The Investiture Ceremony over the weekend officially recognized John Marshall as the eleventh president of Colorado Mesa University (CMU). The ceremony was the culmination of The Maverick Momentum Tour, a month-long celebration of CMU’s growth and history.
The tour centered around group discussions featuring Marshall, faculty, students and trustees.
Marshall engaged with the CMU and Grand Valley community about education, shared governance, inclusion and CMU’s commitments to the student experience on all campuses.
The first panel featured Marshall and trustees reflecting on their secondary and postsecondary educational opportunities. They talked about the importance of forming relationships and how that prepared them for college and their careers.
During the second panel, CMU Associated Student Government, trustees and Marshall discussed the role and importance of student leadership.
“This is the opportunity where all of us get to practice what we’re going to do after this institution and really change the world,” CMU Trustee Alex Sanchez said.
They talked about the philosophical role that student leadership plays in bridging students and faculty together for shared governance. The panel also hit on the importance of inclusive student representation and making sure everyone’s voice gets heard.
“For me, student government is where people come together and make changes that outlive themselves and really demonstrate what it’s like to be a Maverick. We’re blessed as student leaders to have the opportunity to make those changes,” ASG President Jay Shearrow said.
Marshall’s third panel was held in Montrose, celebrating CMU’s sister campus and the town as a whole. Him and other notable figures such as Senator Don Coram discussed the role the school has in shaping the community.
Montrose administration stated that they want to keep providing opportunities for students to stay in the community after graduation. They also talked about the newly built airport driving the local economy. Montrose has had record months with tourism enticing outsiders to the community.
The Montrose campus is community centered and offers many certificates for programs such as welding and metal work. There is a huge shortage of service workers in Colorado that trade schools could address. Montrose has addressed this issue and continues to help high schoolers, traditional students and nontraditional students get the experience they need.
In the fourth panel at the Western Colorado Community College (WCCC), Marshall and notable WCCC figures discussed the power of technical education in rural Colorado. WCCC has been a division under CMU for over 30 years.
Traditional four-year programs are not for everyone; WCCC is a great alternative option for higher education. Colorado’s growing economy needs more service workers, which community college and trade schools can address. CMU provides these programs in multiple places so they are accessible to the wider community.
They reaffirmed CMU’s and WCCC’s mutually dependent partnership with the larger community. For example, WCCC provides free college credit to Mesa County high schoolers. WCCC is also responsible for the Mobile Learning Lab, a classroom on wheels meant to bring education to rural doorsteps like their stop in DeBeque, Colorado.
In the final panel before the Investiture ceremony, Marshall talked with state representatives, faculty and students about the cohesive elements of art.
“Art is the galvanizing force that brings us together,” State Representative Leslie Herod said.
The panel members concluded that art tells a story that people might not hear otherwise. The presenters stated that the shortest distance between two people are their stories. Art strips away biases and forces people to come together to an understanding.
The Art Department stated that art shows us that yes, we are different, but in a humanistic sense we are all the same. It is a non-confrontational way to bridge beliefs.
The Maverick Momentum Tour ended with the first Investiture ceremony in CMU’s history. The event signified the reliance and confidence the university has in appointing Marshall as the eleventh president. Marshall and other faculty members equated their positions with stewardship, overlooking the thousands of students in the past, present and future.
They highlighted the critical partnership between the school and the community built on mutual trust. Speakers stated that CMU greatly benefits from the support of Western Slope alumni and partnerships.
Students and faculty have the opportunity to be bold and lead the region and state. Investiture reminds students what makes CMU great and the important role all CMU associates play in representing and improving the institution in the years to come.
