Ron Straka Urban Design Program Fund

About:

The Ron Straka Urban Design Program Fund honors one of the country’s most influential urban designers and provides direct financial assistance to recruit talented students to CU Denver’s Urban Design program. Your gift will ensure that Ron Straka’s vision continues to inspire and educate new generations of urban designers and sustain our Master of Urban Design program as a leader in urban design education in the United States. Our mission is to teach and train students to become exceptional urban design thinkers, practitioners, and leaders in their communities, and your financial support is critical in helping us achieve our mission.

Fund Update 2026:

In the past year, the Ron Straka Urban Design Program Fund helped CU Denver’s Master of Urban Design (MUD) program expand its capacity to offer scholarships to prospective new students to the program, provided financial support to current MUD students, and assisted students in CAP’s architecture, urban planning, and landscape architecture programs in pursuing the MUD degree to broaden their interdisciplinary knowledge and skills. The Straka Fund also provided financial support to the MUD program’s 3rd annual Denver Urban Design Spotlight event, which convened over 150 urban design practitioners, thinkers, and advocates from the public, private, and non-profit sectors to celebrate the exceptional work of our MUD students and explore urban design opportunities to help revitalize Downtown Denver.