At an open forum on April 8, UCCS leaders addressed student concerns about affordability, academic support and campus resources, emphasizing that upcoming budget decisions are being made with the goal of minimizing impact on students.
The forum, hosted by SGA in collaboration with the Executive Leadership Team (ELT), discussed transparency about the university’s financial outlook and gave students the opportunity to ask questions about how changes could affect their academic experience.
On Jan. 30, the University Budget Advisory Committee (UBAC) announced that the campus was facing a $27 million budget gap that would require about an $11.8 million base budget reduction in the 2026-27 fiscal year (FY).
According to Jeff Greene, the interim vice chancellor for administration and finance, the structural budget deficit was caused by expenses growing faster than revenue and it requires a long-term process to stabilize finances, increase enrollment and improve academics.
Reliance on one-time funds to cover ongoing expenses has also contributed to the gap, so UCCS is working to shift those expenses into sustainable, long-term budgeting.
“This is not a short-term fix. It’s a multi-year process, and we’re trying to make the least worst options,” Chancellor Jennifer Sobanet said on behalf of Todd Saliman, the CU president.
About 50 students attended the forum.
Topics covered include the impact of budget reductions, tuition increase and financial aid, the ChatGPT Edu program and the future use of the Sustainability Demonstration House.
Impacts of budget reductions
The ELT discussed how the campus-wide expense base reductions, which already totals about $8.6 million out of the $11.8 million, will likely affect students.
According to Kevin Laudner, the acting provost and dean of the college of nursing and health sciences, smaller academic programs will be either consolidated or eliminated. Faculty and staff positions are likely to be affected by these eliminations and consolidations.
Services funded by one-time fees, such as mental health support, outreach and marketing, will be re-evaluated to incorporate into the budget for long-term sustainability.
“All of these decisions are strategic and the first thing on our mind is how this is going to impact our students and the experience you have on campus. There’s inevitably going to be some negative impacts. You may see larger class sizes and fewer sections, but there’s a lot of reinvestments in programs,” said Laudner.
Tuition increases and financial aid
Tuition is being increased by 3.5% to account for inflation, decreased enrollment and decreased state funding.
“Know that we are constantly thinking about the impact of tuition on our students, and want that to be as small as possible, but given that we’re in the state of Colorado, I do think that you should plan for small increases each year,” Sobanet said.
Only about 8% of the university’s budget comes from the state, according to the Colorado Department of Education.
Tuition, which is about 65–70% of general fund income, covers operational expenses including faculty salaries and academic programs, according to Greene.
“Tuition is used to run the university,” Sobanet said.
Students raised concerns about increased tuition. One student asked how budget cuts will affect student financial support depending on scholarships and fellowships.
According to Stephanie Hanenberg, interim vice chancellor for enrollment management and student affairs, the university is mandated to expand financial aid to account for increases.
Over 70% of UCCS students already receive some form of aid.
Robin Parent, vice chancellor of strategic initiatives and chief of staff, added that unused scholarship funds will be reallocated to support students, including new initiatives like housing assistance grants, such as Clyde’s Pride Promise program.
Clyde’s Pride Promise offers qualifying Pell-eligible students with additional financial aid up to $12,500 per year and housing assistance of $4,000 per year.
AI partnership and campus technology
Sobanet addressed a new partnership providing campus-wide access to ChatGPT through the CU system.
The program will cost approximately $250,000 annually and includes required training on ethical and effective AI use. The ELT did not address how UCCS would pay in light of reductions.
Participation will remain optional for both students and faculty.
“What are the terms and goals of this agreement [with Open AI]? How does it concrete benefit our students and university?” one student asked.
The initiative is intended to prepare students for an evolving workforce while ensuring data privacy through a closed system only available to UCCS, according to Sobanet.
“What we were concerned about is that we would prefer to have a closed environment for the university to use AI, so that none of the prompts and the data that we use go out into feeding the large language models.” Sobanet said. “The way to do that was to create a contract with a company that would create those boundaries for us.”
Repurposing the Sustainability Demonstration House
Students raised concerns about the recent plans made to repurpose the campus Sustainability Demonstration House to accommodate Human Resources, which would require sustainability programs to vacate the premises and transition to the UCCS farmhouse.
GAF Outreach Specialist Campbell Curcio and SGA Vice President Isabella Polombo discussed their frustrations with this decision and addressed concerns about loss of space, lack of communication and the impact of this decision on student programs and employment.
“How does removing essential sustainability space align with UCCS public commitment to sustainability and student engagement, because from this decision, I don’t feel respected nor heard,” Curcio said.
Greene said this decision is a part of the broader effort to reduce costs by consolidating off-campus leases and centralizing services.
According to Hanenburg, integrating sustainability programs with the farm could provide more stable work opportunities for student employees. She claimed planning is ongoing, and students will be included in future discussions.
“I hear the pain that you’re talking about here. I hope that the new setup that you find inside of the farm and the integration with the farm ends up working well for you, and I hope that you just keep an open mind and keep curious about what are the opportunities that can happen there,” Hanenburg said.
Photo via the Scribe archive.