CMU President John Marshall visited 6 regional high schools to deliver the CMU Promise, including Cedaredge, North Fork, Delta, Olathe, Montrose and Ridgway
CMU President John Marshall took to the road on Sept. 23 and Oct. 7 to visit six regional high schools to deliver one message: Higher education is in the cards for western Colorado students thanks to the CMU Promise.
The CMU Promise ensures that Colorado students from families making $70,000 or less are guaranteed tuition-free education at CMU. In addition, the CMU Promise is based on three pillars: that CMU will provide students with an opportunity for a better life, students will be provided with a radically affordable education and are taught how to think, not what to believe.
The CMU Promise was first announced in September 2023. The original promise was designed specifically for students from families in 22 Western Slope counties making $65,000 or less. In 2024, the CMU Board of Trustees voted to expand the CMU Promise to include students from all Colorado counties from families that make $70,000 or less. In 2024, following the announcement of the expanded CMU Promise, CMU welcomed its largest incoming class in history.
During the first day of the CMU Promise Tour, President Marshall started at Cedaredge High School and presented the promise message to a group of junior and senior students in the cafeteria. CMU junior, finance and human resources student and Cedaredge High School graduate Hayden Rupp was with him to share how, when President Marshall first visited Cedaredge when Rupp was a junior in high school, his message was the lightbulb moment that he was waiting for. He suddenly felt like he wasn’t just a number in the sea of college applications and knew which option he wanted to move forward with.
“I remember that when I was college hunting, I would receive the very generic mail from schools that made me feel like nothing more than a number to admissions. The Promise Tour helped me feel like CMU truly saw me as a person, not just a number,” said Rupp. “Given that the Promise Tour had such a profound impact on my journey that led me to CMU, it was a great way for me to help bring the next generation of Mavericks to CMU.”
Many high school students don’t believe that college is an option for them, and financial barriers can have a large impact on that. Even navigating a college application can be difficult, especially for first-generation students, of whom CMU supports a population of over 45%. For western Colorado high school students, sometimes the narrative leans towards the stigma that staying local will limit the possibilities for opportunity. President Marshall’s delivery of the CMU Promise on the road is working to change that.
At each stop, President Marshall presented to large groups of students and small classrooms alike, ensuring that all students interested in learning more about CMU know what opportunities are available to them. This personal, one-on-one style delivery resonated with students and administration.
“We just think it's empowering for our kids to see somebody at the level that President Marshall is at to come to our 270-kid school and just give them as many opportunities as possible,” said North Fork Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Matt Simpson.
“Anytime a university is willing to come and talk to our kids, just the opportunities that provide for our students to hear about their options, we’re going to welcome them with open arms,” said Delta High School Principal Rosie Johnson.
Kolton Cohick, a Montrose High School graduate and junior CMU mechanical engineering student, joined President Marshall on the second day of the CMU Promise tour to visit Olathe Middle and High School, Montrose High School and Ridgway Secondary School. Kolton is a first-generation student who wasn’t originally planning to attend CMU but decided to enroll after discovering that out-of-state university tuition was too expensive. He was worried that attending CMU, which is just an hour away from his hometown, wouldn’t allow him to branch out enough. When he arrived on campus, the opposite became true.
“CMU wasn’t my first option, but so far, my experience has been amazing,” said Cohick. “I have met so many good people and have had some of the best years of my life here. Overall, CMU has allowed me to continue my education, grow as a person and work toward my future goals.”
“I have met so many good people and have had some of the best years of my life here. Overall, CMU has allowed me to continue my education, grow as a person and work toward my future goals.” — Kolton Cohick, CMU mechanical engineering student
President Marshall and Cohick joined a morning assembly at Olathe, a pizza party in the library at Montrose and the senior seminar class at Ridgway. During each visit, the message stayed the same. That an affordable education is available to students who attend CMU, students don’t have to go far to find opportunity and they will expand their horizons less than two hours away from home. From traditional four-year degrees to certificates and associate degrees, there is a degree and classes that can work for anyone.
In addition to delivering the CMU Promise, President Marshall left each school with a check representing the scholarship dollars earned by students from their high school last year, totaling more than $5 million. The CMU Promise isn’t the only thing making college affordable for local students. Scholarship funds raised thanks to the support of believers in the institution and its mission make sure that millions of dollars in scholarships are available to local students.
Lastly, during conversations with students, President Marshall posed the question, “What don’t you want?” The conversations that sparked showed a common theme. Students don’t want to live with a mountain of debt. They don’t want to be working at a job they aren’t passionate about. They don’t want to have unhealthy relationships. For many, answering the question about what they don’t want out of their futures is easier than answering what they do want. President Marshall made a point to remind students that they don’t have to have all the answers, that they can explore possibilities at CMU without breaking the bank.
“So many high school students are asked, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ or ‘What do you want to study?' These are big questions for 17- and 18-year-olds. It’s okay to not have it all figured out. The CMU Promise tour is just about reminding students that they belong in higher education and that they have an opportunity for a better life when they attend CMU,” said President Marshall.
“The CMU Promise tour is just about reminding students that they belong in higher education and that they have an opportunity for a better life when they attend CMU." — CMU President John Marshall.
As President Marshall continues to visit local and regional high schools delivering the CMU Promise, the goal remains the same: to encourage students who feel intimidated by this big decision, don’t feel like they belong or don’t think it’s possible to have a place in higher education, and, more importantly, that they do have a place at CMU.
Learn more about The CMU Promise Tour.