Dear Editor:
The incoming class of students at Colorado Mountain College will be the most diverse in the college’s history. Importantly, these students are entering CMC at a time of significant national turbulence.
In light of the national context, it might be natural for new incoming students to question whether CMC will welcome their ideas and opinions; whether it will embrace inclusivity, tolerance and justice; and whether it will allow an open forum for all ideas. Though none of us can control all the actions of any who might wish to interrupt the peaceful environment available at CMC’s various learning locations, our amazing faculty and staff will strive to ensure that all students who look to CMC for a better future will be welcomed.
Our campuses are reflections of the communities across our region, and are therefore representative of its significant political, economic, cultural and ethnic diversity. There is no such thing as a “typical student” at CMC. Unlike colleges that select their students and create uniform conditions that replicate expectations of personal conduct and ways of thinking, CMC welcomes everyone and provides them with opportunities to prepare for success in the future of their choosing.
As we witness unrest across the nation and globe, we at CMC are taking time to embrace and appreciate the great diversity of ideas and opinions our students bring. As appropriate within our myriad disciplines, we will encourage our students to understand the historical, political, social, economic, mathematical, scientific, philosophical and cultural underpinnings of our world. We will equip them for success in our local, state, national and international communities and economies. And, we will model the college’s vision, principles, and core values of inclusivity, civility, dignity and respect for all.
Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser
CMC President and CEO