Supporting Robust Research

Despite recent changes in federal government funding streams, the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) continues to lead DU’s graduate programs in research expenditures. The school’s research portfolio is vast and complex, spanning projects funded by private foundations, nonprofit organizations, and federal, state and municipal government agencies.

Patty Schroeder has been a major contributor to GSSW’s research successes, working behind the scenes to help power the school’s robust research enterprise. For a decade, Schroeder was the budget and operations manager and grant administrator for GSSW’s Butler Institute for Families, and from 2016 until her retirement in early 2025, Schroeder was senior grant administrator for GSSW overall.

Schroeder recalls that when she joined the Butler team, the University was implementing a new financial management software system and “The financial side was a mess. [Butler] hadn’t invoiced the State of Colorado for six months.” Having worked for a year in DU’s Office of Research & Sponsored Programs (ORSP), Schroeder reconciled the books and invoiced the state within a month.

She adds, “At that point, everything was still done pretty much on paper; all staff would do billing and hours on paper. As the Butler Institute was growing, there became a need to computerize everything.” Schroeder drove that process, including developing a grants spreadsheet tool that faculty still use to obtain a real-time snapshot of where their grant funding stands.

Schroeder retired from the Butler Institute in 2012, but the hiatus did not last. Director of Budget and Operations Jennie Morris asked her to return temporarily to help GSSW with grants management, and Schroeder remained as GSSW’s first full-time grants manager.

Schroeder remembers, “The five years I was home, it was great! We traveled. Then I thought, what else is there? There has got to be more to do than getting up every day and reading the newspaper. I’ve always loved working. Once I got into the [GSSW grants manager] position and realized how much they needed my skills, I found myself very comfortable.”

Schroeder brought the tools she had developed at Butler to GSSW and taught faculty how to look at their grants. At any one time, Schroeder managed 40 to 50 grants totaling millions of dollars from funders such as the National Institutes of Health.

Schroeder’s role was expansive and included pre- and post-award management. She reviewed grant proposals and helped faculty to strategize about what would comprise their budget. Once a project began, she set up tracking tools and invoicing processes, reconciled budgets monthly and helped faculty understand how to spend down their grant over the course of the award without over- or underspending. Schroeder also liaised between GSSW and ORSP, which has ultimate grant oversight, and assisted with financial reporting as well.

Professor Daniel Brisson, director of GSSW’s Center for Housing and Homelessness Research, is listed among the University’s top principal investigators based on FY ’25 expenditures. He recalls, “Patty was an incredibly important member of our Center for Housing and Homelessness Research team. Her pre- and post-award budgeting and finance was critical to our success. Additionally, Patty did all of her work in the kindest and most caring way possible.”

Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development Ramona Beltrán has received research funding from the National Institutes of Health and National Institutes of Mental Health, among others. She adds, “Patty’s expertise and institutional knowledge were a lifeline for me throughout the complexities of grant administration. With kindness, patience and compassion, she guided me through every detail of pre- and post-award management, often during my most stressful moments. I learned so much from her, lessons I will carry forward in my research journey. I am deeply grateful for her unwavering support and generosity.”

Schroeder says she found the work to be meaningful as well. “[Faculty are] all working on such interesting projects. I felt like I was contributing to that, making it possible that they can be successful in their grant.”

Schroeder is now enjoying her second attempt at retirement, including extensive travel, spending time with grandchildren, and enjoying mountain living in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

She adds, “I feel very fortunate to have worked at the university, the excitement of the university. It was a great place to be at that time of my life. I feel fortunate to have found a position where I was able to marry my skills with the work that needed to be done.”