MSU Denver Student Intern Builds New Campus Facility

River Jackson, a senior in construction project management at Metropolitan State University of Denver, is working as the sole intern on a major campus construction site. He is helping build the Gina and Frank Day Health Institute, a new nursing and hospitality facility. The project involves erecting a five-story structure that will house classrooms, nursing skills labs, and a hospitality demonstration kitchen.

The building is approximately 70,000 square feet. Construction is currently underway with a target completion date of July 2027. The facility is planned to open for the fall 2027 semester. Jackson works on the site from 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. every day. This schedule allows him to attend his university classes and play second base for the school's baseball team in the afternoons.

Project Superintendent Garrett Vidal oversees the site operations. Vidal stated that student athletes like Jackson bring a specific work ethic to the job. He noted that the team initially gave Jackson a heavy workload to test his capabilities. Vidal said, "At the beginning of the project, we gave River a bunch of tasks and kind of held his feet to the fire a little bit, and he's done a great job with that."

Jackson adapted to the rigorous environment by learning through direct experience. He described his approach as being thrown into the deep end and learning to swim. Jackson said the experience on the baseball field translates to the construction site. He added, "Being able to just kind of come out here and work hard the same way I would do on a baseball field, and understand if I mess up here, it's not the end of the world. It's just a big learning opportunity."

The location of the internship provides logistical benefits for students. The site is a 10-minute walk from Jackson's on-campus residence. Carolyn McGary, the program director for MSU Denver's construction project management program, said this proximity allows students to balance work and school effectively. She explained, "They can go to classes and then go work part time on campus, go back, pick up another class, come back."

The timing of the internship aligns with strong employment trends in the region. The Associated General Contractors of America reported that Colorado added 1,900 construction jobs in September 2026. This figure represented the second-largest increase in construction jobs in the nation for that month. McGary noted that while the industry is cyclical, demand remains steady for specific types of projects.

Mcgary observed that office space construction is currently limited. Apartment building projects are proceeding independently. She stated that affordable housing is seeing growth. She added, "We're really increasing in say affordable housing, but like here on campus, we're definitely in demand right now with the number of projects."

Jackson's responsibilities expanded over the summer. He took charge of scheduling inspections and guided inspectors through the site. He confirmed which areas required review. Jackson said, "That was a lot of fun for me, just kind of having the team trust me and in being able to get the job done."

When construction is finished, the building will serve the nursing and hospitality programs for many years. Jackson views his involvement as a personal legacy on the campus. He said, "Just being able to say like I was a part of this, helping build this building that's gonna be on campus for years, it’s kind of a big deal."