The University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) is a publicresearch university in Colorado Springs, Colorado.[4] It is one of four campuses that make up the University of Colorado system. As of Fall 2023, UCCS had over 11,000 students, including more than 9,000 undergraduates and nearly 2,000 graduate students.[5][6] It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".[7]
The campus history begins with the creation of Cragmor Sanatorium, which is now Main Hall. In 1902, William Jackson Palmer donated funds to build a sanatorium (a place for treatment, rehabilitation, and therapy for the chronically ill). The Cragmor Sanatorium opened in 1905 and was nicknamed the "Sun Palace" due to its sun-loving architecture. In the following decades, it developed a following among the cultural elite, and many of its patients were wealthy. However, they were hit hard by the Great Depression in the 1930s and Cragmor suffered from financial distress into the 1940s. It was briefly reinvigorated in the 1950s when a contract with the Bureau of Indian Affairs established Cragmor as a treatment center for Navajos with tuberculosis. About ten years later, the Navajo patients were transferred elsewhere.[8]
As early as 1945, the University of Colorado offered classes in the Colorado Springs area at various locations, mostly Colorado College. By the 1960s, however, a permanent campus was desired.[8]
On February 16, 1961, the Committee for the Expansion of the University of Colorado was formed. The co-chairmen were Joseph Petta and Ronald B Macintyre. Members included Angelo Christopher, Clint Cole, Albert Hesse, Don King, Don Kopis, Rosemary Macintyre, Dorothy Petta, Harrington Richardson, Joseph Reich, Robin Tibbets, Mike Valliant, Phyllis Warner, and John Whigham. (These Co-founders are all honored on a plaque in the lobby of the current campus site.) On March 4, 1961, they submitted a resolution to expand the extension of The University of Colorado to Colorado Springs. Legislators were favorable. After several more years of local and state meetings in June 1964, the next phase of UCCS's development came about when Dr. George Dwire, the executive director of the Cragmor Sanatorium, began formal actions necessary to transfer the assets of the Cragmoor Corporation to the University of Colorado. The solution came when George T. Dwire sold the Cragmor Sanatorium property for $1 to the state, which became the property of the University of Colorado in 1964.[8]
In 1965, UCCS moved to its current location on Austin Bluffs Parkway in the Cragmor neighborhood of Northern Colorado Springs. The campus is located at one of the highest parts of the city.[8]
Because of its ties to Hewlett-Packard, initial university programs focused on engineering and business, and classes were held in the Cragmor Sanatorium building, what is now Main Hall, and Cragmor Hall, a modern expansion of Main Hall. The first building built exclusively for UCCS, Dwire Hall, was not complete until 1972.[8]
A 1997 community referendum merged Beth-El College of Nursing with UCCS. In recent years, programs such as the Network Information and Space Security Center were added to connect the university with the military to improve national security. Other programs, including the CU Institute for Bioenergetics and the Institute for Science and Space Studies, cast an eye toward the future.[8]
In 2001, UCCS purchased an 87,000-square-foot (8,100m2) building at the corner of Union and Austin Bluffs to house the Beth-El College of Nursing.[8]
Academics
College of Letters, Art & Sciences
The College of Letters, Arts & Sciences is the UCCS college of liberal arts and sciences. The College of LAS gives access to accelerated bachelor's degrees, and three Ph.D. degrees through the seventeen departments at UCCS.[9]
Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences
The Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences is the UCCS nursing school. It has two departments: Health Sciences and Nursing. The college is accredited with the Colorado State Board of Nursing and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Both departments are primarily located in University Hall, roughly half a mile east from the main campus at the intersection of Austin Bluffs Parkway and Union Boulevard. intersection.
The College of Education is the UCCS school of education. The College of Education was previously located in Columbine Hall on the UCCS campus; it has since relocated to University Hall down at the intersection of Austin Bluffs Parkway and Union Boulevard. It is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAPE), the Colorado Department of Education (CDE), the Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE) and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). It is primarily a Colorado state educator licensure program.[10]
College of Public Service
The College of Public Service offers degrees in criminal justice, public administration and social work.[11] UCCS CPS is located in the Academic Office Building on the UCCS Campus. UCCS College of Public Service offers the only Master of Public Administration NASPAA (Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration) accredited program in the Pikes Peak Region.[12]
College of Engineering and Applied Science
The College of Engineering and Applied Science is the UCCS engineering college. In the U.S. News & World Report "America’s Best Colleges," the 2008 college rankings edition, "the magazine’s editors ranked the UCCS undergraduate engineering program ninth in the nation among public engineering schools offering bachelor’s or master’s degrees."[13]
The Engineering Building houses the Department of Computer Science, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, dean's office, Advanced Development and UNIX Laboratory, Specialized Software Development Laboratory, Software Development Laboratory, Communications and Signal Processing Laboratory, Control Systems Laboratory, Electronics Laboratory, Electromagnetics Laboratory, Microelectronics Research Laboratories (MRL), and VLSI Circuit Design Laboratory.
In 2009 a $56.1-million Science and Engineering Building was completed at the center of campus to add needed laboratory and lecture space for the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering as well as the Physics, Chemistry, and Biology departments. It holds an expanded computer, wind tunnel, fluids, instrumentation, and other mechanical engineering laboratories with an enlarged machine shop and research space, design studios with payload and project areas. The building was later named Osborne Center for Science and Engineering after its most significant donors, Ed and Mary Osborne.[16]
Institutes
El Pomar Institute for Innovation and Commercialization
University of Colorado's El Pomar Institute for Innovation and Commercialization (EPIIC)[17] is located on the campus of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS).
National Institute for Science, Space and Security Centers
The National Institute for Science, Space and Security Centers (NISSSC) is a multi-disciplinary institute. The NISSSC includes the Center for Homeland Security (CHS); the Center for Space Studies (CSS); the Center for Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Education (CSTEME); and the Trauma, Health & Hazards Center (THHC).[18]
Center for Space Studies
The Center for Space Studies[19] (CSS) is an educational and research & development organization formed under affiliation with UCCS and the NISSSC. Founded in 2004, the center's mission is to promote research, education and outreach in the domain of space technology. The CSS is led by Dr. Scott Trimboli, associate dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science at UCCS. CSS is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Research
The Center for Space Studies projects include:
Satellite Thermal Modeling for FalconSAT (Dr. Andrew Ketsdever)
Tethered Satellite Orbit Determination (Dr. Steven Tragesser)
Emergency Response Operations System Integration (Dr. Roger Sambrook)
Terahertz Technology for Multiphase Flow Applications (Dr. Andrew Ketsdever & Dr. Hoyoung Song)
Small Satellite Simulator Development (Dr. Scott Trimboli)
Center for STEM Education
Campus Buildings
Kraemer LibraryColumbine HallSummit VillageEnt Center for the ArtsAnschutz Engineering Center
Main Hall (1914) – Administration building containing the Bursar's office, admissions, academic advising, disability services, etc.
Cragmor Hall (1959) – Administration building containing orientation, admissions, student employment, and financial aid.
Dwire Hall (1972) – Renovated in 2007, Dwire Hall was the first academic building. It now serves as the classroom and office spaces for the College of Business and Languages and Cultures.[20]
The El Pomar Center (1975) – Home to the Kraemer Family Library and technical support. Renovated at the beginning of the millennium to expand the library and add the University Center.
Engineering and Applied Sciences (1985) – One of two buildings in which the College of Engineering and Applied Science operates, this building is home to various labs with national acclaim.[21]
Columbine Hall (1997) – The new home for most LAS classes, also containing writing center, communications lab, and a lecture hall.
Summit Village (1997) – This was the first of UCCS's student housing, including Monarch, Breckenridge, Keystone, Vail, Telluride, Steamboat and Aspen. Subsequent buildings were constructed in phases, including the Alpine Apartments in 2004, Copper/Eldora in 2013, and the LaPlata, Cucharas, and San Juan buildings in 2015–2016.
Family Development Center (1997) - The center provides comprehensive child care for children aged 1 to 11, including toddler care, preschool, kindergarten transition programs, and summer camps for school-age children.
University Center (2001) – Addition to El Pomar, this is the center of campus life where activities and seminars are held. The information desk, campus store, the Scribe, Student Life, and MOSAIC offices are housed in the lower level.
University Hall (2001) – Home to the College of Education and Johnson Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences.
Osborne Center for Science and Engineering (2009) – This building was designed by AR7 Architects (now NAC Architecture) and provides a twofold expansion of science and engineering classrooms and facilities.
Centennial Hall (2010) – Originally built and opened in 1980, this building was rebuilt in 2010 and is now home to departments of Chemistry, Biochemistry, Anthropology, Geography, and Environmental Studies,
Gallogly Events Center (2010) – This venue is a 1,250-seat facility that opened in 2010, and features state-of-the-art sound and lighting, high-speed data capability, Daktronics scoreboards, digital score tables, improved seating, large visitor's and officials locker rooms, dedicated VIP area, and is wired to comfortably host television broadcasts. [22]
Heller Center (2010) - A renovated 1940s home, this space provides a refuge for creativity. [23]
Alpine Parking Garage & Recreational Field (2014) - This site added more than 1,200 new parking spots, as well as two multi-purpose turf athletic fields on the roof. [24]
Academic Office Building (2014)– Houses several departments of the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences as well as the School of Public Affairs. [24]
The Lane Center (2014)–The Lane Center for Academic Health Sciences opened as a branch of the CU School of Medicine. [25]
Sustainability Demonstration House (2015) - Operates as an educational center where visitors can learn about reducing their carbon footprint through various sustainable practices. [26]
Gallogly Recreation and Wellness Center (2016) – This space features a swimming pool, a climbing wall, and a full basketball court, along with the Wellness Center, counseling services, and more.[27]
Ent Center (2018) - Home to the Visual and Performing Arts classes. Also hosts some events for the students, and also is sometimes used by the Colorado Springs Philharmonic orchestra.
Hybl Sports Medicine and Performance Center (2020) - A first-of-its-kind facility, designed with intentional “collision spaces” for collaboration between medical doctors, faculty researchers and students. [28]
Anschutz Engineering Center (2024) - New annex to the current Engineering and Applied Sciences building. [29]
Strategic Plan
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) has a rich history of strategic planning that reflects its growth, evolving mission, and commitment to student success. The earliest documented strategic effort dates back to the early 2000s, when the university developed a Long Range Development Plan and Master Plan to guide physical and academic expansion. These plans were created in response to UCCS being designated as the growth campus within the University of Colorado system, and they focused on transforming the Cragmor campus into a dynamic educational environment that could meet increasing regional demands. This foundational planning laid the groundwork for future strategic initiatives by identifying key priorities such as land use, transportation, and academic growth. [30]
In 2012, UCCS launched the “Our Commitment to the Future” strategic plan, which guided the university through 2020. This plan emphasized excellence, innovation, and impact, and was developed during a period of rapid institutional growth. It aligned with the University of Colorado Board of Regents’ guiding principles and focused on measurable goals across twelve strategic areas. The plan was notable for its inclusive development process and its alignment with broader system-wide objectives. It helped UCCS solidify its identity as a forward-thinking institution committed to access, diversity, and academic excellence.[30]
In Fall 2018, the 2030 Strategic Plan process kicked off with a semester of listening sessions, built in collaboration with JERA Partnerships. In 2019, the conversation continued – during Town Hall sessions, through surveys and emails, discovery sessions and more. Seven core strategies emerged, accompanied by plans for the future and measures of success. The Strategic Plan was approved by the Regents of the University of Colorado on Feb. 13, 2020, thus began the 10-year journey of Success 2030. Campus community members both near and far are invited to contribute to driving the next decade of success at UCCS. [31]
In the fall of 2024, through campus-wide strategy sessions, Four Pillars were identified to help guide this work: Sustainable & Strategic Growth, Research & Creative Excellence, Organizational Excellence, and Culture of Care. These pillars connect directly to, and provide focus for, the seven Strategic Plan 2030 priorities—student success, faculty excellence, research, community partnerships, diversity and inclusion, operational effectiveness, and financial sustainability—while remaining grounded in our mission. Success 2030 lays out a vision for the future of our university that builds on our core mission: to provide high-quality, accessible education; to advance knowledge; integrate student learning with the spirit of discovery; and to serve our community. [32]
The official campus newspaper is The Scribe, since 1966.[34]
The university is home to Writers' Forum, a national literary journal founded in 1974.
URJ-UCCS: Undergraduate Research Journal at UCCS[35]
riverrun is the student literary and arts journal published annually. They take poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and visual art submissions. riverrun must never be capitalized because it is a reference to the first word of the book Finnegans Wake, which starts in the middle of a sentence. The beginning of the sentence is at the end of the book.[36]
Notable students, alumni, and staff
Max Aaron - 2013 U.S. national champion figure skater
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
