In April’s virtual Town Hall, Chancellor Venkat Reddy and a panel of campus leaders shared thoughts and updates on current campus events.
Take a look at the key takeaways below.
Upcoming Events
- Commencement is only a month away! Spring Commencement is always special because we have two ceremonies. This year, we are expecting more than 1,000 graduates to participate. This year, we will also have a record number of Golden Graduates in attendance – alumni who graduated from UCCS 50 years ago. We are still looking for volunteers to help with the event! Faculty/Director registration can be found here. Staff volunteer sign-up can be found here.
- The Budget Redesign Task Force, led by Nancy Marchand-Martella and Suzanne Scott, have been presenting the latest version of the redesigned budget model to campus with input from various key stakeholders. Now they are seeking feedback from the broader campus on various aspects of the redesigned model. That event is April 17, 1 – 2:30pm, in Berger Hall. Please join us either in person or virtually.
- At 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 18 is the Campus Awards Ceremony. While Commencement is our chance to celebrate our graduating students, this is our chance to celebrate our amazing faculty, staff and students across the campus. If celebrating our colleagues and students isn’t enough, there will be sushi – so be sure to register.
- There will be two more listening sessions, hosted by the chancellor, where you can make your voice heard. The first two sessions provided insight and in-depth discussions about important topics such as campus culture, equal pay for equal work, retention, the hiring process and more. Please join us for the an in-person session on April 19 or virtually on May 3.
Search Updates
- Current searches include the Dean of the Graduate School, led by Dean Kevin Laudner; the College of Business Dean, led by Dean George Reed; and the Associate Vice Chancellor of Facilities and Planning, led by Dean Don Rabern.
- We will have a number of finalists on campus this month and next for all searches. Thank you search committee members for all your efforts.
Budget and Other Updates
- CU System received an additional 11.2% of state funding, which will help in reducing our planned budget cut amount. UCCS is also seeking approval for a 5% tuition increase and a 4% compensation pool increase for the coming year. The compensation pool includes 3.5% merit and 0.5% for addressing compression, retention, equity, etc.
- UCCS will also be receiving controlled maintenance money for three of our projects, totaling almost $6 million.
- The CU Board of Regents’ University Affairs Committee will have an informational session on April 18. The focus will be campus safety and the university’s weapons policy, which will include the opportunity for public comment.
Other Campus Updates
- A few weeks ago, SGA elections were held. Congratulations to all of our newly elected senators. Axel Brown and Aidan Clark were reelected as President and Vice President.
- We are launching the UCCS Textbook Affordability and Access Program (TAAP) in fall 2023. Overall, the cost of course materials should decrease by about 30% for students. The program will be a $22 flat charge per credit hour placed on students’ accounts and will provide all required course materials. All students are automatically enrolled in TAAP, with the option to opt out. Thank you to Larry Lee, Executive Director of Auxiliary Services, for his leadership on making this a reality.
- We’d also like to thank Dr. Dale DeBoer for serving as Chair of University Budget Advisory Committee and Dr. Christina Jimenez for taking on the role as the new chair of the UBAC.
- Administrative Professionals Day is coming up on April 26. Thank you to our administrative professionals for all of the work that they do to keep our campus operations running smoothly.