MSU Denver Debate students from left to right: Benjamin Pexton, Alliton Flores Sanchez and Aksel Silva respond to the competing group's counter statements. Photo by Josh Geurink
MSU Denver Debate students from left to right: Benjamin Pexton, Alliton Flores Sanchez and Aksel Silva respond to the competing group's counter statements. Photo by Josh Geurink

Each year,  Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Day of Giving brings the Roadrunner community together to make a difference in the lives of the people, programs and initiatives that make our University great.

MSU Denver Debate was one among the many programs that benefited from donor generosity during 2025 Day of Giving, raising $1,930.

Housed within the Gary Holbrook Debating Union & Archive in the Department of Communication Studies, this intercollegiate and public debating program focuses on civic, community and competitive debating endeavors in the Denver, regional, national and global arenas. The program gives students the chance to engage in debate and develop essential skills, including critical thinking, dialogic ethics, deliberative decision-making, argumentation and presentational speaking that prepare them for future careers.

“Our students have attended prestigious law schools and graduate programs, held competitive internships and have made significant contributions to the University and surrounding communities,” said John Rief, Ph.D., associate professor of Rhetoric and Debate and advisor to MSU Denver Debate. “We would like to continue this track record of success and reach more students in the future.”

John Rief Headshot

One way to accomplish that goal is by presenting students with unique opportunities that are only made possible because of donors on Day of Giving.

Last year’s gifts opened the door to a partially funded study-abroad trip to Rwanda, where students participated in youth debate education and other activities, traveling to a championship tournament at Cal Poly SLO and partaking in numerous online and in-person tournaments. “We are so thankful to our donors who supported all of these projects last year,” said Rief.

This year, MSU Denver Debate is fundraising to extend travel and learning experiences to an ever-growing number of students. Recently, the team made it to the novice final round of a major national invitation tournament. They are also looking forward to once again attending the championship tournament, this year at Clemson University, traveling to Yosemite National Park to participate in a sustainability summit and more.

“With rising travel costs and increasingly smaller budgets, our donors are crucial to our efforts to promote access to this intensive and evidence-based educational platform that has a proven track record in helping students develop critical thinking, research, advocacy, civic engagement and leadership skills,” said Rief.

“To do all of this, we need your support.”

Learn more about MSU Denver Debate’s 2026 Day of Giving fundraising goals HERE!

 

MSU Denver Day of Giving – 2026

In 2025, over 1,900 Day of Giving donors raised more than $403,000, enabling us to continue delivering on our mission to support student success by ensuring MSU Denver students have access to food, emergency funds, scholarships and more – resources they need to chart a course to a brighter tomorrow for themselves and their families.

This year, Day of Giving is a celebration of Roadrunners’ past, present and future! By making a gift during Day of Giving to the campus area or project you are most passionate about, you are honoring our history and empowering all Roadrunners to ‘Rise to the Future!’

Contact Bre Milnes, executive director of Advancement Communications and Annual Giving, for more information. 

Video creators: Abiah Randel, Sofiya Alferow, Mona Thompson, Trayosha Decker, and Mariah Dean

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