Research indicated that the name change to Metropolitan State University of Denver would increase the value of an MSU Denver degree while eliminating the misperception that the institution is a community college.

The name change also provided an opportunity for the MSU Denver Alumni Association to build its scholarship fund.

This past fall, the alumni association offered diplomas and other items such as key chains, luggage tags, license plate frames and more featuring the University’s new name. The items were bundled into three packagesof $50, $75 and $100. A replacement diploma alone was $20, which increased to $30 on Jan. 1.

As of Jan. 4,796 packages/diplomas were purchased, bringing in $14,298 for scholarships. The top seller, at 576 sold, was the diploma with the new name.

The association promoted the venture as a way to show Roadrunner pride and to donate to a worthy cause—MSU Denver scholarships. In all there were 685 unique donors and 491 first-time gift-givers.

Mark A. Jastorff, executive director of the alumni association, considers the program to be a success. “The fact that we added almost 500 new donors shows us a level of pride and engagement that we can really build on,” he says.

The packages are no longer available but the association will try to accommodate someone wanting to purchase an item or two. And you can expect more entrepreneurship from the association.

“Right now, we’re in the regroup stage,” Jastorff says. “We know we’re going to have some sort of offers in the future and maybe an online store…so alumni will be able to support the scholarship fund and promote their alma mater, too.”