CMC Announces Plans for Fall Classes
CMC Anuncia Planes para las Clases de Otoño
June 12, 2020
Dear CMC community:
Today marks three months since announcing Colorado Mountain College would transition all spring 2020 courses to a virtual environment in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and corresponding state and local public health orders.
Together we made that successful transition. And, thanks to our ability to waive tuition and fees this summer through CMC Responds, our college has experienced its strongest-ever summer enrollment. Kudos to the faculty and staff who put in countless hours to switch gears mid-spring, and to our entire Academic Affairs team for continuing to innovate the ways we deliver teaching and learning.
Sincere gratitude to our Facilities colleagues who have bent over backwards to keep our campuses, buildings, and grounds clean and sanitized. The same goes to our Information Technology team for making equipment available to students and employees working or studying from home and for significantly and strategically investing in new technologies and systems over the coming months to position CMC for the future that lies ahead.
No one has a crystal ball to know exactly how COVID-19 will affect our state in the coming months, nor do we have all the answers at this time. So, our plan for the fall semester – CMC’s Fall 2020 Road Map – is intentionally flexible in order to adapt and adjust as we go.
Keeping the health and safety of our students, employees, and local communities central to our planning and to comply with evolving state and local public health orders, Colorado Mountain College will offer three categories of courses during the fall 2020 term. Our goal is to provide a blended and high-quality set of options that leverage CMC’s long-standing signature and experiential programs, small class sizes, innovative approaches, and personalized learning.
For all categories below, additional and intentional efforts to support students will come in the form of tutoring, advising, and regular communications. The three types of courses are:
- Flex
These courses will have a designated class schedule. The designated schedule will have virtual meetings conducted using videoconferencing technology like Webex or Zoom. Students must have access to technology to attend the course and attend the Webex or Zoom sessions. Some of these courses may have optional face-to-face components such as small group discussions, group projects, or similar.
- In-Person
These courses – or portions of these courses – cannot be delivered remotely, and will be offered face-to-face at a designated time and location, adhering to enhanced social distancing and safety guidelines. These courses may have parts of the course online, or using videoconferencing technology like Webex or Zoom, but will require a student to be physically present for all or portions of the course.
- Online Anytime
These courses will not require in-person attendance and will not have a designated schedule or videoconferencing time. Students must complete the course and homework in the time frame outlined in the syllabus.
Note that registration for new students begins on Monday, June 15, and the fall semester will start August 24.
Plan for residence halls
Kudos are also due to CMC’s Student Affairs team who went the extra mile to accommodate students who chose to remain in the residence halls this spring.
This fall, CMC intends to open residence halls at campuses in Steamboat Springs, Spring Valley, and Leadville at a reduced capacity. The halls will contain more single rooms and a limited number of double rooms. For the 2020-21 academic year, the college will also waive the requirement that new students live on campus. New students who would prefer to live off campus can now find their own accommodations.
In Breckenridge, our college-owned apartments will continue to operate as self-contained units available to eligible students.
More information will be forthcoming in the next few weeks. Housing options and the most up-to-date information can be found at reslife.coloradomtn.edu.
Taking care of the CMC community
As always, our focus is on providing the high-quality, personalized, affordable education our communities have come to expect – while also doing everything we can to maintain a healthy learning environment.
As we have for these past three-plus months, we will continue to monitor conditions in Colorado and in our communities. All campus leaders remain in close collaboration and coordination with local public health officials and other community health partners. College leadership is also in regular contact with departments at the state level, so that as a college we can make the best decisions regarding measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
If conditions change locally or at the state level, we will be ready to act. We believe this format for offering classes, as well as our reduced population in the residence halls, will allow us to adapt quickly as needed.
We also continue to closely follow guidance from the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the state health department on maintaining cleanliness. While no environment can be free from contamination, we have heightened sanitation in all facilities. As we get closer to the start of the fall semester, we will share information about specific local and campus requirements for social distancing, face coverings or masks, and other considerations. In the meantime, please continue to familiarize yourself with the latest information from the CDC.
As more information becomes available we will post it on https://coloradomtn.edu/covid19/. Employees can also check internally on Basecamp for additional announcements and evolving guidance for accessing facilities and safety protocols. Please send questions to covid19@coloradomtn.edu and someone will get back to you with a response as quickly as possible.
I look forward to seeing all of you this fall either virtually or in person with appropriate social distancing. We’ve been through a lot together – both our college and local communities. Let’s continue to support each other through these extraordinary times.
Feel free to contact me any time at president@coloradomtn.edu.
With regard,
Carrie Besnette Hauser, Ph.D.
President & CEO
