Colorado Mountain College


Colorado Mountain College is an accredited two-year and four-year institution with eleven college campuses serving 12,000 square miles in Western Colorado, United States. Founded in 1965, the institution grants more than 120 bachelor's degrees, associate degrees, and certificates, in a wide range of fields from to . Approximately 20,000 students take on-campus or online classes every year, with a college-wide ratio of thirteen students to each teacher.
Colorado Mountain College is ranked the highest among Colorado's associate degree granting institutions for graduation and transfer rate, and was named the nation's third-most-affordable bachelor's degree in a 2012 report from the U.S. Department of Education, being the only institution from Colorado to make the list. As of 2018, it had fallen to 19th most affordable in the same ranking.
The CMC district includes six counties in the heart of the Colorado Rocky Mountains: Eagle, Grand, Jackson, Lake, Garfield, Pitkin, Summit, and Routt. The state-designated service area includes: Grand, Jackson, and Chaffee. Campuses are surrounded by three national forests, six wilderness areas and most of Colorado's major ski resorts, including Aspen, Vail, Breckenridge, and Steamboat Springs.
Besides eight community campuses, three full-service residential campuses in Leadville, Steamboat Springs, and Spring Valley at Glenwood Springs, provide students with residence halls, cafeterias, recreation facilities and libraries. Students also have the opportunity to participate in different recreational and educational activities through student clubs, honor societies, a theatre company, a college radio station and sports teams.
Ten athletes from the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games attended classes at Colorado Mountain College, and the downhill course for the competition was built and managed by two alumni from the Leadville campus. More than 80 Olympic athletes have taken classes at Colorado Mountain College.

History

On November 2, 1965, voters of five Colorado counties approved the formation of a college district including the Eagle, Garfield, Routt, Lake, Summit and Pitkin counties. The junior college plan was unanimously approved by the State Board of Education and the name “Colorado Mountain College”, suggested by the governing committee member, Harold Koonce, was immediately adopted.
The residential campuses of Leadville and Spring Valley at Glenwood Springs were the first ones built, and the first classes started in the fall of 1967, with Dr. Joe Davenport as the first president of the institution, and an in-district tuition of $6.75 per credit hour. Davenport died shortly after the opening of the two campuses, crashing his single engine plane while attempting to land in Glenwood Springs.
The first 22 programs offered were Astrogeophysical Technology, Automobile Mechanics, Building Trades, Civil Technology, Commercial Photography, Data Processing, Drafting-Design Technology, Electrical-Electronics Technology, Metals Technology, Industrial Management, Farm and Ranch Management, Food Service Technology, Home Economics, Landscape Technology, Mining Technology, Office Management, Photographic Technology, Recreation Supervision, Resort Management and Secretarial Science.
In 1972, Summit County offered its first courses, followed by expansions in Rifle, Salida and Buena Vista. In 1974, the college received full accreditation by the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges.
The opened in 2012 with classes at the Spring Valley campus. That same year, a three-story $18 million Academic Center was opened at CMC Steamboat Springs.

Rankings

In 2012, CNNMoney.com ranked Colorado Mountain College in the top 20 nationally for student success at two-year colleges, being the number one in Colorado.
The report, using data from ranks CMC #17 in the nation for graduation plus transfer rates for schools with more than 200 full-time freshmen. This reporting tool is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
In 2014, named Colorado Mountain College as one of the top 150 community colleges in the USA. Awarded every two years, the prize recognizes schools with exceptional outcomes in student learning, certificate and degree completion, employment and earnings, and high levels of access for minority and low-income students
In 1987, the March edition of the magazine Rolling Stone profiled Colorado Mountain College in a story titled “The Cool Schools” along with Cornell, Syracuse, Dartmouth, Penn and MIT. In 1990, U.S. News & World Report included the school in the “Guide to America’s Best Colleges” along with 15 other two-year colleges.
In 2010, The Wall Street Journal posted an article listing CMC as one of the top Winter Olympian-producing colleges in the United States.

Community campuses

Colorado Mountain College has eight community campuses and three full-service residential campuses that provide residence halls, cafeterias, student recreation facilities, and libraries, and are available for summer conferences.

Aspen

serves traditional and non-traditional students. Colorado Mountain College Aspen facilities include computer labs, “smart rooms”, science lab, fitness studio, gallery, and art studios. It is also home to world-renowned Aspen-Santa Fe Ballet. CMC Aspen offers various degrees and certificate programs as well as unique recreational opportunities in the Aspen/ Snowmass Resort communities.

Buena Vista

The Forster Academic Center in Buena Vista sits at the base of several 14,000-foot Collegiate Peaks. The provides educational opportunities to Chaffee County, serving the towns of Buena Vista, Poncha Springs, Salida and other surrounding communities. Colorado Mountain College Buena Vista offers two year degree programs, transferable courses, certificates of proficiency and personal enrichment classes.

Breckenridge and Dillon

The Breckenridge and Dillon campuses provide certificate, bachelor's and associate degree programs to students in Summit County. offers traditional classroom settings, professional training opportunities and online courses. The Dillon Center also offers extensive options for college-level classes, English as a Second Language programs and technology-based learning labs.
Colorado Mountain College in Breckenridge and Dillon is home to CMC's Culinary Institute, one of the few apprentice-based culinary programs in the country. Students learn from award-winning chefs while working in five-star restaurants in Keystone, CO.
CMC's Summit County campuses also offer a Wilderness Emergency Medical Services certificate program, Outdoor Education, Nursing, and a variety of other programs, degrees, certifications, and non-credit classes.

Carbondale

Located in downtown Carbondale, Colorado, the is named after its land donors, Paul and Ginny Lappala, and offers associate and bachelor-level classes for CMC degree programs or transfer. CMC Carbondale also offers dual credit courses for local high school students, non-credit workshops, continuing education opportunities, and fitness classes.
Faculty members often teach classes in Carbondale, Glenwood Springs, and Spring Valley, which together, form the Roaring Fork Campus.

Glenwood Springs

The Glenwood Springs campus offers associate and bachelor level classes for CMC degree programs or for transfer. also offers dual credit courses for local high school students, non-credit workshops, seminars, continuing education, and personal advancement opportunities.
The Glenwood Springs faculty members often also teach classes at the other Roaring Fork campuses, in Carbondale and Spring Valley.

Rifle

offers community-oriented classes and degrees in a modern facility with computer labs, Interactive Video Systems classrooms, “smart classrooms” and the 287-seat Clough Auditorium. Western Garfield County lies in the heart of the energy industry, and CMC Rifle provides unique opportunities for energy-focussed certifications and associate degrees. Process Technology, Solar Energy, and Welding are offered on-campus in Rifle, where students gain hands-on experience with a non-functioning gas & oil pad, gas processing facility, and solar farm that generates 33% of campus power.

Vail Valley at Edwards

is one of CMC's largest campuses. The campus in Edwards provides a full selection of certificates, associate and bachelor's degrees, ESL and GED classes. The college also prepares students to transfer to other four-year institutions. CMC's Edwards campus often hosts community events and educational opportunities.

Residential campuses

Leadville

The was one of the first Colorado Mountain College campuses, built in 1967. CMC Leadville is the highest elevation college campus in the country, at 10,152 ft, with views of Colorado's two highest peaks, Mt. Massive and Mt. Elbert. The campus itself consists of six main buildings, all named after mines in the region: Mountain View Residence Hall, Climax Molybdenum Leadership Center, Pinnacle Resource Center, New Discovery Academic Center, Crown Point, and Coronado Café. The Mountain View Residence Hall has capacity for 128 students in 64 rooms.
The Leadville campus also offers out-the-door access to an extensive trail network, with miles of maintained routes for students to run, bike, and ski. CMC Leadville provides amenities like access to a lending library of four-season outdoor gear, indoor climbing wall, backyard terrain park, and an 18-hole disc golf course tucked in a pine forest.
Colorado Mountain College Leadville offers over 40 degrees and certificate options, including Ski Area Operations, Outdoor Recreation Leadership, and Natural Resource Management. CMC Leadville has a tradition to form top Ski Operations professionals, and alumni are often recognized for their accomplishments at local resorts as well as international events.

Spring Valley at Glenwood Springs

One of CMC's original campuses built in 1967, Spring Valley has 124 rooms in the Sopris Residence Hall. Spring Valley offers bachelor's and associate degree classes for several programs in science labs, smart rooms and traditional classrooms.
The has a 220-acre veterinary farm with large and small animals, an 18-hole disc golf course and a soccer field park. Approximately 1500 students pursue educations in photography, design, veterinary medicine, nursing, outdoor education and more. Spring Valley is also home for the Isaacson School for Communication, Arts and Media's facilities, with a prototype lab, radio, video and photo studios.
This is the main campus, hosting theatre and musical performances throughout the year at the New Space Theatre.

Steamboat Springs

provides flexible course schedules for a variety of associate and bachelor's degrees and certificate programs. Notable programs include ski & snowboard business, resort manage management, art, science, outdoor education, restaurant management and dozens more. With 110 residence hall rooms, a frisbee golf course and a ski/snowboard rail yard, the CMC Steamboat Springs residential campus offers access to recreation in every season.
The campus also hosts the SnowSports Industries America certificate tests, for snowsports industry professionals.
The Colorado Mountain College Steamboat Ski Team is an associate member of the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association, the strongest college ski racing conference in the country.

Academics

Colorado Mountain College offers five bachelor’s degrees, 53 associate degrees, and 72 certificates of one-year or less. The college also provides GED and ESL classes, continuing education, non-credit classes, and workshops to Colorado Mountain communities. Most of its academic programs meet the requirements of the Colorado State Guaranteed Transfer Courses. Colorado Mountain College is known for small class sizes, personalized attention, and hands-on experience.

Degrees

Colorado Mountain College offers at 11 different locations. Some campuses specialize in specific programs, and courses may only be offered at their location.
CMC also offers five bachelor degrees: Bachelor of , , , and . The school also has more than 100 options of associate degrees and certificates for district residents and out-of-state students.
Associate degrees are generally considered “two year” degrees, and CMC has . Many students choose to pursue a general associate degree, transferring to a 4-year institution to save on tuition in the first two years of college.
Colorado Mountain College has 71 certificate options, from to and to . These are often the “one-year” programs, and offer students the opportunity to expand their skills or specialize in a specific subject.

Non-credit

Students can choose from more than 300 different non-credit classes to continue their education at Colorado Mountain College's 11 campuses. From French cuisine, local geology, personal financing, yoga, social media skills, or learn to crochet.

Concurrent enrollment

High school students in CMC districts can earn college credits from Colorado Mountain College before graduating high school through the . One can take dual college and high school credits in commonly required classes as English, math, speech, foreign language, computer science and psychology.
The College-Level Examination Program® at Colorado Mountain College, also gives students of any age the opportunity to demonstrate college-level achievement through a program of exams in undergraduate college courses.

Tuition

Colorado Mountain College bachelor's degree tuition is among the lowest in the country, and the lowest in Colorado, according to the U.S. Department of Education's College Affordability and Transparency List. Student fees are the lowest for a bachelor's degree in Colorado, and the school recently implemented a flat-fee textbook program.
CMC offers three tuition rates based on residence status: In-District, In-State, and Out-of-State tuition. Other special tuition rates include a CMC Service Area Rate, and a Veterans & Military Families Discount Rate.

Scholarships and financial aid

The offers and administers over 300 student scholarships. External scholarships are also available.
The is a $1000 tuition scholarship available for all class of 2018 local high school graduates.
In 2018, CMC launched through donor support. Fund Sueños enables DACA students to pay for college through income-share agreements, or ISAs, in which students pay no up-front tuition in exchange for a fixed percentage of income after graduation over a set period of time.

Study abroad

CMC offers short-term faculty-led every year to countries like Japan, Chile, Ireland, Costa Rica, Vietnam, Switzerland, South Africa and others. Students earn credits while whitewater rafting through the Himalayas, studying the production of olive oil in Tuscany, or learning international ski business on a backcountry guiding trip in Japan.

Isaacson School for Communication, Arts & Media

The at Colorado Mountain College started offering classes at the Spring Valley campus in the fall of 2012, becoming one of the America's first community college programs dedicated to new media, offering , , Marketing and degrees. The school's facilities include a prototype lab, photography, audio and filming studios, a photo gallery and multimedia labs.
The school was named after the author and journalist, Walter Isaacson, former President and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C., and Aspen, Colorado. Isaacson is also former Chairman and CEO of Cable News Network and former Managing Editor of Time Magazine.
Notable graduates of the Isaacson School include Pat Davison, who was part of a team awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2000.

Sopris Theatre

The Sopris Theatre Company complements the CMC , allowing students to join professional actors and community members in performances of original and classic theatre productions. The theatre is located in the Calaway Academic Building at the .
The company usually performs three to five theatre productions each season, on its theatre that seats 100 people.

CMC Foundation

The focuses on supporting CMC students and communities where the college operates. The CMC Foundation provides support through student scholarships, innovative initiatives, and community engagement.

Sustainability

Colorado Mountain College is one of the nine postsecondary institutions in the US, and the only in Colorado, to receive the 2017 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon for Schools Postsecondary Sustainability Award. In January 2019, the U.S. Green Building Council and honored Colorado Mountain College as one of eight U.S. institutions to receive the 2018 Higher Education Climate Leadership Awards. CMC's award, an honorable mention, is for cross-sector collaboration, recognizing the college's students, faculty and administration for partnering with many other organizations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, monitor changes in climate and support land preservation.
Some of the sustainability efforts applied to all its campuses are: recycling, conduct professional energy audits, replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent or LED bulbs, replaced conventional thermostats with programmable, use green cleaning products and paper products made from recycled fibers.

Clubs and organizations

- CMC Steamboat's Alpine Ski Team is an associate member of the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association. Colorado Mountain College competes in RMISA against the best college ski teams in the country. CMC's Women's and Men's Alpine teams have competed successfully on regional and national levels.
- Leadville, CO is the home of the world-famous Leadville Race Series. Competitors from around the world come to run and mountain bike the high elevation 100 mile course. The CMC Leadville Running Club trains year round on these trails, some of which are accessible from the campus trail system. The CMC Leadville Running Club is a member of the National Intercollegiate Running Club Association, competing in regional and national championship races across the country.
Outdoor Pursuits Club - Based on the Leadville campus, the Outdoor Pursuits Club is an active, student-led team passionate about leading and learning in the great outdoors. Students plan club-sponsored outdoor adventures and activities like mountain biking, camping, hiking, climbing, and skiing. Gear, transportation, and encouragement are provided. by the school
Green Team - The Leadville Campus Green Team works to guide Colorado Mountain College Leadville towards an environmentally sound campus through policy, education, and leadership initiatives.
Geology Club - The Leadville Geology Club is made of students interested in geology. They meet weekly to plan “outings” and activities to explore the incredible geographical features of Lake County, Colorado, and the world.
Student Government Association - SGA is represented on all CMC residential campuses. The SGA is a student organization that acts as a voice for students when it comes to campus issues, as well as providing funding for all the campus clubs. The SGA plans and implements a variety of campus events and student activities such as film nights and trips to professional sporting events and museums in Denver.
MMA Club - Leadville students practice mixed martial arts.
Students for Sustainability - Roaring Fork Students for Sustainability is a club committed to Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share. They organize community service events, often enlivened by music and play. Beekeeping, gardening, wildcrafting, cooking and meditating are some of the topics they explore with the community.
Students of Faith - This Spring Valley at Glenwood Springs club's mission is to develop closer relationships between members while learning more about Christian faith through fellowship, Bible study, service and outreach, and just having fun.
Outdoor Adventure Club - The Outdoor Adventure Club in Spring Valley at Glenwood Springs is made of students that share a passion for being outside in any and every way possible. Past trips have included hiking in the Maroon Bells, Mountain Biking in Fruita and climbing in Glenwood Springs.
Radio Club - Based at the Spring Valley at Glenwood Springs campus, this club connects audiophiles, musicians, performers, techies, designers, and everything in between. They spend most of their time in the Radio CMC studios, broadcasting and recording audio content.
Nursing Club - The CMC Student Nurse Association is dedicated to fostering the professional development of nursing students who are voice of the future of the nursing profession. The membership of the SNA are current nursing students, and their focus is primarily on service learning activities such as volunteering at health fairs to draw blood and take blood pressures, serving meals for homeless and serving at the local cancer fundraiser, Rally in the Valley. CMC SNA representatives attend the National Student Nurse Association Convention each year and come back to tell the others what they learned and to share their enthusiasm for the profession.
Theater Club - The Theatre Club is based in the Spring Valley at Glenwood Springs campus, and attends regional shows as a social outing. Members also partner with Radio CMC to produce a radio play each semester, with CLETA, the Nursing Department, and with Vet Tech in role-playing activities, and with the Sopris Theatre Company to take a production annually to the Colorado Theatre Festival.
Student Activities Council - A student run group from the Spring Valley at Glenwood Springs campus that plans and executes the best events on campus! S.A.C. puts on the Halloween Dance, Laser Tag, Bubble Ball, Sports Programs, Board Game Nights, craft nights, painting programs, Spring Carnival, and much more!

Notable alumni