JC Norling has been named vice president and campus dean for Colorado Mountain College Steamboat Springs, effective immediately.

Colorado Mountain College names Norling as campus vice president

Jonathan “JC” Norling has been appointed as the vice president and campus dean of Colorado Mountain College Steamboat Springs, effective immediately.

Norling has been providing interim campus leadership in Steamboat Springs since Sept. 1, 2020, following the retirement of former campus vice president, Kathy Kiser-Miller.

Previously he had been the associate dean of academic affairs in Steamboat Springs and has also held leadership roles at the CMC Edwards Campus.

“Sometimes you don’t have to look far to find the right candidate,” explained Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser, CMC president and CEO.

“JC is a proven leader at our Steamboat Springs campus. He showed great professionalism in his interim role as he guided faculty, staff and students through countless challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Kara Stoller, CEO of the Steamboat Springs Chamber, noted Norling’s appointment is not only a win for CMC, but a win for the Steamboat Springs community.

“Steamboat Springs is a special place because the people here understand the importance of community and collaboration along with honoring tradition and embracing innovation,” said Stoller. “JC has this same mindset, and I look forward to the chamber continuing our strong partnership with Colorado Mountain College.”

Norling added he is ready to roll up his sleeves and continue work with a fantastic group of faculty, staff and students at the Steamboat campus.

“CMC has become like a second home for me,” he said. “And I want the Steamboat Springs campus to be a shining example of the positive impact an accessible and affordable education can have on a mountain town like ours.”

Before joining the Steamboat Springs campus in 2016, Norling worked as the associate dean of academic & student services, director of campus operations and as an instructional supervisor at the Edwards campus. He taught outdoor education as an assistant professor at Lyndon State College (now Northern Vermont University) and recreation management at Utah State University.

Norling has a Ph.D. in Parks, Recreation and Tourism from The University of Utah. He earned his Master of Science in Education: Outdoor Recreation Management at Southern Illinois University and a bachelor’s degree in history from North Park University.

He is also a certified course leader with the American Institute of Avalanche Research and Education and a professional member of the American Avalanche Association.

Matthew Jost, M.A.

Assistant Dean of Instruction
970-870-4527 | mjost@coloradomtn.edu

Education

MA-Adult and Post Secondary Education
BA-Entrepreneurial Management
EMT-B
WFR

Professional Interests

Outdoor Education, River Sustainability, Swift Water Rescue, Wilderness Medicine, Avalanche Safety Education.

Family

My family is my world! We love going on adventures and learning together.

Personal Interests

White water kayaking, backcountry skiing, ski patrolling.

JC Norling, Ph.D.

Vice President & Campus Dean of CMC Steamboat Springs
970-870-4414 | jnorling@coloradomtn.edu

EDUCATION

Ph.D. Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, The University of Utah
M.S. Education: Outdoor Recreation Management, Southern Illinois University
B.A. History, North Park University

PERSONAL INTERESTS

Beyond higher education, I’m focused first on my family - wife, and two kids. Fitness and outdoor sports are very important to me - I enjoy working out at the gym, mountain biking or gravel-road cycling, and skiing. Down-time I enjoy learning about human motivation, and performance optimization strategies. Philosophically, I can integrate these concepts with leadership work at the college. I’m way into sports and probably watch too much basketball, football, and pro cycling.

PROGRAMS

Certified course leader with the American Institute of Avalanche Research and Education, and a professional member of the American Avalanche Association. Teach Avalanche Education courses for CMC.

CMC Steamboat student honored as 2020 Colorado TRIO Achiever

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS – Just a few years ago, it was hard for Eleysa Schofield to imagine how she would achieve her dream of attending college. Now, she is a successful student at Colorado Mountain College Steamboat Springs and one of only two 2020 Colorado ASPIRE TRIO Achievers, chosen from 17,000 participating students in 59 TRIO organizations across the state.

CMC Steamboat student Eleysa Schofield, here at Lookout Mountain above Golden, has been named a Colorado TRIO Achiever award recipient.

Partially funded by the U.S. Department of Education, TRIO programs help low-income, first-generation students and those with disabilities access higher education. Colorado Mountain College offers TRIO support services at its Steamboat campus, as well as campuses at Spring Valley near Glenwood Springs, Rifle, Vail Valley at Edwards and Leadville.

The purpose of the Colorado Chapter of ASPIRE is to provide professional development and education policy advocacy for TRIO professionals in the state.

Schofield credits TRIO, and Amy Phillips, her campus’s TRIO Student Support Services coordinator, with putting a college education within reach.

“My senior year in high school, I was a homeless independent youth with a 4.0 GPA, wondering if there were any resources for someone like me to go to college,” she said. “Academics were a priority, but so were my other bills.”

In the fall of 2017, she took a leap of faith and signed up for classes at CMC Steamboat Springs.

At orientation, she learned about the opportunities and funding that TRIO could help her to access. With assistance from Phillips, Schofield applied to the program. Soon after, she was accepted and awarded her first scholarship.

“When you’re working full time and going to school full time, the gift of time a scholarship provides is priceless,” Schofield said.

Scholarship in hand, she jumped into every opportunity the TRIO program offered. She worked closely with an advisor and attended every student success seminar offered. Now she serves as the student body president of the campus’s Student Government Association.

TRIO support available – and on solid ground

Beyond funding, TRIO has helped connect Schofield to countless academic and career advancement opportunities, including tutoring support, work-study jobs and professional internships. Recently, the college secured a new five-year grant to support TRIO services, helping ensure programming for CMC students like Schofield in the future.

Now, even during a global pandemic, Schofield is forging ahead toward her educational goals. This summer, when she was furloughed from her job due to COVID-19 concerns, TRIO funding helped her stay in school. Phillips also helped her connect with the college’s new CMC Responds: Back to Work Scholarship, which she was awarded at the beginning of fall semester. Schofield is now nearing completion of her associate degree and plans to earn her bachelor’s by the spring of 2021.

“TRIO support gave me the confidence to commit to the four-year degree,” she said. “I really couldn’t have achieved a lot of what I’ve accomplished without it. I want to give other students the awareness and courage to ask about these resources. The benefits of this program have been unreal.”

For more information about Colorado Mountain College’s TRIO Student Support Services, visit Colorado Mountain College's TRIO Support Services.

Using physical distancing guidelines, Honey Stinger hosted a ribbon cutting celebration with Colorado Mountain College Steamboat Springs on Aug. 5. Honey Stinger has gifted the college’s Yampa Valley Entrepreneurship Center a large loft space to operate from in Honey Stinger’s new headquarters on Airport Circle. At the ceremony are, from left, CMC’s mascot Swoop the eagle; YVEC Director Randy Rudasics; CMC President and CEO Carrie Besnette Hauser; Honey Stinger’s mascot Buzz the bee, and Honey Stinger CEO Mike Keown. Photo Greg Hughey

Honey Stinger and Colorado Mountain College expand partnership

Honey Stinger, the honey-powered sports nutrition brand, is pleased to announce the expansion of its partnership with Colorado Mountain College (CMC), to include gifting a yearly use of a portion of the company’s new headquarters, located at the Steamboat Springs Airport, for CMC to house its Yampa Valley Entrepreneurship Center (YVEC).

“We could not be more excited to house CMC’s Yampa Valley Entrepreneurship Center here in our new headquarters and expand our partnership with Colorado Mountain College,” said Mike Keown, CEO of Honey Stinger. “The mission of the YVEC and the opportunities it provides for entrepreneurs make it an ideal fit to share our space, and to promote a collaborative culture as we seek to further support the Steamboat community and help bolster local economic development.”

CMC Steamboat's Yampa Valley Entrepreneurship Center will now be housed in Honey Stinger’s new headquarters in Steamboat. From left, Swoop, Carrie Hauser, Randy Rudasics, Mike Keown and Buzz the bee tour YVEC’s new base of operations on Aug. 5. Photo Greg Hughey

The gifted portion of the building, which Honey Stinger relocated to this spring, is an upstairs loft space, which includes a conference room, three doored offices and six to eight additional work stations. The space will house a range of small start-up business tenants, as well as ad hoc resources that YVEC provides for the broader business community.

Established in 1999, CMC’s Yampa Valley Entrepreneurship Center supports economic development through business counseling, mentorship and community service. It offers a broad range of workshops and seminars, provides valuable tools and resources for businesses, facilitates free and confidential counseling with Yampa Valley SCORE counselors, promotes and assists with community networking and engagement, and more.

Room for a new nursing simulation lab at CMC Steamboat

Relocating the YVEC to Honey Stinger’s new headquarters also frees up valuable space for CMC to add a state-of-the-art nursing simulation lab at its Steamboat campus, in the former YVEC location. CMC Steamboat offers associate and bachelor’s degrees in nursing. At capacity, the campus can enroll up to 60 nursing students at a time.

“Together with this partnership, Honey Stinger and Colorado Mountain College can continue to provide numerous benefits to the Steamboat Springs community and broader mountain resort region,” said Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser, president and CEO of Colorado Mountain College. “We are thrilled that Honey Stinger and CMC’s Yampa Valley Entrepreneurship Center will now literally work side by side to support and stimulate both the local well-being and economy.

“And by freeing up space at the Steamboat campus for our nursing students,” Hauser said, “we are able to educate future health care providers right here in town with advanced medical instruction.”

As part of a broader partnership, Honey Stinger will also be offering direct internships to CMC students and collaborating with several of the college’s academic departments closely tied to the company’s core values, business model and future growth.

The partnership was formalized with a small, invitation-only ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 5, following all local safety guidelines around COVID-19, in Steamboat Springs. The YVEC is expected to be fully relocated to its new home inside the Honey Stinger headquarters by mid-August.

Backbone Media distributed this announcement on Aug. 5, 2020.

Associate Professor of Social Science Patrick Staib and his father, Walter Staib.

Associate Professor of CMC Social Science Patrick Staib and his father, Walter Staib.

CMC Professor Patrick Staib won an Emmy for his work as Producer/Co-Host for the “A Sentimental Journey Through Nicaragua”- A Taste of History TV series. Staib's father, Walter, also won an Emmy for his role as Program Host/Moderator.

Patrick is an Associate Professor of Social Sciences and Affiliated Faculty with the Sustainability Studies degree program at CMC Steamboat Springs.

The episode was a tribute to Patrick's mother, Gloria, who passed away in 2016. The cooking and history show episode delves into the culture and cuisine of Gloria’s homeland, Nicaragua.

This was his first episode at the reigns as producer. It was “trial by fire,” Patrick said. “It was an example of applied anthropology.”

Read the complete Steamboat Pilot story: CMC professor wins Emmy for work on ‘A Taste of History’ episode