MBA students partner with Rowdy’s Corner to strengthen campus food access
Graduate students use business expertise to help expand operations and reduce stigma around food insecurity.
Graduate students in the Master of Business Administration program at Metropolitan State University of Denver are tackling food insecurity — starting on their own campus.
Food insecurity remains a pressing issue across Colorado and the nation. According to Hunger Free Colorado, about 11% of Coloradans lack reliable access to nutritious food. Nationally, the rate is 13.7%, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
At MSU Denver, Rowdy’s Corner serves as a vital resource to help ensure students’ basic needs are met so they can succeed academically. This semester, the campus food pantry is partnering with MBA students in their capstone course to strengthen its operations, financial sustainability and long-term impact, while giving students hands-on consulting experience.
The MBA capstone class is conducting a comprehensive business analysis of Rowdy’s Corner. Student teams work directly with pantry leadership and student workers, treating the organization as a real-world client.
For Paul Anderson, affiliate professor in the MBA program and double MSU Denver alumnus, the project represents the heart of what business education should be.
“Really, it’s the students,” he said. “It’s about helping the students.” “I’m all about our mission here, and I’m a Roadrunner through and through,” Anderson said.
The project’s scope is broad. Students are evaluating operational efficiency, financial stability, technology and innovation, corporate partnerships, community awareness, internal collaboration, and the development of a long-term strategic roadmap.
For MBA student Kate Falkenhart, the project is deeply personal. She has experienced food insecurity and has worked professionally in food access and distribution systems. She said one of the most valuable aspects of the MBA program is its emphasis on applied learning.
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“The best part of the MBA program is its real-world application,” Falkenhart said. “Many courses involve live projects with community partners. The work feels practical and relevant.”
She also appreciates the program’s emphasis on ethical leadership and social responsibility — conversations that challenged her expectations of a traditional business curriculum.
“This project is helping me develop skills I will continue to use working in the nonprofit sector,” she said.
Falkenhart sees the capstone as an opportunity to explore how business strategies can support nonprofit missions without compromising values.
“This project represents a way to align business education with social values,” she said.
Fellow MBA student Dave Bobrowski echoed that sentiment, describing the project as more than a typical class assignment.
“It’s not just helping the food pantry improve its operations,” Bobrowski said. “It’s truly going to help amplify student impact by reducing stigma around food pantry utilization.”
Bobrowski believes the cohort is developing a consultative model that could extend beyond MSU Denver, potentially benefiting other campus food pantries and community organizations.
“Rowdy’s Corner is doing something incredibly important. It’s not just providing food, it’s building a trusted, community-centered space where students feel supported and connected,” he said. “Our MBA cohort is helping strengthen the operational and strategic foundation so Rowdy’s can expand its impact sustainably and serve more students with dignity.”
For Bobrowski, the experience also reflects the broader value of the MBA program.
“The program has been nothing but fantastic,” he said, adding that the program has built on his existing strengths to make him more marketable. Ultimately, he said, he expects it to “amplify my impact in the real world.”
Richard Miccio, director of Campus Recreation and Health, oversees the food pantry and is beyond excited to see what the students come up with.
“We’re trying to tap into the expertise we have here on campus through professional staff and through the graduate students as budding professionals,” he said.
The partnership reflects MSU Denver’s broader mission: students helping students and using business education as a tool for community impact.
