In 1965, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs moved to a craggy hill with a panoramic view of Pikes Peak. Known as the “Cragmor Parcel,” this became the UCCS home for a growing following of scholars. Now, more than 40 years later, the university offers a broad range of degree programs in the liberal arts and sciences in addition to professional programs in business, engineering, nursing, education and public affairs to meet the needs of Colorado’s second-largest metropolitan area and beyond.

In 2001, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities recognized the connection between UCCS and its community, naming it – along with Arizona State University-West – as America’s “most engaged” college campus. But the connection between campus and community dates back many years, as do CU’s ties to Colorado Springs.

 

As early as the 1920s, CU offered courses at numerous city locations including Colorado College and various storefronts. By the mid-1960s, community leaders were pressing for a full-fledged CU presence in the community.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In his negotiations with then-Governor John Love, HP co-founder David Packard stipulated a CU campus in Colorado Springs to support the continued development of company employees. employees.

The combination of the state’s desire to attract Hewlett-Packard to Colorado Springs and George T. Dwire’s sale of the defunct 80-acre Cragmor Sanatorium property for $1 led to birth of UCCS.

Because of its ties to HP, initial university programs focused on engineering and business. Today, those programs serve as pillars of the university and are joined by programs offered in the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, the College of Education, the School of Public Affairs and the Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences. A 1997 community referendum merged Beth-El College of Nursing with UCCS and, in recent years, programs such as the National Institute of Science, Space and Security Centers were added to connect the university with the military to improve national security. Other programs, including the CU Institute for Bioenergetics and the CU Center on Aging, cast an eye toward the future.

 

 

UCCS now offers 29 bachelor’s, 18 masters and four doctoral degrees and aims to become the premier comprehensive regional research university in the nation with 10,000-12,000 students. In recent years, U.S. News and World Report named UCCS a top Western public university, placing it seventh in its most recent edition. In addition to its academic programs, UCCS fields 14 men’s and women’s NCAA Division II sports teams and has a full range of student life programming.

From its original 80 acres, UCCS has added 440 additional acres to its holdings along the Austin Bluffs in northeast Colorado Springs. Fully 97 percent of the land was donated as community members recognized the university’s potential. Though extensively expanded in 2001-2004 using both state and private funds, Main Hall (1914) and Cragmor Hall (1959) trace their lineage to the Cragmor Sanatorium. The university’s first classroom building, Dwire Hall (1972), was named in recognition of George Dwire’s $1 sale to the state. The Engineering and Applied Science Building (1985), Science Building (1981), Kraemer Family Library (1975), El Pomar Center (2001), Columbine Hall (1997), Campus Services Building (1996), University Parking Garage (2004) and Summit Village (1997) and Alpine Village (2004) student housing occupy the original 80-acre Cragmor parcel. The Heller Center for the Arts and Humanities, a planned community and university arts and humanities retreat, resides on the northwestern edge of the campus and honors Larry andcommunity members. Along North Nevada Avenue is the Four Diamonds Sports Complex. Four Diamonds serves as the home field for the Mountain Lion women’s softball team. Mountain Lion Stadium is the home filed for intercollegiate and recreation soccer. A1,500-seat field house will open in early 2008.

In 2001, UCCS purchased an 87,000-square-foot building at the corner of one of the city’s busiest intersections, Union Boulevard and Austin Bluffs Parkway, to house the Beth-El College of Nursing and several other programs. The university now effectively controls land between Nevada Ave. (Business I-25) and Union Boulevard, providing ample room for expansion.

 

 

 

 

 

In 2000, the CU Board of Regents designated UCCS as the CU growth campus. In 2003, the Legislature approved revisions in the university’s statutory role and mission to remove geographic and program restrictions. In 2005, the Regents approved a seven-year plan that calls for the university to add to its base of 7,547 students (Fall 2006), 508 faculty and 425 staff.

 

The 2006-2012 plan calls for growth to 9,100 students with corresponding increases in faculty, staff, programs and campus infrastructure.

Colorado Springs, the second largest metropolitan area in the state, has approximately 650,000 residents and is nestled at the base of Pikes Peak in the Rocky Mountains of southern Colorado. The city offers a vibrant cultural life as well as numerous recreational opportunities. A strong local economy supports amateur sports, technology and the military. Large private employers include Hewlett-Packard, Agilent, Intel, Atmel Corporation, SCI Systems, Inc., Electronic Data Systems Corporation, Oracle Corporation, and Penrose-St. Francis Health Services. The city is home to Fort Carson Army Base, the United States Air Force Academy, Peterson Air Force Base / Cheyenne Mountain Air Station, Schriever Air Force Base, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), Air Force Space Command and U.S. Northern Command. Colorado Springs is also home to more than 20 national and international sports organizations and national non-profit organizations. These include the headquarters of the U.S. Olympic Committee and an Olympic Training Center as well as headquarters for Focus on the Family and Compassion International.