University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (formerly CU-Springs, UCCS officially) is the second-largest campus of the University of Colorado system. It has approximately 6,150 undergraduate students and approximately 1,500 graduate students. It was established as an extension campus in the 1920s. It is known especially for its engineering, business, and nursing programs. In 2006, US News and World Report Rankings of masters/bachelors focused engineering schools, the UCCS College of Engineering and Applied Science ranking placed it 4th nationally among state institutions, and 16th overall. Overall UCCS has been ranked by US News as a "Best in the West," with 2007 ranking 7th among public western regional universities. UCCS has been ranked in the top 10 western regional public universities each year since 2002.

History

As early as the 1920s, CU offered classes in the Colorado Springs area at various locations, mostly Colorado College. By the 1960s, however, a permanent campus was desired.

Together with governor John Love, HP co-founder David Packard, whose company had a huge presence in the city, led a drive to establish a permanent home for the university. The solution came when George T. Dwire sold the Cragmor Sanatorium property for $1 to the state.

In 1965 UCCS moved to its current location on Austin Bluffs Parkway in the Cragmor neighborhood of northern Colorado Springs. The campus is located at one of the highest parts of the city.

Because of its ties to HP, initial university programs focused on engineering and business, and classes were held in the Cragmor Sanotorium building, what is now Main Hall, and Cragmor Hall, a modern expansion of Main Hall. The first building built exclusively for UCCS, Dwire Hall, was not complete until 1972.

A 1997 community referendum merged Beth-El College of Nursing with UCCS and, in recent years, programs such as the Network Information and Space Security Center were added to connect the university with the military to improve national security. Other programs, including the CU Institute for Bioenergetics and the Institute for Science and Space Studies, cast an eye toward the future.

The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (formerly CU-Springs, UCCS officially) is the second-largest campus of the University of Colorado system. It has approximately 6,150 undergraduate students and approximately 1,500 graduate students. It was established as an extension campus in the 1920s. It is known especially for its engineering, business, and nursing programs. In 2006, US News and World Report Rankings of masters/bachelors focused engineering schools, the UCCS College of Engineering and Applied Science ranking placed it 4th nationally among state institutions, and 16th overall. Overall UCCS has been ranked by US News as a "Best in the West," with 2007 ranking 7th among public western regional universities. UCCS has been ranked in the top 10 western regional public universities each year since 2002.