Back to school and work at Colorado Mountain College

In May Carissa Hernandez of New Castle, here with husband Hernan Hernandez and son Daniel Lewis, was furloughed from Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs due to the effects of the pandemic. Hernandez is now studying at CMC thanks to the CMC Responds: Back to Work Scholarship.

Up until May 2020, Carissa Hernandez loved her job at Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs.

“Valley View is a great place to work,” said Hernandez, who lives in New Castle with her husband and 6-year-old son.

As part of the hospital’s central medical supply team, Hernandez stocked everything from syringes to thermometers. However, that all changed on May 11, when she was furloughed from her job due to COVID-19 workplace restructuring. To make matters worse, her husband also lost his hotel job due to impacts from the virus. “We have lots of bills,” she said. “We’ve been stressing the last three months.”

But a new program at Colorado Mountain College, called the CMC Responds: Back to Work Scholarship, is giving a financial boost to Hernandez and others across the seven-county college district, enabling them to return to school to retool their skills and improve their options for finding new work.

A way out

Another such recipient of the scholarship is Frank Donaldson, who has lived in Glenwood Springs on and off for the past 10 years. He was self-employed in event production, coordinating décor and lighting for large Fortune 500 conferences in places like Vail and Aspen.

“I was going to be so busy this summer,” Donaldson said. “Though once COVID hit, there were no events, no big gatherings” – and there was no work.

Abruptly, the pandemic forced both Hernandez and Donaldson to rethink their occupations. That’s when they found the CMC Responds: Back to Work Scholarship, which provides money for tuition and other expenses for qualified workers who have had their hours reduced or were laid off or furloughed because of COVID-19. At CMC, students are able to study for new professions that can help them be more resilient in the event of a sudden downturn in the economy.

The funds are part of a $750,000 Displaced Workers Grant being distributed statewide by the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative, an innovative program of the Colorado Department of Higher Education that leverages public and private investment to make post-high school education available to more Colorado students.

The Displaced Workers Grant enables public colleges, workforce centers and training programs to provide  professional staff to support displaced workers and help students access multiple sources of financial aid to help them succeed. COSI is granting Colorado Mountain College with $150,000 over two years to provide dedicated professional student success staff to help these displaced workers.

Recipients of CMC’s Back to Work Scholarship have lost employment, lost jobs and regained employment but not at the same level, been temporarily furloughed, or had hours reduced and have received decreased pay due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The scholarships average $1,000 to $3,000, and sometimes more, depending on each student’s unmet need,” said Yesenia Arreola, CMC’s executive director of student affairs strategic projects and initiatives. “We ask all students to fill out the FAFSA or other institutional aid form when being considered for COSI funds. We want to make sure they are taking advantage of all available resources to help pay for the cost of attendance.”

Support is here

For Donaldson, CMC is familiar territory. He received an Associate of General Studies degree 10 years ago at the college, and is now studying digital media in CMC’s Isaacson School of Communication, Arts and Media. He hopes to either incorporate video production into his event production work in the future or practice videography solely.

“The scholarship has helped me so much,” said Hernandez. “I have always wanted to go back to school, and I don’t know when or if I’d be able to if it wasn’t for the scholarship and the help I got from CMC.”

Arreola said Colorado Mountain College’s goal is to grant 150 credentials to students through this scholarship during the next two years.

Contact cosi@coloradomtn.edu or visit https://coloradomtn.edu/scholarships/back-to-work-scholarship/ for more information and to contact an advisor about Colorado Mountain College’s Back to Work Scholarship.

Associate dean selected to join CMC Salida

Rob Simpson is joining Colorado Mountain College Salida as the new associate dean of academic and support services.

Colorado Mountain College has hired Rob Simpson as the new associate dean of academic and student services to help lead expansion in the communities of Salida and Poncha Springs.

“The associate dean of the Salida campus will be responsible for creating a dynamic and creative student experience,” said Rachel Pokrandt, CMC vice president and campus dean of Leadville and Salida.

Simpson earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education and master’s degree in education in college student affairs from Azusa Pacific University. During his 21-year career in higher education, he has served as an academic administrator, faculty member and student affairs professional.

“Rob has the right background, student-centered approach and experience starting programs from scratch that will serve the goals of the campus in the years to come,” said Pokrandt. “I can’t wait for the community to get to know him.”

While serving as director of campus recreation at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon,

Simpson provided leadership, vision and oversight to help build a 50,000 square foot student and campus recreation center from the ground up.

“I absolutely love the idea of being part of something new that will serve people into the future,” said Simpson. “Taking time to listen to the goals and concerns of the community will be key in moving forward with important decisions that affect the lives of our students.”

Rob Simpson and his wife Cammie have been married for 28 years and have two children, Alek, 24, and Sophie, 16. Rob is an avid fly fisher, trail runner, hiker, skier and backpacker, which makes him particularly eager to live and work in the Rocky Mountains.

“I look forward to becoming deeply rooted in the community and being able to stand back 10 years from now to see how CMC has grown to meet the unique needs of Salida and Poncha Springs,” said Simpson.

Registration is underway for the fall semester, which begins Aug. 24. The Fall 2020 Trail Map, which outlines CMC operations college-wide in light of COVID-19, is at https://coloradomtn.edu/fall-2020-trail-map/. For more information about CMC Salida, visit https://coloradomtn.edu/salida.

After 25 years at Colorado Mountain College, Kathy Kiser-Miller, here at CMC Steamboat Springs 2019 commencement, is retiring at the end of August. Photo David Watson

CMC Steamboat Springs leader Kiser-Miller to retire

Leaves strong legacy in college’s academic offerings, structure

After 25 years at Colorado Mountain College, Kathy Kiser-Miller, college vice president and Steamboat Springs campus dean, is retiring at the end of August. She leaves a deep impact behind.

“Our college is indebted to Kathy for her vision, stamina and thoughtfulness,” said CMC President and CEO Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser. “She has earned my deep respect and sincerest gratitude.”

For the past five years Kiser-Miller has been college vice president and campus dean in Steamboat Springs. Before that she was the dean of Academic Affairs at the Steamboat campus. Simultaneously, from 2015 through July 2019, she was also the college-wide vice president of Academic Affairs. In that role she oversaw a comprehensive redesign of Academic Affairs, resulting in the alignment of schools and disciplines.

“Her predecessors tried unsuccessfully to align CMC’s academic structure; many said it could not be done,” said Hauser. “With her characteristic vigor and affability, Kathy persevered.”

Kiser-Miller said one of her favorite memories at CMC was working with faculty members Rob Wang (sustainability) and Fred Hampel (business) to present to the college’s accrediting body, the Higher Learning Commission, proposals for CMC’s first two bachelor’s degrees. She was also named CMC Online Faculty of the Year in 2010-11 (she taught communications and speech online and in person 1995-2011) and Colorado’s 2011 E-Learning Educator of the Year.

She served as Faculty Senate president as well as communications and humanities discipline coordinator. She has also served as a peer reviewer and forum facilitator for the Higher Learning Commission since 2006, experience and perspective that have proven extremely useful, especially when preparing CMC for accrediting visits.

“I have known Kathy and her husband Dan for years, and during my time on the board of trustees it’s been a pleasure to see what a pillar she has been to the college and to the Steamboat campus,” said Bob Kuusinen, CMC trustee from Steamboat Springs. “As a former faculty member, she has never lost sight that students are the center of everything the college does. I wish Kathy and Dan the very best in the next chapter of their lives.”

“After having been a teacher and administrator for more than 35 years, I have been invited to contribute more to the Higher Learning Commission and higher education consulting, which has prompted me to decide to retire,” said Kiser-Miller. “I also look forward to spending more time with my children, granddaughter and my retired husband.”

In a note to her campus colleagues, she wrote, “I am proud of our time and accomplishments together and am confident the campus and college will continue to grow, mature and expand for our students and staff as the future unfolds.”

JC Norling, currently associate dean of Academic Affairs in Steamboat Springs, will serve as interim campus leader, effective Sept. 1, 2020.