" After looking at several other schools in the area, I found that UCCS had the most challenging curriculum for Criminal Justice even though the program was only a few years old," states Laurie Buchanan, a junior in the UCCS School of Public Affairs' Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice (BACJ) program. More...

"I'm having fun!" is David Arrambide's first response when asked how he likes his new job as Associate Director of Development for the CU Foundation. "It's my dream job!" he continues. David's primary responsibility is major gifts and raising money for scholarships for UCCS's College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the School of Public Affairs and the Chancellor's Leadership Class. For David, this is what he calls an "encore career," and it is a career that allows him to give back to his community by doing rewarding work that helps others and provides for social good. More...

Jay graduated from Fresno Pacific University with a major in Biology and a minor in Environmental Philosophy. He had worked in a variety of industries and decided to pursue his MPA as a response to the financial crisis of 2008. When he learned that he was required to complete an internship as part of his MPA program, he was "less than thrilled." Associate Dean Dr. Terry Schwartz and his professor Dr. Penny Culbreth-Graft suggested a position as an intern in the City Manager's office. "I took this opportunity to learn as much as possible about city government. I also promised my new mentor/employer that I would provide a service of value; and after some sacrifice and hard work, I had skills, projects and references under my belt – and on my resume- that helped me attain my current position." More...

Scott Hopkins, Class of '81 Scott Hopkins received his Masters in Public Administration (MPAD) from the School of Public Affairs at UCCS in 1981.

Scott recently became Vice President of Professional Services and Architecture for Par 4 Technology Group, a leading provider of infrastructure technologies and services to companies regionally in New England. Par 4 specializes in helping organizations utilize emerging technologies to solve their critical business challenges. More...

Ken Dowlin, MPA 1981, is a librarian and a public administrator who believes that a key event in his career, was working on his MPA at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

When Ken visited UCCS in mid-July, he and his wife Jan were on their way to Denver to the National Archives Regional center to look for information for his most recent book; then they were off to have dinner with his very first library job boss when he was bookmobile driver for Adams County Library in 1961. More...

In 2001, Leigh Jordan began to seriously consider the idea of returning to school for a master's degree. Through professional circles, she interacted with community leaders for whom she had respect, and noted that many of these individuals had graduated from the UCCS School of Public Affairs. Her interest was piqued.

With a little investigation she discovered that the program examined leadership and systems change from the macro level, and that courses were geared to develop each individual's unique leadership qualities within this framework. She has never been disappointed in her decision to attend UCCS SPA, and admits that she has kept notebooks from several of her courses. More...

Congratulations, Ms. Kristal Canterbury, 2010 graduate and BACJ Student of the Year!

Kristal was born in Salida, Colorado and lived in Howard, Colorado for 19 years on a small ranch. During her senior year, she was unsure about where she wanted to go to college or even if she wanted to go, but at the last minute she decided she needed to go to college. More...