Each October, just before the pigskin and parade hoopla of Homecoming weekend kicks into high gear, Colorado Mesa University faculty, alumni and former athletes receive their due as the ‘best-of-the-best.’
A Distinguished Faculty member, two Distinguished Alumni and two Hall of Honor athletic inductees are honored at the Victory Dinner. They take their place in the pantheon of dozens of other stand-out professors, students and athletes from previous years. They are recognized for the exceptional things they have done in the fields of scholastics, business, athletics, humanitarian aid and community service. These honors don’t end with engraved plaques and photos on the walls of hallways.
The accolades are paid forward in the form of scholarships. Distinguished Alumni donate to an annual scholarship that goes to a student chosen by the Distinguished Faculty each year. The amount of that scholarship is symbolic — $1,925. That is the year CMU was established as a junior college. The scholarship rewards deserving students and may be expanded in coming years.
The three awards give the university a chance to highlight exceptional graduates as well as put a spotlight on stand-out faculty members who have helped propel students to noteworthy accomplishments.
As a collegiate softball player, Jennee (West) Studer was known for swinging the bat hard and often. This meant that after four years, she was simultaneously 5th on the CMU all-time home run list with 40 career homers and 5th on the all-time list for the most strike outs.
Ask Studer about these two records and she mentions that she’s competitive.
“I love to win,” she shares. “I’ve always been hard working and aggressive.”
A psychology major at CMU, Studer earned her teacher’s license at Metro State University after graduation. She began her teaching career in Mesa County before moving to the Front Range of Colorado. She has taught third, fourth and fifth grades.
Two years ago, a parent of one of her students lured her from teaching to sales.
“He came to me because he thought that with my knowledge of teaching, my work ethic and my discipline I would be good at selling curriculum to school districts,” Studer said.
Sales is competitive, and this appealed to Studer, or as she puts it, “I loved teaching and it was really hard to leave. But with this job I’m still in education, I know I’m still helping students and I get to win!”
Reflecting on her college experience, Studer believes the support of her professors and coaches made her a well-rounded person. She credits the rigors of being a student-athlete with making her disciplined and she appreciates the lasting friendships she built with teammates.
While Studer only occasionally plays softball now, she’s a hiker, skier and runner. She and her husband, Tony, also enjoy wake surfing. Still, softball continues to inform Studer’s life.
“I work hard and swing for the fences whenever I do anything,” she explains, seizing upon an apt metaphor. “I don’t live my life waiting for a pitch.”
Kauai, Hawaii
- 2002 RMAC Player of the Year
- All-American 1st Base, 2001, 2002
- 1st Team All-Conference all four years
- Holds the RMAC record for RBIs per game with 9
Based on his athletic accomplishments, Bobby Coy is clearly among the top athletes to have played football at CMU.
Eleven years after graduating, Coy’s single season rushing record of 1,600 yards and his all-time rushing record of 4,161 yards (tied with Mike Vaughn, ’90), still stand.
Remarkably, Coy set these records in just three years of play.
In part, Coy chose CMU football over other programs because he knew he’d “get in right away” after sitting out a year as a redshirt freshman. But for Coy, attending CMU was always about more than football.
“Playing football is a full-time job, but academics was more important than everything else,” he explains.
Which is why Coy graduated in four years, rather than playing an additional season — a season in which he would have certainly extended his all-time rushing record significantly.
Coy credits his success at CMU and in his post-college life to his work ethic. “At CMU, I wouldn’t let anyone outwork me. I still don’t let anyone outwork me. Hard work pays off.”
As general manager for Stone Transport, a trucking company in Michigan, Coy’s hard work has grown the company from 175 to an anticipated 275 drivers by the end of 2019.
Coy met his wife Sarah during college and together they have two children, Harper and Cooper. Among his many achievements, Coy places his family at the top of the list and is enthusiastic about spending time coaching his children’s sports teams.
“One of the lessons I learned at CMU was time management,” he said. “I learned to plan my day and plan my time to squeeze the most out of it. As my kids grow, I want to dive into their activities as much as I possibly can.”
These honorees have demonstrated athletic prowess, but have also distinguished themselves by community involvement. Academic success is also a factor, and can be the tie-breaker in decisions, said Co-Athletic Director Kris Mort. Student-athlete honorees are not eligible for the award until a decade after leaving CMU. Coaches are eligible six years later. Entire teams can also receive the honor. Coaches, family members, former teammates and team physicians often submit the nominations. A committee that includes athletes, boosters and community leaders then selects Hall of Honor inductees.