Todd Saliman, President of the University of Colorado, visited UCCS on March 14 during his spring semester listening tour. Saliman spent the day listening intently to students, faculty and staff, and learning about some of UCCS’ distinctive programs.
Saliman’s day was filled with opportunities to learn about progress on many fronts at UCCS, from cybersecurity to engineering to the latest initiatives in diversity, equity and inclusion. With each interaction, he gained new insight and learned about success stories from UCCS that he could share in meetings with stakeholders across the state.
This was the fourth of the CU campuses that President Saliman has had the pleasure of touring this spring. During a meeting with the staff of the UCCS Wellness Center, he noted that this was the first opportunity he has had to spend time with a campus wellness and mental health team.
Staff were quick to share an extensive list of programs that they have implemented to help support students. These programs include:
- A gender-affirming care treatment group
- An eating disorder treatment group
- A peer exercise program
- And QPR Training, a suicide prevention training program.
(Students in need of wellness or mental health services can reach the Wellness Center at 719-255-4444.)
One of the success stories shared by the staff was also an expression of gratitude to President Saliman. Thanks to financial help through the CU Foundation, the Wellness Center has been able to expand training opportunities, such as the QPR program, to help faculty and staff be better prepared to support a student in crisis.
Saliman also had the opportunity to meet students face-to-face during the lunch hour at Roaring Fork. He met with more than 20 students, each of whom shared a variety of experiences about their academic journey. He celebrated with a number of UCCS student athletes who recently returned from a national indoor track meet. Other students shared their stress over upcoming midterms, while a different group told Saliman how they were impacted by COVID-19 and are just now returning this semester after taking time away from college.
In response to a comment from a staff member about our campus DEI efforts, Saliman shared that at the April 7 Board of Regents meeting, university staff will discuss results from the Fall 2021 Campus & Workplace Culture Survey. While those results will help inform specific action items, “We don’t need those results to tell us we have more work to do,” Saliman said.
At the end of the day, President Saliman left with a better understanding of the people and programs that make UCCS a unique part of the CU system.