RIFLE – During today’s meeting of the Colorado Mountain College Board of Trustees, the trustees and college administrators learned that the Colorado House of Representatives voted 55-9 (with one absence) to pass Senate Bill 10-101. The bill would permit the comprehensive community college to offer up to five bachelor’s degrees.
The bill had previously been passed by the state Senate, 33-1-1.
“We are so grateful for the legislators, community members and business leaders who have supported the passage of this bill,” says Dr. Stan Jensen, president of Colorado Mountain College.
The bill now goes to the governor’s desk, for his veto or approval. If Gov. Bill Ritter signs the bill, possibly later this month, the college would then need the official approval of its accrediting body, the Higher Learning Commission. For months college administrators have been in discussions with the commission to determine what gaining such approval would entail.
Following earlier consultations with the Colorado Department of Higher Education, before the bill was passed in the Senate the wording was adjusted slightly to clarify that the college needs to have individual degrees approved by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, as is currently the case with associate degrees the college offers.
The college has been conducting surveys to determine the level of demand and the types of degrees residents would like to see offered. When asked whether Colorado Mountain College should offer bachelor’s degrees, 83 percent of employers surveyed in the college’s district said yes. Preliminary survey results show high demand for degrees in resort-related business and teacher education.
“If we receive all of the necessary approvals and accreditation, we hope to be able to offer some baccalaureate degrees by the fall of 2011,” says Jensen. “We are also pursuing the possibility of offering several upper-level classes next fall, but that is still preliminary.”
Other meeting business
In other business at the board of trustees’ meeting, several rates and fees were approved for the 2010-11 academic year. A 3.8 percent cost-of-living increase for room and board was approved.
“Even with this modest increase, our cost for room and board keeps us among the more affordable options in the state,” Brad Bankhead, vice president of student affairs for the college, told the trustees. Colorado Mountain College’s charges for room and board fall within the least-expensive third, relative to other colleges in Colorado.
In addition, the board approved program fees of $100 for the nurse aide certificate program and $250 for the emergency medical technician program, for the 2010-11 academic year. These program-specific course fees would help to cover the increasing costs of providing clinical internships, which are required by the state of Colorado and national accrediting agencies, the trustees heard.
An initial preview of the 2010-11 budget was also presented to the board. Over the next several months the trustees will be considering the budget for the college’s 2010-11 academic year, and considering ways to mitigate the effects of what is expected to be a large decrease in state funding.