$5.5 million gift to boost UCCS student scholarships
A $5.5 million gift will be used to support student scholarships and other high-priority goals at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, university officials announced today, March 19.
Representatives of the university and the CU Foundation received the gift from an anonymous donor earlier this month. The donor required that $5 million be used to benefit students. The remaining $500,000 may be used at the discretion of the campus leadership to meet strategic goals.
“While I do not know the name of this donor, our goals are aligned in the desire to make attending college possible,” UCCS Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak said. “In these difficult financial times, it is more important than ever that the university support students who have the ability to succeed but who may lack finances. I am extraordinarily grateful for this gift.”
Details of the distribution of funds will be determined in the next few weeks. Some of the university’s largest and most successful student scholarship programs target high-ability, low-income students as well as those who are the first in their families to attend college, underrepresented minority groups, and women students seeking a fresh start, often following abuse, divorce or recovery from drug and alcohol addiction.
Because of the national recession, an increase in the number of students seeking financial aid to attend UCCS this fall is anticipated. More than 1,200 applications from students whose families are unable to contribute financially to their educations have already been received, a 33 percent increase from last year.
Of the UCCS student body, 57 percent are women, according to the Office of Institutional Research. Additionally, more than 18 percent self-identify as being a member of an ethnic minority group and 37 percent say they are the first in their families to attend college. An estimated 30 percent of UCCS students qualify for federal Pell Grants, traditionally reserved for low-income Americans.
“The future of our country lies in the development of a knowledge-based economy,” Shockley-Zalabak said. “To be successful, we must reach into every home to ensure that opportunities exist and to carry the message that a college education is possible. I am appreciative of our donor’s recognition that a UCCS experience can transform lives and our region.”
Founded in 1967, the nonprofit CU Foundation partners with the University of Colorado to raise, manage, and invest private support for the university’s benefit.
The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs located on Austin Bluffs Parkway in Colorado Springs, is one of the fastest growing universities in the nation. The University offers 30 bachelor’s degrees, 19 master’s and four doctoral degrees. The campus enrolls about 8,000 students annually