Creating yet another clear pathway for rural mountain community members to achieve new heights, Colorado Mountain College (CMC) has recently announced a new partnership with Colorado State University Global. As part of the CSU system, CSU Global is the first 100% online and institutionally accredited public university in the United States. Designed for working adults who balance life, families and rural living, this new partnership will break down barriers and allow CMC students to seamlessly transition into a graduate degree program at CSU Global.
“If you provide a clear path for students … they’re more likely to be successful,” said Jessica Guarnero, dean of the Isaacson School for Communication, Arts & Media. “This will help people who are maybe not 100% comfortable navigating the higher education space. It’s built for working adults. We know our population has other responsibilities outside of being a student … and CSU Global is very much designed to fit into the life of someone who has other responsibilities.”
Currently, three of CMC’s nine bachelor’s degree programs are included in the partnership: Bachelor of Applied Science in Leadership & Management, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Bachelor of Arts in Education. Upon successful graduation, students can then enroll in the graduate school that corresponds to their undergraduate degrees: Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Development, Master of Business Administration and Master of Science in Teaching and Learning and/or Principal Licensure.
“We are very open to many more options [and] I know CSU Global is also open to going off-script,” said Guarnero. “I’m very interested to see what comes next, as we have so many more opportunities and we keep developing bachelor’s degrees.”
One key component of the partnership is the chance to break down barriers — specifically time and money — that keep students from pursuing a graduate degree. At CSU Global, admissions are rolling, which means students can start on their own time. Extra benefits for CMC students include guaranteed admission when they earn a 2.3 or higher GPA, tuition discounts and graduate course waivers and credits when certain GPAs are achieved.
“One big win for our education graduates is an incredibly discounted tuition [at $350 per credit],” said Guarnero. “This certainly addresses the teacher shortage. You can absolutely be a K-12 teacher with a bachelor’s degree, but there’s a pay scale change when you have master’s credits and degrees. I hope this will increase the opportunity for our teachers to stay and thrive.”
Guarnero elaborated that this partnership encourages rural mountain students to stay local and therefore bring new skills into their hometowns, as they do not have to relocate, leave their jobs or uproot their families to attend graduate school.
“There are still a lot of jobs that require advanced degrees that we need to fill,” said Guarnero. “We have a lot of working class folks who make our towns run. [This partnership] is a way to hopefully fill more jobs that require those types of degrees from the folks who live here … Some people can really benefit economically from this opportunity.”
As a graduate of CSU Global, Guarnero said she found synergy between her career at CMC and life as a new mom. She said the CSU Global faculty members were dynamic in their feedback and approach, but the cadence of each class was the same. Guarnero knew what to expect, could organize her schedules and find a rhythm that helped her move forward while still enjoying life outside of work and school.
“As soon as my son was old enough to not be in daycare, I was able to focus time and money on
myself,” said Guarnero. “I was a career and technical education faculty member at CMC. To move up I needed more education … My first phone call to CSU Global was so welcoming. Their student support was incredible, and after my first class I had so much confidence in my ability to [complete the degree].”
Speaking to CMC’s deep commitment to rural mountain communities, Guarnero emphasized that students matter even after graduation.
“If you want to take the next steps in your education, we’re going to help you find it,” Guarnero concluded. “We care about folks and think about the innovative ways we can keep our talent here, online or otherwise … When you are beyond our walls we still care about you and we’re going to point you in the right direction, for whatever path you choose.”
Visit coloradomtn.edu/programs/csu-global to learn more about this unique opportunity.