Faculty and staff members at Metropolitan State University of Denver continue to lead innovative projects that support student success, strengthen the workforce and expand community engagement. Explore the grant projects below to learn more about their impactful work.
Kathryn Hardin, Ph.D., faculty member in the College of Health and Human Sciences, Social Work
- $10,000 grant from Colorado Department of Human Services
- Mindsource Brain Injury Community Grant
- Award date: March 28
- Funding will support communication-partner training for Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado staff and the development of no-cost responsive-communication programming for clients and residents with acquired communication disorders.
Michael Botyarov, Ph.D., faculty member in the College of Aerospace, Computing, Engineering and Design, Aviation and Aerospace
- $63,000 grant from Colorado Department of Transportation, Aeronautics Division
- VR Flight Training Laboratory
- Award date: March 31
- Funding supports equipment purchases for a virtual-reality lab that will provide mixed-reality flight training, near-space payload development and uncrewed-aircraft systems familiarization, including Drone Soccer.
Adriann Wycoff, Ph.D., and Rob Gallegos, faculty members in the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Family Literacy
- $542,727 grant from Colorado Department of Education
- Adult Education and Literacy Program
- Award date: April 1
- Supports the MSU Denver Family Literacy Program’s delivery of adult education classes in communities such as Thornton, Commerce City and Westminster, continuing a decades-long commitment to lifelong learning and engagement.
Truong Nguyen, Information Technology Services
- $70,940.75 grant from Colorado Statewide Internet Portal Authority
- CommonLook Grant Competition
- Award date: May 5
- Award supports campuswide use of the CommonLook accessibility-software suite, offering tools for creating, evaluating and remediating accessible PDFs and managing accessibility at scale.
Kate Trujillo, Ph.D., faculty member in the College of Health and Human Sciences, Social Work
- $191,500 grant from Colorado Department of Human Services
- Colorado Child Welfare Scholars Consortium
- Award date: June 9
- Supports a well-prepared child-welfare workforce through scholarships for approximately 75 Social Work students and initiatives in research, evaluation and professional development.
Jessica Retrum, Ph.D., faculty member in the College of Health and Human Sciences, Social Work
- $583,038 additional funding from the State of Colorado Behavioral Health Administration
- CO BHA and MSU Denver Collaborative: Addressing Colorado’s Behavioral Health Needs and Workforce Vacancies
- Award date: June 9
- This two-year project will create an employment-based, low- or no-cost Master of Social Work degree option for students and provide access to a customized, affordable pathway to licensure for postgraduates. Retrum’s total award is $1,540,014.
Diana Delacruz-Aparicio, Student Affairs, Student Engagement and Well-being
- $1,761,970 grant from the U.S. Department of Education TRIO Program
- Student Support Services
- Award date: July 9
- Five-year grant that supports a holistic student-achievement community through strength-based advising, career development and graduate-school preparation, with a focus on retention, academic standing and degree completion.
