University of Colorado Colorado Springs

History

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.

As early as the 1945, CU offered classes in the Colorado Springs area at various locations, mostly Colorado College. By the 1960s, however, a permanent campus was desired.

On February 16, 1961, the Committee for the Expansion of the University of Colorado was formed. Co chairman 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.

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.

Because of its ties to HP, 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.

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.

In 2001 UCCS purchased an 87,000-square-foot (8,100 m²) building at the corner of Union and Austin Bluffs to house the Beth-El College of Nursing.

College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences

The College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences is the UCCS college of liberal arts and sciences. It is the largest college at UCCS, offering undergraduate programs in anthropology, art history, biology, chemistry, communication, economics, English, film studies, geography and environmental studies, history, mathematics, philosophy, physics, political science, psychology, sociology, Spanish, and visual and performing arts. It offers graduate programs in biology, chemistry, communication, applied geography, history, applied mathematics, physics, psychology, and sociology.

Beth-El College of Nursing & Health Sciences

The Beth-El College of Nursing & Health Sciences is the UCCS nursing school. It has two departments, Health Science 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 the upper levels of University Hall about half a mile east from the main campus and in the northwest corner of the Austin Bluff at Union intersection. Degrees granted:

College of Business and Administration

The College of Business and Administration is the UCCS business school. It is located in the newly renovated Dwire Hall. The college established in 1965. It is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Degrees granted:

College of Education

The College of Education is the UCCS school of education. The College of Education is located in Columbine Hall on the UCCS campus. It is accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), 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.

In addition to its primary degree and educator licensure programs the COE operates many other auxiliary programs that are integral to the mission and objectives of the College.

The COE is also active in a number of special programs, including the following:

Degrees offered

Awards and accomplishments

School of Public Affairs

The School of Public Affairs offers degrees in criminal justice and public administration. UCCS SPA is located in the new Academic Office Building on the UCCS Campus. UCCS School of Public Affairs offers the only Master of Public Administration NASPAA (Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration) accredited program in the Pikes Peak Region. U.S. News & World Report ranks the School of Public Affairs in the top 14% of schools of public affairs throughout the nation. Degrees granted:

College of Engineering and Applied Sciences

The College of Engineering and Applied Sciences 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."

UCCS Engineering is rapidly expanding and includes many research institutes and laboratories. It consists of three departments: the Department of Computer Science (computer science); the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (electrical engineering, computer engineering), and the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering). The college is accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). In conjunction with the College of Business it offers the unique Bachelor of Innovation which won the 2008 ASEE new program innovation award.

Because of its proximity to U.S. government and military installations and the technology private sector the college has partnerships with several institutions, including defense contractors and semiconductor manufacturers (Intel, Boeing, Agilent, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin), national laboratory (Sandia National Laboratories), and the military (United States Northern Command, Air Force Space Command, and the United States Air Force Academy). It provides outreach services to the local community through Project Lead the Way and the FIRST Lego League.

In 2006, the American Society for Engineering Education ranked the college seventh among U.S. public universities and 18th for all U.S. universities in the number of degrees awarded to women.

The College is located in two buildings:

A new $56.1-million Science and Engineering Building has been 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. The building opened for classes in fall 2009. 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 biggest donors, Ed and Mary Osborne.

El Pomar Institute for Innovation and Commercialization

University of Colorado’s El Pomar Institute for Innovation and Commercialization (EPIIC) is located on the campus of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS). The thrust of EPIIC is to play a role in the early development of new ideas and products and to aid people in taking their ideas to market. Connecting academia with the business community and with the local, state, and federal government through innovation and commercialization will provide short- and long-term benefits to Colorado Springs and the surrounding area. The original El Pomar grant endowed three prestigious chairs in the Colleges of Business and Engineering at UCCS who work with the community. EPIIC continues to operate as a focal point for an alliance among high-tech companies, entrepreneurs, community leaders, the University of Colorado, and the El Pomar Foundation. EPIIC support economic development by providing technology-centered enterprises with access to technology/business information and resources with an emphasis on sectors recognized as critical to the regional economy; to facilitate research with other organizations which assist companies; to provide services through a web of personal connections and information resources; and to catalyze changes in the business climate to establish Colorado Springs as a center for entrepreneurial high-tech and sports oriented companies. EPIIC serves as a bridge between the intellectual resources of the University, the three El Pomar Chairs, and the high-tech community. In support of the vision of Colorado Springs as a high-tech leader, the strategic plan calls for EPIIC to support the emergence of Colorado Springs as a nationally recognized leader in creating and growing high-tech companies by creating an infrastructure where entrepreneurs have easy access to resources and expertise; promoting collaboration between industry and the University; and promoting the creation of a world-class workforce.

National Institute for Science, Space and Security Centers

The National Institute for Science, Space and Security Centers (NISSSC) is a multi-disciplinary institute established to better focus on developing and implementing sound academic and research deliverables in the science, space and security disciplines, for meeting the nation’s challenges. 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).

Center for Space Studies

The Center for Space Studies (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, just minutes away from key military space activities including: Headquarters Air Force Space Command, Headquarters Army Space Command, Shriever AFB, and Headquarters US Northern Command.

Vision

The vision for CSS is to promote space through education and research in service to our nation and for the betterment of society. The Center functions as a focus of scholars and professionals working together to build and support a center of excellence in space technology and education. Specifically, the Center aims to achieve the following goals:

Research

The Center for Space Studies solves technical problems facing government and industry in Colorado and across the nation with technical expertise in emergency management, astrodynamics, micro-propulsion, data fusion, and space systems engineering. CSS projects include:

Education programs

The CSS mission is to promote the educational development of the space workforce through graduate programs offered through the UCCS College of Engineering and Applied Science.

Outreach

CSS, through its NISSSC affiliate Center for Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Education (CSTEME), collaborates with regional educational partners to develop innovative educational experiences for the K-12 student population. Collaboration involves a workshop for regional high-school students titled the Near Earth Object project (NEO project).

Campus buildings

Master plan and future growth

In 2000, the CU Board of Regents designated UCCS as the CU growth campus. In 2003, the Colorado Legislature approved revisions in the university's statutory role and mission to remove geographic and program restrictions. In 2005, the Regents approved a seven-year plan that calls for the university to add to its base of 7,650 students (Fall 2004), 347 FTE faculty and 254 FTE staff.

The 2006–2012 plan calls for growth to 9,100 students with corresponding increases in faculty, staff, programs and campus infrastructure.

In addition to the completion of the recreation center, Dwire Hall renovation, and the third wing of the new science/engineering building, the seven-year plan also calls for the renovation and transition of the old Heller Center on the other side of the bluff that campus sits in front of into a sort of "arts retreat." This project is expected to cost around $4.4 million. Also, by 2014, two new buildings are in the works for Summit, and by that year the Alpine Village should be built out with three additional buildings across from the current ones.

With construction on the new Austin Bluffs/Union interchange, the construction of a new frontage road from campus to University Hall began as well, enabling a closed circuit connecting Cragmor Campus with University Hall, making access to Austin Bluffs unnecessary.

From 2014 a new indoor athletics complex will be constructed along Nevada in the existing 4-Diamonds area. North Nevada is the 2nd phase of campus in the long-term, and extreme long-term build-out calls for dozens of new buildings, academic halls, and another resident village to be built along Nevada.

Athletics

UCCS competes in NCAA Division II in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), fielding teams in men's basketball, women's basketball, women's volleyball, men's cross country, women's cross country, men's indoor track and field, women's indoor track and field, men's outdoor track and field, women's outdoor track and field, men's golf, men's soccer, women's soccer, and women's softball.

The school mascot is the mountain lion, Clyde, with official colors of gold and black, the same school colors of CU-Boulder (black, gold and silver).

Honor Societies

In addition to its honors programs, UCCS has chapters of the following honor societies on campus:

School publications

Notable students, alumni, and staff

International exchange