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December
18, 2001
By Aspen C. Emmett
Journal Staff Writer
The general consensus is that the status quo in higher-education programs offered in the Four Corners is not meeting the needs of local students and area businesses. However, what should be done to remedy the shortcomings is anybody’s guess.
Representatives from local businesses, area school districts, various banks, economic-development committees and the institutions offering post-secondary education met Monday at Fort Lewis College to discuss how to improve services to students and feed the local job
market.
“This is all about an educational structure that best fits the educational needs of the people in this area,” said state Rep. Kay Alexander (R-Montrose) to a crowd of approximately 200. “Its about affordability; its about accessibility; and it’s about quality.”
For several months Pueblo Community College and San Juan Basin Technical School have flirted with the idea of a merger to become a full-service, independent community college. Initially a well-received concept, the talks have taken many turns and now have seemingly pitted the schools against one another.
By a show of hands, most PCC representatives favored merging the schools as a branch of PCC until finances allow the school to stand on its own. Advisers of San Juan feel differently. They fear for continued job security, local control over the school and a shift away from certificate programs.
Tim Foster, executive director of the Colorado Commis-sion on Higher Education, presented the pros and cons of five different possibilities for the future of higher education in Southwest Colorado: No change; becoming a stand-alone community college; becoming a branch of PCC; creating a local district college; or building a partnership with Western Slope College.
The group quickly eliminated the status quo and the district-college options, as they were the least feasible and did little for progress.
An independent community college, which seems to be the most appealing and productive concept in the long run, would allow for transferable credit for some technical courses as well the elimination of duplicated courses between schools. The drawback, however, is the issue of funding.
Becoming a branch of PCC would perhaps be the most accommodating change because it would allow for more state funding that would benefit technical programs as well.
PCC president Mike Davis said such a transition would not be a “takeover” and that the long-term goal is the same as San Juan’s advisers’.
“When the economy recovers ... the long-term goal is to have an independent community college for Southwest Colorado,” Davis said.
Rep. Mark Larson (R-Cortez) echoed the benefits of “hitching our hat on PCC until then.”
“Our mission is to explore the options available to us in the higher-education arena, specifically in the vocational arena,” he said.
Business representatives identified a number of vocational programs that would better prepare workers for employment.
One employer mentioned the need to hire from outside of the community because the lack of training offered locally.
Additionally, building contractors spoke of a shortage of skilled employees to keep up with the demand brought on by overwhelming growth. From electricians to carpenters and plumbers to roofers, all construction trades are shorthanded, contractors said.
Bill Lewis, executive director of San Juan, proposed that the businesses become involved in setting up programs and providing materials to create a local employee pool.
The meeting concluded without a clearcut solution, though the choices had been narrowed.
“Now we’ve got to figure out which of the three horses you want to saddle up and ride,” Foster said.
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