Metropolitan State University of Denver’s longtime commitment to empowering Latine students and communities has earned the institution numerous accolades. Most recently, the University accepted the 2024 Alianza Award from the non-profit Colorado Latino Leadership, Advocacy & Research Organization. The Alianza Award, CLLARO’s only institutional honor, recognized the University for its enduring positive impact on Colorado’s diverse communities.
Michael Benitez, Ph.D., vice president for Diversity and Inclusion, and Manny Del Real, Ph.D., executive director of Hispanic-Serving Institution Initiatives, accepted the award for MSU Denver at CLLARO’s annual awards ceremony on Aug. 9. The event brought together community leaders, advocates, organizations, and supporters to celebrate the rich heritage and contributions of Latinos in Colorado.
Benitez spoke to the deep care and commitment staff and faculty members have in serving Latine students and all Roadrunners.
“This includes the willingness for MSU Denver employees to equip themselves with the appropriate development and tools to be best prepared to serve Latine students and broader communities,” Benitez said.
Since it was founded, MSU Denver has prepared more than 30,000 Latinx Coloradans for the modern workforce and more than one third of current students identify as Hispanic/Latinx. The University also established the state’s first campus Immigrant Services Program in 1990 and was one of the first IHEs in the nation to offer in-state tuition to undocumented students in 2012, without a state mandate. MSU Denver then led efforts to pass Colorado’s 2013 ASSET Bill, allowing undocumented students to pay in-state tuition. More recent accomplishments include earning Hispanic-Serving Institution status as well as the Seal of Excelencia.
“Looking to the future, MSU Denver’s University 2030 Strategic Plan includes becoming a model HSI” Del Real said. “Part of reaching that goal includes strengthening our partnerships with organizations that share our core values, such as CLLARO, LAEF, Latino Cultural Center and the Mexican Cultural Center, Del Real said.
Meanwhile, Benitez feels the University has already achieved unparalleled status within the community.
“I consider MSU Denver to be the go-to institution of higher education for Latine student success,” Benitez said. “We understand the richness and diversity of Latine cultures as well as the nuanced lives and experiences Latines bring to their campus experience. We understand that an education is more than a degree for Latine students. It is a vehicle to economic mobility and to providing for their families and serving the communities they come from.”
