Take a look back at Mesa State College, when the only dorms were Monument, Pinon, Rait, and Tolman. The College Center was a lot smaller than it is today, and the small dining hall had cubbies for students to hold their backpacks while they ate. Thousands of students have made their way through Mesa State, and some have even stuck around after graduation. They have seen the changes.
Mesa State alumni, graphic artist and creative projects coordinator Jeremy Smith has been here since he started at Mesa back in 2000. Not only has he seen the college grow in both size and student numbers, he has also seen the programs change for students, giving them more opportunity and the ability to take a wider variety of classes.
“I really think that the main thing that I’d like to get across is that Mesa State has done a good job both in educating me in my career and also being my employer, and it’s going in the right direction, and I see that,” Smith said, “I see a lot of people really dedicated to this place, and I’m happy.”
Smith started working at Mesa State a few years after graduating, and has been responsible for giving Mesa State its proper look and feel through graphic art and design. Before he earned his job title, Smith studied graphic design here and reminisces about how small the school was 11 years ago. He recalled the campus being half the size, and very long and narrow, the cafeteria offering a lot less variety for students, and the grand opening of the new Fine Arts building.
“Even though the campus has changed, it still feels like Mesa State. Even though it’s been 10 years since I’ve been to school here, it still feels like the same school,” Smith said.
Smith focused particularity on graphic art design during his schooling at Mesa, and has seen computer programs roll over from Quark to InDesign. Requirements for new students have also been changing, and Smith says that there has been a lot of reorganization. New curriculum for bachelor’s degrees is always under review. When Smith attended classed in 2000, there was only one website design class and now, Mesa State offers a variety of similar classes. Everything was compacted together into one degree, and over time, the program has expanded, and now offers a Fine Arts degree with a focus on website design, animation, print media, etc.
Mesa State is one of the fastest growing schools in Colorado, and continues to expand and offer more to future and current students. With the expansion of the campus and new improvements that the school has to offer, it’s no question why Jeremy Smith decided on a career with Mesa State College. All the positive changes have made this school grow.
“There’s a lot of excitement around the school right now and I think it has to do with the buildings and these new programs coming,” Smith said, “but I’ve really seen this drive and this intensity increase over the last couple of years. Enrollment is going up and we are heading in the right direction, and that is really exciting.”

nstimack@mesastate.edu