CMC Board of Trustees welcomes year end with new board member and new officers

At the December meeting of the Colorado Mountain College Board of Trustees, board members welcomed a new District 1 Pitkin County trustee, elected officers, received financial and campus updates, learned of several college initiatives and approved eight action items.

Trustee elections certified; officers appointed

CMC General Counsel Richard Gonzales officially certified CMC’s trustee election results from the Nov. 2 statewide election. With Pitkin County Trustee Charles Cunniffe term limited, former Snowmass Village Mayor Markey Butler now represents CMC District 1 in her uncontested run. Two additional incumbent trustees, Peg Portscheller representing west Garfield County (CMC District 3) and Chris Romer representing Eagle County (CMC District 7) ran unopposed and were sworn in as well. The board elected Portscheller to serve as president with Romer and Bob Kuusinen (CMC District 5, Routt County) elected, respectively, as secretary and treasurer.

New associate and certificate degree programs offered

Kathryn Regjo, CMC vice president of academic affairs, reported that an Associate of Arts and Associate of Science with emphases in health sciences, will soon be added to CMC’s degree offerings. The degrees are comprised of courses already taught at CMC as pre-requisites for many health sciences programs, including nursing and surgical technician.

Additionally, certificates in advanced theater and event production, and action sports technician, will soon launch. These programs will be part of existing Associate of Arts and Associate of Applied Science degree programs. Regjo said that feedback from surrounding communities and employers is needed and welcomed.

In addition to CMC’s latest Bachelor of Science in Ecosystem Science and Stewardship, these new programs will be available to students in fall 2022.

Summit County campus update

Dave Askeland, CMC vice president and Summit County campus dean, provided an update to trustees regarding the college’s Breckenridge and Dillon locations. Plans are progressing to build an adjoining wing to the Breckenridge campus to house nursing, emergency medical services and wilderness emergency medical services. The new wing will permit CMC to build a new health simulation center, which will expand capacities in nursing and health care programs.

Additionally, the college has selected Shaw Construction as the general contractor for its attainable housing project at its campuses in Breckenridge, Edwards, Steamboat Springs and Spring Valley at Glenwood Springs. The Breckenridge project will be an expansion of CMC’s Denison Commons location. The project will add approximately 38 units (with approximately 50 to 60 beds) of housing to each campus.

Askeland also reported that the Summit campus experienced a 20% turnover of full-time employees during the past summer and fall, prompted largely by the pandemic. However, even amidst economic pressures and housing shortages, the campus has been able to attract a strong employee candidate pool, including several Spanish-speaking staff to better serve Latino students.

Unanimous approvals

At the meeting, trustees unanimously approved:

• acceptance of the college’s fourth-quarter FY 2020-21 and the first quarter FY 2021-22 financials
• acceptance of the audited financial statements for FY 2020-21, reflecting an entirely clean audit, as presented by the college’s auditors, CliftonLarsonAllen LLC
• certification of CMC’s existing mill levy at 4.013
• designating CMC’s audit committee members as the investment committee to provide recommendations to the board of trustees and management
• authorizing CMC President Carrie Besnette Hauser to finalize an agreement to equip 26 local high schools with digital SMART classroom technology and additional digital classroom equipment as part of the state’s RISE grant program
• a contract for the CMC Spring Valley nursing simulation lab
• a resolution and appropriation of reserves
• a one-year agreement with the City of Aspen to occupy a classroom at the Aspen campus to expand infant care in the region.