CMU's Montrose Champion
For over 30 years, Colorado Mesa University has provided classes and degree programs in Montrose, the Western Slope’s second-largest city, some sixty miles southeast of Twelfth Street and North Avenue.
David Reed is the current mayor of Montrose and a former member of the CMU President’s Advisory Council. He is also a former Colorado Mesa University trustee. Reed joked that he “grew up in Louisiana, went to school in Texas, and got the hell out of both of them.” An attorney by profession, he is a longtime advocate for higher education in his Colorado hometown.
The history of higher education in Montrose is tumultuous. Like Grand Junction, the City of Montrose began advocating for higher education in the late 1800s. When bills to create a normal school for teacher training in Montrose were introduced in 1896 and 1901, it appeared Montrose had the edge. But the advantage was fleeting, and in 1925, Grand Junction Junior College was established.
Mesa State College arrived in Montrose in 1991, after management of the Montrose Higher Education Center transferred from the Office of the State Colleges in Denver to Mesa State. According to Reed, not everyone was happy with this arrangement.
“There were certain factions that felt we needed new bricks and mortar, that we needed a standalone campus. There were some unrealistic expectations,” he explained, noting that he became involved in the community debate at this time.
Reed’s involvement deepened when he joined the President’s Advisory Council created by CMU President Tim Foster “to be the eyes and ears of the community.” He resigned from the council when Governor John Hickenlooper appointed him to the CMU Board of Trustees. He served as a trustee until 2021.
“President Foster was always very supportive. I think his feelings about Montrose were, ‘We will work to get Montrose what Montrose thinks it needs. Montrose needs to say what the needs are and how to make them work, and as partners, we will find a way to make it happen,’” explained Reed, noting that the President’s Advisory Council continues under current CMU President John Marshall.
By emphasizing local priorities, Reed believes the relationship between CMU and Montrose is dynamic and strongly cemented in the community. Like the relationship between Grand Junction and CMU, the City of Montrose provides funding for the university and works closely with the Montrose Campus to facilitate its growth.
When Mesa State first arrived in Montrose, Reed says that classes were held in the public library. With growth in class offerings, Mesa State Montrose expanded into a former elementary school, acquired buildings along Cascade Avenue and neighboring streets, and finally, in cooperation with the city, closed a portion of Cascade Avenue to create a campus.
Currently, CMU Montrose offers certificates, associate’s degrees, and bachelor’s degrees in fourteen vocational/technical and baccalaureate programs. There are five concurrent programs for high school students, learning opportunities for seniors, and summer camps for kids.
As for new initiatives, Reed points to a public-private partnership that is establishing a teaching hotel and restaurant similar to CMU’s Hotel Maverick in two historic downtown Montrose buildings.
Reed believes that the next long-term challenge will be providing residential and dining services for students on the Montrose Campus. He sees this as a means of attracting “kids who are maybe not in the immediate area, but still within western Colorado.”
“I like to think that we can call ourselves a college town now,” Reed added. “It’s a progression of a change in culture. People really do want to have the presence of higher education in the community, for all the benefits.”