UCCS News 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!
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College of Public Service
Public Administration brings international visitors to campus
In August, the College of Public Service Public Administration department had the privilege of hosting visitors from various European countries, as well as representatives of the European Union and NATO. They visited UCCS and CPS through the State Department’s International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) and Colorado Springs World Affairs Council. During their visit to our campus, Public Administration Department Chair Dr. Edin Mujkic and Executive Director of the Center for Human Security Steve Recca provided expertise on today’s most pressing issues. Together, they briefed participants on current and emerging threats facing the United States, as well as geopolitical issues shaping international security. This collaboration underscores the College’s commitment to global engagement, knowledge exchange, and applied research that connects the classroom to real-world challenges.
Social Work research was highlighted in UCCS News
Assistant Professor Stephanie Gangemi, Ph.D., LCSW, CCHP and Camille Dysart, LSW, UCCS social work program alumna and social worker with the Department of Corrections, examined the prevalence of moral injury among correctional health care professionals (CHPs) and the challenges accompanying CHP work in a 2024 study, “Moral Injury in Correctional Health Care.” Moral injury refers to the psychological, moral and existential distress that arises from perpetrating, witnessing or failing to prevent actions that transgress deeply held moral beliefs and values. CHPs aim to provide rehabilitative care in a punitive environment, and patient care is often at odds with carceral staff behavior and attitude towards inmates.
Since publication, Gangemi and Dysart’s work has been featured by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care twice – featured on their website and in their magazine CorrectCare (vol. 39, issue 1). Additionally, with funding from the UCCS Committee on Research and Creative Works (CRCW) grant, they held a series of focus groups to develop a toolkit on moral injury for correctional healthcare providers in the U.S.
This week we introduce the first two of five new College of Public Service faculty members who joined us this fall.
David Tyler, Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice
Dr. Tyler’s research agenda focuses on the intersection of emerging technologies and criminal justice, particularly the applications of artificial intelligence and virtual reality in criminal justice education, training, and practice. His recent work includes a mixed-methods study on the use of large language models like ChatGPT in criminal justice education, exploring educator attitudes and their ability to detect AI-generated student submissions.
In addition to his work in emerging technology, Dr. Tyler also explores procedural fairness and its impact on group dynamics during protests, with a particular focus on the relationship between protesters and police. He has published extensively on how procedural fairness shapes both internal police organizational behaviors and external social identities.
Michelle Moar, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work
Michelle brings 25 years of experience as a social worker with clinical practice experience in a variety of settings, including military mental health, military social work, community mental health, school social work, and geriatric social work. Michelle holds EMDR certification and a specialty in trauma treatment for military and veterans. She has extensive training in a wide range of clinical practice modalities.
Michelle’s areas of interest include Trauma and Resilience, Military Social Work, and Social Work Education.
Cybersecurity
UCCS is offering a great way for students to build hands-on employment experience in the field of data science and analytics – Data Mine of the Rockies. Our Fall 2025-Spring 2026 cohort began with the school year, and we have great representation not only from Colorado schools but from UCCS in particular. For the 9 DMR industry-led projects this year, there 100 students from 15 universities. Of those 15 schools, 12 are from Colorado. Almost 2/3 of the students participating (57) are from Colorado, and more than ¼ are from UCCS, more than any other Colorado university. We will be recruiting for the next cohort of students starting next summer. Keep an eye on the DMR website to learn more or to apply for the Fall 2026 cohort.