THE EAGLE

News from the Colorado Mountain College Foundation

Greetings, here is your monthly CMC Foundation news update

CMC is a college on a (dual) mission. Guest Column by Colorado Mountain College President & CEO Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser.

If you live in or travel to Colorado’s high country, it’s likely that you routinely pass a Colorado Mountain College campus.

CMC plays an important role in educating and training students of all backgrounds for jobs and careers in the central mountain region. It is also helping lead a national conversation about making college more accessible, innovative, and relevant to modern learners and employers.

Founded nearly 60 years ago specifically to serve remote mountain towns without a college or university nearby, CMC has always been responsive to regional needs. At its founding, long before the internet and internationally-accessible airports, this meant building campuses from the ground up and training students to be typesetters and ranchers.

Today, CMC specializes in the needs of the modern tourism and outdoor-industry-based economies, educating students to become first responders and nurses, experts in sustainability and digital media, ski area operators, avalanche scientists, teachers, entrepreneurs, and more.

In the post-pandemic world, CMC is focused on training the workforce of today and looking ahead to meet the needs and interests of all learners, regardless of their station in life. CMC is adaptable, teaching virtually and in-person, in blocks of time that better fit the needs of students and employers. And, while remaining highly-affordable, the college is investing resources into infrastructure that delivers high value to local economies, opportunities enabled by the college’s unique role and purpose.

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CMC Leadville Fire Academy graduates 15 cadets

Certification is rigorous. Since August, cadets have been taking two college-level courses totaling 12 credit hours: Firefighter I and Hazardous Materials Operations. The academy curriculum included classes at CMC Leadville, ride-a-longs with area fire departments during emergencies and hands-on experience at the college’s hazmat training facility outside Leadville.

Instructed by active and retired firefighters from seven regional fire districts, the graduates are now prepared to work in fire department jobs. Most are immediately studying to earn their emergency medical technician through CMC.

“I want to stay in Colorado,” said Grace Hubbard, the only female in the class who came from Wisconsin after researching fire academies throughout Colorado before deciding on CMC’s program. “I want to stay and work as a firefighter in the mountains.”

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Addiction counselors learn new skills at CMC



Four Solvista Health employees in Salida are learning what they need to know to become certified addiction counselors through a new collegewide Colorado Mountain College program.

They are taking nine credit hours of online classes this fall semester through CMC's certified addiction counselor program. Courses are available online, in a combination of real-time virtual class meetings and some self-paced semester courses. Students can enroll in and take these classes from any CMC location but must live within the college’s 12,000-mile service area for support in placement of field experience.

"Right now we have both in and outpatient services and with substance abuse you need highly skilled individuals to provide the care," stated Tammy Moruzzi, chief nursing officer at Solvista Health. Solvista officials were "super excited and a little shocked" when they discovered the program. "It's really a testament to CMC," she said.

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A student of law enforcement and criminal justice

Aurelio Rubio started school with Colorado Mountain College around 2008. He exemplifies the Colorado Mountain College student whose life leads him elsewhere, only to return to continue his education.

“I stopped attending after entering military service,” he said. “I served with the 10th Mountain Division as both an infantryman and a mortarman. I became a wildland fire fighter for a few years throughout my military service.”

After serving, Rubio enrolled in the college’s Colorado Law Enforcement Training Academy where he graduated with a CLETA certificate and took a job with the New Castle Police Department.

Rubio continued taking classes in Rifle and at the Dec. 10 commencement ceremony, he graduated with an Associate of Applied Science degree in criminal justice.

As a veteran, Rubio has been involved with Common Grounds, a veterans’ networking group that meets regularly at the Rifle campus.

SCHOLARSHIP SHOWCASE

For a full list of scholarships available at CMC please visit

https://coloradomtn.edu/scholarships/

Colorado Law Enforcement Academy (CLETA) Scholarship

QUALIFIED STUDENTS CAN RECEIVE UP TO $5250 / This scholarship has been funded by program faculty and members in the profession of law enforcement. Eligibility: Student must be enrolling in the CLETA certificate program at the Colorado Mountain College Roaring Fork or Summit County Campuses. Individual must meet all requirements necessary to successfully complete the program and be eligible for employment as a law enforcement officer. Learn More »

January 27 & 28

CMC Aspen/Glenwood Springs

SOPRIS THEATRE COMPANY “THE ONE-ACT PLAY THAT GOES WRONG” / 

Sopris Theatre Company at Colorado Mountain College is offering up “The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong” by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields from Jan. 27-28 at Aspen’s Wheeler Opera House. This whodunit has everything you never wanted in a show — an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead and actors who trip over everything, including their lines. The play runs from 7:30 p.m. - 8:40 p.m. Tickets are $20 and are available at aspenshowtix.com »

February 18

CMC Steamboat Springs

BALL OBSERVATORY STAR PARTY / Join the Colorado Mountain College Sky Club from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm for an exciting evening (weather permitting) of exploring the universe at CMC’s Ball Observatory on campus in Steamboat Springs. All are welcome. No previous knowledge necessary. Learn More »

February 24 & 25

CMC Summit

BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL WORLD TOUR / Catch the CMC Alumni Association at the Breckenridge Riverwalk Center for the 14th Annual Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour. CMC will be managing an alumni table with giveaways hosted by the Alumni Association Coordinator, Leslie Gamez. Come enjoy a night of live-action, environmental, and adventure films while learning more about the new CMC Alumni Association. Tickets go on sale at 9 AM on Wednesday, February 1st. $25 for one night or $40 for a two-night bundle. Learn More »

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