Dear Friends of the College of Business,

I would like to reiterate my excitement for serving as the new dean of the College of Business. It is a pleasure to be joining you in Colorado Springs and I look forward to meeting many of you at our upcoming virtual events. I have kept busy my first few weeks in meetings with College of Business faculty and staff, campus leadership, advisory boards and various community partners. I have also been involved in several important discussions regarding the opportunities and challenges facing campus over the coming months. The Chancellor recently announced that we will be returning to campus in the fall semester. I am eager to meet you in person and look forward to providing an on-campus learning experience for our students. While we look forward to the fall semester, we understand that certain precautions need to be implemented to ensure the safety of the campus community. The College of Business is working diligently to create an engaging campus experience while following health guidelines. Student success is at the forefront of our efforts and our faculty are planning courses that will keep student safety and academic success as top priorities. To stay up to date on our return to campus, please visit returnto.uccs.edu.

As campus makes decisions to bring students back to campus, we recognize that many local businesses are also strategizing ways to return to work. The College of Business is offering a free resources webpage to provide videos, publications, virtual office hours and events to help businesses get back on their feet. We are proud to partner with the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC, the Pikes Peak Workforce Center, the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado and the Small Business Development Center to offer a comprehensive resource page for the Colorado Springs community. To access the resources, go to businessweb.uccs.edu/resources.

I hope you are enjoying the Meeting Markel videos each week as I explain more about myself, my professional background and my vision for the College of Business. To learn more about me, please visit the Meeting Markel website for a series of articles, videos and upcoming events. The College of Business will be hosting a Virtual Introduction event on July 9, 2020 at 3:30 PM on YouTube Live. I look forward to addressing your questions on a live broadcast with Chancellor Venkat Reddy and Provost Tom Christensen. To register and receive the YouTube Live link, please visit https://cvent.me/ZQ50r0.

We will also hold more intimate virtual events throughout the summer. I look forward to meeting you personally and learning more about how we can work together to create new opportunities for our students, alumni and business community.

Warmest Regards,

Karen S. Markel, Ph.D.,

Dean, UCCS College of Business