Each week, Communique will be highlighting a series of campus wins, accomplishments and accolades. Please explore the list below to check out what other teams are up to, and help celebrate their good work!

Have something to add? Please reach out to University Communications with your submission!

College of Public Service Highlights

Congratulations to CPS faculty CRCW seed grant awardees through the UCCS Office of Research! The Office of Research supports research and creative work on campus. Annual CRCW seed grants are awarded on a competitive basis which is open to tenured and tenure-track faculty in every program area. The goals of the CRCW grants are to promote research excellence, to help pre-tenure-track faculty members establish research programs, and to assist faculty members in becoming nationally competitive when seeking funding from sources external to UCCS.

Jessica Berrett, Assistant Professor Public Administration
Understanding Overhead Aversion Across Generations: Examining the Role of Donor Age in Charitable Giving

Tae Kyung Park, Assistant Professor Social Work
Pilot Study on the Development and Validation of an Instrument of Measure Ecotransformational Leadership for Social Service Organizations

McConkie Leadership Conference

Another successful McConkie Leadership Conference in the books! The Public Safety Initiative hosted the 2025 McConkie Leadership Conference on Thursday, April 24. A star-studded line up of presenters included U.S. Representative Jeff Crank, former U.S. Marshal and retired Denver Police Department Captain Tina Lewis Rowe, and former Navy SEAL turned Echelon Front instructor Jason Gardner. There were excellent take-aways that will serve to support many leadership situations, including the notion that we are all leaders and influence those around us.  Special thanks to Janet Van Kampen, PSI Program Director,  for putting together a great program. 

More Faculty Congratulations

Congratulations to Stephanie Gangemi, PhD, LCSW, CCHP, Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work, on being selected as a C3 Innovation Fellow! Her project was chosen for its creativity, community impact, and strong alignment with the C3 values of Creativity, Community, and curiosity. Over the next two years, Dr. Gangemi will engage in specialized training in innovation, design, and strategic foresight, collaborating with university and local partners.

As part of her fellowship. Dr. Gangemi will lead the development of the Forensic Care Academy, an online training hub designed to equip correctional healthcare professionals, law enforcement, and correctional staff with the specialized clinical knowledge, interpersonal skills, and trauma-informed practices needed to navigate high-stakes environments ethically and effectively.

UCCS AFROTC Cadets

On May 1 at the Air Force ROTC Detachment 105 awards ceremony, UCCS Cadet Esteban Salazar-Garcia was awarded the GMC (underclassman) of the semester award, and UCCS Cadets Conner Thueson and Issac Daniel won the coveted Flight Command Team of the semester.

UCCS cadets, Head Cadet Jordan Diomede (in-charge of all UCCS cadets this past academic year), and Cadet Sam Welch will be commissioning into the Air Force post-graduation next week.

Launch of Clawdia, UCCS’s First Generative AI Persona

The Division of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs is thrilled to announce the launch of Clawdia, UCCS’s first-ever generative AI persona. Clawdia is an innovative AI recruiter designed to assist prospective and current students with their questions about life at UCCS, available around the clock.

Clawdia is a cutting-edge AI developed to enhance the student experience at UCCS. Whether you’re curious about academic programs, campus facilities, extracurricular activities, or student life, Clawdia is here to provide accurate and timely information. This AI persona leverages advanced natural language processing to understand and respond to a wide range of inquiries, making it easier for students to get the information they need, whenever they need it.

Dean of Students (DOS)

The Dean of Students Office partnered with OIT and other campus units to align the existing iPad program with the Basic Needs Program, helping ensure students with critical technology needs have access to essential academic tools. So far 76 iPads have been allocated, and while supplies are nearly out for the year, the program will be replenished and resume in the fall. Students with urgent technology needs are still encouraged to reach out for support.

MOSAIC

Pride Week: Pride Week, a student-initiated initiative supported by MOSAIC, provided an inclusive opportunity for students to celebrate Pride while school is in session, since national observances typically occur in June. With over 280 students participating throughout the week, the celebration highlighted community, visibility, and student leadership. 

Res Life and Housing

RA Closing Banquet: The RA Closing Banquet, held under the enchanting theme of “Starry Night,” honored Resident Assistants for their incredible talents, resilience, and accomplishments during a year of significant change. With formal attire encouraged and plated service provided by Dining and Hospitality Services, the evening was a meaningful tribute to the RAs who have dedicated the year to serving and supporting others. 

Student Life (SL)

ROAR Awards: The ROAR Awards, held on Tuesday, April 29th, celebrated the outstanding achievements of student clubs and organizations, recognizing their impact on campus life and community engagement. With over 80 students in attendance, the ceremony also honored the exceptional leadership and dedication of student leaders and advisors who go above and beyond to support their groups. 

Veteran and Military Affairs (VMA)

This semester, Veteran and Military Affairs staff provided targeted academic support to military-affiliated students at risk of failing, offering personalized outreach and guidance. As a result of these efforts, 95% of those students are now on track to pass their classes going into finals week.

VCAF

Auxiliary Services – Family Development Center

The Carry the Light fundraiser raised $5,900 dollars for the Family Development Center. This impressive achievement represents a remarkable increase of $2,593 from 2023, highlighting the growing support for this vital organization within our university community. This is a testament to the generosity and community spirit on the UCCS campus.

Auxiliary Services – Dining Services

For the month of April dining services received and delivered over 5,000 mobile orders to students on campus.

Our Mountain Lion Family donated 200 meal swipes which could benefit 3 students receiving 3 meals a week for an entire semester! This donation of 200 meal swipes has the potential to make a real difference in the lives of our students facing food insecurity. This act of generosity truly embodies the spirit of our UCCS community, where we look out for one another and strive to create a supportive environment for all our Mountain Lions. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this impactful donation!

Auxiliary Services – Event Services

Great collaborative effort between Student Life and Event Services in creating a student event, Clydechella. This event was a major success and over 500 students participated and attended the concert.

Controller’s Office – Student Financial Services

Student financial services and the controller’s offices persistent outreach to departments to claim wires resulted in $47.5 claimed. To date we have received $634,000 DOR payments from the state for the tax intercept program.

Human Resources (HR)

In the month of April, HR celebrated graduation for the following leadership programs. High Performing Leadership Program – staff cohort for 2024-25. Excellence in Leadership Program – this is the system wide leadership program

Information Technology

The wireless team successfully installed and activated the Verizon LTE Network Extender. It is now providing coverage in Main Hall primarily on floors 2, 3, and 4, with some limited coverage on the first floor. To confirm connectivity, dial #48 from a Verizon device. If connected, you’ll hear: “Welcome to Verizon Wireless. You are under 4G LTE Network Extender Coverage with ID.” Some devices may also display a visual indicator, typically a small house icon above the signal bars, when connected.

The applications team implemented a website heatmap tool to replace the previous tool which was going to start charging $1200 per year for the service. The new tool is called Clarity (a Microsoft product) and it’s free! It’s also a much better tool than we were using previously.

Institutional Data, Effectiveness, and Analytics (IDEA)

The Business Intelligence (BI) Team is working on another project to create a dashboard to display Economic Forum (College of Business) data: Economic Forum updates are complete and available to review online. Platinum, Gold, and Silver partners can access password protected page through the College of Business. There is some fantastic data in this viz that shows unemployment, job postings, salaries, population, and more. At some point we may include this type of data in a Data & Donuts session!

UCCS was approved for Title III eligibility for FY25. This designation allows us to apply for grants within the Titles III and V programs. This is a big win for UCCS.

Public Safety

The UCCS Police Department also stood with the Swasey Family at the Colorado Law Enforcement Memorial to honor him and his family on the 10-year anniversary of his passing.