UCCS can use its facilities to help boost the campus budget, Susan Szpyrka, senior associate vice chancellor, Administration and Finance, told those who attended a Wednesday all-campus forum.
But adding revenue is not exclusive to the universities other missions. In fact, Szpyrka said, the two are complimentary.
In a broad-ranging overview of a business enterprise initiative, one of five key areas designed to diversify and improve the university’s finances, Szpyrka explained that efforts to improve facilities and their use can benefit student recruitment, community relations, alumni relations and even provide a platform for faculty research.
As part of a conference initiative, UCCS is renting the Gallogly Events Center and other campus venues for functions ranging from high school proms and wedding receptions to a Republican Party caucus. The events are disparate but expose the campus to more people, including those who have driven by for years, and who may enroll as students or spread the word about the beauty of the campus and its availability.
No longer will UCCS provide venues for community events for free, Szpyrka said, while explaining that groups are willing to pay for high-quality space such as the Gallogly Events Center and other planned amenities including a lounge space, “Clyde’s,” a business and copy center, and improving university student housing so it will be attractive to tourists and conference attendees during summer months.
“We have 100 students who stay in housing during the summer and 900 spaces. It simply makes sense to fill those spaces with people who want to be here,” Szpyrka said.
Plans call for the conferencing initiative to attract various youth activities such as music and sports camps to professional development opportunities for law enforcement and other professionals. Over the next two years, Szpyrka plans that funds generated by enterprise activities will improve campus facilities and contribute to the overall campus budget.
And how does faculty research fit into expanded business opportunities?
Terry Boult, El Pomar Chair of Innovation and Security, hopes to test a fingerprint reader in Clyde’s to help servers determine who is more than 21 and able to purchase beer or wine and who is not.
To see the Powerpoint used in the presentation, visit http://www.uccs.edu/~vcaf/reexamstratplan.html
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