President’s Budget Priorities

While the federal government has provided $37.5 million in direct aid to MSU Denver students in the same acts that have provided institutional one-time funding, we’re allocating additional one-time funds to support our students’ emergency, transportation and housing needs.

• $1.1 million to cover the student Regional Transportation District pass for this fall
• $600,000 for student emergency funds
• $600,000 for scholarships over three years
• $570,000 to support students with housing needs
• $1 million invested in the C2 Hub to continue helping students connect to high-quality internships and career opportunities
• $1.7 million from our $3.5 million in CARES Act Hispanic-Serving Institution grants for tutors, teaching assistants, translation and technology to support teaching and learning. The remaining allocation will be announced in the coming months.

Investing in our built environment and our learning infrastructure, including the buildings and grounds of the Auraria Campus as well as our online teaching and learning capabilities, will ensure that all Roadrunners have the modern facilities they need to teach, learn, work and thrive.

• $14.6 million to address strategic infrastructure needs
  • $7.26 million to update 150 MSU Denver classrooms to support flexible learning environments
  • $1.4 million to address space planning for the Health Institute, the Classroom to Career Hub, flexible work-environment changes and controlled maintenance needs
  • $4.5 million for deferred maintenance needs, such as replacement of turf fields and courts as well as other infrastructure needs of the University
  • $1.4 million to continue the build-out of our online infrastructure, including ongoing training and support. Additional investments for our online posture will be announced in coming months.

Historic underfunding of the University has forced us to prioritize current operations year after year at the expense of foundational support systems such as Information Technology, Human Resources, Financial Aid and other processes. We must invest in our institutional engine room to provide students, faculty and staff with the support they need.

• Information Technology
  • $1.2 million in addition to a $1.5 million state investment for IT Services to implement critical Wi-Fi network upgrades and updates to the server and Banner environments
• Human Resources
  • $4.72 million allocated to the Workday project to cover implementation costs, licensing fees, and temporary staff in HR, Accounting Services, Budgeting and ITS
  • $179,000 for professional development of faculty and staff. Additional investments to fuel a Universitywide presidential leadership program will be announced shortly.
• Student Services
  • $1.3 million to improve organizational processes and structures, including upgrades to our financial-aid and transfer processes and investments in our strategic enrollment-management efforts

We are launching MSU Denver’s first institutional fundraising campaign in the coming year, which will bring in needed funding while also building critical relationships and bolstering our reputation in the community.

• This first-ever comprehensive campaign will be primed with $4 million over three years for Advancement to recruit staff. This investment is projected to yield a $1.2 million annual increase in fundraising in the initial years of the campaign and grow to a nearly $4.2 million annual return.

Thousands of students saw their dreams interrupted during the pandemic, and we have a responsibility to help them realize that their dreams are still within reach. Raising awareness of our innovative, nimble, student-centric education and social-mobility opportunities among those who will power our society’s comeback is essential to our mission. This requires strategic enrollment and marketing investments now to ensure a strong student pipeline for the future.

• Enhanced marketing initiatives include:
  • $6 million to expand marketing outside of metro Denver to other areas of the state and neighboring states
  • $1.8 million for strategic branding opportunities
  • Nearly $1 million for new growth initiatives

Our faculty and staff reflect the Roadrunner spirit of resiliency and determination, and we are using this opportunity to show appreciation for their extraordinary efforts to make education possible for our students. Compensation makes up two-thirds of the University’s base budget, and investing in our people with one-time funds not only recognizes our dedicated and talented faculty and staff but helps us more effectively support students.

• The base investments in salaries announced last month included a 1.75% base increase along with another 1% ($760,000) allocated to faculty compression adjustments. Additionally, $3.31 million in stipends will be awarded to faculty and administrative staff members who have helped us weather the Covid storm. Putting our people first by providing competitive compensation and support to minimize disruptive turnover will continue to be a presidential priority.

As responsible stewards of public funds, we are also setting aside funds and returning money to departments significantly hurt financially by the pandemic.

• $7.07 million saved in reserves for potential needs in 2022-24 to ensure University sustainability and ability to address near-term projects
• $5.1 million for SpringHill Suites by Marriott, including debt payments and required renovation
• $2.75 million set aside for Covid-suppression efforts, required by Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III funding guidance
• $1.38 million returned to auxiliary departments that lost student-fee revenue during the pandemic