New Era at CMU will build on Mesa State legacy

Over the last eight years, Mesa State College has grown from a student population of 5,000 to pushing 10,000 with annual enrolment percentages in the double digits! Mesa State has gone from competing against state colleges within Colorado for students to now attracting students who otherwise would be attending major public institutions like the University of Colorado System, the University of California System and the University of Texas System.

The local economy greatly depends on the fresh influx of dollars which students from outside the western slope bring to the Grand Valley. The future of Mesa’s success will depend on more students from out-of-state and overseas subsidising the cuts to higher education from the legislature. A strategic name change is one step towards mitigating future negative impacts on the success of recent years.

Like many stakeholders with vested interests in the continued future success of Mesa State College, I was surprised in the name selected. It seemed the top four choices (none of which were considered by the Board of Trustees) from the stakeholder surveys would have been more natural. The tripartite test established by the college merited only one logical choice – Colorado Mesa University. My first impression was that the new name sounded weird. It seems a lauded educational institution should stand on its own merit without the crutch of a 150 year old state/territory name tacked onto the front.

It’s too bad Mesa didn't have a name like Harvard, as then the only change could have been replacing the word ‘college’ for ‘university’. Though, ‘Massachusetts Harvard University’ would have merited similar thoughts as expressed above.

The brand name of ‘Colorado’ is very powerful and as Governor Hickenlooper signs the legislative approved ‘Colorado Mesa University’ into law, a new era will begin. As expressed by the Sentinel’s Editorial Board – it’s time to get use to CMU (not Carnegie Mellon University). Confusion is sure to abound in the ensuing three to five years, as entity names such as ‘Colorado MESA’ (Mathematics, Engineering, Science and Achievement) is distinguished from ‘Colorado Mesa’ and recruiters explain CMU is the new MSC. One confusing point is certainly eliminated; future students will no longer mistake our ‘Mesa’ with Arizona’s or California’s Mesa Colleges.

As the dawning of the new future is here, Colorado Mesa University will be standing on the shoulders of a great educational legacy (gigantium humeris insidentes). A legacy I am proud to have been a part of as having served two terms on the College’s Board of Trustees.[1]

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[1] M Soper, 'New Era at CMU will build on Mesa State legacy' (Grand Junction Daily Sentinel: 13 May 2011); http://www.gjsentinel.com/opinion/articles/e-mail-letters-may-13-2011; accessed 14 May 2011