December Campus Updates

 

Dear members of the UCCS community,

We did it! Tomorrow, the fall and summer graduates of the Class of 2021 will walk across the Commencement stage at the Broadmoor World Arena. I am so proud of our graduates, and the faculty, staff and students who helped them on their journeys. I am thrilled to celebrate their graduation in-person once again. And I am very excited that in just a few short days, we will all be able to take a well-deserved break. 

In lieu of a Town Hall this month, I have several updates from across campus to share with you all.
 

Nancy Marchand-Martella named UCCS Provost 

First and foremost, I am delighted to announce that Dr. Nancy Marchand-Martella will become UCCS’ new Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs on July 1, 2022.

Nancy will join us from Purdue University, where she has served as the Suzi and Dale Gallagher Dean of the College of Education since 2018. In her time at Purdue, she has prioritized innovation initiatives, strategic planning, online education and the advancement of a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion — priorities that are in strong alignment with UCCS’ strategic goals. We are thrilled to welcome her to the Mountain Lion family. 
 

VC for DEI Search Update

We had two additional finalists visit our campus last week, and we are evaluating the campus feedback and working with the search committee to proceed. I hope to share more details with you in the coming days.

 

CU Presidential Search 

In related news, the University of Colorado Board of Regents have formally delivered the charge to the presidential search committee to select the next president of the CU System. Two representatives from UCCS are members of the search: Lynn Vidler, Dean of the College of Letters, Arts & Sciences, and Mary Coussons-Read, Professor of Psychology and CU Faculty Council Chair.

The committee will work closely with the search firm to narrow the pool to at least five candidates for the Regents to consider. They will begin meeting regularly in January with Storbeck Search to begin the active search. 
 

Winter Break 

As a reminder, campus will close from Dec. 24–Jan. 3, and will reopen Jan. 4, 2022. I hope you will take this time to take a deep breath and spend some quality time with your family and friends! 
 

Spring Semester Planning

Even as we plan to celebrate the end of the fall semester, we are planning for a return to campus in the spring. Enrollments are trending positive, and we continue to monitor the public health of El Paso County and the UCCS campus in order to make decisions with our campus community’s safety in mind.
 

That being said, we anticipate that the spring semester will look very similar to fall 2021. Face coverings will be worn, and social distancing will be recommended, but not required. Flexible work schedules will continue to be considered. We will continue to monitor public health over the Winter Break and will share any changes that might need to be made. 
 

Campus and Workplace Culture Survey 

I want to give my thanks to the entire campus for their participation in the Campus and Workplace Culture survey. The Office of Institutional Research reported campus participation as follows: 

  • Faculty: 48 percent response rate
  • Staff: 73 percent response rate
  • Undergraduate students: 20 percent response rate 
  • Graduate students: 21 percent response rate 

Once the responses are synthesized, action plans will be ongoing throughout the spring semester. In other news, while the survey is now completed, the work is just beginning! 

I also want to announce that the following UCCS students won the raffle for free parking during the spring 2021 semester for their participation in the survey: 

  • Merissa Caravello, senior Nursing major
  • Kayla Salisbury, senior Exercise Science major 
  • Tess Stanton, Master of Communication student 
  • Edan Wall, Master of Special Education student 
  • Cooper Wells, junior Bachelor of Innovation in Business Administration major

 

Thank You 

Finally, I want to express my deep thanks and appreciation to each of you. Thank you for your patience, flexibility and dedication to making this semester a success. Each day, I am grateful for our incredible Mountain Lion community. 

I hope to see many of you at Commencement this Friday. Please be safe over the holidays, and enjoy Winter Break! 

 

Respectfully,

Chancellor Venkat Reddy's Signature
Venkat Reddy
UCCS Chancellor

 

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