The best of RED 2025
Award-winning stories and staff favorites from MSU Denver’s newsroom.
Metropolitan State University of Denver celebrated its 60th anniversary with a bang this year, hitting milestone after milestone with an eye toward transforming campus, expanding opportunity and celebrating student excellence. From breaking ground on the University’s first-ever residence hall to launching its first fundraising campaign, MSU Denver spent the year building for what’s next. Health education surged forward with the renovated Sim Labs and momentum toward the Gina and Frank Day Health Institute Tower, expected to break ground in early 2026.
Beyond brick and mortar, new programs and partnerships took flight: The Affordable Housing Institute opened doors for students and community impact, the University launched Colorado’s first Mariachi degree and a new Aerospace Missions program prepared Roadrunners to help lead the next era of space exploration. Meanwhile, MSU Denver athletes brought home hardware — including a regional championship for the Volleyball Team and a national title for the Aerobatics Team — and the campus community celebrated creativity and connection with a striking new mural on the Kalamath Building and a visit from Steve Forbes, plus so much more.
Here are the standout stories — staff favorites and award-winners — that capture the year’s Roadrunner spirit.
Top 10 staff picks
MSU Denver celebrates groundbreaking for its first residence hall
The 12-story Summit House, which will include food and retail options, will create a vibrant campus community in the heart of downtown.
Opportunity rising
Sixty years ago, an upstart college offered an unprecedented value proposition. More than 112,000 graduates later, the promise of higher education in Colorado is stronger than ever.
Maya monuments speak in signs — and now we understand them
Anthropology professor’s groundbreaking research deciphers hand gestures in writing and art as dates on an ancient calendar.
Colorado’s first Mariachi degree is shaped by student experiences
The new program at MSU Denver features a unique blend of performance, cultural studies and business.
A lowly punctuation mark has sparked a fiercely debated AI controversy
Despite what many say on social media, the em dash can signal sophisticated writing, an English professor says.
SNAP uncertainty magnifies growing food insecurity on college campuses
MSU Denver looks to step up food assistance efforts amid government shutdown.
Students unearth stories from Central City’s former red-light district
MSU Denver Anthropology professor leads excavation of brothel site in hands-on summer dig.
VIDEO: Her autistic son needed help, so she became an expert
Jaclyn Gutierrez left a career in banking to pursue speech therapy and advocate for Spanish-speaking families like her own.
Refugee finds his calling in uniform and a University that believed in him
Emanuel Walker fled civil war in Liberia as a child. He’s now a soon-to-be Army officer and college graduate working toward ‘a greater purpose.’
VIDEO: Crime-scene science gets real in the classroom
Students gain hands-on experience analyzing fingerprints, blood spatters and other forensic evidence to solve mock crimes.
Award-winning stories
PRSA Gold Pick Award for best feature story
MSU Denver aims to help Colorado reclaim its status in the cannabis industry
The University will begin offering the nation’s first hospitality-focused certificates in the field this fall.
PRSA Gold Pick Award for best feature story
Does a college degree make you happier?
Psychologists trace the connection between higher education and subjective well-being.
PRSA Gold Pick Award for best feature story and Grand Gold Pick Award for highest overall score
Sim Labs pave the way for the future of health care
MSU Denver’s new Interprofessional Simulation and Skills Laboratory will meet workforce challenges in nursing and beyond.
