Gift that keeps on giving

The Student Success Endowed Fund at Metropolitan State University of Denver received a significant financial contribution in March, thanks to longtime supporters Ferd and Christy Belz.

The transformational gift provides flexible resources in perpetuity to expand student support services. It will bolster programs such as the Student Emergency Fund, Rowdy’s Corner (formerly the Roadrunner Food Pantry), tutoring and mentoring services and more.

President Janine Davidson, Ph.D., described these wraparound services as the “secret sauce” for helping students achieve their dreams. “The Student Success Endowed Fund is all about providing the kinds of resources that get our students over the finish line and into the Colorado community and economy,” she said.

Studies show that students who receive comprehensive services have improved mental health and better academic performance, including higher retention and graduation rates.

Social Work major Miriana Pascual-Miranda said programs such as First-Generation Initiatives have helped her overcome barriers in a higher education system not built for nontraditional students and inspired her to give back as a student coordinator and mentor.

“(First-Generation Initiatives) provides programming that supports students’ professional, personal and academic development,” the graduating senior said. “We really appreciate (the Belz family’s) investment in our students.”

Ferd Belz, president of L.C. Fulenwider Inc. and a member of the MSU Denver Foundation Board of Directors for over 10 years, and his wife, Christy Belz, president of Empowerment Coaching and Consulting, said they made their gift to provide students with resources to help get them through college.

“Education is a core value we invest in as a family,” said Christy Belz, a social worker who was a first-generation student herself.

During her time with Project WISE, a nonprofit that empowers women transitioning from welfare to work, Belz witnessed the combined power of wraparound services and education to change the trajectory of people’s lives.

Ferd Belz, who is also a former first-generation student, said that when students come to college without experience, it’s easy to get lost, making wraparound services key.

“This University is transforming lives,” he said. “And in turn, those students and graduates are transforming the future of our city and our country.”