on Undergraduate Research at the assistant professor level.  The national award recognizes Basu's outstanding contributions as a student mentor and as an excellent role model for other mentors of undergraduate research students.

 

UNC Honor Society Honored

The University of Northern Colorado chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the national collegiate Hispanic honor society, has been named as Honor Chapter for its outstanding activities in 2009 and 2010, marking the 3rd consecutive year the local chapter has received the recognition.  UNC's chapter also received the prestigious Octavio Paz award that was granted to only six chapters nationwide for maintaining Honor Chapter status for 3 years in a row.

 

Women's Basketball Team Tops Academically

The University of Northern Colorado Women's Basketball team has been hitting the books as well as the court.  The Bears were named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll with a combined grade point average of 3.351.  The Bears rank 2nd overall among Big Sky schools.

 

UNC Residence Hall Wins - Again

The University of Northern Colorado's Residence Hall Association has received the National Association of College and University Residence Halls' School of the Year and Commitment to Diversity awards.  This is the second time UNC's residence hall association earned the two awards.  The diversity award is given to schools that involve student-directed, year-long, campus-wide commitments to awareness and education concerning diversity issues.

 

UNC Football Team Honored for Academics

The University of Northern Colorado football team is not only winning on the field but in the classroom.  The Football Championship Subdivision Athletic Directors Association has honored the Bears with one of its inaugural Academic Progress Rate Awards.  The awards recognize one institution at each of the 14 subdivision conferences for having the highest academic progress score.  The Bears had the highest score in the Big Sky Conference during the 2008-2009 academic year.

 

UNC Freshman named All-American

UNC Freshman, Mark Shannon, a pitcher and slugger for the UNC baseball team, has been selected as a Louisvill Sluggers' Freshman All-American.  He is the first Freshman All-American in school history and the 14th UNC player to be named.  This season, Shannon hit .326, which included an 11-game hitting streak including six triples.  He also posted a 4.52 Earned Run Average.

 

UNC Graduate Earts Fellowship

Yeni Violeta Garcia, a UNC graduate student pursuing her doctroate in Biological Education, has been awarded a prestigious graduate research fellowship from the National Science Foundation.  Yeni is one of 2,000 students offered the fellowship and the only scholar studying Biology Education.  She is the first UNC student to earn the award.  Ms. Garcia also developed a summer research program for girls at the Poudre Learning Center in Greeley and has worked with Dos Rios Elementary School helping teachers develop inquiry-based lesson plans for exploring science.

 

Orchestra, Jazz Combo Named Best Among Colleges

The country's leading jazz publication, DownBeat Magazine, has recognized the University of Northern Colorado's Music Program with eight awards for excellence, the most ever in one year in university history, including naming the symphony orchestra and jazz combo the best among colleges.  It is the 8th time in 11 years that UNC's symphony orchestra has earned the distinction.

 

UNC Professor Earns Regional Award

University of Northern Colorado Assistant Professor Connie Stewart has been selected by the National Art Education Association to receive the 2010 Pacific Region Higher Education Art Educator of the Year Award.  Connie teaches art history and art education classes and is executive director of the Center for Integrated Arts Education at UNC.

 

UNC Receives Daniels Fund Dollars

The University of Northern Colorado recently received $60,000 from the Denver-based Daniels Fund to provide 12 need-based scholarships to non-traditional students over the next two academic years.

 

UNC Basketball Memeber Into Academic All-American

UNCmen's basketball team member, Devon Beitzel, has been honored with a selection to the 2010 CoSIDA ESPN The Magazine, Academic All-American Men's Basketball team.  The announcement marks him as one of the finest men's basketball student-athletes in the entire country.  Devon has also been selected to the 2010 Big Sky All-Conference First Team.

 

UNC Men's Basketball Coach Earns Awards

Tad Boyle, coach of the University of Northern Coloado men's basketball team, has earned some outstanding recognition.  He has been added to the National Association of Basketball Coaches' list of 2010 Division I All-District Coaches and was selected as the co-District 6 Coach of the Year.  In addtion, Sporting News named him the best coach in the Big Sky Conference.

 

UNC Professor Earns 2nd Fulbright

UNC assistant professor of Geography, Karen Barton Ph.D., has been awarded a Fulbright Hays grant - her second such award from the U.S. Department of Education.  Barton will be researching ways in which large-scale modernization has affected cultural traditions, heightened economic struggles, and altered critically sensitive marine ecosystems in the Kuwait/United Arab Emirates region.

 

UNC Men's Basketball Sets New Record

With the UNC basketball team's win over Portland on March 17th, the men's team set a new school record with 25 wins and only 7 losses.  Congratulations to Coach Boyle and team members for an outstanding season.

 

Peace Corps Rank UNC in Top 25

UNC has been ranked 14th in the Peace Corps annual ranking of medium sized colleges and universities, with 24 alumni currently serving in the organization.  This is the 2nd year in a row that UNC has been ranked in the top 25 - last year the school was ranked 21st.

 

UNC Residence Halls - School of the Year

The Intermountain Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls has named UNC as its "School of the Year" for the residence hall association's organizational structure and its ability to involve students in activities and reach its goals.  The university also garnered the regional chapter's Commitment to Diversity Award.  President of the residence hall honor society, Jaime Ingrisano, received the Distinguished Service Award.

 

Chef Wins National Culinary Award

Aran Essig, executive chef and trainer for UNC's dining services operations, has earned the Western Region Chef Professionalism Award from the American Culinary Federation.  This recognition means that Essig is now eligible for the National 2010 Chef Professionalism Award which will be awarded in August.

 

2009

 

UNC Coach Named Best of 2009

University of Northern Colorado Volleyball head coach Lyndsey Benson has been named the 2009 Big Sky Coach of the Year after leading the Bears to their first-ever conference title.

 

UNC Director Receives National Sports Marketing Award

David Stotlar, Director of UNC's School of Sport and Exercise Science program, has been awarded the 2009 National Academic Achievement in Sport and Entertainment Award from the Sport and Entertainment Venue Association.

 

UNC Receives Great Plains Award

The University of Northern Colorado's Center for Urban Education received the 2009 University Continuing Education Association's Great Plains Credit Program Award.  The award recognizes programs for excellence in achieving educational objectives.  Students spend weekday mornings in K-12 classrooms with veteran teachers in an apprenticeship.

 

UNC Cumbres Program Earns National Recognition

Cumbres, University of Northern Colorado's innovative teacher preparation program for students committed to working iwth Hispanic school children, has been recognized by Excelencia in Education, a leading proponent in the US for accelerating Hispanic student success in higher education.  The Cumbres program was established in 1996 when a group of Hispanic alumni expressed concern about the shortage of Hispanic teachers.

 

Professor wins Chemical Education Award

Henry Heikkinen profesor emeritus at UNC, has received the 2009 George C Pimentel Award in Chemical Education from the American Chemical Society.  Among his many accomplishments, Henry helped establish UNC's nationally recognized PhD program in chemical education.

 

UNC Receives $1.17 Million Grant

UNC will receive $1.17 million from the National Science Foundation to lead a collaborative national initiative focusing on the advancement and retention of women faculty members in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines.  UNC ranked among the top 10 in percentages of women who are full-time faculty, tenure-track faculty, and those who are tenured faculty.  UNC also placed among the top 10 in the average salary of women full-time faculty relative to that of their male counterparts. 

 

UNC Selected for National Social Media Project

The University of Northern Colorado has been selected to participate in a national project to study social networking and research innovative ways for institutions to harness the technology in preparing students to be active and engaged members of society.

 

UNC Counseling Professor Earns National Award

Heather Helm, assistant professor of Counselor Education and coordinator of UNC's Professional Counseling programs has been named the recipient of the Association for Play Therapy's National Service Award.  The association's mission is to promote the value of play, play therapy and credentialed play therapists.

 

Second Fulbright Grant Awarded to Svedlow

UNC's Andrew Svedlow, Ph.D. has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant - his second such award in the past three years from the prominent U.S. international exchange program.  Svedlow, dean of the College of Performing and Visual Arts and professor of Art and Design, will lecture and conduct research in the Ukraine.

 

2009 M. Lucile Harrison Award Goes to Willis

UNC professor Courtney Willis of the College of Natural and Health Sciences has earned the 2009 M. Lucile Harrison Award, the university's top faculty honor.  The annual award recognizes a faculty member with a distinguished career in teaching, professional activity and service.

 

Walt Whitman Award for Poetry

University of Northern Colorado writing instructor J. Michael Martinez has been awarded the prestigious 2009 Walt Whitman Award by the Academy of American Poets.  Mr. Martinez, a Greeley native and graduate of UNC, will have his collection of poems called "Heredities" published next spring.

 

National Honor for Dissertation Given to UNC Assistant Dean

Assistant Dean of Students, Rachel Heiftz King, is the recipient of the 2008 National Dissertation of the Year award from the Association of Student Judicial Affairs.  King earned the award for her doctoral dissertation "Students' Perceptions of the Educational Value and Fairness of Their Experiences in the College Student Discipline Process."

 

2008

 

Monfort Seniors Maintain National Ranking

For the fifth consecutive year, Monfort College of Business seniors have scored at or above the 90th percentile on a nationally administered exit exam.  The scoring comes from The Major Field Test in Business, a standardized test produced by the Educational Testing Service of Princeton, NJ, and is the most widely used instrument at business schools to assess core business knowledge.

 

Julian W. Smith Award Given to Local Educator

Jim Stiehl, professor of Sport and Exercise Science at UNC, has been named the recipient of the Julian W. Smith Award by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.  Jim has devoted himself to under-served youth by developing partnerships that promote safety, healthy choices and social skills.  He is known to many in the area for developing UNC's Challenge Ropes Course.

 

UNC Professor Named Fulbright Scholar

Jim Gall, associate professor of Educational Technology at UNC has been selected as a Fulbright Scholar.  The Fulbright Program is an education exchange program of the U.S. Department of State, Bureaus of Educational and Cultural Affairs.  Part of Jim's Fulbright will involve teaching multi-media at a design institute in the Ukrainian city of Kharkov.

 

Outstanding Faculty Adviser Named

Allen McConnell, professor of accounting at UNC Monfort School of Business, has been named a 2008 Outstanding Faculty Advisor by Beta Alpha Psi, the honorary organization for financial information students and professionals.  He was among six faculty advisors nationwide who were recognized.

 

Women's Basketball Boasts Best Grade Point Average

The University of Northern Colorado women's basketball team had one of the best cumulative grade point averages in the nation this past season.  Their 3.414 GPA places the Bears in 10th place among Division I programs according to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.

 

UNC Receives Diversity Award

University of Northern Colorado's Housing and Residence Life has been named the sole recipient of the Commitment to Diversity Award by the National Association of College and University Residence Halls.  The award recognizes UNC's student-directed diversity awareness and education programming and the university's commitment to diversity.

 

Monfort College of Business Marketing Students "Clean House"

Marketing students at the UNC Monfort College of Business made a clean sweep, claiming first, second and third place in the student category at the annual Peak Awards.  The Peak Awards are sponsored by the Colorado Champter fo the American Marketing Association.  The awards recognize marketing excellence in Colorado.

 

Upward Bound Grant Awarded

The U.S. Department of Education will be awarding the University of Northern Colorado a $1 million, four-year grant to implement a new Classic Upward Bound Program.  The federallly funded TRIO program will serve 50 low-income/first-generation students from Greeley Central High School and will emphasize literacy and language development, math, science, ESL and foreign language.  Students will attend on-campus classes 6-8 hours a week and participate in activities as well as receive advising, tutoring and mentoring through high school graduation.

 

2007

 

UNC Receives Christa McAuliffe Award for Excellence

The University of Northern Colorado has received the 2007 Christa McAuliffe Award for Excellence in Teacher Education by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.  The award recognizes UNC’s elementary and secondary elementary teacher education programs.  The award will be presented at the Association’s annual meeting November 18-20 in San Francisco.
 

Monfort College of Business Receives Best College Ranking

The Monfort college of Business at the University of Northern Colorado has been ranked 126th by the US News and World Report "America's Best College" placing it among the elite business schools in the U.S.

Monfort College Student Recipient of Wall Street Journal Award
Lea Araki, of Hawaii, a senior at the Monfort College of Business at the University of Northern Colorado is a recipient of the 2007 Wall Street Journal Student Achievement Award. The Wall Street Journal award is given annually to top business students at each school program in the U.S. accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Monfort College of Business is one of five undergraduate-only programs in the country to hold such accreditation.

Brown Named Hockey Coach of the Year Al Brown, UNC’s club hockey team coach was named the Coach of the Year by the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Northwest Club Hockey Division.  Al also is on the staff of the Greeley Ice Haus and serves as the Ice Haus’s Hockey Director responsible for the Greeley Youth Hockey Association.

UNC Mens Rugby Team Wins Western Regionals The University of Northern Colorado mens rugby team advanced to nationals after winning the Western Regional Rugby Championships. Nationals were held in Orlando, Florida.

UNC Hockey Team Ranked No. 1
The University of Northern Colorado Hockey team has been ranked No. 1 in the Pacific Region with a perfect 22-0 record. The ice hockey team finished in fifth place in the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division III playoffs.

UNC Earns First Big Sky Win
The UNC men’s 4X4 relay team became the first team in school history to earn a Big Sky Conference championship capping the Bears first ever Big Sky Conference Indoor Championships. The team also set a new school record.

2006

Department of Revenue Awards UNC Police With Funds
The Colorado Department of Revenue's Liquor Enforcement Division awarded the University of Northern Colorado Police Department more than $46,000 to enforce underage drinking laws and to supplement education efforts.

Monfort Students Claim Marketing Recognition Four University of Northern Colorado Monfort College of Business students claimed second place out of 120 entries in the Direct Marketing Educational Foundation's annual Leonard J. Raymond Collegiate ECHO competition. The team developed a direct marketing campaign for the U.S. Postal Service. This marks the eighth time a direct marketing team from UNC has placed in the top three.

Concert Under the Stars Returns
The UNC "Concert Under the Stars" has made a come back in 2006. The free concerts were held in the UNC's Garden Theater on Tuesday evenings.

University of Northern Colorado Partners with North Colorado Medical Center
The University of Northern Colorado has partnered with North Colorado Medical Center to operate the Student Health Center. The partnership ensures that the Center continues to offer top-notch, affordable health care to students. NCMC also offers a $10,000 scholarship each year for nursing and is the primary training ground for nursing students completing their clinical. NCMC also employs a number of UNC graduates from the Nursing Program.