Gianneschi: Toward a more perfect college 

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it is fitting that colleges take time to reflect on the extraordinary progress made by the American republic. While enthusiastically pursuing life, liberty and happiness, Americans have created one of the most profitable, beneficial and compassionate governments in the history of the world.  

And yet the American experiment is not perfect, nor was it meant to be. In their pursuit of a more perfect union, the founders knew the nation would need to continue to evolve to match the needs of its ever-changing population with different faiths, political variations, distinctive cultures and advancing technologies. Our motto “E pluribus unum” or “out of many, one” requires us to continually grow, acknowledging our differences and coming together to create something bigger than ourselves.  

Nevertheless, the pursuit of a more perfect union — or, in our case, a more perfect college — is a responsibility that Colorado Mountain College welcomes.   

In our quest for an institution in which all students can reach their full potential, my CMC colleagues and I have adopted four commitments that guide our work and help us navigate a rapidly changing environment — equity, care, innovation and integrity.   

Interestingly, the concept of “equity” in the framework of so-called “diversity, equity and inclusion” has drawn significant criticism, especially since Jan. 20. In fact, national polling suggests that the majority of Americans don’t agree on what the term “DEI” actually means. To some, DEI is a process of institutional indoctrination and exclusion. To others, it is a lens through which to address historical inequalities. Whatever one’s perspective on the term, it seems clear that “DEI” has become a deeply contentious concept. 

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At CMC, “equity” does not include institutional indoctrination or preferred viewpoints and never has. We use the term “equity” to describe our goal of ensuring that all students who enroll at the college enjoy the opportunity to achieve their academic goals. This includes providing support for students with physical, visual or auditory disabilities, and recognizing the unique systems that enable student populations such as military veterans, working parents or high school students to attend and finish college.

Ample evidence shows that success in college often varies based on whether one’s family members attended college in the past. First-generation college students, for example, do not have the same access to generational familiarity with the systems of college planning, financial aid, admissions and college preparation resources, and their families often lack the ability to spend the time helping to navigate these systems.  

While CMC is very proud of the work we’ve done to double the number of graduates over the past decade, student performance is not equal. To better understand why, our team continually collects and analyzes data related to our students and their academic performance. Through this process, we discovered that race is not the primary cause of student success at CMC. More often, age, gender, wealth and a family’s educational background play larger roles in determining a student’s success.  

Several years ago, we noticed that men were enrolling in college at lower numbers than had historically been the case. This wasn’t surprising, as the average wage for male-dominated industries was rising quickly in the post-pandemic boom. Five years later, however, we continue to see worrying signs that gender plays a role in enrollment differences.

This deficit in male enrollment increases when we consider age, income and first-generation status. Older men, for example, especially those from lower-income, first-generation households, seem to struggle the most in college. This is not due to intelligence or genetics, but more likely due to the demands of life and family, which increase with age.  

It would be irresponsible for CMC to ignore these facts. The college has a duty to understand how its systems create barriers for certain students and develop ways to fix them. Advertising professionals call this “market segmentation,” the act of understanding the preferences of different consumers and using that information to develop new strategies to reach them. In the same way, using its “equity” commitment as guidance, CMC is exploring ways to adapt its policies to help different individuals in the community realize their full potential without lowering academic standards. 

In the same ways that our nation continues its ceaseless pursuit of a more perfect union, CMC continues its pursuit to perfect our program offerings and support services that aid the great variety of life circumstances that the 14,000 students bring to the college every day.   

This is equity at CMC — creating opportunities for learners from all backgrounds to succeed, which results in an improved return on investment for our taxpayers and a highly trained workforce for mountain economies. 

Dr. Matt Gianneschi is the president of Colorado Mountain College.