CSU Pueblo celebrates first graduating class from Castle Rock campus

A partnership between Colorado State University Pueblo and Arapahoe Community College in Littleton has produced its first graduating class.

CSU Pueblo celebrated the first crop of graduates from its Sturm Collaboration Campus in Castle Rock on Thursday, May 11.

Nine computer information systems (CIS) students graduated from the campus with bachelor's degrees through the partnership, which formed in 2018 to establish a direct pipeline for students in Douglas County to earn a CIS bachelor's degree from CSU Pueblo after earning an associate degree in computer science from Arapahoe Community College.

Currently, CSU Pueblo offers CIS bachelor's degrees with two-year pathways in cybersecurity and secure software development at the Sturm Collaboration Campus. Other institutions with a presence on the Sturm Collaboration Campus include Colorado State University in Fort Collins and CSU Global.

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CSU Pueblo's decision to offer CIS degrees at the Sturm Collaboration Campus dates back to discussions between Arapahoe Community College and industry partners in 2017, according to Kristyn White Davis, vice president of enrollment management and extended studies at CSU Pueblo.

"The industry partners in Douglas County came to Arapahoe Community College and said, basically, 'We need bachelor's degrees in cybersecurity and software development,' " White Davis said. "It was actually a kind of a demand from industry that drove an educational pipeline. They asked for it and then we delivered it."

Douglas County has a population of approximately 376,000. It has seen a more than 33% growth in its population since 2010, making it the third-fastest-growing county in the state, according to World Population Review. Despite rapid growth, there was a lack of higher education opportunities within a 60-mile radius of Douglas County prior to the opening of the Sturm Collaboration Campus.

The campus not only provides opportunities for CSU Pueblo's enrollment to grow, it also serves as a "pipeline" for industry partners, White Davis said. Some graduates from the Sturm Collaboration Campus already have jobs lined up at companies like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.

"Those students already, because of their associate degree, are workforce ready — but they still need a bachelor's degree," White Davis said. "All the classes for the cyber program are offered at night, so that the students can begin working once they get their associate degree."

In addition to having a presence on the Sturm Collaboration Campus, CSU Pueblo has satellite campuses in Colorado Springs and Fort Carson and is in the process of soliciting approval from the Higher Learning Commission to establish a site in Walsenburg.

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Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached by email at JBartolo@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: CSU Pueblo graduates first class from Sturm Collaboration Campus