Attend the (re-scheduled) National Dual Mission Summit in Colorado

Hosted by Colorado Mountain College with support from presenting sponsor Lumina Foundation

The fourth annual national summit examining the rapidly growing national movement of dual mission colleges and universities will be held in Glenwood Springs, Colorado November 2-4, 2022.

  • Examine the role of dual mission institutions
  • Network with professionals who are experts in the dual mission model
  • Define the future of the dual mission movement

Registration and more information coming soon.

Questions? Send us an email at dualmission@coloradomtn.edu.

About dual mission institutions

Dual mission institutions generally offer a blend of certificate programs and associate degrees as well as bachelor’s degrees under one roof. They also recognize that today's learners need and want a mix of liberal arts and hands-on career skills training.

Dual mission institutions may be either public or private, but are generally open access and significantly more affordable than other colleges and universities. Other key pillars of dual mission institutions include: streamlined pathways for students, nimble operational structures, and close-knit community and workforce partnerships. Because of their “hybrid” nature, they may also not “fit” well in traditional Carnegie or other post-secondary classification systems.

For the past several years, dual mission institutions have joined together to hold summits in Utah. Organizers of these conferences have identified an estimated 400 colleges and universities that qualify or operate as dual mission institutions in the states of Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, North Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin and beyond. Efforts are underway to gather information and data to more accurately report and formalize the network.

The dual mission model has been featured in several leading publications examining the future of higher education:

Get Involved! Join the dual mission movement and receive updates about the 2022 Dual Mission Summit

In a recent Inside Higher Ed guest column, Jamie Merisotis, president of Lumina Foundation and Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser, president & CEO of Colorado Mountain College succinctly framed the role that dual mission institutions fulfill:

“...a key strength in the dual mission approach [is] meeting today’s increasingly diverse students where they are. That’s especially important right now because these students – adults, parents, workers, people of color and those from lower-income households – rarely earn a ‘two-year’ degree in two years or a ‘four-year’ degree in four years – underscoring dated nomenclature and structures designed decades ago for an entirely different student profile.”

Past Conferences

2020 Dual Mission Virtual Summit

Dixie State University / November 16 – 17, 2020

2020 Dual Mission Virtual Summit Website

Keynote Presentation & Presidential Panel featuring Jamie Merisotis, President and CEO of Lumina Foundation. Following Merisotis’s presentation, hear from Presidents Hauser, Mortensen, Tuminez, Williams and Dr. Hanna on the role and importance of the dual-mission model in higher education.

Dual Mission Summit 2019

Weber State University / October 7, 2019

2019 Dual Mission Summit Resources
2019 Dual Mission Summit Featured Guests

Recording of the 2019 Dual-Mission Summit; Luncheon Keynote: 2:31; Dinner Keynote Panel: 5:50.

2018 National Summit on Dual Mission Institutions in Higher Education

Utah Valley University / May 16 – 17, 2018

2018 Dual Mission Summit Speakers
2018 Dual Mission Summit Schedule