Metropolitan State University of Denver is proud to announce the appointment of two inaugural deans. Hope Szypulski, DNP, has been selected to lead the College of Health and Human Sciences, and Jeffrey L. Newcomer, Ph.D., will lead the College of Aerospace, Computing, Engineering and Design. Both colleges were established last spring through a realignment of the College of Health and Applied Sciences. The strategic redistribution of resources expands the University’s innovation-and-research footprint and responds to the changing academic and professional needs of students and employers.

Provost Alfred Tatum, Ph.D.

“Establishing these two new colleges — and selecting two outstanding leaders and academics to helm them — signifies a fundamental shift for MSU Denver and further communicates the University’s significance across the higher-education landscape,” said Provost Alfred Tatum, Ph.D. “This reorganization positions MSU Denver as ‘the University for Colorado’ while advancing the goals of our 2030 Strategic Plan and making our world-class programs more visible to students.”  

Tatum added that the move communicates MSU Denver’s academic rigor and commitment to achieving disciplinary equity in the health sciences, engineering, computing, design and aerospace to diversify the workforce in Colorado and close the degree-attainment gap in the sciences and social sciences.  

“Dedication to teaching, innovation, research and community engagement will be hallmarks of these colleges, and Drs. Newcomer and Szypulski are the ideal leaders to begin this new era,” said President Janine Davidson, Ph.D. “I anticipate that their skilled, thoughtful leadership will translate into enhanced learning opportunities for students as well as expanded industry partnerships and research funding.”

Jeffrey L. Newcomer, Ph.D. 

Dean, College of Aerospace, Computing, Engineering and Design  

Newcomer was attracted to MSU Denver’s focus on student success and meeting students where they are to help them get to where they want to be. He is eager to learn about CACED programs’ strengths, opportunities and challenges. He joins MSU Denver from Western Washington University, where he has distinguished himself as an educator and leader in the Engineering and Design Department. He became involved with faculty governance early in his career, serving as chair of WWU’s Planning and Resource Council for six years.  

“That helped me become a long-term, strategic thinker and planner,” he said. “I was also chair of the Engineering and Design Department for 11 years. The department has four academic programs, so it’s like running a small college. That helped me become a better systems-level thinker, since change and growth need to be done thoughtfully and carefully to make sure that improvements to one program aren’t detrimental to another.”  

As chair, Newcomer led three ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission-accredited engineering programs and a National Association of Schools of Art and Design-accredited industrial-design program, overseeing more than 40 employees and a $4.5 million operating budget. Under his leadership, the department underwent a significant transition to focus on electrical, manufacturing and plastics-and-composites engineering. This included developing new curricula and courses for all three engineering programs, conducting 11 faculty searches and eight staff searches over four years, switching to rubric-based assessment amd achieving ABET EAC accreditation. 

Additionally, Newcomer oversaw the development of multiple diversity, equity and inclusion efforts as well as safety improvements and resource investments.

He earned his bachelor’s and first master’s degrees in Aeronautical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he later earned a second master’s degree in Science and Technology Studies as well as a doctorate in Mechanical Engineering. After several years working as an engineer, Newcomer joined RPI as an affiliate professor. He later accepted assistant-professor positions at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, the New England Institute of Technology and WWU.  

Newcomer and his wife enjoy traveling and are looking forward to life in Denver. He’s also an avid snorkeler and is “addicted” to the New York Times crossword puzzle.  

More about the CACED  

Through state-of-the-art teaching and research, the CACED prepares students for innovation and problem-solving, providing advanced expertise across technological disciplines. The college will engage with industry partners, provide students with meaningful experiences in the field and prepare the state’s most diverse student body in the pursuit of postgraduate degrees and lifelong learning.   

Hope Szypulski, DNP 

Dean, College of Health and Human Sciences 

Hope Szypulski, DNP, started her career in academia in 2011 in MSU Denver’s Nursing Department, where she was appointed associate chair. After accepting the director position at the Arapahoe Community College Nursing program in 2017, she returned to MSU Denver as interim associate dean of the Nursing program in 2019 and was elevated to interim dean of the College of Health and Applied Sciences in November 2021. 

Szypulski, who was a first-generation college student, was direct-commissioned into the U.S. Army Nurse Corps in 1990 as a 2nd Lieutenant. After training at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, she spent six years on active duty before transferring to the U.S. Army Reserve 5502nd Army Reserve Hospital in Aurora. She remained in the Army Reserve for the next seven years as an operating nurse and retired in 2011 as a lieutenant colonel and chief nurse of the 140th Medical Group after 21 years of service. In addition to her military service, Szypulski has worked as a women’s health care nurse practitioner for Kaiser Permanente, Planned Parenthood and a private clinic within metro Denver. 

“My military experience has carried me through all leadership positions in my career,” Szypulski said. “An example would be creating the RN-BSN program when I was director of the Nursing program at my previous institution. The challenge there was finding the resources to operate the program on a limited budget — innovation was key. (In the) College of Health and Human Sciences, however, the opportunities are deep and wide. I look forward to making the CHHS the standard in providing health-related education, and I plan to lead with accountability, transparency and positivity and by listening, celebrating successes and having fun.” 

Szypulski earned a bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Carroll College, a master’s degree from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and a Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree from the CU Health Sciences Center.  

More about the CHHS 

The CHHS’ nine departments will prepare students for professions that promote individual, family and community well-being. The college emphasizes high-impact interactive and experiential learning, with simulation and observational laboratories and more than 1,000 community partnerships. 

“The college also houses the Health Institute, which allows for collaboration among the University’s health-related programs and with community partners to meet Colorado’s demand for a highly skilled health care workforce,” said Szypulski. “(This engagement) will lead to transformative and justice-oriented endeavors that secure the health and well-being of people and communities.”