CU President selects Dr. Jennifer Sobanet as next chancellor of UCCS
DENVER, Colo. – University of Colorado President Todd Saliman announced today that Dr. Jennifer Sobanet has been selected to serve as the University of Colorado Colorado Springs ongoing chancellor. Dr. Sobanet was named interim chancellor of the Colorado Springs campus in July of this year.
Sobanet
“Jennifer has done an outstanding job leading the campus during her interim appointment and she will lead the campus into an amazing future,” said Saliman. “For the last five months, I have been able to observe Jennifer’s approach to some very difficult campus issues and have been impressed with how she has made impressive progress collaboratively, transparently and compassionately. She is the right person for UCCS at this moment in time, and she will do a great job in this role on an ongoing basis.”
Prior to taking the post of interim chancellor, Dr. Sobanet’s experience included positions in higher education, state government and the private sector. She has extensive knowledge of Colorado and the CU System, previously serving as a leader in the Colorado Department of Higher Education and as executive vice chancellor of administration and strategy at the University of Colorado Denver. During her time at CU Denver, she earned a doctorate in educational equity from the CU Denver School of Education & Human Development.
“During my time at UCCS, I have fallen in love with this campus,” said Sobanet. “The culture of dedication to student success is remarkable. I felt it during my first visit to campus, and I have felt it every day in everything we do. I am thankful for the trust that President Saliman has placed in me to continue to lead this campus, and I am honored to work alongside our campus community in our collective mission of transforming lives.”
Dr. Sobanet will be the 8th UCCS chancellor and will succeed Chancellor Emeritus Venkat Reddy, who announced in May he would return to the College of Business faculty in fall 2024.
About the University of Colorado Colorado Springs
UCCS is a residential academic and research mainstay in southern Colorado, partnering with major corporations and federal agencies to provide leading-edge education in areas including cybersecurity, business, theater and nursing outreach programs for rural areas. UCCS is serving approximately 11,000 students this year.
Additional Quotes on Selection:
Callie Rennison, Chair, 2nd Congressional District
“The choice by President Saliman to name Jennifer as the permanent chancellor has garnered widespread support from a broad constituency, which is welcome news. It was evident at our most recent board meeting on the UCCS campus that Jennifer has established meaningful connections within the campus community that will resonate positively across the many diverse stakeholders who support UCCS. The University of Colorado System was fortunate to have someone of Jennifer’s caliber to step in as interim chancellor, and we are now privileged to have her talents move the campus to a new level of success.”
Ken Montera, Vice Chair, 5th Congressional District
“I have been so impressed with Jennifer’s ability to quickly connect with the Colorado Springs community, which has required the capacity to understand the many diverse interests and priorities of not only students, faculty, and staff, but also leaders from the military, government and the community at large. She took the reins of UCCS leadership by hitting the ground running on day one, and she has not let up. In her short time on campus, UCCS has benefitted from Jennifer’s financial acumen, which will certainly be needed to face the challenges that lie ahead for the campus.”
For more information contact:
- Jeff Howard, CU Vice President for Communication
Cell: 303.870.72, jeff.howard@cu.edu - Chris Valentine, UCCS Assistant Vice Chancellor of Marketing and Communications
Cell: 719.255.3024, cvalent2@uccs.edu