In the debut episode of Common Grounds, Metropolitan State University of Denver President Janine Davidson, Ph.D., sat down with Vice President for Administration and Finance and Chief Financial Officer Jim Carpenter for a candid discussion about the University’s budget, financial priorities and the path forward amid challenging economic conditions.
Watch the full episode:
In this episode:
(:48) Budget Basics: What drives MSU Denver’s revenue.
(1:10) Student Success = Financial Success: How MSU Denver’s “flywheel” fuels reinvestment in people and programs.
(1:45) Challenging Budget Year: How federal policy and state budget challenges affect higher education.
(3:20) How MSU Denver is navigating the challenge: Assessing hiring decisions, finding efficiencies and managing budgets strategically.
Your questions
Before every episode of Common Grounds, the Early Bird will solicit questions from faculty and staff members for Davidson and her guest. In this episode, Davidson and Carpenter address questions from:
(4:25) Matthew in Information Technology Services:
MSU Denver values access. I hear that part of access is keeping tuition affordable. I also hear narratives about a perceived friction between stewardship and care — where budget decisions can feel at odds with student-centered values. How might we reframe this narrative to show that budget stewardship is a form of access work?
(6:37) Ann in the Department of Social Work:
To be creative and efficient within our constricted budget, can you tell us what financial levers may have the most impact and/or the ability to move? I think we’re super creative and aim to be efficient, but we don’t always know what things cost or save, or where we might have the power to change things.
Question to go
While we can’t fit all of your great questions in the video, we will try to answer them here.
Ed in Student Affairs asks:
Q: When the new student housing is here, what is the plan for additional parking?
A: Students living in Summit House will be able to park on campus as Auraria students who live at Lynx Crossing and City Heights do now. No new parking is planned for Summit House, but AHEC’s most recent parking study shows substantial parking availability on campus during most of the year. The final parking arrangements have not been completed, but parking options will be communicated to students in early 2027 as they consider the potential of moving into Summit House.