May 11, 2015
50 Year Issue
Alexander Nedd
[email protected]
It’s rare to witness a campus’ growing success, let alone be a part of its legacy as it continues to build itself into one of the top universities in the nation.
But that’s exactly what students at UCCS are experiencing today.
50 years is a long time. For many of us, it’s twice our age.
Historical events such as the height of the Civil Rights movement and our first spacewalk were radical signs of change and progress in our nation in 1965.
It also marked the first class of graduates to walk from UCCS.
I can only imagine what they felt.
When I first arrived at UCCS, I didn’t know what to expect.
I had few friends, and wasn’t happy that my choice of major, journalism, wasn’t offered. I desperately wanted to move away from my parents. But immaturity and lack of funds eventually placed me on the path toward UCCS, where I have been since 2011.
Since then, I have befriended a number of peers, joined several clubs and attended school dances. The campus has provided me a job, allowed me to network with professors and provided the opportunities that have led to three internships.
All of this has been accomplished without a journalism major.
But that’s what makes UCCS great.
I’m learning things outside my field with the chance to still become properly prepared for a job after graduation. And now more than ever, students need to be diversified in their learning instead of focusing on one narrow field of study.
UCCS has the ability to adapt to growing demands, and even though we might complain about the parking, the ability for a university to continue to meet and exceed present and future goals only enhances its footprint on the future, as well as those of its graduates.
The initiative taken by UCCS shows it puts its students first, from advances in green technology to planning ahead for future business and resident students.
The construction on campus can be almost unbearable. But it provides a visual of the growing changes coming to UCCS.
The time to be at UCCS is now.
So many success stories from Colorado Springs begin with a common denominator, a degree from UCCS. A number of my professors and mentors have taught me valuable lessons that show how to get jobs right here at home. For an undergrad student, that is music to my ears.
Let’s not forget the chance to be a part of history.
For those who are graduating, congratulations.
Not only is it a personal achievement, the feat marks the great job UCCS and the community are doing in providing students with an excellent well-rounded education, an act that will only benefit society as the campus continues to thrive.
The university is small enough to engage with others around campus yet large enough to accommodate a growing number of people who choose to study here.
When I first began, enrollment was under 10,000. That number has grown by almost 2,000, enough to add a second parking garage and more dorms to the campus.
This is what makes our university great, and what will continue to make UCCS a factor for the next 50 years.