To launch Career Development Month in November, the Colorado Department of Higher Education announced that Metropolitan State University of Denver and four other higher education institutions earned this year’s Career Connected Campus Designation.
The recognition spotlights the University’s systemic efforts to prepare students for Colorado’s evolving workforce.
“This designation is a direct result of years of collaborative work between faculty, staff and the Classroom to Career Hub,” said Adrienne Martinez, associate vice president of Classroom to Career Initiatives. “It validates our shared commitment to aligning academic pathways with real-world opportunity, especially for students who’ve historically faced barriers to career access.”
The Career Connected Campus designation is based on four key pillars: curricular integration, experiential learning, employer partnerships and student outcomes. MSU Denver demonstrated strength in all areas, highlighting initiatives such as:
- Career-connected spaces across every academic college serve as living laboratories that merge classroom learning with professional application.
Examples include flight simulators in Aviation and Aerospace, cyber ranges in Computer Science, and a health simulation lab in Health Professions, hotel and brewing facilities in Hospitality, Art and Design studios and applied research labs in Social and Behavioral Sciences. Each environment replicates real-world industry settings. Complementing these are virtual advising hubs, online career readiness modules and flexible cocurricular spaces operated by the Classroom to Career Hub, known as C2Hub. Together, they form an integrated ecosystem where students continuously translate academic knowledge into workforce skills and professional identity development.
- The Classroom to Career Hub anchors and accelerates career-connected learning across campus by leveraging shared resources, streamlining initiatives, and supporting faculty through grants, toolkits and learning communities to embed career relevance in coursework. The C2Hub also aligns MSU Denver’s Industry Partnerships Framework, refreshed annually in response to the Colorado Talent Pipeline Report, ensuring academic programs remain responsive to evolving workforce needs and employer demand.
- Expanded access to paid internships and career development programs, helping level the playing field for students balancing work, school and family responsibilities.
Career-connected education is deeply embedded in the University’s Strategic Plan and reflects MSU Denver’s identity as an anchor institution for Colorado’s future workforce. For students, it means an education that leads to economic mobility and purpose-driven work. For employers, it means access to graduates who have the skills and preparation to contribute immediately.
The Career Connected Campus designation elevates MSU Denver’s visibility statewide, highlighting the way we advance equity through economic mobility and career advancement for our students. The University will participate in a three-year learning community with peer institutions, gain access to additional data tools and policy innovation networks, and strengthen its ability to build reciprocal partnerships with industry leaders.
The designation is valid through 2029, with opportunities to share best practices and apply for related funding during that time.
