Metropolitan State University of Denver turned 50 this past year. And while the iconic Denver institution took some time to celebrate its history and achievements since 1965, it also kept an eye firmly focused on the future.
So, what will the next 50 years hold for MSU Denver?
The answer, according to President Stephen M. Jordan, is simple.
“We were created to serve scrappy students, nontraditional students, and we will never lose sight of that mission,” he said. “But today we need to do it better, in more strategic and innovative ways.”
One way MSU Denver is making that happen is through the creation of public-private partnerships (P3s). Those partnerships, which bring together state institutions and private companies to achieve a common goal, benefit students, local industry and the community.
Two of MSU Denver’s most successful P3s to date led to the creation of its Hotel and Hospitality Learning Center (HLC) and its Aerospace and Engineering Sciences (AES) initiative.
When the HLC project began, MSU Denver already had a successful hospitality education program in place and believed a hotel was a natural partnership fit because it would connect the university to the community while also creating on-the-job training for students.
Progressing from the idea to the reality was complex, but after much exploration, the university created a wholly owned, not-for-profit corporation to own the hotel. Revenues from patrons paid for the hotel and attached academic learning center, and net profits flowed to the university foundation to support scholarships.
“Today, our Department of Hospitality, Tourism and Events has more than 540 students and is widely considered the best baccalaureate hospitality management program in the region,” said Jordan.
He also noted that since the hotel opened in 2012, average occupancy has been 77 percent. So, besides offering student training, the partnership has put the university $700,000 ahead of its pro forma.
MSU Denver’s AES initiative is solving a problem for aerospace and advanced manufacturing companies in Colorado that couldn’t find sufficient local talent to support their growth.
Faculty from six different disciplines at the university worked with industry leaders to devise a program to train the most skilled, workforce-ready graduates in the nation. Together, they created a first-of-its-kind curriculum that fosters advantageous connections between aerospace sciences; civil, electrical and mechanical engineering technology; and computer information systems and computer science.
MSU Denver is now revolutionizing aerospace and advanced manufacturing education. The university broke ground on a $60 million building to house the initiative last year, which will open in 2017. With buy-in from industry and government, the project included development funding (one-third); university allocation of carefully saved construction dollars (one-third); and private funding (one-third).
“We’ve found public-private partnerships to be extremely beneficial,” Jordan said. “They help the members of our diverse student body reach their goals, meet the needs of our state and bring us one step closer to our own goal of being the preeminent, public urban university in the nation.”
To read more about MSU Denver, visit msudenver.edu.
