CMC Board of Trustees selected for national leadership award

Colorado Mountain College’s trustees receive the 2023 John W. Nason Award

Jan. 18, 2023 – When the Colorado Mountain College Board of Trustees meets next week in Edwards, it will celebrate its selection as the best public college governing board in the country. The Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges selected CMC’s Board of Trustees as one of five boards – one public college, two private universities and two public college or university foundations – nationally to receive its John W. Nason Award for Board Leadership. AGB and presenting sponsor TIAA partner to present the Nason Award, established in 1992, to higher education governing boards across the country that demonstrate exceptional leadership and initiative.

“The nation is home to some 4,000 colleges and universities and nearly as many governing boards, and yet, there are few boards that deserve special recognition more for their courage, wisdom and foresight,” said Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser, CMC president and CEO. “CMC is more relevant to and celebrated by its communities than ever before, in large part because the courageous and thoughtful individuals that comprise its elected governing board.”

This year’s honorees were chosen from a diverse array of nominations illustrating the essential work of boards from public and private colleges and universities and institutionally related foundations. Each recipient was recognized for its justice, diversity, equity and inclusion-related programs and initiatives as well as its efforts to enhance student success.

According to its nomination materials, the publicly elected CMC Board of Trustees received the award because of its significant commitment to actively address the needs of students and the region the college serves through multiple institutional initiatives. These include investing $45 million for affordable housing and leveraging this funding to expand four critical projects in high-cost mountain towns; expanding academic programming and technology for high-demand fields like nursing; growing concurrent enrollment opportunities for high school students throughout CMC’s region ; and focusing board advocacy for critical public policy changes – including modifications to the state’s constitution – that  strengthen CMC’s financial health and its support for underserved students. These targeted approaches bolster student outcomes as well as the state’s economic health.

The CMC Board of Trustees is one of five boards receiving this year’s Nason Award. Other recipients include the Holyoke Community College Foundation Board of Directors, the Texas Christian University Board of Trustees, the Utah State University Foundation Board of Directors and the Xavier University of Louisiana Board of Trustees.

“Strategic governing boards play a vital role in assuring the value and vitality of higher education,” said Henry Stoever, AGB president and CEO. “We are grateful for these boards’ contributions to creating a more just, equitable and inclusive environment for all students, and we hope that their efforts will inspire more boards to hone their strategic thought partnership with chief executives and leadership teams. I am impressed by the achievements of our honorees, and I look forward to their future strides in promoting student success – for all students.”

The Nason Award is named for higher education leader John W. Nason, who served as the chair of the National Japanese American Student Relocation Council and helped nearly 4,000 interned students continue their college studies across the nation during World War II.

AGB is the premier organization advocating strategic board governance in higher education. TIAA is a Fortune 100 financial services organization dedicated to helping its clients pursue financial well-being.