History and Geography
The institution is located in one of the older areas of Denver. The campus is located at the former townsite of Auraria, which was founded in November 1858. Denver was founded three weeks later on the opposing side (east side) of Cherry Creek. Denver would overtake Auraria, yet to the present day, there is still an Auraria neighborhood in Denver. The boundaries of the neighborhood are Colfax Avenue on the south, the South Platte River on the northwest and Cherry Creek on the northeast. The Auraria Campus now dominates this area.
Auraria had a mix of residential areas and industrial areas through the mid-20th century. When the campus was built, many Aurarians, a majority of them Hispanic, were displaced and the school promised to serve the community. The historic Tivoli Brewery was a beer brewery on this site that was preserved and the "Tivoli" now serves as a Student Union to all three schools on the campus; among other things it is noted for being the site of a stage of the now-defunct Coors Classic world-class bicycle race. Two churches are still on the campus, St. Elizabeth's Church and St. Cajetan's. The Emmanuel Gallery, which is the oldest synagogue structure in Denver, is on the campus as well.
The Metropolitan State University of Denver was founded in 1965 as an opportunity school. The concept was that people from all walks of life could have a chance at a college education. By design, Metro State is required to be accessible to all, which is why it consistently has some of the lowest tuitions of four-year Colorado colleges and universities. The college also admits all students over the age of 20 that have a GED or high school diploma regardless of their prior academic record, according to the 2004–2005 Metro State College Catalog.
The 2008 Democratic National Convention was held in Denver. The Auraria Campus is situated between Invesco Field at Mile High and Pepsi Center. Metro State started that semester a week early, closed it for the convention, and then restarted on schedule. The campus was within the security perimeter designated by the United States Secret Service, leading to the decision to close the campus to all except essential personnel.
MSU Denver was the first university to allow DREAMers to have a chance at higher education. It made national headlines.
Read more about this topic: Metropolitan State University Of Denver
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