DENVER – MSU Denver has for decades been a leader in providing equal opportunities for women in intercollegiate athletics.
Today is the 52
nd and final a year-long tribute by Roadrunners Athletics to pioneers and leaders in intercollegiate athletics at MSU Denver. The series coincides with the passage of Title IX.
Each Thursday, a key female figure in Roadrunners athletics history has been recognized.
Today, MSU Denver President Janine Davidson is featured.
Davidson has served as president of MSU Denver since 2017.
As president of Colorado's third-largest public university, Davidson is a fierce advocate for MSU Denver's 17,000 students. From her first days on campus, she has championed the role public universities play in "holding the line on the American dream." She has staunchly advocated for legal status for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients and supported MSU Denver's undocumented students, underrepresented students, and military and veteran students.
Davidson has spearheaded the development of high-quality, career-oriented undergraduate and graduate academic programs that serve Colorado's communities and power its economy. She launched the University's Classroom to Career Hub, connecting students with employers for a direct pipeline into the state and national workforce. She has also overseen the creation of the MSU Denver Health Institute – a collaboration of 10 academic departments in health-related fields that addresses state health-care-industry shortages – and the Institute for Public Service, which is focused on inspiring, preparing, and enabling students to serve with an emphasis on careers in government and the nonprofit sector.
She has also been a staunch supporter of MSU Denver Athletics, and has continued to promote the Roadrunners' programs as the "front porch" of the university.
Title IX, the groundbreaking law prohibiting sex-based discrimination at schools that receive funding from the federal government, went into effect just over 50 years ago – on June 23, 1972.
