Through cash gifts and planned giving, the CMU Foundation has raised more than $10 million for the Century Scholarship, a milestone that will open more doors to higher education for students in Mesa County.
Supported by 176 donors, the scholarship surpassed its goal during CMU’s centennial year, marking a major investment in local students and in the future of western Colorado.
“Every scholarship dollar raised is another opportunity to help a student go to college here at CMU,” CMU President John Marshall said. “The $10 million plus raised is just one marker of impact out of the 100 years CMU has been committed to being a radically affordable option for students.”
When the scholarship began in 2017 as the Mesa Scholarship Initiative, its aim was to help students who had the grades, drive and ability to succeed in college, but couldn’t make the finances work.
For Joe Higgins, the scholarship’s founder, that concern was familiar. After decades of working with young people in Mesa County, he had watched talented high schoolers graduate with ambition, then stop short of college because of the cost, fears of taking on debt, or the belief that higher education was not realistic for them.
“The Century Scholarship concept started with the realization that 75% of the high school graduates from lower-income households in Mesa County felt that a college education was out of their reach,” Higgins said. “Fears of crippling student debt were real concerns for students and their families. It was a sad picture that so many young people from western Colorado were missing out on additional educational opportunities.”
According to 2024 Colorado census data, the median household income in Colorado is $97,133, compared with $75,231 in Mesa County. For many local families, the cost of higher education remains a serious hurdle.
The scholarship’s original $5 million endowment goal in 2017 has grown into a larger community commitment. By 2025, the fund had reached $7 million. During CMU’s centennial celebration, donors helped push the scholarship past the $10 million mark.
“When our community comes together like this, lives change, and so does our region’s future,” said Senior Vice President of Development and CEO of the CMU Foundation Robin Brown. “Hitting $10 million for the Century Scholarship means we can reinvest in local students, giving them the ability to pursue higher education without financial barriers standing in the way.”
The Century Scholarship is built on the idea that when students have financial support, they are more likely to take the next step in their education, complete a degree and contribute to the community that invested in them.
Higgins has always been aware of the community’s generosity and its willingness to support the next generation. Through his years of work with the Mesa County Partners Program, United Way of Mesa County and the Brownson Memorial Fund at the Western Colorado Community Foundation, he saw how local donors, volunteers and community leaders could change the direction of a young person’s life. The Century Scholarship is another representation of that local support.
“A community that cares about its young people and their future is willing to invest in that future,” Higgins said. “Thanks to those who support the Century Scholarship, hundreds of students will achieve a college education and will be productive members of our community.”
The scholarship’s impact is already showing up in the students it supports. Century Scholarship recipients are earning degrees, and graduates are moving into careers that support the region’s workforce needs.
“I am so thankful to the donors. I am proud of the students who faced their fears and are participating in the Century Scholarship program,” Higgins said. “I believe this is only the beginning of the long-term effort to create more opportunities for young people who otherwise would not be able to afford to attend college.”
Surpassing $10 million marks a significant achievement for CMU, the CMU Foundation and the donors who helped build the scholarship fund. But for Higgins, reaching the goal is just the beginning, and will serve as a foundation for what comes next.
“Now let’s raise $15 million and change even more lives,” Higgins said.
As CMU celebrates its first century and looks ahead to its next, the Century Scholarship continues to carry a promise first made to local students: that financial barriers should not stand between them and the chance to pursue a college education.
Want to support Mesa County students and continue growing the Century Scholarship? Give to the Century Scholarship! Your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar while matching funds are available.