December forum to touch on multiple topics

Pam Shockley-Zalabak

A chancellor’s all-campus forum on Friday will touch on a new higher education funding formula, the Colorado Springs City for Champions project, 50th Anniversary planning and UCCS student leadership programs.

The one-hour forum will begin at 10 a.m. in the University Center Theater. Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak will provide an update on House Bill 1319 to restructure Colorado higher education finance, the Colorado Springs City for Champions Project and 50th Anniversary Plans. Garrett Gatlin, interim director, Chancellor’s Leadership Class, will provide an overview of the UCCSlead program, an effort to expand leadership training to more UCCS students through a series of certificate programs.

HB-1319 is a bill passed last year that requires the Colorado Department of Higher Education to develop a new base funding formula to allocate state general fund dollars among the state’s public institutions of higher education. This new funding model will be implemented in the 2015-16 fiscal year and will include allocation of Colorado Opportunity Fund stipends, which reflect enrollment, and new Fee-for-Service contracts that will reflect state higher education priorities. Shockley-Zalabak served on a group that recommended performance measures used to allocate funds.

Garrett Gatlin

Shockley-Zalabak will also update the status of the Colorado Springs City for Champions project, a four-project $120 million community improvement program. One of the projects is a sports medicine facility at UCCS.

Shockley-Zalabak will also share information about spring semester events planned as part of the campus 50th Anniversary celebrations.

Gatlin will outline a plan to expand leadership programs to more students including the offering of certificates to students who complete specific outside of the classroom activities in addition to their academic pursuits.

All faculty and staff are encouraged to attend forums. For those unable to attend, a summary of the forum will be posted in Communique, usually within 24 hours of the event.