The Arapahoe Community College (ACC) Sturm Collaboration Campus at Castle Rock brings together education, industry, and community to support student success, providing hands-on experience and new career connections all in one location in Castle Rock. One of Sturm Collaboration Campus’ May graduates, Luke Allevato, received his bachelor’s degree in computer information systems with a software development emphasis from CSU Pueblo at the Sturm Collaboration Campus.

Allevato exemplifies what the Sturm Collaboration Campus is about, meeting students where they are and helping them excel in their careers through experiential learning opportunities in the local community.

Affordable and accessible education

Sturm Collaboration Campus offers programs in a 2+2 format where students complete their associate degree at Arapahoe Community College (ACC), with a degree pathway to CSU Pueblo, where they can earn their bachelor’s degree. Douglas County School District (DCSD) students can start taking concurrent enrollment classes in their junior year of high school and apply those credits to ACC.

Students are looking for flexible, affordable and accessible options. For Allevato, the cost of college was one of the driving factors for choosing Sturm Collaboration Campus for his educational future.

“I didn’t want student loans, and I don’t have them… I was confident that I could learn with any program. So, the question was, how could I get it in the most economical way possible?”

When Sturm Collaboration Campus was in the development phase, partners, including Arapahoe Community College, DCSD, and Colorado State University chose degree programs that would best suit the needs of the local community. Sturm Collaboration Campus currently offers associate degrees in Business, Health, Math & Science, and Technology, with most classes taught by industry professionals.

“I think almost all of the professors were either working in the industry or had worked in the industry versus just teaching their whole careers, which I didn’t as much see the value in at the time. But now, I definitely do think that was good having them be already working professionals in the field that they’re teaching… One of the things that I appreciated about Sturm Collaboration Campus is they were very career focused. That’s how I got my job with Lockheed Martin. Having professors tell me to apply was pretty awesome. I literally think I would not have a job yet if it weren’t for that.”

The classroom environment at Sturm Collaboration Campus fosters independence through collaboration – an essential skill for students. Due to the small classroom size and culture, students have a great deal of agency over their educational environment.

“The academic programs at the Sturm Collaboration Campus provide a unique opportunity for students to receive both an associate’s and bachelor’s degree in an abbreviated amount of time. The Cybersecurity degree program is uniquely designed to provide opportunities for adult learners and recent high school graduates to schedule courses strategically around work or personal commitments while still making important connections to future employers and experts working in the field. We’re excited to see the meaningful impact our first cohort has on this region and our economic growth,” CSU Pueblo President Timothy Mottet said.

Preparing students for the future

This co-collaborative environment not only prepared students through the class content but through the act of having agency over their working environment. According to Allevato, “They taught [him] everything [he] needed to know.”

Allevato works full-time with Lockheed Martin as a programmer. Currently, there are 25,000 cybersecurity job openings in Colorado, further highlighting the need for Sturm Collaboration Campus, and the opportunity to place students in these positions.

“One of the cool things about Sturm Collaboration Campus is there are multiple companies in the area that know about the program and are looking to hire associate degree students, which is of how I got my job.”

Sturm Collaboration Campus works to make education accessible and career-focused, providing students with the skills they need to be successful. Allevato is just one of the many students that highlight the successful track record of this innovative program.