Bill now moves forward to House of Representatives
GLENWOOD SPRINGS – One more hurdle has been passed in Colorado Mountain College’s appeal to the state legislature to allow the college to offer a limited number of bachelor’s degrees, as the Colorado Senate voted 33-1 today to pass Senate Bill 10-101. One additional senator was absent from the session.
“This is great news for all of us living on the Western Slope,” said CMC President Dr. Stan Jensen. “It’s clear from their resounding support that the Senate understands the importance of expanding access to higher education for the communities of north-central Colorado, and especially increasing that access in the communities served by Colorado Mountain College.”
The next step will be for a similar bill to be presented to the education committee of the state House of Representatives. If the bill passes there, it would go forward to the full House for a vote, and then on to the governor. No date has yet been scheduled for those next steps.
Following consultations with the Colorado Department of Higher Education, the final wording on the Senate bill was adjusted slightly to clarify that the college needs to have individual degrees approved by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, as is currently the case with associate degrees the college offers.
An amendment also includes a list of standards the college must meet for CCHE approval. Another revision to the bill is that the college needs to appeal to the legislature for permission to offer more than five degrees.
John Karakoulakis, director of legislative affairs for the CDHE, Wednesday confirmed media reports that the amendments address concerns the department had expressed earlier.
The college is conducting surveys to determine the level of demand and the types of degrees residents would like to see offered. When asked whether the college should offer bachelor’s degrees, 83 percent of employers surveyed said yes. Preliminary survey results show high demand for degrees in resort-related business and teacher education.
CMC’s Jensen said the college will continue growing new, and servicing existing, partnerships with other colleges and universities in the state. This is in addition to continuing to meet community needs for career and technical training, adult basic education, customized business training and lifelong learning.
“If we are able to grant even limited types of bachelor’s degrees, we know that will allow us to meet more of the unmet needs of people living within our mountain communities,” said Jensen. “That is the essence of Colorado Mountain College, why our community members come to us time and again for learning.”
The college has a 13 percent community participation rate, which is five times the state benchmark of 2.7 percent.
College administrators are also in discussions with their accrediting body, the Higher Learning Commission, to determine steps the college needs to take to achieve accreditation for offering bachelor’s degrees.
Jensen encourages businesses and individuals within the college’s 12,000-square-mile service area to continue contacting their representatives and the governor to express their opinions on the bill.
The college has seven campuses with a total of 11 physical locations spread across an area of north-central Colorado the size of Maryland, from Rifle to Leadville, and from Steamboat Springs to Aspen.
This is so exciting! To think that the possibility of working towards a Bachelor’s Degree close to home may come into existence someday soon. It’ll be interesting to see what degree programs will become available. Thank you.
The four-program from CMC is the best news for my family as a single parent of four children it seems impossible to achieve. If CMC is allowed to become a four year college my chances of getting a BA are 100%, otherwise I will have to settle for a two-year degree and the idea of getting a BA would be nothing but a dream. I feel it would be crime to my family if a change isn’t done quickly enough to allow parents like me to get an education and be better role models for our children.
This is so exciting! I was not looking forward to having to move just to finish my degree to only have to move back to Steamboat to apply my knowledge in my community. I also look forward to giving my money to an institution that I respect and brought me this far. The teachers at the Alpine campus are amazing! Keep up! Let’s take this one to the top.
This is very exciting. I’m a senior at Grand Valley High School and a snowboarder. I will start my freshman year this fall 2010. I will be getting my BA degree in Graphic design and will transfer to a 4 year college after my 2 years with CMC. I would be elated to get my BA here at the Spring Valley campus and keep hitting the slopes at Sunlight and Snowmass.
I was born in Hawaii and moved here when I was 7 years old. I still go home to visit family and when I’m there I think about the mountains here. This is my home now, if and when I ever get tired of the cold I’ll move back to Hawaii.
This decision will boost our economy immensely. With proper advertising of this beautiful area who would not want to go to college here! I realize that the first 4 year program will probably be business management but, that’s a start. Hopefully by the time I finish my 2 years they will have a 4 year program for Graphic Design.
I hope this bill goes,as I have been waiting forever to get to a four-year degree program in the Central Mountains region. I would like to see a Computer Science/IS degree, not just the certificates, but the BA in Computer Science. I hope that CMC will be able to reach out to all these people in the Colorado area who need a 4 year program that is close to home.
This is awesome. Where can I take that survey looking for what types of degrees residents would like to see offered?
I am very happy that CMC is going to have a 4 years degree programs. This will enable me to accomplish my goal in getting my degree in Education or Business Administration. Thank you all for your efforts in getting these programs!