UCCS Differentiator
Our Vision for the Future
At the heart of every great university is a story; one that reflects its people, its place, and its purpose. Over the past year, we’ve been working together to tell ours. The Differentiator Project is a campus-wide effort to define what makes UCCS not just a university of choice, but a university of distinction. It’s about capturing the essence of who we are and why we matter—locally, nationally, and globally.
This initiative has been shaped by hundreds of voices across campus and beyond. From students, staff, and faculty to alumni, donors, and community partners, your insights have helped us uncover the values and experiences that make UCCS unique. The Differentiator isn’t a marketing slogan—it’s a reflection of our shared story, one that honors our roots and inspires our future.
What is a differentiator?
A differentiator is a characteristic, feature, or quality that makes our institution unique. Differentiators can help clarify strategic direction.
Relevant
- Addresses needs, pains, and gains that matter most to audience
- Expressed in audience’s language
Difficult to Replicate
- Unique approach or asset
- Outperforms competition substantially on at least one dimension
Reaches the Majority
- Most, if not all audience members participate and receive its benefits
- Integrated into core experience (non-optional)
Provable to the Market
- Outcomes data, social proof, external recognition
- Aligned with how audience measures success
What is our process?
Over the past year, our robust and inclusive process to identify UCCS's differentiator has aimed to gather broad input from campus and community stakeholders, analyze feedback across all groups, and develop themes that reflect shared values and aspirations across UCCS.
Fall 2024:
- The process started with a kickoff event that hosted over 100 UCCS faculty, staff, and students who engaged in a workshop where participants explored what makes UCCS unique.
- After the kickoff, focus groups were conducted with Enrollment Management and Student Affairs and various community partners that provided more context for the values and aspirations of people at UCCS.
Spring 2025:
- The University Leadership Team (ULT) convened in working sessions with EAB where they explored differentiator concepts, reviewed examples from other campuses, and discussed project timeline, shaping the direction for the next steps.
Summer 2025:
- Data from fall and spring terms were analyzed to develop three potential differentiators, which were presented to ULT in August.
- Then the focus group protocol, stakeholder selection, and survey were designed for fall term.
September–October 2025:
- The Office of Strategic Initiatives conducted 10 focus groups and a campus-wide outreach survey with over 260 participants, including UCCS students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, and community partners, providing feedback on the three differentiator themes.
- The insights were used to refine the three draft differentiators into two final themes, and finally presented to ULT in October.
- In November, a Differentiator Theme survey will be conducted with internal and external stakeholders to gain feedback on the two themes.
Where are we in the process?
As of Fall 2025, the Differentiator Project is in the final stages of theme validation and feedback collection. Over the past year, the initiative has engaged campus stakeholders through strategy sessions, focus groups, and leadership workshops to explore what makes our institution distinct. Two final potential differentiator themes have emerged from this collaborative process. A campus-wide feedback survey is currently underway to assess resonance and alignment with our strategic core pillars. The insights gathered will guide the final selection and integration of our institutional differentiator into future planning.
Resources
UCCS Action Website
Visit the new dynamic platform, the Action Website.
UCCS Strategic Plan Success 2030
Learn more about UCCS Strategic Plan Success 2030.
UCCS Strategic Plan Pillars
Learn more about the UCCS Strategic Plan Pillars.