Eagle County college rides high through the downturn

Paramedic students Eric Daninger, left, and Steve Wille, right, demonstrate pediatric incubation techniques to their instructor Ken Rogers, center during student testing in the paramedic program Thursday at Colorado Mountain College in Edwards. Photo by Dominique Taylor courtesy of the Vail Daily.Colorado Mountain College thrives as students look to reinvent themselves for a tough job market

By Sarah Mausolf, Vail Daily

EDWARDS, Colorado — John Avery had been thinking about changing careers for a while but he turned his full attention to it after losing his job.

When he got laid off from a property management position about a year ago, that nudged him to make a move toward the health care industry.

Although Avery, 26, already has a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, he turned to Colorado Mountain College in Edwards to get the specialized training he needs to become a paramedic.

“CMC’s got a cheaper program than a majority of schools in the state,” the Breckenridge resident said. “That was a big reason. It’s also close.”

At a time when many businesses are floundering, Colorado Mountain College has been thriving in spite of — and in some ways because of — the recession. Enrollment at the Edwards campus has steadily increased since the recession hit, rising by nearly 10 percent between 2008-09 and 2009-10.

That trend doesn’t surprise David Longanecker, president of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education in Boulder, a group that works to expand post-secondary education in the western U.S.

“When there is a recession, almost always we find the demand for higher education goes up, particularly at community colleges,” he said.

As the unemployed look to upgrade their skills, community colleges offer a cost-effective option, Longanecker said.

Colorado Mountain College’s enrollment had been booming even before the recession. Enrollment at the Edwards campus has jumped from 3,543 students in 2004-05, the year the campus opened, to 4,849 in 2009-10. That’s a 37 percent jump.

Read the rest of this article in the July 25 edition of the Vail Daily.