Jim Carpenter named VP for Administration and Finance

Dear Roadrunners,

I am pleased to announce that Chief Financial Officer Jim Carpenter has been elevated to vice president for Administration and Finance. At this key stage in the University’s growth, elevating the CFO to report directly to the president ensures that financial strategy and resource allocation align closely with overall University and presidential priorities, advancing our mission and supporting our students.

Jim has made a huge impact in the time he’s served as CFO, overseeing strategic and financial planning for MSU Denver, including Accounting Services, Business Services, Student Accounts and the Office of Budget. After seeing what Jim has done to modernize our budget process, I look forward to seeing his transformative touch applied to University risk management and other areas in which his unique skill set and experience will help us achieve long-term success.

Meanwhile, Larry Sampler, the University’s chief operating officer and current vice president for Finance and Administration, will move into a special-advisor role. I’m eternally grateful that Larry, whose personal circumstances required him to be out of state, was willing to work remotely post-Covid. Now that we’ve successfully emerged from the pandemic, it is important that the person in this critical operational role maintain the ability to be on campus regularly.

In his new, part-time role, Larry will focus on guiding the critical transition to a new student information system and advancing key infrastructure projects. Larry is a model servant leader and has been a guiding force during some of MSU Denver’s most significant challenges, including the Covid-19 pandemic and the transition to the Workday finance-and-HR system.

I look forward to his continued contributions to our mission.

Please read this Early Bird article for more details.

Sincerely,
Janine Davidson, Ph.D.
President