When Mesa State opened its
doors back in 1925 it took on a junior college mission. Now, nearly
80 years later, Mesa State has reached a crossroads.
Higher education is facing numerous challenges at this time,
but with the help of the community, local businesses, alumni and
other Mesa State supporters, we can ensure that this College,
now a thriving four-year institution, continues to provide quality
higher education opportunities to the people of our region.
Mesa State has been given the challenge of serving as the regional
education provider for one of the largest, most picturesque and
geographically challenging regions in the state. Our region is
large not only in a geographic sense, but also in the diversity
of educational backgrounds, incomes and access to technology.
We must ensure that those in our region who want to pursue higher
education can not only tap into our resources, but also afford
to make their educational goals a reality. This will require creativity,
hard work and determination. It will also involve engaging the
entire Western Colorado community through online programs and
distance learning, as well as traditional on-campus educational
offerings.
Mesa State's unique mission of providing a wide-range of educational
opportunities plays to the College's strength. Students can currently
choose from a myriad of programs ranging from the one-year certificate
to a two-year associates degree to a bachelors or master's degree.
We will be building on this mission and developing a new vision
for Mesa State. Entitled "Achieving a Higher Degree,"
this vision will be articulated over the next few months in collaboration
with both the campus community as well as the much broader regional
community. We fully understand that Mesa State College is part
of the community, not just a community in and of itself. With
this in mind, we are asking for the input and collaboration of
all College stakeholders. Mesa State is Your College and we extend
an open welcome to all to embrace this opportunity.
Please take a moment to learn
more about Mesa State's vision of Achieving a Higher Degree.
Your ideas and suggestions are a valuable part of Mesa State's
quest to develop a vision befitting the College's expanding role
and to meet the higher education needs of western Colorado. We
invite you to submit your comments.
