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!
Have something to add? Please reach out to University Communications with your submission!
UCCS Leader Sworn In as President of the Rocky Mountain Skyline Bookstore Association
Last week, the Rocky Mountain Skyline Bookstore Association (RMSBA) officially announced the swearing-in of the new President of its Board, Paul Deniston, representing the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) as its Director of Retail Services. This appointment highlights a pivotal opportunity to elevate UCCS’s visibility and strategic influence within the regional campus retail landscape while strengthening collaboration with peer institutions across the Mountain West.
RMSBA is a powerful regional consortium dedicated to advancing excellence and unity in higher education retail. With 15 member institutions spanning Colorado, Idaho, South Dakota, and Utah—including the University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado State University, the University of Utah, Brigham Young University, and UCCS—the association provides robust education, peer networking, and industry advocacy. Collectively, RMSBA members serve more than 350,000 students and leverage an estimated $100 million in annual purchasing power to secure competitive pricing, services, and vendor partnerships.
Criminal Justice Association
The UCCS American Criminal Justice Association competition team traveled to Warrensburg, MO for the Region 3 competition. Five students represented UCCS during the rigorous multiday event which included crime scene investigations, firearms, physical agility, academic testing, and research poster presentations. Our team performed exceptionally well in each category and brought home trophies for 1st and 2nd place finishes in physical agility (obstacle course), 2nd place in the firearms event, and 2nd and 3rd place finishes in the academic testing events.
We are really proud of the students and the faculty who helped them prepare, train, and traveled with them, including Assistant Teaching Professor Rodney Gehrett for helping train the students at the range this year and for volunteering to drive them across the country to compete. It’s evident the students gave it their all and Prof. Gehrett was there to support them every step along the way.
Thanks to Associate Teaching Professor John Barnett who taught the students about crime scene investigations and Teaching Professor Katy Hudson for advising the student group, helping prepare them for competitions and travel, training them, and securing SGA funds.
It’s a true team effort. We are proud of all the students for the energy they put into learning outside the classroom and representing UCCS at ACJA.
Social Work Conference
UCCS Social Work faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends representing at the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) 71st Annual Conference in Denver!
What an incredible week as an exhibitor at CSWE. From conversations in the exhibit hall to Saturday’s banquet dinner, we’re grateful for the chance to connect with colleagues and celebrate the power of social work education. Thank you to everyone who visited us at Booth #324 – we left inspired and energized!
Office of the Provost
Lynn Vidler, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, has been selected as a member of the 2025-2026 cohort of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) 2025 Academy for New Provosts (ANP), a leadership development program designed for the specific needs of new provosts at state colleges and universities. The program, which is in its sixth year, gives cohort members the opportunity to connect with their peers as they learn strategies for tackling the distinctive challenges they will face in their role.
Mayor’s Young Leader Award
Congratulations to Nicole Weis with the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience at UCCS for her award in the category of Sports, Health and Wellness! The Sports, Health & Wellness category for the award recognizes “an individual who has made a standout contribution as a health and wellness champion, improving the lives of others, physically, emotionally and mentally. They have had a tangible effect in sport and recreation initiatives to bring community together and make it possible for more people and societal groups to live healthier, happier lives.”
Cybersecurity
October was Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Cybersecurity is not just the responsibility of IT; everyone needs to be aware of malicious intent online. The CU System and the CU System website (https://www.cu.edu/security/cybersecurity-awareness-month) spearheads Cybersecurity Awareness Month activities across all four campuses each year. The important message of staying safe online is designed to dovetail with a Federal national initiative by CISA (https://www.cisa.gov/cybersecurity-awareness-month).
UCCS participated by hosting a Webinar, led by Ben Edelen, Boulder County CISO: The “Citizen” in Digital Citizenship – Your Role in Online Security. UCCS also canvassed on campus with students, spreading the word about online safety. The CU System joined members of the UCCS staff including the Information Security Officer, Charlie Wertz and members of the UCCS Cybersecurity Programs Office to play Plinko with the students and raise their awareness of both online threats and ways to combat those threats. UCCS Information Security Officer, Charlie Wertz also joined a panel: Q&A with CU Cybersecurity Leaders.
For additional information on all the great events and resources that CU is offering this year for CAM, please visit the CU CAM website: https://www.cu.edu/security/cybersecurity-awareness-month
A new program has also launched at UCCS, Data Mine of the Rockies (DMR)! Spun off from Purdue University’s The Data Mine, DMR gives students in Colorado with an interest in data science the opportunity to join a hands-on data project, typically in space, cybersecurity, and/or government, that teaches vital skills and provides real-world experience. This program is designed as “Data Science for All” – all majors and areas of study are welcome.
In the 2025 and 2026 academic years, UCCS helped bring DMR to Colorado, securing participation from students at 12 colleges and universities across Colorado including all CU campuses. Over 80 students participated in 8 projects this Fall, a testament to the need for real-world, hands-on training, especially in data-related fields.
National First-Generation College Student Week
The week of November 3rd, UCCS celebrated National First-Generation College Student Week! This is an annual opportunity to raise awareness of the first-generation college student identity by advancing an asset-based, national narrative of these students’ experiences and outcomes. With over 3,000 students (28%) at UCCS identifying as first-generation college students, the First2Go Program is dedicated to recognizing, supporting, and celebrating the journeys of first-generation students. The week amounted to eleven events featuring partnerships with ENT Credit Union, Education Abroad, and Academic Advising. Additionally, first-generation stories from UCCS alumni and community members were featured throughout the week. If you’d like to have your story highlighted, submit here by December 7, 2025: https://forms.office.com/r/N0bFvJWADq
