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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MOSAIC
First2Go successfully hosted a Summer Bridge program with 17 students, giving them the opportunity to connect with peers and build community before the semester began. The program helped ease their transition to college by introducing them to campus resources, spaces, and support systems.
Student Life and Leadership
Clyde’s Kickoff Week energized campus with 13 events over 6 days, drawing 2,994 student scans and setting a positive tone for the exciting year ahead.
One of the events was UC Premiere Night, and it was a blast! We welcomed around 230 students and guests to “travel through the UC Space” and discover all that the University Center and campus resources have to offer. With 20 campus partners hosting booths filled with helpful info and tons of swag, students got the chance to make connections, learn about opportunities, and leave with some goodies. As the “space for everyone,” the University Center truly shined—bringing together people, resources, and community in one exciting night of exploration, fun, and connection.
The Welcome Back Concert: Setting a new all-time record for ticket sales, a sellout crowd of 1,500 enjoyed UCCS’s annual Welcome Back Concert featuring Yung Gravy on Wednesday, August 27th, in the Gallogly Wellness & Recreation Center. Student feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing that this was the best time they have had at UCCS. The Yung Gravy Concert was sponsored by the UCCS Student Government Association, the Department of Student Life & Leadership, and UCCS Radio. Special shout out to the Campus Recreation Center for supporting the event in their facilities and to the many campus partners who worked tirelessly to make this event safe and entertaining for all.
UCCS students took part in the annual Sorority Recruitment, welcoming new members into the community—a process that culminated on Bid Day this past Sunday.
We were excited to welcome 90 UCCS students to UCCSlead Game Changer on Saturday, September 6th, including 10 Chancellor Leadership Class (CLC) Peer Facilitators, who actively engaged in the experience.
UCCSlead Game Changer is a leadership certification workshop tailored specifically for UCCS students, where participants discover who they are as leaders and explore a variety of ways they can lead and make an impact on the UCCS campus. Participants receive an official leadership certificate and graduation cord.
UCCS’ Fall Club Fair was a roaring success, drew 874 students – an increase of 266 student attendees compared to last year. The atmosphere was vibrant, as clubs showcased their best, and student involvement was highly active.
UCCS Welcome Back Concert Featuring Yung Gravy
Setting a new all-time record for ticket sales, a sellout crowd of ~1,500 enjoyed UCCS’s annual Welcome Back Concert featuring Yung Gravy on Wednesday, August 27, in the Gallogly Wellness & Recreation Center. Student feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing that this was the best time they have had at UCCS. The Yung Gravy Concert was sponsored by the UCCS Student Government Association, the Department of Student Life & Leadership, and UCCS Radio. Special shout out to the Campus Recreation Center for supporting the event in their facilities and to the many campus partners who worked tirelessly to make this event safe and entertaining for all.
Veteran and Military Affairs
The Sentinels of Freedom awarded UCCS VMA $5,000 Math Tutoring to support math proficiency for Post 9/11 Veterans. Thanks to this grant additional tutoring opportunities will be available in VMA center this year, more details to come.
VMA hosted a ribbon-cutting event on Monday, September 8, to celebrate the new USAA Workforce Lab in the McCord Herbst Student Veteran Center. The event highlighted USAA’s generous donation, which will be used to expand the student veteran mentorship program, “Boots to Suits,” to include military and veteran spouses.
Cybersecurity
The UCCS Cybersecurity Programs Office is launching a new student initiative where UCCS students from any and all majors gain valuable hands-on workforce experience through participation in industry-driven data projects. The program, Data Mine of the Rockies (DMR), had some talented and diverse students in its first year, ending in May 2025, including UCCS’ own Emily Johnson.
Emily, a Bachelor of Innovation in Computer Science & Security with a Minor in Mathematics and Statistics, set to graduate in May 2027, participated last year on the SDA TAP Lab/SSC/USSF Ground Infrastructure Security project for DMR. From that experience, Emily has now secured a job at the VT-ARC Innovation Hub as a Data Science Intern in their paid internship program. We are looking forward to Emily joining another Data Mine of the Rockies program this coming school year with her new-found experience. Congratulations Emily!
College of Public Service
David H. F. Tyler joins the College of Public Service as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice this Fall. Dave comes to UCCS from the School of Criminal Justice and Criminology at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He received his Ph.D. in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Arizona State University. His research focuses on fairness within police organizations and its influence on officer behavior, crowd dynamics and protest policing, and quantitative methodology. He has experience designing and implementing all aspects of research projects and specializes in data management and analysis. Dr. Tyler was recently published in the Journal of Criminal Justice Education: Assessing Educators Ability to Identify AI-Generated Student Submissions: An Experimental Vignette Study.
There’s more buzz around the new undergraduate Religion and Nonprofits Certificate, a collaboration between the Departments of Public Administration and Philosophy! Upcoming applicable Public Administration courses include PADM 3951 Resilience in Nonprofit Leadership (Fall 2025) and PADM 3950 Exploring Ways to Engage with Nonprofit Organizations (Spring 2026).
We’re proud to recognize that 59 College of Public Service (COPS) undergraduate cybersecurity students were awarded scholarships totaling $55,000.00 in the 2024-2025 academic year. These scholarships represent more than financial support; it reflects the state’s shared commitment to strengthening the cybersecurity workforce and preparing the next generation of professionals. This opportunity would not have been possible without the dedication of Gretchen Bliss, Director of Cybersecurity Programs, and the continued support of the Colorado Legislature and Governor Polis.
Criminal Justice faculty Anna Kosloski, Daniel Olson, and Kate Quintana, and former UCCS staff member and current University of Georgia doctoral student Caroline Chubb, co-authored a study examining how cybersecurity trends impact professional justice professions. Published in the Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research, and Practice, Cybersecurity Skills, Knowledge and Abilities for Criminal Justice Professionals: An Exploratory Study of Practitioners’ Perspectives investigates the cybersecurity challenges practitioners in law enforcement, the judicial process, corrections, social work, and military are facing.
Teaching Professor Dan Olson recently completed two graduate-level courses: Legal Aspects of Cybercrime and Digital Forensics. This summer he also completed Cyber Victimology. Professor Olson continues to equip students with timely, relevant insights into the ever-evolving world of cybersecurity and cybercrime.
Faculty spotlight on Associate Professor Jessica Berrett, Public Administration
- Dr. Berrett recently published Exploring the Dynamics: The Relationship Between Unrestricted Resources and Nonprofit Efficiency in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. Co-authored with Dr. ChiaKo Hung (University of Pennsylvania), the article examines how flexible, unrestricted funding can improve nonprofit operational efficiency, particularly in smaller organizations and those with lower financial leverage.
- Dr. Berrett also published Legislative Attention and Nonprofit Efficiency: A Link Across Sectoral Boundaries in Policy Studies Journal. Co-authored with Dr. Yuhao Ba (Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore) and Dr. Jason Coupet (Andrew Young School at Georgia State University), the article examines how heightened government legislative focus can enhance the operational efficiency of nonprofits, particularly those receiving public funding. Their findings provide valuable insights for fostering more effective public–nonprofit partnerships and improving service delivery outcomes.
- Drs. Jessica Berrett and Regina Winters worked with Jeff Scholes, Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy, to develop an innovative interdisciplinary certificate for undergraduate students interested in making a meaningful impact in the nonprofit sector. Nonprofit organizations need talented, compassionate, ethical and resilient managers and leaders versed in the unique management challenges of the nonprofit sector. This fall, the new Religion and Nonprofits Certificate equips undergraduates with the knowledge and skills to navigate and thrive in nonprofit work. The new certificate is in the news with a timely article (August 3, 2025) in the local newspaper, The Gazette.
Criminal Justice faculty Anna Kosloski, Kate Quintana, Katy Hudson, and Rich Radabaugh (retired) were recently published in a Special Issue on Study Abroad and International Education in the Journal of Criminal Justice Education. Their article “Creating Transformative Experiences: A Roadmap for Developing Short-Term Study Abroad Programs in Criminal Justice” outlines several suggested practices for short-term study abroad programs and illustrates the educational, social, and cultural value of study abroad experiences for criminal justice students. The study reveals what students indicate are the benefits of participating in study abroad programs and discusses faculty experiences in designing a course, managing challenges overseas, and teaching on the road. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10511253.2025.2527084
Congratulations to Dr. Jon Caudill, Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice, on the publication of Deadly Consequences: The Unintended Impact of Sentencing Reforms on California County Jails. The book informs criminal justice theory by providing a framework from which future reform can be assessed, focuses on the marginalized inmate population and highlights the deadly consequences they face, and shows insight into the potential and unintended consequences of reforms.
Congratulations to Johanna Creswell Baez (Assistant Professor and MSW Director), who was selected for the Social Work Grand Challenges Future Fellowship, 2025-2026. This fellowship is supported by the Grand Challenges for Social Work, Social Work Futures Lab, and the University of Washington School of Social Work.
Dr. Baez will be working with a group of Grand Challenge leaders to create a project that harnesses technology for social good. She is also a Network Lead in that area, meeting quarterly with other leads and often researching/writing together on this topic in social work.
Two Department of Criminal Justice faculty made presentations at the European Criminology Conference in early September. Dr. Kate Bright, Assistant Professor, presented her research Rape Voyerism 2.0: The Impact and Consequences of Digital Victimization Records. Dr. Anna Kosloski, Professor, co-presented her collaborative research project Sex Trafficking, Domestic Violence, and Violent Death: Exploring the Intersections.