2023 Donor Impact Report
A Word from the Chancellor
I have had the pleasure of serving as the UCCS Chancellor since December 2023. In my time as Chancellor, you, the donors, have brought innovative ideas, meaningful financial support, and have extended such care and commitment to this campus. To those who contribute to large initiatives and small, no matter how you give, I appreciate the dedication you provide to UCCS. This campus is unique because of the academics we provide but also the people –like you – who champion our success. Thank you doesn’t quite encompass how we all feel about you, and I thank you. I thank you for showing how much you believe in this campus. You are truly incredible!
Jennifer Sobanet, Ed.D.
Who We Are:
UCCS Advancement aims to ignite and elevate UCCS’s reputation, casting a bright light that reaches both within our campus community and beyond. Members of the Advancement team are passionate about building opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and the campus as a whole.
Through relationship building and meaningful initiatives, the UCCS Advancement team makes moves to champion people and programs at UCCS by building lifelong community connections.
Your Impact:
When we unite passions, resources, and talents with caring and dedicated donors like you – boundless possibilities are provided across the campus. The transformative nature of your generosity increases access to a UCCS degree, improves programs, and ensures UCCS can support students, faculty, and staff today and into the future. We can’t do this great work without you, and we thank you.
UCCS AT A GLANCE:
Student philanthropy at UCCS
Each year, the UCCS graduating class is invited to participate in the annual Class Gift. Class Gift was created in 2015 and since its inception, UCCS graduates have donated over $90,000 to support scholarships and vital programs. Members of the graduating class are encouraged to designate gifts to scholarships and resources or a fund within their college, although any funds are accepted.
Graduates who give at least $25 receive a blue cord as a memento to wear during Commencement. The Fall Class of 2023 donated more than $2,800 for scholarships and programs in their effort to pay it forward. The Class Gift program helps students to see their legacy and collective impact on future generations at UCCS.
Volunteer Spotlight
In the last year, the Alumni and Friends Volunteer program saw an increase in volunteers and new university partners joining the platform to share volunteer opportunities. Volunteering provides an outlet for alumni and friends of the university to give back through their time and talents. Below is a breakdown of highlights from the volunteer program.
Total Volunteers: 851
New Users in FY24: 164
Total Campus Partners: 26
New Campus Partners in FY24: 3
• Pre-Collegiate Development Program
• Hybl Sports Medicine & Performance Center
• UCCS Farm
Estimated Total Alumni & Friends Who Volunteered in FY24: 300+
A total of 204 volunteers participated in two main Alumni & Friends Association initiatives—scholarship application reviews and Write a Mountain Lion in FY24.
Estimated Volunteer Hours Logged: 448 hours
Faculty & Research Excellence
The university continues to lead the way in groundbreaking research and discovery. This not only provides students with a foundation of wonder and experimentation, but also gives faculty the opportunity to explore and discover, further sharpening their knowledge in and mastery of their field. Here are some highlights from faculty and the campus that showcase activities in research.
College of Business welcomes J. Daniel Couger
Endowed Chair of Information Systems
The College of Business at UCCS welcomed Dahui Li, Ph.D., as the J. Daniel Couger Endowed Chair of Information Systems. As the Couger Chair, Li works closely with his colleagues to evolve curriculum within the Business Analysis department and maintain industry connections in the areas of Information Systems, Cybersecurity Management, and Business Analytics.
The J. Daniel Couger Endowed Chair of Information Systems was established in 1997 by Scott Oki, a UCCS alumnus and former student of J. Daniel Couger.
Mountain Lion Research Day
The 15th Annual Mountain Lion Research Day (MLRD) took place on Friday, Dec. 8 from 12-4 p.m. in the Gallogly Events Center. There were 99 registered presentations, making this event one of the largest MLRDs to date. MLRD is a creative work poster showcase for students, faculty, and staff with a focus on high-caliber research conducted by members of the UCCS community.
The Sugar Code
Crystal Vander Zanden. Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, is filling a hole in our understanding of how cells communicate.
The skin-like membrane of every cell is not a static wall, but a canvas of protein molecules. These proteins allow the cell to detect what’s occurring around it and respond to cues from its neighboring cells and environment. The cells in the body are at this moment sending and receiving millions of messages through chemical signaling molecules and dictating cell behavior.
Courts, Cadaver Labs & Coroner Work: Angie Rodriguez
Angie Rodriguez pursued her dual Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice & Psychology and immersed herself in both her student and scholar worlds throughout her time at UCCS.
As a Reisher scholar, she took on the role of Peer Advocate, communicating with other scholars about how their own classwork is going and acting as a liaison.
She also had an internship with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and continues to volunteer with the organization as the El Paso County Supervisor for their Court Monitoring Program.
“I assist MADD with court data and monitoring, so we attend court cases and see the different sentences handed down and similar data, then fill out forms that get sent to the national database,” said Angie. “MADD uses
this information to push legislative changes and to try to update DUI/DWAI traffic laws. I’ve been working on victim impact panels with them too, where we’ll have victims or people who have committed a DUI and injured or killed someone come to these events.”
Angie is on track with her goals and graduated in May 2024 and had this advice to offer her fellow peers:
“Follow your heart and to be resilient because life can throw some curveballs at you,” Angie added. “Keep pushing through. Martin Luther King said, ‘faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.’ That’s a philosophy I’ve followed my whole life. I can’t see the end right now, but I have faith that it’ll be okay.”
Above
Angie Rodriguez, UCCS scholarship recipient.
Emmanuella Appiah, UCCS scholarship recipient.
Finding Communities and Opportunities: Emmanuella Appiah
When Emmanuella Appiah started at UCCS, she knew she wanted to build a community and take advantage of the many opportunities on campus.
Between being a full-time Computer Science student minoring in Entrepreneurship, Reach Your Peak scholar, Development Office student employee, Senator at Large in the Student Government Association, and member of the African Student Association, the Black Student Union and the Sisterhood Club, it’s safe to say she’s succeeded.
“One of the big things here that I really wanted to make sure that I did when I came on campus was to build a community,” said Emmanuella. “It can be more comfortable to just go straight from your dorm to class and not talk to anyone, but that’s not the experience that I wanted. UCCS was the perfect size because it’s big enough that there’s different people to meet and connections to make, but it’s also not hard to build communities because people know each other.”
Being a Reach Your Peak (RYP) scholarship recipient has been instrumental in helping Emmanuella to build those communities by connecting her to other scholars and students through events and networking opportunities.
“Since becoming a scholar, I’ve been participating in and helping with events,” Emmanuella said. “One was the RYP reception, where you get the chance to meet donors, which has probably been my favorite so far. We also had an event where we discussed the importance of networking. It was just scholars, but it was really cool
to start networking and it felt more comfortable because you knew it was other students.”
RYP has also helped by removing some of the financial pressure, giving her more time to be involved in clubs and organizations while lining her up for a part-time student assistant job in the Development Office.
“Scholarships take off such a big piece of financial burden, so instead of having to work as much as I would otherwise, I can worry less about those student debts,” noted Emmanuella. “I’m able to be involved on campus and have time for other things.”
Emmanuella plans to continue networking, building her community, and taking advantage of the opportunities and resources around her.
Right
Celebrating the Anschutz Engineering Center
“
[...] create extraordinary opportunities for our students while producing highly skilled graduates ready for the jobs that await them.
The College of Engineering and Applied Science (EAS) celebrated the completion of new buildings on the UCCS campus: the new Anschutz Engineering Center and the Design and Prototyping Center.
The 23,000-square-foot Anschutz Engineering Center is a dedicated building housing stateof-the-art lab space, classroom facilities, an executive conference room, and faculty offices. The project also includes the 3,000-square-foot Design and Prototyping Center which is dedicated to fabrication, electric vehicle technology, and Senior Projects.
“The Pikes Peak Region’s growth in key aerospace and technology business sectors has created a massive and growing demand for a skilled workforce. With approximately 300 companies in the region alone seeking EAS graduates, we see both the opportunity and the imperative to create next-generation facilities that will create extraordinary opportunities for our students while producing highly skilled graduates ready for the jobs that await them,” said Michael Corl, associate dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science.
This project is at the center of the College of Engineering and Applied Science’s efforts to build the next generation of the technical workforce through its burgeoning aerospace engineering program. The buildings – now open to students and faculty – will expand the college’s student capacity from 1,700 to 3,100 students by 2030, as well as grow teaching capabilities, allowing for new types of research to advance health, welfare, and prosperity through engineering.
“Our collaboration with UCCS expands career opportunities for Coloradoans. At the same time, it helps build a pipeline of highly skilled aerospace professionals our nation and economy need,” said Christian Anschutz, president of The Anschutz Foundation, which provided a substantial
donation for the project’s construction. “The Anschutz Foundation believes that this facility will create new and exciting educational experiences, foster next-level leadership training, and provide unique opportunities for UCCS students.”
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Anschutz Engineering Center took place on Aug. 26, 2022. A beam-signing event took place in early May 2023, and the building opened during the spring 2024 semester.
The engineering alumni donor wall located inside the Anschutz Engineering Center was created by TechWears, a local company owned by UCCS alumnus Drew Johnson. The alumni donor wall is made from recycled circuit boards and the clouds within the wall have names of donors who made a gift in support of the College of Engineering and Applied Science.
Collective Commitment Fuels Our Progress
UCCS donors are alumni, staff, community members, industry pioneers, friends of the university, and more. And each and every one helps to create new possibilities for generations of students. Giving to the university looks different for everyone, with some contributing funds to develop programs and others donating artifact collections. Some choose to leave their estate to the university, and others work to establish and support scholarships.
Yet another valuable group of donors are those who decide to make a difference through monthly gifts to the campus. These meaningful contributions make a huge collective impact. Learn from the donors we’re highlighting and what inspires them to invest in students and the UCCS campus.
Heather Allen
Though Heather is now a campus donor, it wasn’t long ago that she was the student in need. A combat veteran and single parent of two, Heather was a post-traditional student and knows how hard it can be to get through school. She gives to many campus areas, but the Family Development Center (FDC), MOSAIC and the LGBTQ+ Resource Center, and the Veterans Center are especially close to her heart.
“My boys went to the Family Development Center (FDC) when I first started my college journey in 2014. Money was tight, and I was awarded a scholarship to help with payments. That same year, Facility Services adopted me. They nominated me to be their UCCS family for the holiday project so that they could help get Christmas gifts for me and my kids. That is where my sense of community and wanting to give back comes from. And now, I donate and volunteer because I was once a recipient ten years ago. We adopt a family every year, and I donate to scholarships and programs, when able. I’ve really come full circle," she said.
Heather is also a former student employee and longtime staff member. As Senior Executive Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs and Logistics Coordinator the UCCS AFROTC, she interacts with students on a regular basis and sees how donations help them.
“If I can donate to help people thrive at school, or for someone to benefit from help with daycare costs so they can get their education, I’m all about it – because that helped me. We make it possible when we come together for others to succeed. To have been a recipient and now a supporter is amazing.”
Andy Cain
For Andy Cain, giving is an easy decision. He donates to the College of Public Service, the Public Safety Initiative and the McConkie Leadership Conference, and is dedicated to helping students and first responders achieve their educational goals through donor initiatives.
“UCCS has a strong history of serving the community needs of Colorado Springs and El Paso County. Given the budgetary restraints on our first responders, providing education opportunities helps them succeed in their profession,” he said. “Gifting outcomes are twofold; first, continuous learning happens among an underfunded community service – our first responders. Second, the first responders become community advocates of UCCS, and perhaps even continue their education as Mountain Lions. Winston Churchill said it best, ‘We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.’”
Every contribution to UCCS helps to ensure that the campus is an environment ripe with opportunity, enrichment, and constant development for students, faculty, and staff. Your support enables increased resources and pathways to drive success.
Thanks to your generous contributions, the campus flourishes with diverse disciplines, educational avenues, and more.
5,180+ donors gave to UCCS
1,240 first-time donors
240 organizations and institutions gave to UCCS
Donor Impact in 2023 Grants in Action
60+ UCCS 1965 Main Hall Society members*
102 Individual Heritage Society members*
Five new Heritage Society members in 2023.
*The Heritage Society and the 1965 Main Hall Society are giving circles at UCCS. The 1965 Main Hall Society was established in 2015 and recognizes donors who have shown extraordinary generosity to UCCS through their lifetime gifts. Heritage Society members are donors who have made a legacy gift to provide support to UCCS.
Philanthropic support at UCCS includes seeking grants that align with campus priorities and objectives. In 2023, several grants were awarded to support the UCCS campus and its operations. Our two spotlight grants come from the Buell Foundation and the Lodgers and Automobile Rental Tax. Read below to learn how these grants supported the campus.
Buell Foundation - $28,000 – Tuition Assistance at the Family Development Center
For UCCS students with young children, the Family Development Center (FDC) is an essential on-campus resource, allowing student-parents to pursue life-transforming higher education while their children receive high-quality care and support. Childcare costs are skyrocketing across the county, but UCCS is taking steps to ensure that the FDC remains an affordable option. The Buell Foundation partnered in this effort, granting $28,000 this year to provide tuition assistance at the FDC, helping to keep childcare affordable and accessible in our community.
Lodgers and Automobile Rental Tax (LART)
- $145,000 – Ent Center for the Arts
The Ent Center for the Arts is a first-class arts facility at UCCS that serves the community as a hub for the arts and an inspiration in academics. It also drives cultural experiences and tourism in the Pikes Peak Region. The Lodgers and Automobile Rental Tax is a special tax placed on hotel stays and rental cars in Colorado Springs. The tax revenue is then granted to organizations in the community that help drive tourism and cultural events. LART made a considerable grant of $145,000 to the Ent Center this year to assist in production costs and to market the upcoming season’s performances.
Sobanet highlights resilience, creativity, and innovation as she leads UCCS
UCCS Chancellor Jennifer Sobanet emphasizes sparking creativity and innovation for the campus.
Jennifer Sobanet was named Interim Chancellor in July 2023 and became the 8th UCCS Chancellor in December of the same year. She has championed initiatives to promote innovation, creativity, and resilience at the university.
Her time as Chancellor has introduced her to new experiences and remarkable energy that she refers to as sparks.
“These sparks are our faculty, staff, and students who are excelling in their specialty. They think creatively and break down barriers to provide students with the joy of discovery.
The extraordinary talent on our campus is amplified when we can unleash their energy from the constraints of tradition, or ‘this is how we have always done it’ attitude,” Sobanet said. “These extraordinary minds are the roots of creativity and innovation that will propel our university and our students into the future.”
Sobanet’s mission has become to connect and elevate the remarkable energy of UCCS bringing the passions of students, faculty, and staff together, to the community we serve. She recognizes the deep connection of UCCS to the community as one of the most important facets of the university’s success. Those sparks of the university’s future are already palpable across campus.
As the university builds on its successes, Sobanet said it is defining its future by further differentiating itself from other universities. She believes it is the unique qualities of UCCS that will allow us to thrive for decades to come. The university has faced the twin challenges of enrollment declines and financial challenges, making the work ahead even more important.
“I’ve made the correlation before between our journey and the hike to the summit of a mountain,” Sobanet said. “Just as there are twists and turns along the trail, revealing beautiful meadows and spectacular views as well as setbacks due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances, our journey toward the UCCS of the future is bright but it will also be challenging at times.”
Yet, she said, that journey is one where an infinite number of sparks can be ignited through creativity and innovation –allowing us to define ourselves through our assets like a caring culture of belonging, small class sizes that spark curiosity and require critical thinking. On top of that, we continue to see research enhanced by creativity that leads to new discovery, and a Mountain Lion Family that understands, models, and teaches resilience, making us a magnet for students.
“While we need to face the tough issues in front of us, we will be simultaneously creating the UCCS of the future and celebrating the UCCS of today. Hope may not be a strategy,
but it is the accelerator of change,” Sobanet said. “Each of us holds that spark within us.”
Through donor support and under the leadership of Chancellor Sobanet, the university has taken on groundbreaking innovative initiatives such as creating the HEROES scholarship for active-duty service members, opening the Anschutz Engineering Center, and launching C3 Innovation at UCCS among others.
Chancellor Sobanet is optimistic about what lies ahead and celebrates the immense successes of UCCS today.
“We are elevating our research, our community partnerships, our co-curricular opportunities for our students, and so many new and exciting things are happening all across our campus,” Sobanet said. “This work is the foundation that we will continue to build upon as we work together to lean into the exceptional ways in which we already serve our students and community and continue that as we create the UCCS of the Future.”
To provide deeper insights into Chancellor Sobanet, we asked her a series of questions that explore more about her.
Talk about your educational background.
I earned my Doctor of Education degree in leadership for educational equity in higher education from the University of Colorado Denver and my master’s degree in
Right
Chancellor Sobanet welcoming incoming UCCS freshmen alongside Clyde, the UCCS mascot
international studies from the University of Pennsylvania’s Lauder Institute. I hold an MBA in international financial management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. I was a Yeager Scholar at Marshall University where I studied economics. This blend of studies in the liberal arts, business, and financial management and leadership in educational equity equip me each day to lead with my head and my heart.
What was your previous role before joining UCCS?
I previously served as the Executive Vice Chancellor of Administration and Strategy at CU Denver. In that role, I led CU Denver’s strategic plan implementation and catalyzed strategic partnerships and innovation while aligning the university’s resources to achieve its vision. I feel fortunate to bring those experiences with me to UCCS. I’ve been a part of the CU Family for almost a decade and before that worked at the state level in higher education policy and finance. This work not only allowed me to develop a deep understanding of the state’s higher education environment, but it also gave me access to national higher education thought leaders who have shaped my thinking about the ways in which we achieve our goals at UCCS.
What do you hope to accomplish as Chancellor of UCCS?
I want UCCS to thrive – now and into the future. We transform the lives of our students and through that their families and our community. By connecting profoundly with our roots – the sacred land we are built on, the healing purposes of the early use of this land, and our inception when CU was invited to Colorado Springs in 1965 - we can continue to grow and flourish. We deeply connect to our community given the original purpose of UCCS.
Because of our history and immense success over the decades, I believe we can thrive by elevating that which makes us special so students, faculty, staff, and the community are attracted to us. We will build on what we have done well in the past – adapt to the current needs of our community and our students. Our culture is one of care, compassion and belonging that stems from the original use of this land. And because of our extensive communitycampus relationships, we have and will continue to create the talent needed for employers across the state. Now that we are a high research, doctoral granting (R2) university, our research and creative works impact the economic development of our region. When we put our collective
curiosity and creativity to work for our students and our community, we are achieving our mission. And, that’s great work to get to do each day.
What fills your cup and gives you energy?
I love being a part of and building community. I believe in the creativity and capability of each and every human. I enjoy people – learning their stories, listening to their perspectives, and providing support and encouragement –even with just a simple smile – in achieving their purpose in life. Each interaction I get to have with the people on campus or in our community fills my cup.
Share what motivates you to do this important work in higher education and at UCCS.
We transform lives. I am motivated by that every single second of every day. I feel so fortunate to get to dedicate my career to this. Every day I witness the transformation of students when they have access to education. They grow, they learn, they change their lives and the world. Students are the reason we are here. And they are the heart of UCCS. I have fallen in love with the UCCS campus and all that we do.
Last but not least, does your UCCS attire now outnumber the amount of CU Denver attire you own?
That made me laugh out loud because I have a bag of CU Denver attire sitting at my front door to take to CU Denver for my colleagues there! With the help of some of our Student Engagement Leaders, who let me know what looked good and what did not, I just bought a lot of Spirit Gear at the Campus Store. So, I’m very close to outnumbering my Lynx attire! The campus restarted our weekly Friday Spirit Days. We’ve asked faculty and staff to wear their favorite UCCS spirit gear and/or university colors every Friday to show our UCCS pride. You can expect to see me wearing my UCCS colors every Friday –including jeans!
We will be simultaneously creating the UCCS of the future and celebrating the UCCS of today. “
Chancellor Sobanet speaking at the December 2023 Commencement ceremony.
HEROES
UCCS HEROES Scholarship Offers Support for Active-duty Students
At UCCS, 1 in 4 students are military connected meaning they served our country or someone in their family is a veteran or active-duty. UCCS also hosts many active-duty service members. In the spring 2024 semester, there were approximately 200 active-duty military personnel enrolled at UCCS including members of the national guard, the reserves, and ROTC.
To make it easier for this valuable and worthy group of students to access a UCCS education, UCCS established the Hometown Education Resources & Opportunities Empowering Servicemembers (HEROES) Scholarship in May 2023.
The HEROES Scholarship aspires to continue the commitment of building a highly-skilled workforce to meet the growing community need, supporting economic
development, and strengthening ties with the local military community here in Colorado Springs.
Active-duty service members face unique challenges when it comes to pursuing higher education, including frequent deployments, limited access to resources, and the need to balance military duties with academic studies. The HEROES scholarship will help service members navigate some of these challenges by providing financial support for tuition, textbooks, and other educational expenses.
The HEROES Scholarship also ignites our community’s mission to support service members while stationed in the Pikes Peak region and makes UCCS a connected college experience for as little time as a service member is with us or for as long as they are in the Pikes Peak region.
According to the Department of Defense, in 2022 Colorado was home to more than 34,000 active-duty service members, 11,700 civilian employees, and close to 14,000 Reserve and National Guard Personnel. The state is home to five strategic command sites including U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOMM) and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). The City of Colorado Springs reports there are approximately 90,000 veterans and retirees in the Pikes Peak region alone.
The average need for active-duty students is $3,000 and the HEROES scholarship aims to cover the cost of attendance gap. The goal of the scholarship is to build an endowment over the next five to six years that will support more than 200 service members each year.
This year, the university earned its ninth-consecutive Gold Distinction in the annual Military Friendly schools rankings and was once again recognized as a Top Ten school in the category of Large Public institutions, ranking eighth. The university outperformed Military Friendly’s standards in six categories, including academic policies and compliance, admissions and orientation, culture and commitment, financial aid and assistance, graduation and career, and
military student support and retention. UCCS was also recognized as a Military Spouse Friendly school.
The new scholarship program serves to bolster existing efforts to support military-connected students on campus. A current resource for military-connected students is the McCord-Herbst Student Veteran Center, which is open to all military-affiliated students. The Center offers a space for students with resources, like computers and study areas, and a place to lounge and connect with others. In addition, students can access numerous services, such as success coaching, math tutoring, the Student Veteran Organization, and help utilizing VA Education Benefits.
The HEROES Scholarship has been supported by over 100 individual donors as well as organizations including Adolphson & Peterson Construction, Aereti, Inc., Alpine Bank, Bryan Construction, Delta Solutions & Strategies, Ent Credit Union, Navy Federal Credit Union, Red Leg Brewing Company, Rotary Club of Colorado Springs, and U.S. Bank.
To learn more about the HEROES scholarship, visit give.uccs.edu/heroes-scholarship.
Below
UCCS celebrated the kickoff of the HEROES scholarship at Red Leg Brewing Company. The HEROES scholarship was the Craft for a Cause recipient.
Below
Members of the UCCS Advancement team at Reg Leg Brewing Company for the kickoff event.
Clyde’s Cupboard:
Reducing Food Insecurity and Stigma at UCCS
Clyde’s Cupboard, the on-campus food pantry, was established in spring 2013 with the goal of building community while addressing food insecurity. By the next year, it was officially supported by the Office of the Dean of Students and allocated student employees from Student Life.
Today, the entirely donation-based resource has helped feed thousands of students and provided toiletries for over a decade, all with no questions asked.
According to the most recent NCHA survey, nearly 50 percent of UCCS students face food insecurity while attending the university. Clyde’s Cupboard has become a direct resource providing the basic fuel students need to achieve their long-term goals at UCCS. Clyde’s Cupboard started as a project for an Anthropology class where students recognized
the needs of their peers and worked together to make a change. The project kept growing, largely thanks to the Student Government Association (SGA). In 2016, SGA approved specific funding for the first Clyde’s Cupboard student employee. With their efforts and continued support, the Cupboard expanded in size, reach, and available locations. In addition to the Main Pantry located in the Student Life Lounge, there is a Satellite Pantry in the Recreation & Wellness Center.
In the 2023-2024 academic year, the Cupboard was accessed 4,968 times and distributed 3,912 Mountain Lion Meals. On average the Cupboard goes through about 700 boxes of cereal in an academic year.
“Clyde’s Cupboard and the programming it offers not only works to reduce food insecurity across our campus, but also works to reduce the stigma around asking for help when in need,” said Amber Gilson, Basic Needs Coordinator. “Our community works so hard to meet our students where they are to support them and Clyde’s Cupboard does just that. No matter the level of need, Clyde’s Cupboard provides food resources to every student at UCCS.”
The pantry has also seen several accompanying programs implemented by Student Life in the past ten years, including Fresh Food Fridays where students can obtain perishable items like fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy every other Friday from the Main Pantry.
The Mountain Lion Meal program during fall and spring semesters offers students three meals per week at certain dining halls.
Once per semester they hold a Grocery Gift Card giveaway that provides 40 students with a $50 gift card to Trader Joe’s or King Soopers.
For many students, Clyde’s Cupboard has helped alleviate some of the financial stress that comes with day-to-day life.
“I have been able to have more ease of mind regarding the cost of groceries and used those funds towards my education. I have been able to uplift my mood by eating food from the cupboard.”
“The aspect of not having to qualify or apply makes the cupboard so much better because it takes any embarrassment out of the equation because anyone and everyone is using it.”
“I walked out with a bag that allowed me to have a complete meal. It was a relief, mentally, physically, and emotionally.”
“I knew that no matter what, I wouldn’t be without food.”
Leading the way in cybersecurity education
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) has continued its holistic and comprehensive approach to its cybersecurity program. In 2023 alone, the UCCS Cybersecurity Program Office (CPO) held close to 100 events, engaging with more than 10,000 people across Colorado and the nation, many of whom come from varying backgrounds.
“Diverse populations do not discover cybersecurity as a freshman in college. They have to be exposed to it earlier
than that, especially women and minoritized communities,” said Gretchen Bliss, Director of Cybersecurity Programs. “We put our money where our mouth is when it comes to diversity.”
That includes two week-long cybersecurity camps conducted completely in Spanish for 30 local Spanishspeaking middle school students. One was held at the UCCS Kevin W. O’Neil Cybersecurity Education and Research Center. The other took place in Pueblo, Colo.
These first-of-their-kind events were designed to introduce Spanish-speaking middle school students to the fundamentals and career options of cybersecurity. Two additional cybersecurity camps were also held in English, serving 50 students.
The UCCS Cyber Program also hosts middle and high school students throughout the school year for various events, including a group from Fountain Middle School who participated in hands-on cybersecurity education and exercises, also at the Kevin W. O’Neil Cybersecurity Education and Research Center. Additionally, Cyber First Fridays, a community-wide event, are held once a month at the UCCS Cyber Center to promote cyber knowledge and give students specifically interested in cyber education and employment an opportunity to network with experts in the cybersecurity industry.
“These hands-on pieces will help get people into the industry through exposure,” Bliss said. “We try to bring them along through conversation at our cyber programs or at school in younger grades so when they get us at UCCS, they are still excited about cyber.”
In fact, UCCS, as an NSA-designated CAE (Center for Academic Excellence) in Cyber Defense was awarded first place out of more than 400 CAE colleges and universities nationally for its outreach efforts in 2023, emphasizing the impact, diversity, and overall excellence of UCCS’s Cyber Programs.
“This train is moving,” Bliss said. “Cybersecurity and UCCS have really expanded and changed in the last five years. It is the largest growing concentration area on the entire campus, and we are an acknowledged leader among colleges and universities at a national level.”
There are more than 20 cybersecurity degrees and programs offered across five of the six colleges at UCCS, emphasizing the interdisciplinary nature of cybersecurity. And, while enrollment at universities across the nation has generally declined in the last few years, Cybersecurity at UCCS has seen growing enrollment at almost 37 percent since spring of 2020. In fact, UCCS will have more than 700 students in cybersecurity degree and program tracks in 2024, a record number for the university.
And the demand continues to increase.
Bliss said the growing interest in cross-disciplinary educational opportunities between cybersecurity and other fields illustrates how cyber touches every aspect of our lives. UCCS is working to spread the message that
cybersecurity is everywhere, in every job and across society, thus UCCS’s efforts to offer interdisciplinary programs to students.
Each opportunity offers graduates a direct connection to the university’s rolodex of more than 100 cyber-related partner companies in the Pikes Peak Region looking for cyberinformed employees.
“We have an ecosystem in Colorado Springs that is totally unique,” Bliss said. “There are universities, municipalities, and organizations across the country that come here to learn how we do things in cybersecurity and UCCS is leading that ecosystem.”
