UCCS Downtown is gaining momentum with its Executive Training series, a customized 12‑course program designed for mid‑level professionals who need a crash course or refresher on a wide range of business‑related topics.
Participants dive into practical, real‑world content such as understanding financial documents, navigating conflict, aligning mission and vision, managing stakeholders and more. Together, the non‑credit courses equip professionals with the tools and knowledge they need to strengthen their skills and make meaningful contributions within their organizations.
And while attendees will undoubtedly improve their leadership skills, Zak Kroger, Director of UCCS Downtown, emphasized that the program is not a leadership‑readiness course.
“This community already has a lot of leadership resources, so that’s not what we’re trying to do,” Kroger said. “These sessions are designed for participants to leave each class knowing more about those specific hard skills.”
Kroger shared the following comments from past attendees, gathered through an anonymous end‑of‑program survey:
- “If anyone is doubting registering for the Executive Training, do it! You won’t regret it. I learned so much from these professors and I am thankful to have gone through the program. I learned from these presentations differently as an adult learner compared to when I attended UCCS as a working student.”
- “I found some of the classes very beneficial and was able to pull something from each class.”
- “This was so eye opening and really reset the way I think and approach things. Not just in my professional life but also my personal life.”
Kroger noted that the program continues to grow in popularity.
“Each time we run it, we take feedback regarding what classes to adjust or swap out for new topics,” he explained. “We just finished the third cohort and will be offering a new program in the fall of 2026.”
The Executive Training program at UCCS Downtown launched in 2024 after local organizations reached out to Kroger requesting professional development opportunities for employees who wanted to strengthen their skills and make a meaningful impact in their workplaces.
“The situation was that these organizations were looking to promote from within but often had someone with a psychology degree from 2005 who didn’t know certain things that would take them to the next level,” Kroger said. “The classes themselves are a result of polling 100 people in town who would have noticed gaps in their employees’ knowledge and skill bases.”
The series is a collaborative effort between three UCCS colleges: the College of Business, the College of Education and the College of Letters, Arts & Sciences, each contributing faculty expertise to deliver high‑quality instruction across a variety of subjects. Interested participants can choose individual courses from the 12‑session series or attend all sessions to earn a certificate.
Sessions last three hours and are held Wednesday nights from 6–9 p.m. at UCCS Downtown, 102 S Tejon St, Suite 105-A, Colorado Springs, CO 80903.
Interested individuals or organizations can contact [email protected] for more information.