This fall, UCCS launched the Strategic Spotlight Series to bring our community together around the shared priorities of the Strategic Plan and our Core Strategic Pillars. Through two highly engaged sessions, faculty, staff and students explored how our collective work is advancing institutional goals and strengthening the future of UCCS.
Fall 2025 Highlights
September: Introducing the Strategic Plan & Pillars in Action
Our September session reintroduced the Strategic Plan Core Pillars and unveiled the updated Strategic Plan Action Website. This website provides a transparent, accessible view into campuswide initiatives and progress.
The session also featured four campus leaders whose initiatives illustrate each pillar in action:
Pillar 1: Strategic and Sustainable Growth: Wendi Clouse, Ph.D., shared insights into the Strategic Enrollment Plan which addresses enrollment and fiscal challenges through five key imperatives: improved student journeys, innovative academic pathways, reimagining recruitment, improving affordability and competitive advantage and cultivating a continuum of student care to strengthen student support and well-being.
Pillar 2: Research & Creative Excellence: Seth Porter, Ph.D., highlighted C3 Innovation, showcasing that through fellowships, labs and strategic partnerships, C3 is establishing UCCS as a national model for inclusive, multidisciplinary innovation.
Pillar 3: Organizational Excellence: Lillian Hogan presented Care360, a unique and strategically specific customer service excellence training program that reinforces the need to serve “in, up, down, and all-around” to realize a deep and authentic culture of care for all campus constituents
Pillar 4: Culture of Care: Chip Benight, Ph.D., discussed Milestone Resilience Care, an initiative empowering healing in individuals who have experienced trauma or are experiencing significant stress or burnout.
November: Strategic Spotlight on Pillar One Strategic & Sustainable Growth
In November, the campus community reconvened to take a deeper dive into Pillar One: Sustainable & Strategic Growth, featuring four speakers whose initiatives help expand pathways, strengthen pipelines, and support long-term institutional vitality:
Regina Winters, Ph.D., presented on the College of Public Service Career Pathways Initiative–Elevating Public Service to New Heights. The college adopted a data-driven, stakeholder-informed decision-making model to revise existing degree offerings and identify critical growth areas that fit faculty research expertise, employer needs and student imagination.
Curtis Turner highlighted the College of Education’s Accelerating Careers in Teaching (ACT) program, an alternative licensure pathway designed for individuals who hold a bachelor’s degree but do not yet have a teaching credential.
Jevita Rogers shared updates on Clyde’s Commitment and Concurrent Enrollment, two critical initiatives from the Strategic Enrollment Plan, both of which broaden access for Colorado high school students and support their transition into higher education.
Student Leaders Campbell Curcio and Jenna McCallum represented the Green Action Fund, showcasing student‑driven projects that advance campus sustainability and deepen student engagement in environmental leadership.
Both fall sessions reinforced how deeply our campus community is invested in collaboration, transparency, and advancing the strategic priorities that guide UCCS forward.
As we move into the spring semester, we are excited to continue the series with three new spotlight conversations that dive deeper into our Strategic Plan Core Pillars.
Pillar Two: Research & Creative Excellence
The February 19 Strategic Spotlight Series will focus on Research & Creative Excellence, highlighting the essential role UCCS plays as the only research university in southern Colorado. Faculty and student scholars drive discovery, creativity and innovation that strengthen learning and address pressing challenges in our region and beyond. This session will feature a panel of faculty and student researchers, moderated by Hillary Fouts, Acting Vice Provost & Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Dean of the Graduate School, who will discuss how UCCS’s growing research and creative works mission advances knowledge, expands partnerships and elevates the visibility of scholarship across campus.
Pillar Three: Organizational Excellence
On March 10, the Strategic Spotlight Series will turn its focus to Organizational Excellence, exploring how a continuous improvement mindset strengthens the way we serve students, faculty, staff and the broader community. This session will highlight how UCCS is streamlining processes, improving alignment across units and using accurate and accessible data to guide decision making. By operating efficiently and transparently and responsibly stewarding resources, we position ourselves to meet today’s challenges while preparing for tomorrow’s opportunities. The March event will showcase the systems, structures and practices that strengthen our institutional foundation, and highlight a few of the teams and individuals who make our mission possible.
On April 20, the Strategic Spotlight Series will conclude with a focus on Culture of Care, reaffirming UCCS’s commitment to fostering a university community grounded in care, respect and inclusion. A thriving campus depends on the well-being, professional growth and sense of belonging of our faculty, staff and students, and this pillar emphasizes the initiatives that ensure every member of our community feels supported in reaching their goals. This session will feature a panel conversation highlighting how these efforts enhance the student experience, strengthen our campus climate and advance UCCS’s ongoing commitment to a culture where people feel valued and able to thrive.
These spring sessions will continue to hear from campus leadership, elevate faculty, staff and student voices, provide space for reflection and collaboration, and ensure that progress on our Strategic Plan remains transparent, action-oriented and community‑driven.