STRATEGIC PLAN 2025-2030
WELCOME
A vision for the future Reevaluation after global changes and large-scale college building projects Successful initiatives take thought, knowledge and preparation. With many changes in the college, it was time to take a look at the college’s strategic plan. The college has noticeably expanded its programs and footprint, adding multiple new degrees to meet workforce needs, and adding two new buildings and completing an extensive buildout in the Cybersecurity Building. We are about to start the expansion and renovation of the main Engineering Building. Campus looks different because of the planning and execution of the previous strategic plan. These are positive changes in the college! The 2020-2030 Strategic Plan was created during the COVID-19 pandemic, which created global changes in education, economics, and the workforce. Ying Shang, Dean College of Engineering and Applied Science
This update was undertaken by a committee of college faculty, staff, and administration and verified by the leadership team of the college. It is time to move forward with a new strategic plan. I invite you to read and engage with us!
Strategic Plan 2025 Committee Ying Shang, Dean, College of Engineering and Applied Science Heather Song, Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies Peter Gorder, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department Chair
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Kristen Walcott, Associate Professor, Computer Science Department Megan Zoller, Career and Industry Program Director Sue McClernan, Marketing and Strategic Communications Manager
Strategic Plan 2025-2030
Engineering Building Renovation
Retooling Infrastructure Engineering and Applied Science Building (1985) 2025-2027 Modernization Renovation rendering courtesy of HDR
Anschutz Engineering Center (2024)
Design and Prototyping Center (2024)
The original Engineering Building expanded and re-imagined for the next generation of students An innovative architectural design dramatically changes the 40-year old Engineering Building for a planned 1.5-2 year renovation. The exciting renovation adds space, modernizes learning environments, creates innovative labs, and transforms the entire building with collaborative spaces to create cutting-edge learning experiences for students.
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Kevin W. O’Neil Cybersecurity Education and Research Center (2021)
Osborne Center for Science and Engineering (2008)
The renovation extends the front atrium space and creates an expansive multi-purpose collaborative and community event space. Modernizing and moving the Level 1 cleanroom to the cybersecurity building captures two floors of existing air handling and filter space, and expansion to the back patio area translates to new experiential student classrooms and labs. Coming on the heels of the 2024 completion of two new buildings (Anshutz Engineering Center and the Design and Prototyping Center), the college’s footprint now encompasses five buildings on campus. As a founding college of UCCS, the timing is especially meaningful as the Colorado Springs campus celebrates 65 years as a University of Colorado campus.
Strategic Plan 2025-2030
Strategies
Our Students Our People
Student Growth and New Academic Programs
Community Partnerships
Research and Graduate Programs Expand Our Facilities Base
Continuing Momentum Following the content of the 2020-2030 Strategic Plan, the committee recognized and accepted the core strategies and focused on refining the initiatives and creating action steps by year.
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The 2025-2030 Strategic Plan, is in alignment with the UCCS Strategic Plan 2030 priorities and pillars.
Strategic Plan 2025-2030
Initiative 1 - Our People
Our greatest strength is our people. We will pursue an agenda to enable competitive salaries, a positive work environment, and increased diversity amongst our faculty. Strategies 1. Recruit and retain high quality faculty and staff. 2. Advocate for faculty and staff support commensurate with program size and student enrollment. 3. Build a culture of caring.
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2025-2026 Action Items
1
Implicit bias training as part of the search committee charge meetings. Publicize faculty and staff opportunities as broadly as possible.
2
Provide staff cross-training. Improve new faculty and staff onboarding process. Provide professional development opportunities for faculty and staff.
3
Initiate mentoring network faculty and staff. Initiate a dean-level new faculty social event for networking and relationship building.
Strategic Plan 2025-2030
Initiative 2 - Our Students
As a state university, it is our responsibility to ensure students have access to education as well as the tools necessary to be successful in their efforts to graduate from UCCS.
Strategies 1. Increase student representation to reflect the diverse perspectives and backgrounds of our local and regional communities by 2030. 2. Increase retention rates. 3. Increase 6-year undergraduate graduation rates. 4. Increase financial support for students.
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2025-2026 Action Items
1
Plan new High School STEM camp.
3
Review and improve internal advising processes.
4
Provide an improved college financial aid/ scholarship resource for students.
Strategic Plan 2025-2030
Initiative 3 - Student Growth and New Academic Programs
Grow existing degrees and provide additional academic programs for students while satisfying technical workforce demands in the region.
Strategies 1. Increase college enrollment. 2. Create new academic programs to meet industry demands by 2030.
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2025-2026 Action Items
1
Responsibly grow our current undergraduate student population in existing programs. Responsibly grow our current graduate student population in existing programs.
2
Building curriculum for Master of Science in AI and Master of Innovation of AI (online). Building curriculum for Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Engineering. Building curriculum for Bachelor of Science in Robotics Engineering. Expanding online and/or hybrid modality for Master of Science in Electrical Engineering.
Strategic Plan 2025-2030
Initiative 4 - Research and Graduate Programs
Add to the global body of knowledge in engineering and computer science by increasing research in the college and expanding doctoral programs.
Strategies 1. Research increases a. Increase college yearly research expenditures from $117K/TTF/yr to $130K/TTF/yr by 2030. b. Increase the number of students graduating with graduate degrees from 65/yr to 85/yr by 2030. 2. Increase research opportunities for undergraduate students.
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2025-2026 Action Items
1a
Increase individual faculty proposal submission support. Disseminate a College of Engineering and Applied Science research newsletter.
1b
Increase funding for graduate students. Encourage faculty to do more educational proposals including NSF (S-STEM, IUSE) and private foundations like the Clare Boothe Luth (CBL) STEM program. Review and improve current graduate support processes.
2
Explore potential for reviving the undergraduate research scholar program for EAS students. Action item: Explore a pathway to undergraduate inclusion in grants written by faculty.
Strategic Plan 2025-2030
Initiative 5 - Expand our Facilities Base
Expand our facilities to accommodate existing needs, student growth, new programs, and a broadened research mission.
Strategies 1. Cybersecurity Building Plan and Improvements a. Plan and complete Phase 4 of the Cybersecurity Building. 2. Modernize the Engineering building while solving safety and code issues. a. Seek external funding to support campaign goals. b. Upgrade the building through equipment acquisition.
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2025-2026 Action Items
1
Request funding support from potential stakeholders.
2
Plan, facilitate building use changes, and begin construction. Minimize impact on faculty, staff, students, and the mission during construction.
Strategic Plan 2025-2030
Initiative 6 - Community Partnerships Strengthen and broaden partnerships with the community, industry, and government, as a vehicle to improve our programs, demonstrate relevancy, create opportunities for students and faculty, and connect academic programs to regional needs. Strategies 1. Increase alumni engagement. a. Market alumni success. b. Encourage alumni fundraising. c. Improve connections to alumni. 2. Increase community partnership investment in UCCS EAS. a. Actively engage ELC members. b. Refine and Diversify ELC Membership. c. Build and strengthen partnerships with industry. d. Increase industry mentoring and speakers.
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2025-2026 Action Items
1
2
Engage with potential alumni donors. Create one new naming opportunity. Generate new and continued scholarship support. Increase programmatic and general college support. Strengthen alumni involvement in events.
Create bylaws, refine membership. Expand employer contact database. Expand speaker series and tech talks. College hosts at least 2 unique industry speakers across the academic year.
Strategic Plan 2025-2030
Initiative 6 - Community Partnerships Strengthen and broaden partnerships with the community, industry, and government, as a vehicle to improve our programs, demonstrate relevancy, create opportunities for students and faculty, and connect academic programs to regional needs. Strategies 3.Increase UCCS EAS standing/reputation in community. a.Promote service initiatives that have community impact. b.Increase visibility of research activities. c.Increase the number of outreach activities for the public.
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2025-2026 Action Items
3
Evaluate current events and create new events to include the public and community. Organize public-UCCS research events.
Strategic Plan 2025-2030
1420 Austin Bluffs Pkwy Colorado Springs, CO 80918 eas@uccs.edu 719.255.3543 eas.uccs.edu
COLLEGE DEPARTMENTS AND BUSINESS UNITS Dean’s Office Computer Science Electrical and Computer Engineering Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Online Graduate Programs BUILDINGS Engineering Building Anschutz Engineering Center Design and Prototyping Center Osborne Center for Science and Engineering Kevin W. O’Neil Cybersecurity Education and Research Center
UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS Bachelor of Science (BS), Innovation™ (BI), or Arts (BA), or Certificate (C) Aerospace Engineering (BS) Computer Engineering (BS) Computer Science (BS, BI, BA) Computer Security (BI) Data Analytics & Systems Engineering (BS, BI) Electrical Engineering (BS) Engineering Education (BS) Game Design and Development (BI) Mechanical Engineering (BS) Applied Cybersecurity (C)
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GRADUATE PROGRAMS Master of Science (MS) or Engineering (ME), PhD, or Certificate (C) Computer Science Department Computer Science (MS, PhD) Computer Science: Games & Media Integration (MS) Cybersecurity (ME) Engineering Secure Software (C) Network System Security (C) Security (PhD) Software Engineering (ME, C) Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Electric Drivetrain Technology (C) Electrical Engineering (MS) Power and Energy Systems (C) Engineering (PhD): Electrical Engineering Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department Aerospace (MS) Mechanical Engineering (MS) Engineering (PhD): Mechanical Engineering Online Graduate Programs: Engineering Management (ME, C, Online) Space Operations (ME, C, Online) Systems Engineering (ME, C, Online)
Strategic Plan 2025-2030