At last week’s annual State of the Campus event, campus leaders reflected on the past year, noting that the university’s budget has stabilized and enrollment has remained flat after years of decline.
Chancellor Jennifer Sobanet began the Sept. 24 meeting by listing the university’s priorities for the upcoming year: changing the trajectory of finances and creating a growth mindset in students and staff in the short and long term.
Budget solutions and goals
In response to budget concerns, the University Budget Advisory Committee changed the processes, practices and culture around the budget. Chair of UBAC Christina Jimenez explained the new transparent practices are to ensure the fiscal and ethical integrity of the committee.
As part of their transparency practices, UBAC meetings will be open to the public and recorded, so members of the campus community can watch them.
UBAC’s main priorities for the year are balancing the annual budget and reducing the reliance on one-time funds. “Last year, we had to cut $4 million from our base budget, and we also became aware of about $14 to $17 million of one-time funds that were being used for continuing activities,” Jimenez said.
Jimenez reported UBAC reduced one-time funds to around $10 to $11 million. She also noted that the budget is stabilized, and UBAC is looking to generate new funding.
To combat budget cuts, UBAC developed an incentivized retirement program that has saved the university $1 million by offering a reduced salary in exchange for a lump sum of paid severance at the time of retirement.
Short and long-term goals
Sobanet hopes to capture and connect with the campus core, which she called the “energy of our students,” to initiate a pattern of sustained growth. In the short term, she hopes to improve retention rates and the growth of the student population.
She reported that enrollment has remained flat with 11,005 students, breaking the previous trend of declining enrollment and making her hopeful for next year’s enrollment numbers.
For the long term, Sobanet said campus leaders are developing a plan. “This fall, we are discussing, learning, level-setting and sense-making together,” Sobanet said.
Changes will begin in the spring semester, including restructuring how offices on campus interact with students, redesigning how students’ needs are met and changing UCCS’ general business practices.
Mental health and resiliency
When discussing the past year, Sobanet praised the UCCS community for its resilience. She reflected upon the many lives the campus has lost, including the stabbing of a professor and a double homicide in a dorm, and praised students and staff for continuing their academic, athletic and artistic pursuits.
She also emphasized the importance of mental health, noting that her first phone call following the Feb. 16 double homicide was to Chip Benight, executive director of the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience.
In a video shown during the address, Benight explained the focus of the Lyda Hill Institute is to build resilience by increasing the strength of the community and available resources through community-based programs.
As a behavioral health initiative, the Lyda Hill Institute is holding a peer support training on Oct. 18 to teach faculty and staff counseling skills and how to refer colleagues who need professional help.
The UCCS staff council is also offering a free, four-week course on preventing burnout. According to President of the UCCS Staff Council Deann Barrett, the course teaches participants how to recharge and have a better work-life balance.
Additional Campus Updates
- Funding in sponsored research awards increased by 19%, totaling $18.9 million.
- Parking services are offering discounted prices for eligible staff.
- Toward the end of the fall semester, the next provost will be announced. Lynn Vidler is serving as the interim provost.
- The chancellor chief of staff and vice chancellor of inclusive culture and belonging positions have been merged, creating the vice chancellor of inclusive strategy and chief of staff. The search for candidates to fill this position has just begun.
- The Enrollment Management of Student Affairs Division was created. Stephanie Hanenburg is serving as the interim vice chancellor for the division until the position is filled. The search will be launched next year.
- School district 11 is bringing the Colorado Springs School of Technology to campus to create a pipeline of students to UCCS via concurrent enrollment.
- In an effort to increase the campus’ connection with the Colorado Springs community, UCCS is facilitating the Leadership Pikes Peak program.
- The Kraemer Family Library, which has been experimenting with AI and its teaching benefits, now has a resource center to assist teachers on how to use AI to teach.
Photo courtesy of UCCS Photography Database.